On its way to the 2017 Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament in St. Louis, the Davidson baseball team practiced at Vanderbilt.
After that quick stop in Nashville, the Wildcats won eight of their next nine games to secure the A-10 and Chapel Hill Regional titles and land in their first NCAA Super Regional.
Davidson (6-3) is hopeful this week's return trip to Vanderbilt will be memorable for its own reasons. This time, they'll face the host Commodores — the No. 1 team in the country.
Vanderbilt (9-2) has reached 13 straight NCAA Tournaments, made three College World Series appearances (2011, 2014, 2015) and won the 2014 national title to establish itself as one of the premier programs.
Now the Wildcats get to play the Commodores for the first time since 1980.
"You view it as an opportunity," said Eric Jones, who is hitting a team-best .343. "We're just really excited and looking forward to the chance to do something big. There's no downside for us."
Davidson is coming off a jam-packed weekend series with Toledo that included three games in just more than 24 hours. The Wildcats won the last two of those, while Vanderbilt swept Dayton, an A-10 foe of Davidson.
Tuesday's game (first pitch 2 p.m. EST) is also a homecoming for head coach Rucker Taylor, who was a Vanderbilt infielder. The 2006 graduate helped the Commodores reach their first Super Regional in 2004, and his former coach will be in the other dugout. Tim Corbin is in his 17th season leading the Commodores.
"For me personally, it will be fun to be back on campus and see friends," said Taylor. "Vanderbilt had a large impact on me, and I think, at least indirectly, a lot of what we do and try to do at Davidson has some Vanderbilt DNA in it." Davidson coach Rucker Taylor was a Vanderbilt infielder.
This is the second of four games the Wildcats will play against teams that were in the Super Regionals last year. Davidson lost at Duke 7-3 on Feb. 19 and will play the Blue Devils at home March 26. There's also a matchup at North Carolina April 2.
"Last year, we played at Virginia over spring break, and this year to be able to get off campus to Nashville and play another national power is a great opportunity for us," said Taylor. "Vanderbilt is an elite program. We're fortunate to be able to have these challenges on the schedule."
The Commodores lead the all-time series 2-1.
Newsmakers
Jones and fellow infielder Matt Frey hit over .400 this past week, which began with single games against N.C. A&T and USC Upstate.
Frey hit .467 (7-for-15) with two doubles and five RBI. He moved up in the lineup and drove in the first two runs in the 3-2 Sunday win over Toledo.
Jones hit .409 (9-for-22) and had four multi-hit games, including a three-hit performance in Saturday's nightcap against Toledo.
Ruben Fontes hit three home runs in the week to take his team-leading total to four. His latest snapped Sunday's 2-2 tie in the eighth inning.
"He's swinging the bat really well," said Jones. "He's got a lot of confidence. We all believe in him, too. We're happy to have him in the heart of our lineup."
