No. 2 Vanderbilt Advances With Rare 300 Baker Game

The No. 2 ranked Vanderbilt Commodores recorded the eighth 300 Baker game in program history during an event in Rochester, N.Y. The achievement coincided with the team advancing in the competition.

The Baker Format and Requirements

The Baker format is a cornerstone of team play in ten-pin bowling, where multiple players contribute frames to a single shared game. In a five-person team, players rotate frames. for example, one player bowls frames 1 and 6, while another bowls frames 2 and 7.

To achieve a perfect Baker 300, all five players must throw two strikes each. The final bowler, known as the anchor, must throw a total of four strikes, including the two fill frames in the 10th frame.

These games are considered rare in NCAA bowling because they are played on sport compliant patterns, which increase the level of difficulty compared to standard bowling conditions.

Program History and Previous Milestones

The recent 300 game in Rochester, N.Y., follows the program’s seventh all-time Baker 300, which occurred on February 18, 2024, during the Mid-Winter Invitational in Jonesboro, Ark.

During that February 18, 2024, event, Vanderbilt achieved the feat in a semifinal victory over Jacksonville State. The rotation for that specific game consisted of Caroline Thesier, Kailee Channell, Alyssa Ballard, Paige Peters, and Victoria Varano.

The match on February 18, 2024, was notably competitive, as the game was not clinched until the 10th frame. While Vanderbilt scored 300, the Jacksonville State team shot a 267 in the same game.

Vanderbilt’s performance during the Mid-Winter Invitational included a 4-2 victory over Jacksonville State, with the team averaging 241.3 over six games. Scores in that match included 215, 247, 243, 300, 205, and 238.

Victoria Varano, who was part of the seventh Baker 300 rotation, has been recognized by Vanderbilt University Athletics for academic honors.