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Vanderbilt baseball announced its starting rotation for its opening weekend at the MLB Desert Invitational in Arizona, far away from its home field in Nashville.
Junior left-hander JD Thompson will kick things off on the mound on Friday against Grand Canyon. Thompson will be followed by another lefty in sophomore Ethan McElvain on Saturday against Nebraska.
After featuring 2 southpaws, Vanderbilt will go with Georgetown transfer right-hander Cody Bowker on Sunday against UC Irvine.
The Commodores’ pitching choices were announced by the program on social media.
Thompson had the expectations during the entire offseason that he would earn the Friday night job. Last season as a sophomore, Thompson finished with a 5-2 record, a 4.15 ERA and 74 strikeouts against 18 walks in 52 innings.
McElvain went 1-2 with a 3.20 ERA in 11 appearances (4 starts) during the 2024 season. He struck out 29 and walked 15 in 25 innings while being billed as one of the top freshmen in the SEC.
Bowker was the Commodores’ top transfer pitcher during the offseason. He was a second-team All-Big East selection with the Hoyas after going 5-1 with a 3.00 ERA in 13 appearances, including 8 starts.
The Commodores are ranked 18th in the preseason USA TODAY Coaches Poll.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
