Baseball roots run deep for Vandy outfielder Steven Liddle

Steven Liddle's lifetime of baseball experience is paying off for Vandy. Neil Brake for The City Paper

Steven Liddle grew up in a home where umbrella stands were used to hold his many baseball bats.

By age 12, he was taking hitting lessons and spending time in batting cages.

His father, Tim, played baseball at Lipscomb. His uncle, Steve, is currently the bench coach of the Minnesota Twins.

There was never a doubt baseball would be part of Liddle's future.

“He’s kind of lived it ever since he was a kid,” Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin said. “When we recruited him, we said, ‘That kid is a baseball player.’”

Now a redshirt freshman at Vanderbilt, Liddle has seized the starting left-field job and doesn’t seem interested in letting it go any time soon.

While starting 36 games this season, the Franklin High product is batting .310. In five games last week at the Southeastern Conference Tournament, he collected seven hits and struck the ball with authority on several outs.

Liddle’s play has helped solidify a shaky left-field situation for the Commodores, who open NCAA Tournament play today against Oklahoma in Tempe, Ariz.

“Defense and hitting, he’s doing it all,” Corbin said.

Tim played on an NAIA College World Series team at Lipscomb in the early 1980s. Steve Liddle also played at Lipscomb and later in the California Angels system. While baseball was a family passion, it was never forced upon Steven.

“We definitely wanted him to have a choice,” Tim Liddle said. “We didn’t push him either way.”

A trip to Minneapolis during his junior year at Franklin sealed Steven Liddle’s fate. There, on a week-long trip to visit with Uncle Steve, Liddle took batting practice with the Minnesota Twins.

That was it.

“It’s not that I have to play,” he said. “I just grew up around it.”

His love of the game was always evident.

“He was the type kid who was constantly swinging a bat,” Tim Liddle said. “You had to watch yourself walking around a corner or you might get hit upside the head. He always had a bat in his hands. He loved it.”

Steven Liddle’s standout career caught the attention of several colleges, including Vanderbilt, Clemson, Lipscomb, Belmont and Middle Tennessee.

While he briefly considered continuing the family tradition at Lipscomb, Liddle quickly became sold on Vanderbilt.

“After I got to know the players and got to know the coaches, that really changed it for me,” he said. “I knew it was going to be a good fit for me.”

Liddle demonstrated advanced hitting skills last season while redshirting, setting the stage for playing time this season in the outfield.

Early in the season, however, hits were scarce. That’s when Corbin stepped in.

“He just told me, ‘Keep your confidence. You’re a good hitter. Keep your head up,’” Liddle said.

Sure enough, the hits started falling.

“He’s hitting the ball hard in key situations,” Corbin said. “He’s produced. I wanted him to get to the point where he was confident he was going to be in there every day.”

Now, Liddle figures to be a fixture in the Vanderbilt lineup for the coming seasons.

“I’m not the strongest player or the biggest player, but I know I can make solid contact consistently,” he said.

Spoken like a true baseball player.

Tempe Regional Preview

Record: 45-11

The fourth-ranked Sun Devils, third in the nation in runs scored, are heavy favorites to win this region and advance to the College World Series. Being 35-3 at home this season, their odds are favorable. Golden Spikes Award semifinalist Brett Wallace leads the Pac-10 with 20 home runs, 78 RBIs, 89 hits and a .412 batting average. Pitcher Mike Leake, one of the nation’s best, is 9-2 with 94 strikeouts and a 3.18 ERA.

Vanderbilt, No. 2 seed

Record: 40-20

Things have never quite clicked this season for the Commodores, who are unranked entering NCAA Tournament play. If its top hitters get on the same page, however, VU could be dangerous. Outfielder David Macias sports a team-best .355 batting average, but Vanderbilt needs big guns Pedro Alvarez, Ryan Flaherty and Dominic de la Osa to get rolling this weekend to have a chance.

Oklahoma, No. 3 seed

Record: 34-24-1

Many believe the Sooners, who finished 9-17 in Big 12 play during the regular season, didn’t deserve a spot in the NCAA Tournament. No Oklahoma player has double-digit home runs this season, but the top three hitters in the lineup – Jamie Johnson, Aljay Davis and Mike Gosse – are each hitting at least .350. OU will need big production from them to beat Vanderbilt today.

Stony Brook, No. 4 seed

Record: 34-24

The unheralded Seawolves of Stony Brook, N.Y., are traveling across the nation today to play in scorching heat and be a sacrificial lamb for Arizona State. Welcome to the NCAA Tournament. Stony Brook earned an NCAA bid by winning the America East Tournament championship. Outfielder Steve Mazzurco was named tournament MVP after hitting .455 with two doubles in three games. He batted .357 during the regular season.

Regional schedule

Friday

4 p.m. – Vanderbilt vs. Oklahoma

9 p.m. – Arizona State vs. Stony Brook

Saturday

4 p.m. – Loser of Game 1 vs. loser of Game 2 (loser eliminated)

9 p.m. – Winner of Game 1 vs. winner of Game 2

Sunday

3 p.m. – Winner of Game 3 vs. loser of Game 4

8 p.m. – Winner of Game 5 vs. winner of Game 4

Monday (if necessary)

8 p.m. – Repeat of Game 6