The Vanderbilt Commodores with a win against the Florida Gators in the SEC Baseball Tournament semifinals completed a rare feat in school history,
With the win on Saturday, the Commodores for the first time in nearly 50 years defeated the Gators in football, basketball, and baseball all in the same academic year. The last time that Vanderbilt had done so was in the 1974-1975 academic year.
Back in November, Vanderbilt defeated Florida on the gridiron 31-24 after establishing a 28-12 lead through the first three quarters of play. The Gators would make a late push in the game but would end up falling short in the comeback attempt.
Then in February, the Commodores defeated the Gators on the hardwood not once but twice, winning 88-80 on February 11 and 88-72 on February 25.
For Vanderbilt baseball, it took several chances to finally get the Gators. Earlier this month, the Commodores traveled to Gainesville but wound up getting swept in their three-game series, being outscored in the three games 22-2. Then on Thursday, in their second game in the SEC Tournament, the Commodores would be bested by the Gators once again 6-3.
However, on Saturday, the fifth time was the charm for Vanderbilt. After scoring just five runs total in their first four matchups against Florida, Vanderbilt’s bats exploded for 11 runs on 12 hits en route to an 11-6 victory.
The Commodores will now play for an SEC Championship on Sunday against Texas A&M.