Behind The Scenes

CWS matchup of Vandy/Virginia sparks Walsh/Kerney “feud”

Sara Walsh and her husband Matt Buschmann with Vanderbilt baseball head coach Tim Corbin, following one of Matt’s minor league games in Nashville last year. (Photo courtesy Sara Walsh)
Sara Walsh and her husband Matt Buschmann with Vanderbilt baseball head coach Tim Corbin, following one of Matt’s minor league games in Nashville last year. (Photo courtesy Sara Walsh)

With Game 2 of the College World Series on tap tonight (8 p.m. ET, ESPN), two SportsCenter anchors are raising the stakes in support of the their husbands’ alma maters.

Sara Walsh (whose husband, Matt Buschmann was a standout pitcher for Vanderbilt) and Lisa Kerney (whose husband, Patrick played football at Virginia before being drafted by the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons in 1999) are good friends off-set, but that kinship has been put on hold this week with defending champion Vanderbilt up 1-0 in the best-of-three series. The two teams met in last year’s CWS Finals as well.

“I can tell you my car was parked in Lisa’s driveway a few weeks ago,” Walsh said. “Patrick walked in their house and first thing he said was, ‘Get that car with the Vandy plates out of here!'”

Kerney, who recently gave birth to twins and has been on maternity leave from SportsCenter, is a bit busy these days (with four little ones in the house), but she found just enough time to negotiate a bet on the series from Walsh.

“I asked Matt about this and he said he’d like the bet to be that we switch houses for a year,” Walsh told Kerney in an email exchange.

“Just talked to Patrick,” Kerney replied, “we’re in on that bet… However, the house comes with the kids (all four), the bills and the commute to Bristol. Take it or leave it!”

“Does it also include childcare help?” asked Walsh, the proud mother of an English Bulldog named George. “If not, you clearly have no regard for your kiddos!”

While the ladies hash out the details, Walsh confirms her Vandy allegiance is even deeper than just being her husband’s school.

“I covered Vandy during my time working in Nashville and [Vanderbilt head baseball coach] Tim Corbin has always been one of my favorite coaches and that’s before I married into the ‘family’,” she said. “Matt pitched a complete game shutout in front of Corbin last year in a Triple A game in Nashville and I know that because Corbin was there.”

Tonight, Corbin will be with his Commodores as they chase history and Walsh and Kerney will be tuned in for SportsCenter bragging rights.

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