Why I’m Rooting for Vanderbilt Baseball

By Jay Horwitz

Why am I a gigantic fan of the second-ranked Vanderbilt University baseball team?

Well, here are two pretty good reasons for all Mets fans to join me. The Commodores batting coach and recruiting coordinator is Mike Baxter. If you remember, Mike saved Johan Santana’s no-hitter with a spectacular catch in leftfield.

The second reason, is Vandy’s best pitcher is Jack Leiter, son of former Met Al, who is 7–0 with an 0.55 ERA. Look for Jack, who is a righty, to become the fourth member of the Leiter family to pitch in the majors one day soon.

We had the chance to catch up with Mike Baxter recently from his office at Vanderbilt University. Check out his interview on the Mets YouTube page.