Vanderbilt Keeps Finding Ace Pitchers, 17-year-old Freshman Is Latest

Yesterday, Vanderbilt starting pitcher Christian Little toed the rubber for the first time against Western Kentucky. A classic dominant performance ensued, which is nothing new for the Vandy Boys, except this time, the kid was just 17 years old.

He threw just three innings but it was still a shut-out performance, giving up only three hits. Seriously, it's not fair.

For those who pay close attention to the Vanderbilt Commodore baseball program, Little was on the radar early. Having committed at just 14, the six-foot-four right-hander was destined for greatness.

Who in Vandy's pinstripes isn't? That starting rotation is absolutely sick.

Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin weighed in on the young stud:

"He's handled himself well. He's stayed on task, in terms of his responsibilities of timeliness and organization, which I think are the most important things. I just look at those pieces as being the common denominator with doing something consistent things once you get to the field."

"You look at him sometimes and not realize he's just 17," Corbin continued. "All of these kids, you wonder how difficult it is for him. He appears to be handling it."

When was the last time any of us were described that way? At first, we wondered how lucky Vanderbilt could get, but maybe it's the way they recruit? We almost guarantee that 99% of the coaches around the country would never describe a 17-year-old freshman like this. It's very likely that Coach Corbin gave a player who still eats off the kid's menu a scholarship to a school that cost upwards of $60,000/year because he made their jaws drop on the field.

We're looking forward to watching what Christian Little can do these next three seasons. If we had to guess, Little's name should be called sometime in the first round by then. The Pittsburgh Pirates will be lucky to have him. Oh, too soon?