Vandy Coach Tim Corbin Calls Out Nashville, Praises Knoxville Crowds

Vanderbilt baseball, the No. 2 team in the country, beat No. 3 Tennessee 10-4 on Sunday and won the three-game series 2-1. The teams played in front of big crowds in Knoxville, which drew praise from Commodores coach Tim Corbin.

In the process of praising the big Knoxville crowds, Corbin also threw a little shade at Nashville, home of Vanderbilt University.

"This environment here, I don’t know what we’re doing in Nashville, but there aren’t many empty seats (at UT) now," Corbin said, via the Tennessean.

"Let me just tell you, COVID does not exist in Knoxville," he joked. "There are a lot of people here having a good time, and sometimes at our expense.

"We just needed to do our part to play baseball. They created a very good environment here for baseball, and I credit them."

Some criticized Corbin for the light-hearted comment (people often overreact to obvious jokes these days), but he later clarified that he meant it as a compliment towards the Vols.

He isn't alone in wanting more normalcy in Nashville.

Vanderbilt athletic director Candice Lee is also ready to get things back to normal, though she has still been cautious.

"Like Coach Corbin, I'm eager to get back to 'normal' and fill our stands at Hawkins Field. We also understand that the dynamics in each metropolitan area are unique and the pandemic is ongoing," she said in a statement.

"Local conditions continue to determine protocols, such as our venue capacity. We cannot exceed the capacity limits set by our partners at Metro Public Health. We are in constant communication with them and have increased attendance only when permitted."

Though they averaged 650 fans in a recent series against Georgia, fan capacity for Vanderbilt baseball has since increased. Hawkins Field will now be at roughly 40 percent capacity, which will more than double attendance (approximately 1,500 fans) moving forward.

Yes, Corbin was just joking, but it was nice to see a coach point out advantages that other teams get to have based on city and university restrictions.

Follow Clint Lamb on Twitter @ClintRLamb.