SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Kumar Rocker strolled out of the bullpen and walked down the warning track at Salt River Fields. He then retreated into the first-base dugout to watch his Vanderbilt teammates bat in the top of the first inning. It wasn’t quite time for the imposing, 6-foot-4 right-hander to take the mound.

But before long, the sophomore had everybody’s attention Saturday night at the MLB4 Tournament.

Rocker picked up where he left off last season, allowing one unearned run in six innings to guide Vanderbilt to a 6-1 victory over UConn. Rocker, the Most Outstanding Player at the College World Series last year, allowed only two hits, walked three and struck out nine.

Several former Vanderbilt players were in attendance for Rocker’s impressive outing, including new Dodgers left-hander David Price, White Sox right-hander Carson Fulmer, Reds righty Sonny Gray and Giants righty Tyler Beede.

“They’re the ones that laid the foundation, of course,” Rocker said. “We’re just here to keep it going.”

Rocker turned in a performance to make those former Vandy hurlers proud. The only trouble he faced came in the second inning, when he loaded the bases with no outs. (One runner reached on an error.) After issuing a bases-loaded walk to Conor Moriarty, Rocker recorded three straight outs to minimize the damage.

From there, Rocker dazzled as he allowed only two baserunners in his final four frames, neither getting past first and one picked off for the final out of the fourth inning.

“The second inning was a big inning. That could have gone many different directions,” Vanderbilt head coach Tim Corbin said. “He made some nice pitches, and then, I think, as the game progressed, it seemed like he settled in a little bit more, which good pitchers do and he’s certainly capable of doing.”

While facing that jam, Rocker reflected back on his first college start, which came on the same mound at Salt River Fields at the MLB4 Tournament. In that outing, the righty gave up five runs and recorded only four outs, getting chased in the second vs. TCU.

This time, Rocker, a year older, handled the adversity much better.

“I remember when I was there last year in that exact same situation, and I just failed to get out of it,” Rocker said. “It shows just natural improvement, where I’ve come from.”

Rocker was picked by the Rockies in the 38th round of the 2018 MLB Draft, but the late selection was only because of signability concerns, which proved to be legitimate when he opted to honor his commitment to Vanderbilt. He’s likely going to be a top pick in the 2021 Draft, when he’s again eligible.

In his freshman year, Rocker dominated on the national stage. He threw a 19-strikeout no-hitter vs. Duke in the NCAA tournament and allowed only two runs in 12 1/3 innings in a pair of College World Series starts vs. Mississippi State and Michigan.

The Commodores helped Rocker win his first 2020 outing with offense in the middle innings. They tied the game with a run in the fifth and broke it open with a four-run rally in the sixth.

After dropping a CWS finals rematch Friday night vs. Michigan in the 2020 season opener, Vanderbilt bounced back for its first win of the young season, with Rocker leading the way.

“Kumar came in with a really good mindset just to dominate, and he did that,” said Commodores freshman catcher CJ Rodriguez, who went 4-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs. “You couldn’t ask for a better start, really.”

Michigan tops Cal Poly, improves to 2-0

After a big win over Vanderbilt on Friday night, Michigan improved to 2-0 at the MLB4 Tournament with an 8-5 win over Cal Poly at Salt River Fields on Saturday afternoon.

The Wolverines led the entire way after scoring three runs in the first inning, a rally that included RBI singles by Matthew Schmidt and Ted Burton. Cal Poly got within 5-3 through seven innings before Michigan used another three-run rally in the eighth to put the game out of reach.

Jordan Nwogu had three hits from the leadoff spot and Jack Blomgren had four knocks from the No. 2 hole to lead the Wolverines’ offense. Right-hander Blake Beers earned the win for Michigan, allowing a pair of unearned runs over 5 2/3 innings.

Scott Ogrin hit a leadoff homer for Cal Poly in the ninth, marking the second home run of the MLB4 Tournament. Schmidt went deep in the ninth on Friday to lift Michigan to its season-opening win.