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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Not much changes from game to game for Carson Fulmer.
Vanderbilt's junior pitcher doesn't watch much film, and he doesn't spend much time on scouting reports or worrying about how to pitch to this hitter or that one. He throws strikes, and hard ones at that -- 97 or 98 mph on the high end.
"You know what you're getting when you send him out there," Commodores coach Tim Corbin said as he prepared his team for this weekend's super regional at Illinois. "He's very predictable in his approach, he doesn't deviate."
That's why Corbin will hand the ball to his ace Saturday when the Commodores (45-19) face the Illini in the opener of the best-of-three series that has a College World Series berth for the winner.
Illinois first baseman David Kerian said the Illini (50-8-1) won't be overwhelmed by Corbin, who is expected to be among the first 10 players taken in next week's Major League Baseball draft.
"We hit velocity really well so far," he said, pointing out that they regularly practice against Illinois reliever Tyler Jay, who throws in the mid-90s. "Our approach is good enough so we don't swing out of our shoes when somebody's throwing that hard."
The Commodores' trip to Illinois will be their third straight super regional appearance -- including last year's national championship season -- and fifth in six years. The Illini don't have that kind of track record, but they have made it to regionals in three of the past five seasons.
Kerian said Illinois won't be blown away by Vandy's reputation, either.
"They're going to be great players," he said. "They're here for a reason. So are we."
Things to watch this weekend as Illinois and Vanderbilt battle for a trip to Omaha:
OFFENSIVE POWER
Vanderbilt won the title last year despite hitting only 22 home runs all season. This year, three Commodores alone topped that with Dansby Swanson, Zander Wiel and Rhett Wiseman combining for 41. Vanderbilt already has 62 home runs in 64 games.
Illinois coach Dan Hartleb likes to say Illinois isn't a power team, but the Illini have 54 home runs in 59 games.
STAY FOCUSED
The Illini and Commodores say looking no further than the game in front of them is important. But Illinois might have an edge in that department. The Illini clung hard to the one-game-at-a-time philosophy during their 27-game winning streak, refusing to look beyond any given day's opponent, pitcher David Duchene said. It helped them stay loose.
"If you guys hung out here all practice, you'd really see there's not that much pressure," he said just as a flurry of PG13-rated chatter broke out, right on cue, in the outfield behind him.
"See?" he said, red-faced and laughing. "This is how loose it is."
REMATCH
Vanderbilt and Illinois have some postseason history. The last time the teams faced each other was at the 2013 regional at Vanderbilt, a 10-4 Illini loss.
"We had one bad inning," Hartleb said, referring to a five-run eighth that blew open a tight game.
"I know that was a little intimidating going down there," Kerian said, recalling a big, loud Commodores crowd. "We'll be ready to get some payback on them."
ROAD TRIP
Vanderbilt is accustomed to hosting postseason baseball, but a road trip seems to suit the Commodores and their fans.
Illini players and coaches expect at least several hundred Vandy fans in Champaign. When Fulmer talked about it, he sounded more like a kid heading to summer camp for the first time than a pitcher getting ready to play in a hostile stadium.
"The experience is going to be cool. This is the first time I've had to travel to my super regional," he said.
NORTH-SOUTH DIVIDE
Illinois' shot at hosting a super regional is a chance to strike a blow for sometimes-maligned baseball in the north, where teams begin their seasons on month-long road trips while the snow melts back home and then regularly play through drizzly, 40- and 50-degree game days.
Vanderbilt is one of five SEC teams remaining in the tournament's final 16. If you add Florida State, TCU, Miami and Louisiana-Lafayette, nine of the teams left come from SEC states.
Aside from Illinois, the closest thing left to a northern school is fellow Big Ten team Maryland.
"We're always told northern schools can't play up here," said Kerian, a native of South Dakota. "It's awesome (to host a super regional)."
