Tyler Baird Talks Freshman Season, Bouncing Back from Bad Nights – Sports Illustrated

When Vanderbilt head coach Tim Corbin and his coaching staff planned out the pitching rotation before this season started, the plans did not involve playing his freshmen arms all too often, if they saw action at all.
But soon enough, those plans were derailed before the season even got into a full swing as Vanderbilt suffered seemingly countless pitching injuries that left Corbin with difficult decisions to make as to which pitchers he would end up having to rely on for the entire season.
One of those guys he has had to rely on a lot is freshman pitcher Tyler Baird. Baird made his collegiate debut in Vanderbilt’s second game of the season against Texas Tech when the Commodores were up 8-1 going into the fifth inning. Little did Vanderbilt and its fanbase know at the time, but that would be one of 22 appearances he has made in his first season of college baseball.
It has been a season filled with outings that had ups and downs. Moments where Baird came in and pitched well and others where Baird wished he could have back. Overall though, Baird feels that his first season has been a good one for him personally.
“This season’s been a good one, especially mentally pretty tough. Had some spots late in games that haven’t gone my way, have some that have gone my way. So, I definitely felt both sides of that bridge, but just every day trying to compete and get back to help the team win every game,” Baird said as he reflected on the season he has had.
His 22nd appearance of the season was Friday night in Vanderbilt’s 9-5 win over South Carolina. In the game, Baird went 3.2 innings, allowing three hits on three runs, two of them earned while striking out a batter.
By Baird’s standards, it is a performance that he felt like he could have pitched better in, specifically with his command. But overall, it was a start that Corbin was happy with. Baird mowed down all three Gamecocks in each of the first two innings and got through the third innings with just a walk allowed.
From Corbin’s perspective, seeing his first year pitcher navigate the SEC gauntlet this season has been one where he has seen his guy gain “battle scars” throughout the season. The experience that Baird has gotten is something that he will likely treasure as he continues through his collegiate career.
“He’s been through everything. We’ve put him in hot temperature situations like a field goal kicker that has to execute in overtime. He’s going to be better for it,” Corbin said. “He’s come up big sometimes and he’s walked off the field after a loss. Those things, they leave scars. Those are battle scars, but the thing about the kid is he’s resilient, he pitches forward and throws strikes for the most part.”
One of the moments from this season that Baird has not forgotten about is his outing against Kentucky on April 17. Baird entered the game in the bottom of the seventh inning with Vanderbilt leading 2-1. He got his team out of a two on, one out jam and looked like he was going to help the Commodores cruise to a win.
But in the ninth inning, Baird gave up three consecutive singles to load the bases and eventually got to a bases loaded, two out situation. In a 1-1 count, though, Baird surrendered a walk off a grand slam to the Wildcats.
Baird still thinks about the battle scar he gained that mid-April night, but his mental toughness ultimately prevailed with a 1.2 shutout performance in relief to help his team win the Kentucky series April 19 and posting three shutout innings in Vanderbilt’s 6-0 win over Texas April 25.
The way Baird processes how to bounce back following a bad night seems pretty simple. He has a one track mind that allows him to move on to the next opportunity rather than dwell on a bad night.
“It’s just getting back in a groove and routine just to get back out there and try to help the team win. At the end of the day, it’s just one game. You just got to go back, wake up the next morning with a fresh mindset and just get ready to compete again,” Baird said.
Going forward, Baird is going to be a guy that will have an increased role in the program. With him likely to be relied on more, the experience he has gained and will perhaps continue to get from this season will be something that he can take with him down the road.
“He’s a very positive kid and he’s got an easy smile and he’s an attacker for the most part. He’s a kid that gets the baseball and you know what you’re going to get out of him, at least in the short term here,” Corbin said. “But I trust that kid and I want the ball in his hand. He’s done a nice job.”
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Graham Baakko is a writer for Vanderbilt Commodores On SI, primarily covering football, basketball and baseball. Graham is a recent graduate from the University of Alabama, where he wrote for The Crimson White, WVUA-FM, WVUA 23 as he covered a variety of Crimson Tide sports. He also covered South Carolina athletics as a sportswriting intern for GamecockCentral.
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