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Friday (4/10) News Links

LJS: Dilday ready to play big role for Huskers

The baseball in college was changed this year: smaller seams.

To Elijah Dilday, the ball underwent a lot of other changes, too.

"I hadn't seen a live pitch in a long time and it looked like it was coming in 150 mph and seemed a lot smaller than I remembered when I first got back," said Dilday, Nebraska's freshman left fielder. "It takes a little bit to get comfortable, but the more you play, the better you feel."

Dilday had shoulder surgery last fall, and the high school All-American from Frances Howell High in St. Charles, Missouri, could run in practice. He even got to the point where he could field some, but he couldn't swing a bat or play full-speed until Nebraska had played almost 28 games.

Now, he's likely to earn his 11th start of the season Friday night in the first game of a three-game Big Ten series with Minnesota at 7:05 p.m. at Haymarket Park.

One of the top recruits in the Midwest, Dilday has shared time with Christian Cox and Luis Alvarado this season. Coach Darin Erstad explained that he wanted each player to get some extended time to get a rhythm at the plate and in the field. He added that freshman Jake Meyers also would see more time in the outfield with center fielder Ryan Boldt and right fielder Austin Darby, but the Huskers count on Meyers as a pitcher, too.

A self-described aggressive hitter, Dilday is hitting just .212 through 33 at-bats.

"I've always been aggressive, and sometimes that hurts me," Dilday said. "Sometimes that changeup is in the dirt and I'm swinging. But it's getting better the more I play."

Dilday still goes through rehab on his shoulder twice a week and spends extra time with trainers so he doesn't re-injure his arm.

"It's just that I had never been away from baseball, or even just swinging and hitting that long in my life," he said. "Even when I was in other sports, I still took swings and hit with my dad (Bart)."

Erstad said Dilday is important to the Huskers.

"He hasn't had that many live at-bats and he struggled on his first road trip last week at Maryland, a tough place to play against a very good team on a field that has seen better days," Erstad said. "He is terrifically talented and he will be a big part of this team for a long time. I like his intensity.

"He looks ready to hit and is very solid defensively."

LJS: Dilday ready to play big role for Huskers
 
LJS: Big Ten baseball power ratings, 4/9

1. Maryland (23-8, 7-1)

OK, Terrapins proved a point in sweeping NU last week. But a midweek 12-1 loss to George Washington is a puzzler. (Washington did throw a silver dollar across the Potomac, probably a slider.) Pitching is very strong, as is the lineup. Gets Iowa at home this weekend.

2. Nebraska (24-10, 3-3)

Bounced back with 10-inning win at K-State but still needs more consistent hitting. Things should improve with Minnesota coming to Lincoln this weekend.

3. Illinois (26-6, 5-1)

No. 12 in ratings and 21 in RPI and happy with sweep of Northwestern last weekend. Pitching has been strong and hitting getting better all the time.

4. Iowa (21-8, 6-0)

Hawkeyes relatively weak schedule will get better by playing at Maryland this weekend. If the record gets better, too, then look out.

5. Ohio State (22-7, 7-2)

Has a No. 22 RPI but ignored in other ratings. Gets a nonconference series against a resurgent UNLV, which Nebraska swept earlier.

6. Michigan (19-13, 4-5)

So much better than after the drubbing in Lincoln a couple of weeks ago. One of most athletic teams in the conference. Split with Indiana but should feast on Penn State this weekend.

7. Michigan State (16-14, 2-4)

Swept at Oregon last week and gets a limping Northwestern this week.

8. Indiana (18-11, 2-6)

Split with Michigan but lost to Cincinnati in midweek game.

9. Rutgers (11-20, 5-4)

Took two from Minnesota and lost to the Wagner Seahawks on Tuesday. Supposedly getting better but winning at Indiana will be hard this weekend.

10. Minnesota (11-17, 2-7)

Pitching is better than it looks, but the combination of hitting and pitching is lacking right now.

11. Northwestern (8-22, 2-4)

Played Illinois very well. Could be up with Purdue if Wildcats gets some wins at Michigan State this weekend.

12. Purdue (11-21, 1-5)

Nothing much happening here.

13. Penn State (9-18, 1-4)

See: Purdue. But beat Bucknell this week.

14. Wisconsin (0-0, 0-0)

Still no team.

LJS: Big Ten baseball power ratings, 4/9
 
LJS: Around the bases: Minnesota

Down to first: Nebraska is 15-1 at home this year and outscored opponents 92-34 at Haymarket Park. At home, NU pitchers have 122 strikeouts compared with 34 walks. The Gophers are 7-14 on the road.

Rounding second: Nebraska continues to lead the Big Ten and is among the best in the country in fielding percentage and runs allowed.

The turn at third: Minnesota has 17 home runs, compared with seven for Nebraska. The Gophers have been successful on 42 of 52 stolen base attempts.

Safe at home: Nebraska celebrates the 2005 Husker team that reached the College World Series and won a school-record 57 games, and the Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles. Alex Gordon (Royals), Joba Chamberlain (Tigers), Brian Duensing (Twins) and Tony Watson (Pirates) are not expected back, but NU assistant coaches Jeff Christy and Curtis Ledbetter will be on hand. Other standouts of that team included Daniel Bruce, Joe Simokaitis, Brandon Fusilier, Ryan Wehrle, Andy Gerch, Jake Opitz and Johnny Dorn. "I always loved when the fans yelled 'Bruuuuuce' for Daniel Bruce," said current NU catcher Tanner Lubach. "I was hoping for 'Luuuubach,' or something." Replica jersey T-shirts will be given to the first 2,000 fans through the gates for Friday's 7:05 p.m. game.

LJS: Around the bases: Minnesota
 
NU: #23 Huskers and Gophers Open Series on BTN

#23 Huskers and Gophers Open Series on Friday Night on BTN

Friday, April 10 (7:05 p.m.)
Probable Starters: RHP Sinclair (4-4) vs. RHP Meyer (1-4)
TV: BTN
Audio Stream: Huskers.com | Video Stream: BTN2Go
Radio: Husker Sports Network

Saturday, April 11 (6:05 p.m.)
Probable Starters: LHP Kubat (4-1) vs. TBA
TV: None
Audio Stream: Huskers.com | Video Stream: HuskersNSide
Radio: Husker Sports Network

Sunday, April 12 (1:05 p.m.)
Probable Starters: RHP Burkamper (4-1) vs. RHP Shannon (1-3)
TV: None
Audio Stream: Huskers.com | Video Stream: BTN Plus
Radio: Husker Sports Network

Lincoln - Following an extra-inning win at Kansas State on Tuesday night, the No. 23 Nebraska baseball team (24-10, 3-3 Big Ten) gets back to Big Ten Conference action this weekend when it hosts the Minnesota Golden Gophers (11-17, 2-7 Big Ten) for a three-game series at Hawks Field.

The series is scheduled to open on Friday night at 7:05 p.m. and the game will be carried nationally on the Big Ten Network. Due to the Nebraska Football Spring Game on Saturday, the Huskers and Gophers will meet at 6:05 p.m. on Saturday night, before wrapping up the series on Sunday at 1:05 p.m.

Nebraska is 15-1 at Hawks Field this season and has outscored the opposition 92-34. At Hawks Field in 2015, NU's pitching staff has notched 122 strikeouts compared to 34 walks.

The Gophers enter the series with a 8-15 record away from Siebert Field, including a 7-14 road record. This weekend will be the Gophers third league road series of the year and they are 1-5 on the road in league play, with the lone win coming last weekend at Rutgers.

The Huskers are set to start senior Chance Sinclair on Friday night and he will look to add to his 7-1 career record during Big Ten Play. The third-team preseason All-American has gone at least 6.0 innings in three of his last four starts. Minnesota is scheduled to start right-handed senior Ben Meyer, who is 1-4 on the year with a 5.65 ERA in eight starts. Meyer started the series finale last year against the Huskers in Minneapolis and went 6.2 innings in a no decision. The New Brighton, Minn., native allowed two runs on nine hits and one walk, while striking out four.

Senior Kyle Kubat will climb the hill on Saturday and will be in search of 20th career victory. Kubat is coming off a 4.2 innings outing at Maryland, where he gave up a career-high six runs. Kubat had gone at least 7.0 innings in five of his last six starts heading into last Saturday. The Gophers have not announced a starter for Saturday.

Sophomore Derek Burkamper will look to pick up his fifth win of the season on Sunday after taking a no decision last weekend in Maryland. Burkamper is 4-1 on the year with a 3.14 ERA over 43.0 innings. The Gophers announced that 6-7 sophomore Tim Shannon will start on Sunday. The Hopkins, Minn., native is 1-3 on the year with a 5.82 ERA in seven appearances, including six starts. In three starts during Big Ten play, Shannon is 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA over 13 innings.

On the Radio
Fans across Nebraska and around the world can listen to Greg Sharpe and Lane Grindle call all of the action on the Husker Sports Network - including KLIN 1400 AM in Lincoln - and live on Huskers.com, the Official Husker App or the TuneIn Radio App. Saturday's game will not be carried on TuneIn because of the Nebraska football spring game.

TV Coverage
Friday's game will be carried nationally on the Big Ten Network. Eric Collins will provide play-by-play, while Danan Hughes will provide color.

Web Streams
Friday's game will be streamed live on BTN2Go.com and the BTN2Go app. Saturday's game will be carried live on HuskersNSide (subscription required). Sunday's game will be carried on BTN Plus and the BTN2Go app (subscription required).

Can We Make it Four Straight?
The Huskers have swept each of their first three weekend series at Hawks Field this season, including sweeps of Florida Gulf Coast, Michigan and Texas. The Huskers have never swept four straight home weekend series to start a season.

The Huskers have previously started with three straight weekend sweeps three times, including 2005, 1999 and 1988.

Nebraska nearly achieved the feat in 2008, when NU opened with home sweeps of UC Riverside and Northern Colorado. The Huskers then took the first two games against Oklahoma before the third game ended in a tie. Two weeks later, NU swept Texas Tech at Hawks Field.

2005 CWS Anniversary
The Nebraska baseball team will celebrate a 10-year anniversary of the Huskers' 2005 College World Series team this weekend at Hawks Field.

The 2005 team won a school-record 57 games, were Big 12 regular-season and tournament champions and notched the Huskers lone win at the College World Series with a victory over Arizona State. 20 members of the 2005 team were drafted during their career, including six after the 2005 season. Four members of the 2005 team are still playing in the Majors today, including Alex Gordon (Royals), Joba Chamberlain (Tigers), Brian Duensing (Twins) and Tony Watson (Pirates).

Daniel Bruce and Johnny Dorn will both throw out first pitches on Friday, with Jeff Christy and Curtis Ledbetter catching. Zach Kroenke will throw out the ceremonial first pitch on Saturday.

Replica jersey t-shirts will be given out to the first 2,000 fans through the gates on Friday night.

#Love4Laney Day on Sunday
The Huskers will be raising awareness for organ donation on Sunday. Nebraska Organ Recovery Systems will be on site with volunteers handing out information on organ donation as well as signing people up to become organ donors if they aren't already. 400 t-shirts will be handed out pre-game.



The issue hits close to home for the baseball team, as Director of Operations Curtis Ledbetter and his wife Monica have a daughter, Laney, who will one day need a liver transplant after being diagnosed with Progressive Familial Intrahepatic Cholestasis Type 2.

Confidence in the Pen
During Darin Erstad's tenure at Nebraska, the Husker bullpen has done its job when it has a lead.

Led by pitching coach Ted Silva, the Huskers are 97-12 since 2012 when they lead after the sixth inning. The Huskers are 100-6 when leading after seven innings and nearly perfect when leading after eight innings with a 109-4 record.

Year Lead after 6 After 7 After 8

2012 31-5 29-3 31-2

2013 20-3 25-2 28-1

2014 28-3 27-1 31-1

2015 18-1 19-0 19-0

Topping 100
On Saturday, April 4, senior Austin Darby collected his 99th career RBI and needs one more RBI to become the 44th Husker since 1986 to notch 100 RBIs in their career. After producing 15 RBIs as a freshman, Darby topped the 30-RBI during both his sophomore and junior years with 33 and 36 RBIs, respectively. Through 34 games this season, Darby has 15 RBIs.

With a team-high 30 RBIs so far in 2015, Blake Headley (88 career RBIs) is also on pace to join the club this season.

Headley has improved his RBI total every year at Nebraska. After notching six as a freshman in 2012, he produced 25 in 2013, topped that number with 27 in 2014 and has already set a single-season high with 30 through 34 games this season.

Pat Kelly joined the club last year and ended his three-year career with 125 RBIs.

Matt Hopper is the only Husker to ever top the 200-RBI mark, with a school-record 271 career RBIs.

Rest the Pen
Nebraska's weekend rotation of Chance Sinclair, Kyle Kubat and Derek Burkamper have done their jobs this year by pitching late into games and have posted a 12-6 record.

In 23 combined starts this season, the trio has only two outings of less than 5.0 innings, while they have combined to go at least 6.0 innings 15 times. On average, the trio is throwing just over 6.1 innings per start.

Like Your Chances with Sinclair
A third-team All-American and unanimous first-team All-Big Ten performer last season, Sinclair has a career record of 13-5, including a 7-1 record during Big Ten play.

During his career, the right-hander has gone 6.0 or more innings in 17 of his 23 starts, including 12 outings of at least 7.0 innings or more. He has gone 8.0 innings or more twice, including a 9.0-inning complete game against Ohio State in 2014.

Going for 20
Senior Kyle Kubat enters the weekend with a 19-4 career record and is trying to become just the 11th player in program history to notch 20 wins during their career.

If Kubat reaches 20 wins, he would tie Zach Kroenke (2003-05) and Jim Sandstedt (1946-49) for ninth place in the NU's career record book.

Shane Komine holds the school record for wins with 41 during his career from 1999 to 2002.

Experienced Lefty

Senior Kyle Kubat has eight starts under his belt in 2015 and enters his start on Saturday against Minnesota with 36 career starts on the mound, which ties him for eighth place on the career list with Phil Shirek (2002-05). Kubat's 37th career start will give him sole possession of eighth place.

After staring 28 games during this first three season, Kubat needs 12 starts in 2015 to become the first Husker since Johnny Dorn to make at least 40 career starts. Dorn ranks second all-time at Nebraska with 58 career starts from 2000 to 2003.

Since 2000, only four pitchers at Nebraska have made at least 40 career starts, including Shane Komine (59), Dorn (58), Jamie Rodrigue (53) and Zach Kroenke (41).

Not Nice to Steal

Senior catcher Tanner Lubach enters Friday with 37 career runners caught stealing, which ranks third all-time at Nebraska. He is one caught stealing away from moving into a tie for second place.

Cory Burleson (2009-12) holds the school record with 46 runners caught stealing, while current volunteer assistant Jeff Christy ranks second with 38 runners caught stealing in just two years behind the plate in 2005 and 2006.



Three or Less

In 25 of Nebraska's 34 games this season the Husker pitching staff has allowed three runs or less.

The Huskers are 23-2 when holding the opposition to three runs or less, but are 1-8 on the year when teams score four or more runs.

Early Leads

After scoring just 38 first-inning runs last season in 62 games, the Huskers have gotten their starting pitchers leads early and often in 2015.

Through 34 games, the Huskers are outscoring the opposition 31-13 in the first inning of games this season.

Last season the Huskers outscored their opponents 123-95 in the first three innings of games, while this year NU holds a commanding 74-25 advantage.

200 and Counting

After Michael Pritchard and Pat Kelly each joined Nebraska's 200-hit club last season, senior Austin Darby become the program's 23rd member on Saturday, April 4 at Maryland with a one-out single in the seventh inning.

Darby is the fourth Husker to join the club over the past three seasons, as Chad Christensen ended his career with 247 hits in 2013. Prior to Christensen, Jake Opitz was the last Husker to join the club in 2008.

Matt Hopper holds the school record with 338 career hits and is one of just two players in school history to have topped 300 hits.

NU 200-Career Hit Club

1. 338 Matt Hopper 2000-03

2. 305 Jeff Leise 2000-03

3. 281 Will Bolt 1999-02

4. 261 Darin Erstad 1993-95

5. 251 Michael Pritchard 2011-14

6. 250 Paul Meyers 1984-86

7. 249 Joe Simokaitis 2002-05

8. 248 Jed Dalton 1992-95

9. 247 Chad Christensen 2010-13

10. 246 Darin Petersen 1992-95

11. 242 Mark Kister 1985-87

12. 240 Alex Gordon 2003-05

13. 238 DJ Belfonte 2007-10

14. 234 Todd Sears 1995-97

15. 231 Daniel Bruce 2002-05

16. 229 Ken Ramos 1987-89

17. 227 Jake Opitz 2005-08

18. 223 Curtis Ledbetter 2003-05

19. 222 John Cole 1999-01

20. 212 Pat Kelly 2012-14

21. 203 Ken Harvey 1997-99

22. 201 Francis Collins 1995-97

23. 200 Austin Darby 2012-15

Close the Door

After playing his freshman season at Louisburg College in North Carolina, Josh Roeder joined the Huskers in 2013 and helped solidify the back end of NU's bullpen.

During the 2013 season, Roeder saw most of his action in a setup role to Dylan Vogt, but did collect six saves. Roeder took over the closer role in 2014 and saved 12 games.

With 10 saves in 10 chances this season, Roeder enters Friday ranked second in NU history with 28 career saves and needs four more saves in 2015 to break Brett Jensen's school record of 31 saves.

Keep Them on Base

The Husker bullpen has inherited 51 runners this season and only nine have scored.

Junior Jeff Chesnut leads the way with 19 runners inherited, and only two has scored. Fellow junior Colton Howell has inherited eight runners and none have scored.

Get the Hits

Last season the Huskers produced double-digit hits in 30 of their 62 games, including 14 of their 27 home games.

The Huskers were 25-5 when notching double-digit hits last season.

Through 34 games this season, the Huskers have notched double-digit hits 12 times and are a perfect 12-0 in those games.

The Huskers are 17-2 this year when out-hitting their opponent. The only losses came against LSU and Cal State Fullerton.

Last season, Nebraska was 32-3 when they out hit their opponent, with losses coming against Oregon State, as well as both of NU's losses to Cal State Fullerton in the NCAA Tournament.

Tanner Heating Up

Tanner Lubach didn't get off to the start he wanted in his senior year, going 0-for-18 to start the season. Lubach broke the dry spell with a double that nearly left the park against BYU on Saturday, Feb. 21.

In his 24 games since, Lubach is hitting .363 (29-for-80) with five doubles, one triple, two home runs and 10 multi-hit performances. Against Kansas State on Tuesday, he went 5-for-5 and was a home run short of the cycle with three singles, a double and a triple.

Most importantly, Lubach has struck out 10 times over his past 24 games, after notching nine strikeouts through his first six games of the season.

Start with Boldt

Since moving Ryan Boldt back to the leadoff spot, the Huskers are 11-4 on the season. Boldt hit third in 15 of NU's first 19 games and the Huskers were 9-6. Last season with Boldt in the leadoff spot the Huskers were 22-7.

A Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American last season, Boldt leads the Huskers with a .333 batting average, while also leading the team in runs (31) and hits (41).

Husker Nation Packs the Park

During the first 16 home games of the 2015 season the Huskers posted an attendance mark of 66,641 (avg. 4,135). Last season over 25 dates the Huskers posted a home attendance of 81,044 (avg. 3,241).

Of the top-15 single game home crowds in the Big Ten this year, the Huskers represent the top 12 spots, while Indiana holds the other three spots in the top 15.

NU: #23 Huskers and Gophers Open Series on BTN
 
NU: 10 Years Later, Four Huskers Playing Major League Baseball

Nebraska's three-game series against Minnesota this weekend will feature a perpetual flashback to the Huskers' record-setting 2005 baseball team. The first 2,000 fans through the gates Friday night at Hawks Field will receive replica red jersey t-shirts to help celebrate the 10th anniversary of a team that not only won Nebraska's first-ever College World Series game, but also still has four players from that historic roster playing Major League Baseball.



Chamberlain's Dad Almost Didn't Make It to Congratulate Joba

The four Husker legends will celebrate through HuskerVision videos that include memories from Alex Gordon, a junior third-baseman on the 2005 team before becoming a superstar for the 2014 MLB World Series runner-up Kansas City Royals; Joba Chamberlain, a junior right-handed pitcher in '05, who now plays for the Detroit Tigers after a stellar stint with the New York Yankees; Brian Duensing, a junior right-handed pitcher in '05, now playing for the Minnesota Twins; and Tony Watson, a redshirt freshman left-handed pitcher in '05 that joined Gordon as a 2014 Major League All-Star. Watson plays for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

To get a feel for how a three-game weekend series can trigger memories from yesteryear, check out this video, which begins with Luke Wertz, a freshman right-handed pitcher on that 2005 team from Parker, Colo. He asks a broad-minded question: What is Nebraska Baseball? Chamberlain provides the first answer, saying Nebraska Baseball is about "emotion" and shares a wonderful memory about his dad, Harlan. To be "the guy" who won Nebraska's first CWS game was "something special, and I'll never forget it," Joba said. "My dad was in such a hurry to get to the team bus after the game, he ran his scooter off the edge of the sidewalk. He thought he missed me. But he got there to tell me 'job well done,' something else I'll never forget."



Nebraska Natives Gordon, Duensing Had Great Expectations

Like Chamberlain, Gordon also grew up in Lincoln before becoming a Husker. "No one expected us to be who we were," Gordan said, reflecting back on Nebraska's remarkable 57-win season 10 years ago. "I think everyone on that team knew we were going to do something special, and that's what we did, even though we fell a little short. Playing in front of Husker Nation was truly an honor. Growing up in Lincoln, Nebraska, I knew what it meant to be in a game like that. I was among those fans, so I knew the tradition and why it was so important." Since Duensing graduated from Millard South High School in Omaha, he felt the same pride from his home state. "We experienced a lot of great memories and moments," Duensing said, "but the one that sticks out in my mind was going to Omaha and winning a College World Series game. It was epic."

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of that fabled team, four Huskers will participate in Friday night's pre-game ceremony. Johnny Dorn, a freshman pitcher in 2005, and Daniel Bruce, a senior outfielder, will throw out the first pitch. Jeff Christy (pictured below) and Curtis Ledbetter (pictured above) will catch Friday's ceremonial pitches. Christy was a junior catcher and Ledbetter a senior infielder on the 2005 team. Now Nebraska's director of baseball operations, Ledbetter and his wife, Monica, will help raise awareness for organ donations at Sunday afternoon's series finale. The Ledbetters' 2-year-old daughter, Laney, will need a liver transplant in the future and her inspiring, heart-warming story was shared earlier this week in an N-Sider column that chronicles the team's desire to show its love for Lacey. Zach Kroenke, a junior left-handed pitcher on the 2005 Husker team, will throw Saturday's ceremonial first pitch.



5-Year Total: 237 Wins, Three Big 12 Titles, Three CWS Appearances

The 2005 Nebraska team's 57 wins remain the school record. The Huskers went from an eighth-place conference finish in 2004 to the Big 12 regular-season championship in 2005. The Huskers also won the 2005 Big 12 Tournament, hosted and won an NCAA Regional and beat Miami in an NCAA Super Regional in Lincoln. That magical season is well-framed in this video that includes reflections from three leaders of the 2005 team - pitching coach Rob Childress, volunteer assistant coach Will Bolt and head coach Mike Anderson. For the eight seniors on that historic Nebraska baseball team, 2005 capped an amazing five-year run that saw the Huskers win 237 games, claim three Big 12 titles and make three College World Series appearances.

NU: 10 Years Later, Four Huskers Playing MLB
 
Gophers Travel to No. 23 Nebraska

Minnesota (11-17, 2-7) atNebraska (24-10, 3-3)
Date/Time
Friday, April 10- 7:05p.m. CDT (BTN)
Saturday, April 11- 6:05p.m. CDT
Sunday, April12 - 1:05 p.m. CDT

FridayProbable Pitchers RHP Ben Meyer (1-4) vs.RHPChance Sinclair (4-4)
SaturdayProbable Pitchers
LHP Dalton Sawyer (2-2) vs.LHP Kyle Kubat (4-1)
Sunday Probable Pitchers RHP Tim Shannon (1-1) vs. RHPDerek Burkamper (4-1)
Location Lincoln, Neb. |Hawks Field
TV/Video BTN (Friday) | HuskersNSide (Saturday) | BTN Plus (Sunday)
Audio Huskers.com
Game Day Live Friday | Saturday | Sunday
Social Media @GopherBaseball | Facebook
Game Notes Minnesota | Nebraska
Clips Star Tribune: Adjustments help Fiedler lead Gophers baseball

April 9, 2015

LAST WEEKEND/THIS WEEK
· The Gophers split a Saturday doubleheader at Rutgers, then lost 6-5 in the series finale to 1-2 at Rutgers.
· Minnesota collected 39 hits to bat .331 in the series, but left 35 runners on base. Michael Handel batted 9-for-15 (.600) with two doubles and five RBIs.
· In Saturday's game 2 win, the Gophers had a 11-3 and held on to win 11-9.
· On Sunday, Minnesota led 5-3in the fifth. Rutgers tied it in the seventh and scored the winning run after an error in the eighth.
· The Gophers outhit Carleton 16-3 in an 11-0 Wednesday win.

GOPHERS NOTABLES
· RF/RHP Matt Fiedler leads the Gophers in batting (.346) and ERA (1.64). He has made nine relief appearances for a total of 11.0 IP.
· Minnesota has converted 42 of its 53 stolen base attempts. The Gophers stole 39 total bases last season. They are currently fourth in the Big Ten in steals. Matt Fiedler has 11.
· The Gophers' team batting average has increased from .245 to .262 over the past four games.

SERIES NOTABLES
· This Gophers are 8-19 against Nebraska under John Anderson, including a 1-8 mark in conference play. The Huskers swept Minnesota in 2014 at Siebert Field.
· Minnesota last beat Nebraska on May 11, 2013. It was a 4-3 win at home.

ABOUT THE CORNHUSKERS
· The pitching rotation for Nebraska: RHP Chance Sinclair, LHP Kyle Kubat, RHP Derek Burkamper. Sinclair is 4-4 with a 3.60 ERA. Kubat is 4-1 with a 2.04 ERA in 52.0 IP. Sinclair (35) and Kubat (34) lead the Huskers in strikeouts. Burkamper holds a 3.14 ERA and 4-1 record.
· Nebraska's team ERA is 2.68, second in the Big Ten.
· The Huskers are batting .272, with OF Ryan Boldt hitting a team-high .333.
· Head coach Darin Erstad is in his fourth season after guiding the Huskers to an NCAA bid in 2014.
· Nebraska swept Texas two weekends ago. In their Big Ten series, the Huskers have swept Michigan and been swept at Maryland.

BATS HEATING UP
The Gophers average has increased from .254 to .262 in the past four games. In that time, Michael Handel and Dan Motl have raised their averages past the .300 mark. Handel went from .246 to .326 on 11-for-17 hitting, and Motl from .270 to .311 with an 8-for-16 stretch. Minnesota hit four home runs, two triples and 12 doubles combined against Rutgers and Carleton.

FIEDLER ON FIRE
Right fielder/pitcher Matt Fiedler is leading the Gophers in batting (.346), slugging (.505), on base percentage (.419), runs (26), hits (37), RBIs (20), total bases (54) and stolen bases (11-for-13). He is tied for first in home runs (3), walks (13) and triples (2). Fiedler has the second-most at bats on the team (107), but has only struck out seven times. He also has a 1.64 ERA in 11.0 innings of relief on the mound. He has allowed just thre hits and two runs.

GOPHERS GOING YARD
The Gophers have already surpassed their 2014 season home run total of 12 with 17 this season, in the new flat-seamed baseball era. Tony Skjefte and Matt Fiedler lead the way with three, while Matt Stemper, Michael Handel, Jordan Smith and Dan Motl have two.

Gophers Travel to No. 23 Nebraska
 
BA - Weekend Preview: April 10-12

Healthy Rivalry For Southern Cal, UCLA

It's not as though there's ever a lack of enthusiasm when Southern California and UCLA meet on a baseball field. There's always enough Trojans-Bruins rivalry angst to go around. But this season has been something different, another level of intensity.

When the teams met at Dodger Stadium in early March, nearly 14,000 fans filled the stands-a sight that stuck with both USC head coach Dan Hubbs and UCLA's John Savage. Savage joked that he had never even seen a press conference after a regular season game in Southern California.

Now the teams are set to tango again, this weekend at Dedeaux Field on USC's campus, in the most high-stakes series between the two in years. Both teams are in the top 10, with No. 6 USC sitting one spot ahead of the No. 7 Bruins-the first top-10 matchup between the programs since 2000. Both teams are atop the Pac-12 standings, with UCLA (10-2) ahead of USC (7-2). And both are gunning for national seeds in the NCAA tournament, with the Trojans seemingly poised to earn their first regional bid in a decade.

It's a series that has massive implications-and not just within the rivalry.

"Any time we play each other, it's exciting," Hubbs said. "It's a rivalry weekend and all that, and I think the fact that both teams are playing well adds a little meaning to it.

"We see UCLA, they're at the top of the (Pac-12) standings right now, and we're right below them, and a good weekend can probably flip that result, can flip the standings a little bit and put us in more of a driver's seat if we take care of business in league."

TOP 25 SERIES
Mississippi at (1) Vanderbilt
Mississippi State at (2) Texas A&M
Auburn at (3) Louisiana State
(4) Texas Christian at Kansas State
(5) Louisville at Duke
(7) UCLA at (6) Southern California
(8) Florida State at Notre Dame
Arizona at (9) Arizona State
South Carolina at (10) Florida
Virginia Tech at (11) Miami
Connecticut at (12) Central Florida
(13) UC Santa Barbara at Cal State Northridge
(14) Rice at Alabama-Birmingham
(15) Oklahoma State at Kansas
Bradley at (16) Dallas Baptist
Purdue at (17) Illinois
(18) Coastal Carolina at High Point
(25) Iowa at (19) Maryland
(20) Missouri at Tennessee
Florida International at (21) Florida Atlantic
(22) Virginia at Georgia Tech
Stanford at (23) California
(24) Missouri State at Evansville
So far, both teams have taken care of business, with the Trojans building off of a 3-0 showing in the Dodgertown Classic-against UCLA, Vanderbilt and Texas Christian-and with the Bruins quickly rebounding following an 0-3 result in the tournament.

For UCLA, the return of sophomores Brett Stephens and Kort Peterson from early season injuries has added length to an already deep lineup, which is batting .286/.381/.435 as a group. Redshirt junior shortstop Kevin Kramer is the star, hitting leadoff at a .387/.482/.588 clip in 119 at-bats. After missing all of last season due to injury, he provides veteran leadership, having played on the 2013 national title team.

"He just has that moxie about him. He has that presence about him," Savage said. "He has that experience of really knowing what it takes to get to where we want to get to. Now that he's our leader at shortstop, he's in command of the infield and the position players . . . It's just a major presence we didn't have last year."

For USC, senior catcher Garrett Stubbs is a similar presence. Hubbs calls him the "heart and soul" of the Trojans. The coach said Stubbs gives pitchers peace of mind with his athleticism and throwing arm behind the plate; he's adept at slowing pitchers down, keeping them focused. And with the bat, he's a force in the two-hole, hitting .368/.444/.440 with 17 stolen bases. He joins with leadoff hitter Bobby Stahel (.438/.453/.578) to jumpstart a balanced lineup that features veterans in Jeremy Martinez, Timmy Robinson and Dante Flores.

"When you look at their numbers, you can see why we can score," Hubbs said. "Because they're getting on base and they're driving in some runs, and they're able to steal a base here and there. Then I think what it does is it allows Jeremy and Timmy and Dante the opportunity to drive in runs."

Pitching-wise, UCLA (2.22) and USC (2.73) rank first and second, respectively, in the conference. Veteran starters James Kaprielian and Grant Watson and senior closer David Berg-who hasn't allowed a run in 16 Pac-12 innings-bookend a deep UCLA pitching staff. The Bruins have moved junior righthander Cody Poteet from the Sunday role to the bullpen, where his power stuff plays up, Savage said. Meanwhile, freshman righthander Griffin Canning has moved into the rotation, impressing with a 5-1, 2.84 record and walking just four batters to 48 strikeouts in 44 innings.

The Trojans have been without junior closer Kyle Davis for a couple of weeks with a groin pull, but Hubbs said he's hopeful to have him back this weekend. In his absence, junior lefthander Marc Huberman has been a rock (5-1, 1.07 in 25 innings) out of the bullpen, and the Trojans have thrown the same three weekend starters all season-Brent Wheatley, Kyle Twomey and freshman Mitch Hart.

By most measures, the Trojans and Bruins come into the weekend evenly matched. Neither team has lost a weekend series this season-a streak that will end for one and continue for another. Crowds are expected to be large, and the spotlight should be bright.

"It's very healthy for the college baseball community," Savage said. "It brings a lot of attention to our teams and to our players. A lot of high school players are paying attention and watching, and all three games are on the Pac-12 Network, so the exposure is about as high it gets in Southern California."

- Michael Lananna

Pete Hughes
Pete Hughes (Photo by John Williamson)
Sooners' Fortunes Rise With Improvements On The Mound

The biggest difference between 2014 Oklahoma and 2015 Oklahoma? Pitching. Pitching. Pitching.

"It's night and day," Sooners second-year head coach Pete Hughes said. "We had no depth to our pitching staff last year. Last year, we had one returning win from a starting pitcher in our program. So, (we're) miles ahead-experience-wise and depth-wise-from where we were last year."

The numbers bear that out. Last year's Sooners ranked eighth out of nine in the Big 12 Conference (and 170th nationally) in ERA at 4.37. But even with offense going up around college baseball in 2015, Oklahoma has lowered its ERA by more than a full run, down to 3.26 after 35 games, which puts them in the top 50 in the country and fourth in the Big 12. They had been 26th nationally at 2.85 before it was ballooned in an ugly 24-2 loss in a non-conference midweek game against red hot Oklahoma State on Tuesday-OU's worst loss in a decade.

Oklahoma can still hit, ranking third in the Big 12 in scoring at 6.0 runs per game, but their improved pitching is the biggest reason they're 22-13 overall-a season after going 29-29-and tied with TCU for second in the Big 12 at 6-3. TCU and Oklahoma State have separated themselves as the Big 12's best overall teams-a point underscored by Tuesday's blowout-but the race for third place looks wide open as the Sooners head to struggling Texas this weekend, renewing the baseball edition of the Red River Rivalry.

Hughes' team has work to do in the RPI-it was 83rd in the official NCAA rankings released earlier this week-but a series win this weekend would give it a real leg up on the other contenders for that No. 3 spot in the Big 12. The Sooners already own a series win against one of them, Texas Tech.

"I like our team," Hughes said. "I like the depth of our bullpen. I like the depth of our team in general. But you gotta play well on the road and you've got to play well against good teams in tough venues, so this'll be a good challenge for us this weekend."

The Sooners have gotten consistent quality outings from the starting trio of Jake Elliott on Fridays, Alec Hansen on Saturdays and Robert Tasin on Sundays. Oklahoma starters turned in just 15 six-plus inning starts all of last year, and they already have 18 such outings this year, along with six double-digit strikeout games after not having any in 2014.

"They're throwing a lot of strikes and getting us into at least the sixth inning," Hughes said. "We like our bullpen from then on. We can match up a little bit. But it all starts with quality starts, and we've been able to get them for the most part from those three."

Tasin has been the pleasant surprise, a senior righthander who pitched out of the bullpen his first two years in the program after coming in from junior college. He was thrust into the weekend rotation two weeks ago when original Sunday starter Corey Copping needed an emergency appendectomy the day before the Sooners started their series against Baylor. The coaches trust Tasin's strike-throwing ability (2.41 BB/9 in 37 1/3 innings), and he's allowed just four runs in 17 1/3 innings in conference play, good for a 2.08 ERA.

Elliott, who can reach 94 mph, and Hansen give the Sooners a pair of power-armed sophomores to roll out on Fridays and Saturdays. Few college pitchers can match Hansen's arm strength, as Hughes said he's been up to 101 mph this spring, but he's learned some control to go with it. Hansen threw just 11 innings and walked 13 as a freshman a season ago. He still has more walks than you'd like, but his 23 in 47 innings this year is a vast improvement. He also has 67 strikeouts, leading the Big 12 in strikeouts per nine at 12.17.

"(Hanson's) got command of the fastball," Hughes said. "He's a three-pitch guy. Last year, he was a one-pitch guy, and then that wasn't always in the zone. He's got a ton of confidence, and with that comes good results. . . . It's a scary arm with a ton of potential to get better."

Two-way talent Sheldon Neuse has been limited on the mound, staying away from pitching for a couple weeks after his arm didn't respond well following a relief appearance against Oregon State on Feb. 21. He's thrown just six innings on the season, but he did pick up a save Sunday against Kansas, reaching 97 mph in the process, and the Sooners hope to make him a more regular weapon out of their bullpen down the stretch.

Neuse's bat hasn't had that big breakout weekend either, but his numbers are still respectable at .304/.353/.481 with five homers and a team-high 31 RBIs.

"He wants to carry the team every day," Hughes said. "No one can do that. Soon as he stops trying to do too much and gets settled in, he's quite capable of going on a run and carrying us for awhile."

As Hughes intimates, the Sooners' offense hasn't needed Neuse to carry it. Oklahoma's lineup boasts five .300 hitters altogether, ranking third in the Big 12 in team average at .285.

Right fielder Taylor Alspaugh, batting .325/.423/.410, has grown into a more complete hitter as a senior, excelling at hitting to all fields and moving the ball around in hit-and-run situations. The Sooners' breakout star has been junior second baseman Kolbey Carpenter. A part-time player last year, Carpenter's developed a more consistent swing and leads the team in the modern triple-crown categories (.354/.426/.577) and homers (six), although he's recently been bumped up to the leadoff spot in the order as the coaches like his ability to work counts and see plenty of pitches.

"(Carpenter) can hit the ball out of the ballpark. He gets on base a ton. He leads our team in pitches per plate appearance, and he did last year as well," Hughes said. "That's invaluable. The versatility he brings to our lineup-he can play first, second, left field. (Anthony) Hermelyn can play first, third and catch. You get those guys in there, it gives you depth through your lineup. It gives you more moves to make. But Kolbey's versatility and his plate discipline has been invaluable for us this year."

- Jim Shonerd

Korey Dunbar (Photo by Alyson Boyer Rode)
Korey Dunbar (Photo by Alyson Boyer Rode)
Dunbar, Kelley Grow Into Prime Roles For Tar Heels

When Korey Dunbar thinks about the rivalry between his North Carolina Tar Heels and North Carolina State, the first word that leaps to mind is "intensity."

The second word was "Omaha." Dunbar was a freshman when both Tobacco Road teams played their way into the College World Series, even starting 14 games that year for the Tar Heels. He remembers playing the Wolfpack in TD Ameritrade Park that year and in Greensboro during last year's Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, the only meeting between the two teams, a game UNC won 4-3 in a controversial outcome.

"One hundred percent of my biggest memories are against them," Dunbar said Wednesday, after he had homered to help UNC beat Liberty 6-0 at Boshamer Stadium. "Seeing them in Omaha really sticks out. It's intense every year. You realize pretty soon that hatred is on both sides, I guess. I think it's going to be a really good series and it's going to be really intense, no matter which players are over there or are here."

The Tar Heels and Wolfpack played five memorable games in 2013, splitting the first four but with UNC getting the last laugh by eliminating State from the College World Series in their last matchup. The two teams are significantly different now, and Dunbar is a much larger part of the Tar Heels' lineup and any success they will have this season.

Both teams enter the key series mired around the .500 mark in the ACC; N.C. State is 19-12 overall and 7-7, good for fourth place in the Atlantic Division, while the Tar Heels are 20-13, 7-8 and tied for second in the Coastal Division with Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech.

"It's fair to say we haven't quite gotten over that hump," said Dunbar, who with a .330/.382/.574 slash line leads the Tar Heels in batting and slugging while being tied for first with four home runs. "I think we feel confident that we will, even with the heartbreakers we've lost."

Part of that confidence stems from the Heels finding a go-to reliever in senior righthander Trevor Kelley. The Wilmington product pitched in both of UNC's midweek games this week and has now appeared in 24 of UNC's 33 games (including 14 of 15 in the ACC), posting a 2-1, 1.94 mark in 41 2/3 innings, the second-most on the team.

"You have to give all the credit to him, the hard work he's done to improve his body and his mindset," Dunbar said. "He's gone above and beyond and had that senior season you're looking for."

Tar Heels coach Mike Fox went to Kelley after removing sophomore righty A.J. Bogucki two batters into the seventh inning with a four-run lead. Fox's heavy use of Kelley kind of sums up North Carolina's season.

"That's just where we are," Fox said. "They're on a short leash. If we were 30-3, hopefully he would have stayed in to try to work through it, but we're not."

- John Manuel

Around The Nation

• UCLA-USC is the headliner, but it's rivalry weekend all around the Pac-12-Oregon faces Oregon State, California hosts Stanford, and so on. The second most intriguing matchup figures to be in the desert, where the two Arizona schools hook up in Phoenix. The two have virtually identical records-Arizona State is 21-9, Arizona 22-9-but vastly different outlooks. ASU is in the thick of the race for a national seed, sitting at No. 16 in the official RPI released earlier this week and with a stout 12-5 record against the top 100. Arizona, on the other hand, ranks 116 in the RPI, with just four wins against the top 100 and only one against the top 50. A series win in Phoenix would do wonders for the Wildcats' postseason chances, but it's a tall ask. Opposing coaches have given glowing reviews of Scott Kingery, Kevin Newman and the rest of Arizona's tough lineup, but they'll need more out of a pitching staff that ranks eighth in the Pac-12 in ERA at 3.90 despite having faced a less imposing schedule.

• Louisiana State has bumped talented freshman Jake Godfrey from its weekend rotation, inserting righthander Austin Bain-another freshman-for this weekend's series against Auburn. Godfrey hasn't made it out of the second inning in either of his last two weekend starts, allowing eight earned runs in a combined two innings of work against Alabama and Kentucky. He did bounce back in a midweek start against Northwestern State on Wednesday, getting the win after working five innings and allowing three runs on four hits. Bain was held out of fall ball due to tenderness in his shoulder but is another of LSU's blue-chip freshmen. He was No. 452 on last year's BA 500, having shown 94 mph from an athletic delivery, and he's done fine work out of the LSU bullpen, owning a 2.45 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 22 innings.

• Mercer and Western Carolina will battle for first place in the Southern Conference. The 7-2 Bears hold a one-game lead over WCU and Samford at 6-3. Western has a heavy-hitting lineup as usual, leading the SoCon in scoring at 7.2 runs per game behind veterans Bradley Strong (.366/.438/.554) and Danny Bermudez (.327/.403/.574). The Catamounts won the league regular-season title last year but missed out on regionals with a No. 52 RPI, but they're just 14-14 overall coming into this weekend, so the auto bid will be their only path to postseason play. Mercer, in its first year in the league after coming over from the Atlantic Sun, has been carried by sophomore outfielder Kyle Lewis, who leads the team in almost every major offensive category with a .382/.424/.702 slash line, 10 homers and 26 RBIs. As a whole, the SoCon is generally an offense-oriented conference. So while Mercer's 4.26 team ERA ranks 133rd nationally, that ERA ranks No. 2 in the league.

BA - Weekend Preview: April 10-12
 
PG - Weekend Preview: Week 9

The biggest series this weekend will occur in Los Angeles as No. 12 Southern California hosts crosstown and Pac-12 rival UCLA. At 10-2 in the Pac-12, the Bruins are currently in first place, while the Trojans, at 7-2, are third, but hold a higher winning percentage (.778) over No. 8 Arizona State (.750). This series is detailed below.

Two notable in-state rivalries will occur in the Pac-12, as Arizona State hosts Arizona, who enjoyed an abbreviated stay in the Top 25 last week, while Oregon hosts No. 15 Oregon State.

Iowa will receive a difficult task in week one of being in the Top 25 as they travel to Maryland to take on the Terrapins in College Park, Md. At 6-0, the Hawkeyes currently have the better record in the Big Ten, although they have played one less in-conference series. This series is also previewed in-depth below.

Jheremy Brown will be on hand providing first-hand observations and video from the Clemson/Boston College series while Andrew Krause will be in Gainesville doing the same as the Gators host the Gamecocks.


Top 25 in Action

Rk. Team Opponent Location
1 Louisiana State home vs. Auburn Baton Rouge, LA
2 Texas Christian at Kansas State Manhattan, KS
3 Vanderbilt home vs. Ole Miss Nashville, TN
4 Texas A&M home vs. Mississippi State College Station, TX
5 Louisville at Duke Durham, NC
6 UCLA at No. 12 Southern California Los Angeles, CA
7 Florida State at Notre Dame South Bend, IN
8 Arizona State home vs. Arizona Phoenix, AZ
9 Miami home vs. Virginia Tech Coral Gables, FL
10 Florida home vs. No. 21 South Carolina Gainesville, FL
11 UC Santa Barbara at Cal State Northridge Northridge, CA
12 Southern California home vs. No. 6 UCLA Los Angeles, CA
13 Illinois home vs. Purdue Champaign, IL
14 Virginia at Georgia Tech Atlanta, GA
15 Oregon State at Oregon Eugene, OR
16 Florida Atlantic home vs. Florida International Boca Raton, FL
17 UCF home vs. Connecticut Orlando, FL
18 Dallas Baptist home vs. Bradley Dallas, TX
19 Oklahoma State at Kansas Lawrence, KS
20 Maryland home vs. No. 25 Iowa College Park, MD
21 South Carolina at No. 10 Florida Gainesville, FL
22 North Carolina home vs. N.C. State Chapel Hill, NC
23 Nebraska home vs. Minnesota Lincoln, NE
24 Houston home vs. Tulane Houston, TX
25 Iowa at No. 20 Maryland College Park, MD


Marquee Matchup #1:

No. 12 Southern California at No. 6 UCLA

This weekend is rivalry week in the Pac-12, with numerous matchups in the conference between long-time, in-state foes. The biggest of those matchups pits No. 12 USC at home against No. 6 UCLA in a battle for the best team in Southern California.

UCLA's success has been well documented here at Perfect Game, opening the year as one of the top teams in the nation. Since losing all three games at the Dodgertown Classic in early March, which included an 8-4 loss to then unranked USC at Dodger Stadium, the Bruins are 12-2 and 10-2 in conference play.
Kyle Twomey (Photo: USC Athletics)

Their success is due to a well-balanced team, with an offense that has hit .286 and a pitching staff that has a collective 2.22 ERA. Their Friday and Saturday starters, James Kaprielian and Grant Watson, have proven to be particularly stingy, with a combined 11-4 record and a 1.82 ERA. Freshman Griffin Canning has recently been inserted into the Sunday role where he gives UCLA a third formidable arm to contend with.

USC can match UCLA's arms in each of the three games this series, as Brent Wheatley, Kyle Twomey and a freshman of their own, Mitch Hart, have been equally stingy this year. Wheatley's 2-1 record may not properly exhibit his success on Friday nights, but his 2.18 ERA does. Twomey is the most recognizable draft eligible prospect on the squad, a 6-foor-3, 175-pound lefthander that commands the strike zone with a solid three-pitch mix that includes an upper-80s to low-90s fastball. Hart can match Canning's success as a freshman, as he is 5-0 with a 2.93 ERA.

Offensively the Trojans are led by their Nos. 1 and 2 hitters, outfielder Bobby Stahel and catcher Garrett Stubbs. Stahel leads the team, and is second in the Pac-12, with a .438 average, while Stubbs is a rare catcher with top-of-the-order skills, hitting .368 with a .444 on-base percentage and 17 stolen bases (in 21 attempts), which leads the conference. They have three other regulars - Blake Lacey, David Oppenheim and Dante Flores - hitting north of .300, while Timmy Robinson and Jeremy Martinez are among the team leaders in RBI.

Overall the Trojans' offense is second best in the Pac-12, hitting .304 as a team, and they're also second in ERA (2.73) to the Bruins.

While the Bruins are fourth in the conference in batting, they're third to last in runs scored. The quartet of shortstop Kevin Kramer (.387), left fielder Ty Moore (.378), third baseman Chris Keck (.318) and first baseman Luke Persico (.310) provides the bulk of the offense for UCLA.

The outcome of this series may very well come down to the success of each team's bullpen, with UCLA getting the edge on paper. Led by All-American closer David Berg, the Bruins have relied heavily on four arms that includes Grant Dyer, Tucker Forbes and swingman Cody Poteet.

However, USC's 1-2 punch of Marc Huberman and Kyle Davis has been very effective this year, combining for eight saves. Huberman has been the workhorse, tossing 25 1/3 innings in 15 appearances, with a 5-1 record and a 1.07 ERA.



Marquee Matchup #2:

No. 21 South Carolina at No. 10 Florida

The Florida Gators have struggled a bit outside of Gainesville (4-5 on road, 1-1 at neutral sites), but returned to their dominant ways in the friendly confines of Alfred A. McKethan stadium in a midweek thrashing of Stetson. Freshman J.J. Schwarz pounded a school-record four homers in the 22-2 win, and the Gators will look to carry that momentum and their imperious home form (20-3) into the weekend against SEC east rivals South Carolina, who have rather uncharacteristically dropped three straight series.

While both programs dispatched of their midweek opponents (South Carolina with wins over Appalachian State and The Citadel), the Gators and Gamecocks will each be looking to improve upon their performance in the extremely competitive and deep SEC. After dropping series at Missouri and Mississippi State respectively, Florida and South Carolina both enter the weekend behind Vanderbilt and Missouri and tied for third in the Eastern Division with a 6-6 record in conference play.
Harrison Bader (Photo: UAA Communications)

The Friday night matchup will feature two sophomore righthanders in UF's Logan Shore and South Carolina's Wil Crowe. Both Shore and Crowe were drafted out of high school, in the 29th and 31st rounds respectively. While Shore (5-2, 1.76 ERA) has been a bit more successful this season than Crowe (3-3, 4.02 ERA), both offer fastballs that usually sit between 89-92 mph but touch a bit higher and both figure to be popped in the early rounds of the 2016 draft if they continue to perform well in their junior campaigns.

South Carolina junior Jack Wynkoop (4-3, 2.19 ERA) will also look to rebound from last week's rare subpar start, but the lefthander will have to be careful against a powerful Gator offense that has hit .302/.385/.472 as a team and boasts some talented righthanded bats in Schwarz, Harrison Bader, Richie Martin, and Peter Alonso, who returned from a foot injury to make his season debut last weekend. On the other side, Florida's own southpaw, sophomore A.J. Puk will look to neutralize some locked-in, lefthanded hitting Gamecock infielders in senior first baseman Kyle Martin (.363/.454/.597) and junior second baseman Max Schrock (.293/.403/463) who is 8-for-14 in his last three games.

Finally, sophomore righthander Dane Dunning is slated to take the hill on Sunday. Like fellow rotation mates Shore and Puk, Dunning is of great interest to scouts and crosscheckers. Although he has struggled with consistency, Dunning offers a fastball in the 88-92 mph range and is the owner of the long, lean, projectable frame and loose, quick arm that evaluators tend to covet.

With both sides boasting a sizeable amount of talent and hoping to climb higher in the SEC East standings, the weekend in Gainesville appears to be an important series for the all of the players involved and fun for the scouts and fans fortunate enough to watch.



Marquee Matchup #3:

No. 25 Iowa at No. 20 Maryland

This weekend College Park, Md. will serve as the setting for a pivotal Big Ten conference series between first place Iowa and third place Maryland, who are two games back but have also played one more conference series. With the most recent Perfect Game collegiate rankings update, both Maryland and Iowa are in the Top 25 and prove how deep the conference is this year as they are two of four Big Ten teams that are ranked.

Maryland enters the series wining five of their last six, improving to 23-8 with seven of those victories belonging to staff ace Michael Shawaryn. A big talent since stepping foot on campus last fall, Shawaryn has continued to improve his overall game and the results are evident this spring. With a 2.00 ERA and a perfect 7-0 record, Shawaryn has shown the ability to carry his velocity deeper into an outing while still pounding the zone, evidenced by his nine walks over 54 innings compared to his 60 strikeouts.
Blake Hickman (Photo: Brian Ray / hawkeyesports.com)

He isn't the only Terps' starter making an impact as lefthander Tayler Stiles is coming off a seven-inning performance over Nebraska in which he punched out eight and allowed just a single run. Shawaryn and Stiles are just two of several big arms on the Maryland staff which also boasts flame-throwing lefthander Alex Robinson and righthander Kevin Mooney, who has shut the door three times this spring.

Aside from their pitching the Terrapins have plenty of bats who have been making noise and are led by sophomore second baseman Brandon Lowe who is enjoying a breakout season. Hitting a team high .381, Lowe also leads the team with eight home runs and is one of six Maryland hitters who have at least three home runs this spring. Junior catcher Kevin Martir is also enjoying a strong 2015 campaign, hitting .368 while playing strong defense and providing several quality at-bats with strength from the right side.

Like Maryland, Iowa has a couple of hitters who have performed very well on a consistent basis with senior outfielder Eric Toole sitting atop the most offensive categories. With impact speed, look for Toole to cause havoc on the bases as he is 18-for-20 in stolen base attempts this spring while leading the team in both doubles and triples. His .365 average is good to tops on the team and he finds a way to get on base, whether it's with a base hit, walk (12), or hit by pitch (8).

Tyler Peyton is right behind Toole with a .362 average and is a true two-way talent as Peyton also serves as the Hawkeyes' Friday night starter. While shining with the bat, Peyton is 4-2 on the mound with a 2.17 ERA and leads the team with nearly a strikeout per inning. Calvin Mathews sports the staff's lowest ERA at a minuscule 1.25, while Blake Hickman might have the highest upside of anybody, as he possesses a mid-90s fastball with swing-and-miss stuff.

Proving to be a big strength, Iowa's bullpen has been fantastic this spring with several arms performing when they are needed the most. Junior righthander Luke Vandermaten leads the 'pen with 11 appearances and over 16 1/3 innings, and he owns a 0.65 ERA. Both freshman righthander Nick Gallagher and lefthander Jared Mandel each sport a sub-2.00 ERA with nice command of the strike zone.

It's said that good pitching beats good hitting, but when both teams have quality staffs and an offense that could explode at anytime, anything can happen. By the end of Sunday this series should paint a clearer picture in the Big Ten one way or another, but the one thing that's guaranteed is a good series between two competitive clubs.



National Notes:

• Traditional West Coast Conference power, the University of San Diego, stumbled a bit out of the gates, dropping five of their first seven games, before righting the ship and winning 11 of their next 12 games, including series wins at over then-ranked Texas and Mississippi State. The Toreros surprisingly dropped last weekend's series against Gonzaga (although it was in Spokane) but still sit atop the WCC as they play host to Pacific University this weekend. Much of their success has do to with the performance of junior shortstop Kyle Holder. A former basketball standout, Holder is recognized as a tremendous athlete and fantastic defender, but his work with the bat has arguably been more impressive. The 6-foot-1, 185-pounder has hit .390/.467/.475 and has walked more than twice as often as he has struck out through the first 31 games.

• Pacific's Gio Brusa is a potential first or second round talent, and the switch-hitter has turned on since entering conference play. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound outfielder opened eyes in the Cape Cod League this summer, but got off to a noticeably slow start. However, in WCC contests Brusa is hitting .356/.442/.644 with eight of his 16 hits going for extra bases.

• One of the more unheralded position players of the 2015 draft class, University of North Florida outfielder Donnie Dewees has posted pretty ridiculous numbers this spring. The redshirt sophomore missed nearly all of UNF's 2014 campaign with a broken wrist, but returned for the summer and impressed on the Cape. He has continued his hot-hitting ways since the season began, and the compactly built lefthanded hitter enters the weekend series against Lipscomb with a .406/.463/.734 triple slash line. Additionally, Dewees has tallied 45 RBI, 17 stolen bases, and most impressively racked up more homeruns (10) than strikeouts (7).

• While the 2015 MLB Draft has depth, one position that isn't as readily available with high level talent is behind the plate. At the forefront of the short list is Fresno State's Taylor Ward, a premium talent who has been on the national scene for over a year after a strong 2014 spring followed up by a tour with the Collegiate National Team.

This spring has been much of the same for Ward, who was named a PG Midseason All-American, both behind the dish and with the bat. There's never been any doubt about his defensive abilities and his near flawless fielding percentage supports that claim, especially with his cannon of a right arm that's helped him throw out five would-be basestealers. Hitting .322 heading into the weekend, Ward has provided a majority of the muscle for the Bulldog offense, leading the team in doubles (11), triples (2), home runs (6), and RBI (25) while going a perfect 4-for-4 in stolen base attempts.

Ward isn't the only bat on display this weekend for scouts as Fresno State welcomes in Nevada, who feature their own version of the "bash brothers" with senior corner infielder Austin Byler and junior second baseman Ryan Howell. Howell is enjoying an incredible first year with the Wolf Pack, as he too was named to PG's Midseason All-American team. He's hitting .373 heading into the weekend and leads the team in both home runs (10) and RBI (46), which are both among the national leaders, while slugging a whopping .754.

The other half of the duo, Byler, returned for his senior season after electing not to sign as a ninth round selection by the Washington Nationals last June. The results have been immediate and frequent, as he's slugged eight long balls of his own with 30 RBI and a team-high 14 doubles.

• Making the jump into the ACC this spring, nobody thought Louisville would struggle in their first season, though their roster is on the young side, which also bodes well for the future. One of the players who has really stepped up after playing sparingly last spring is sophomore outfielder Corey Ray. Full of quick-twitch muscle and surprising strength, Ray is hitting .326 this year with plenty of extra-base hits, including a team-leading five home runs. His speed is an impact tool, both defensively in the outfield, where he can track down fly balls with the best of them, and on the basepaths, where he is 15-for-18 in stolen base attempts. With the 2016 draft shaping up to be a big one, Ray looks like he is on his way to being an impact talent along with Nebraska's Ryan Boldt, Texas A&M's Nick Banks, and Louisiana State's Jake Fraley.

PG - Weekend Preview: Week 9
 
D1 - State Of College Baseball: Midseason Report

Last weekend marked the midway point of the college baseball season, so in lieu of our usual Weekend Preview, we're stepping back to look at the big picture with our Midseason Report. Over the last few days, we unveiled our Midseason Field of 64 Projection and our Midseason College Top 150 Prospects list. Today, we present our Midseason All-America team and make our picks for various major awards and top storylines of the first half.

Midseason All-America Team: Position Players

Stats through April 9. Team was selected by D1Baseball editors Aaron Fitt and Kendall Rogers.
Pos. Player, School Year AVG/OBP/SLG AB R H HR RBI SB
C Paul DeJong, Illinois State Jr. .417/.493/.775 120 31 50 11 35 2
1B Will Craig, Wake Forest So. .423/.516/.815 130 41 55 12 51 1
2B Scott Kingery, Arizona Jr. .477/.510/.727 132 41 63 4 27 7
3B David Thompson, Miami Jr. .344/.433/.649 131 25 45 9 44 1
SS Alex Bregman, LSU Jr. .341/.422/.630 138 34 47 7 32 21
OF Nick Banks, Texas A&M So. .425/.481/.583 120 30 51 3 22 5
OF Ian Happ, Cincinnati Jr. .394/.519/.673 104 19 41 7 22 5
OF DJ Stewart, Florida State Jr. .312/.525/.624 109 38 34 9 31 4
DH Dansby Swanson, Vanderbilt Jr. .372/.482/.642 137 48 51 5 31 12
UT Brendan McKay, Louisville Fr. .289/.430/.378 90 19 26 1 14 2
Midseason All-America Team: Pitchers

Pos. Player, School Year W L ERA G SV IP H BB SO
SP Taylor Clarke, College of Charleston Jr. 6 1 1.69 8 0 53.1 37 8 72
SP Carson Fulmer, Vanderbilt Jr. 6 1 1.89 9 0 57 39 23 81
SP Alex Lange, LSU Fr. 6 0 1.39 8 0 51.2 38 20 61
SP Dillon Tate, UC Santa Barbara Jr. 4 3 1.34 8 0 60.2 33 16 67
RP Tyler Jay, Illinois Jr. 4 1 0.79 18 8 34 18 3 39
UT Brendan McKay, Louisville Fr. 5 0 2.03 11 4 40 18 13 55
Midseason Top Player

Alex Bregman, ss, LSU

Bregman has been so good for so long that it's easy to take him for granted. But he has rather quietly been college baseball's best all-around player in the first half of the season.

Alex Bregman (LSU)
Alex Bregman (LSU)
Bregman doesn't lead the nation in any major offensive categories, and his .341 batting average may pale in comparison to Scott Kingery's .477. But he has robust offensive numbers nonetheless, hitting .341/.422/.630 with seven homers, 13 doubles and 32 RBIs. His secondary numbers might be even more impressive. Bregman ranks as the nation's fifth hardest player to strike out, with just six strikeouts and 19 walks in 34 games. He's not known for blazing speed, but he is an extremely intelligent baserunner who has been more aggressive on the basepaths this year, ranking fifth in the nation with 21 steals in 25 tries. He also ranks 11th with 87 total bases.


LSUInterlockingBregman is doing all that offensively while playing incredible defense at the demanding and crucial shortstop position. He has just one error this season, giving him an absurd .994 fielding percentage. And he is the unquestioned leader of one of college baseball's best teams, the 29-5 LSU Tigers. No player in the country has a better combination of hitting ability, power, speed, elite defense at a premium position and leadership qualities for an marquee club.

-Aaron Fitt

Midseason Top Pitcher

Dillon Tate, rhp, UC Santa Barbara

UCSB's Dillon Tate has been more than special so far. (Kendall Rogers)
UCSB's Dillon Tate has been more than special so far. (Kendall Rogers)
Incredibly high expectations can be very difficult to deal with, but don't tell that to UC Santa Barbara junior righthander Dillon Tate. After showing electric stuff with the USA Collegiate National Team last summer, Tate was expected to be one of the nation's premier arms, but out of the bullpen. Well, head coach Andrew Checketts made the bold, and smart, decision to move the big-time righthander to the weekend rotation. It's a move that continues to pay dividends.

Tate has been outstanding so far this spring. In a recent outing I saw, Tate was explosive. He was 93-95, and up to 96, with his fastball, and a devastating and late-cutting 84-86 mph slider. Meanwhile, his downward fading changeup was 82-84 and all those plus offerings were in addition to a 79-80 mph curveball that had good depth.

UCS Santa Barbara logoYep, Dillon Tate is that good, and it's more than just stuff. He's been very consistent as the staff ace for the Gauchos. He's made eight starts this season, tallying 67 strikeouts and walking just 16, while also having a 1.34 ERA in 60.2 innings. Tate has 9.94 strikeouts per game and has tossed two complete games, one of those last weekend against stud catcher Taylor Ward and Fresno State.

Tate has lived up to the hype, and folks, that's not an easy chore to accomplish.

-Kendall Rogers

Midseason Top Freshman Player

K.J. Harrison, 1b/c, Oregon State

Oregon State catcher K.J. Harrison (Shotgun Spratling)
Oregon State catcher K.J. Harrison (Shotgun Spratling)
Harrison was an elite recruit for the Beavers, ranking as the best prep prospect to come out of the state of Hawaii in years. But interestingly, he struggled to make consistent contact on the showcase circuit heading into his senior year, and some scouts regarded his defense behind the plate as his biggest strength, rather than his bat. Harrison flashed plus raw power even in high school, but his ability to utilize that power as a freshman for Oregon State has made him the nation's most feared freshman hitter.

Oregon State logoThrough 31 games, Harrison leads the young Beavers in batting (.361), slugging (.664), home runs (seven) and RBIs (32). He is tied for the Pac-12 lead in RBIs and ranks second in the conference in slugging and homers. Harrison is simply an offensive dynamo, a worthy heir to Michael Conforto's Oregon State legacy.

-Aaron Fitt

Midseason Top Freshman Pitcher

Alex Lange, rhp, LSU

LSU freshman righthander Alex Lange. (Kendall Rogers)
LSU freshman righthander Alex Lange. (Kendall Rogers)
Speaking of high expectations and playing in a pressurized environment, how about LSU freshman righthander Alex Lange? When the Tigers lost All-American righty Aaron Nola to the draft last summer, they knew some new and inexperienced arms would have to rise to the occasion, or else. And boy, did Lange step up.

The talented righthander pitched well the first few weeks, but made his strongest impression at the Houston College Classic in front of more than 12,000 fans with an absolute gem. Lange will sit anywhere from 90-94 with his fastball, which is commanded on both sides of the plate. He also possesses a quality changeup, and will throw a hard and quality 80-81 mph curveball.

LSUInterlockingLange serves as LSU's ace and has tallied 61 strikeouts and 20 walks, while also carrying a 1.39 ERA in 51.2 innings, with opponents hitting the youngster at a very low .208 clip. Most impressive? Lange's success hasn't tapered off in SEC play. He has a 1.26 ERA in four SEC starts, along with 35 strikeouts in 28.2 innings.

Pretty good … for a freshman.

-Kendall Rogers

Midseason Top Coach

Rob Childress, Texas A&M

Putting what A&M has done so far this spring into perspective makes what they're doing right now even more astonishing.

Rob Childress has Texas A&M's players feeling good heading into the second half. (Kendall Rogers)
Rob Childress has Texas A&M's players feeling good heading into the second half. (Kendall Rogers)
The Aggies are one of the hottest and best teams in the country at this point in the season. They are 31-2, are in terrific shape to earn a national seed on Memorial Day, and they're 9-2 in the rigorous Southeastern Conference. And that coming from a team that was not only picked to finish in the middle of the pack in conference, they also lost their No. 1 pitcher in lefthander Tyler Stubblefield because of an ACL injury before the season began. Then, fellow lefty AJ Minter, who replaced Stubblefield as the staff ace, was lost for the season because of an elbow injury. So, yes, the Aggies have amassed an incredible 31-2 record without their two-best pitchers, thanks in part to junior righthander Grayson Long stepping up and a surprisingly power-armed and deep bullpen putting the clamps on opposing teams late in games.

Texas AM logoChildress and the Aggies still have plenty of unfinished business to take care of the rest of the season, but Childress and assistant coaches Will Bolt and Justin Seely have done a tremendous job of keeping the Maroon & White clicking on all cylinders despite some significant personnel setbacks.

Five More Coaches

Southern California logoDan Hubbs, USC: Patience is a virtue for Hubbs and the Trojans. It's been a long time coming, but it finally looks like the Trojans will get that lengthy hiatus - since 2005 to be exact - of postseason berths done with in just over a month. Hubbs has done a terrific job with this USC club, entering this weekend's UCLA series with a 25-7 overall record and a top-10 ranking.

Arizona State Sundevils logoTracy Smith, Arizona State: We knew the Sun Devils had some talent, especially on the mound. But this program needed a culture change and Smith and his staff have helped provide that in rapid fashion. ASU has an overall record of 21-9, and are off to a great 9-3 start in the Pac-12. National seed, anyone?

Oklahoma State University logoJosh Holliday, Oklahoma State: Holliday was groomed by some of the best coaches in college baseball, so perhaps we shouldn't be surprised that he's experiencing a wealth of success with the Cowboys. Holliday has the Pokes atop the Big 12 standings and on a collision course with the College World Series at 23-9 overall, 7-2 in league play.

UCS Santa Barbara logoAndrew Checketts, UC Santa Barbara: We certainly expected the Gauchos to have a solid club. We debated their merits before the season, and in the end, decided to rank a few more teams ahead of them in our Preseason D1Baseball Top 25. Well, whoops? Checketts has done some amazing things at UCSB, and his club sits at 24-7 overall. Now, let's get this program a big-time stadium.

Illinois Fighting Illini logoDan Hartleb, Illinois: The Big Ten was expected to have a golden spring, and Illinois was part of that equation. The Fighting Illini had lofty expectations entering the season, and haven't had a single issue meeting them. Tyler Jay continues to be a dominant force out of the bullpen, while lefthander Kevin Duchene has a gaudy 0.64 ERA in 42 innings, along with 47 strikeouts and three walks. Illinois is 26-6-1 overall and is staring at a potential regional host in a few weeks.

-Kendall Rogers

Most Surprising Team

Aaron's Pick: Nevada

Of all the teams that have earned spots in the D1Baseball Top 25 rankings over the course of the season, Nevada is the one I least expected. The Wolf Pack haven't made a regional in 15 years. They made progress in Jay Johnson's first year as coach in 2014, going 31-27 overall (winning six more games than they did the year before), but they still finished .500 in the Mountain West, five games out of first place.

Nevada's Ryan Howell is a power threat in the middle of the lineup. (Shotgun Spratling)
Nevada's Ryan Howell is a power threat in the middle of the lineup. (Shotgun Spratling)
After eight weeks, Nevada is already closing in on last year's win totals, with a 26-7 overall record and a 12-3 conference mark, tying it for first place in the MWC with San Diego State. We figured Nevada would have a dangerous offense, and that has been the case: The Wolf Pack leads the nation in doubles, ranks eighth in slugging and 20th in scoring. First-team preseason All-American Austin Byler is among the national leaders in slugging (.727), which is no surprise. But we did not expect teammate Ryan Howell, a junior-college transfer, to put up even gaudier numbers: .373/.455/.754, 10 HR, 46 RBI. (Shotgun Spratling profiled the Byler-Howell duo in March). And we certainly did not expect Nevada to lead the Mountain West in ERA, which it currently does with a 3.65 mark. Give pitching coach Dave Lawn plenty of credit for getting the most out of this under-appreciated crop of arms.

Kendall's Pick: Missouri

Making the transition to a new conference can be a tough task. Making a transition to the SEC can be a nightmare. Well, that's exactly what happened to the Missouri Tigers the past two seasons, which is why they were picked to finish near the bottom of the league standings this season.

Missouri's Tanner Houck has been filthy this season. (Kendall Rogers)
Missouri's Tanner Houck has been filthy this season. (Kendall Rogers)
Instead, though, the Tigers have made quite a remarkable turnaround. The Tigers are ranked in the D1Baseball Top 25, and have a 22-12 overall record to go with an 8-5 league mark - well on track to make the postseason at this point. The biggest key for Missouri has been the emergence of a pair of starting pitchers in righthanders Reggie McClean and Tanner Houck (We broke down Houck in this feature).

McClain is a junior-college transfer who sits in the upper-80s and into low-90s, and possesses a big-time changeup, while Houck is one of the better freshman pitchers in the country. Houck will get up to 93-94 with his fastball and often uses a dominant slider to punch hitters out. That duo is one of the best in the country, while hard-nosed righthanded closer Breckin Williams brings filthy stuff out of the bullpen.

The Tigers won't be confused with the LSU Tigers in the offensive department, but their one-two punch on the mound, along with Williams, can go up against anyone.

Five More Surprises

Southern California

Southern California logoWe've written plenty about the Trojans' return to national prominence - Eric Sorenson chronicled their rise again just yesterday. Nobody expected USC to be quite this good, ranking in the top 10 nationally - after all, the Trojans haven't made a regional since 2005. But we did consider them for our preseason Top 25 and project them to make a regional heading into the season, so their success is not an enormous shock.

Coastal Carolina

Coastal Carolina Chanticleers logoAll the talk in the Big South heading into the season was about Liberty, which nearly hosted a regional a year ago and returned plenty of talent. But the Chanticleers have re-established themselves as the top dog in the conference thanks to an explosive offense and a gritty pitching staff.

Iowa

IowaLogoHeading into the season, we pegged the Hawkeyes to finish ninth in the loaded Big Ten Conference. Needless to say, we wouldn't have dreamed that Iowa would be sitting alone atop the conference at 6-0, with a series sweep of defending champion Indiana. Even more surprisingly, the Hawkeyes are in great position for their first regional berth since 1990, with a 21-8 overall record and a No. 37 RPI.

Long Beach State

Long Beach State logoThe Dirtbags lost five of their top six hitters and the entire weekend rotation from last year's regional team. They headed into the season with 19 newcomers on the roster, and we picked them to finish seventh in the Big West heading into this spring. Instead, Long Beach is 18-10 overall, 4-2 in the conference and No. 20 in the RPI. We projected the Dirtbags as a No. 2 seed in our midseason Field of 64. Never saw that coming.

California

Cal Golden Bears logoI was mildly intrigued by Cal's talent heading into the spring, but I couldn't quite get myself to buy into the notion that the Golden Bears could contend in the rough-and-tumble Pac-12, and I picked them to finish ninth in the league in the preseason. The Golden Bears are off to a strong start in conference play at 8-4, and they are 21-9 overall with a real shot to get back to their first regional since their 2012 Omaha trip, when the administration tried to kill the program.

-Aaron Fitt

Most Disappointing Team

Kendall's Pick: Oregon

Oregon hopes to find a way to finish strong. (Shotgun Spratling)
Oregon hopes to find a way to finish strong. (Shotgun Spratling)
Remember when the Ducks were 13-2 after the St. John's series win, and also had a road series win over UC Santa Barbara? At that point, George Horton's club was ranked near the Top 10 and it looked like a huge season was in store. Well, that was pretty much the last week we've been able to say that.

The Ducks have struggled immensely since that St. John's series, losing three-straight Pac-12 series to pen league play to California, Arizona State and Arizona. Then, UO took another step back last weekend by getting swept at home by an OK Michigan State club with just nine runs in three games.

Oregon logoWe were a little skeptical about Oregon's offense entering the season, and that hunch has proven to be correct. UO is hitting just .253 as a team overall and in conference play. The bad news is we don't see Oregon's offense making some miraculous turn for the better, but this pitching staff has a chance to make things interesting down the stretch with lefthander Cole Irvin (3.52, 30.2) having premium potential. Irvin has an ERA over nine in conference play, so that must improve beginning this weekend against the Beavers.

Oregon has an RPI of 117, and despite going to UCSB for a three-game series, also has a non-conference strength of schedule that ranks 149th nationally, along with the 117th overall SOS.

Aaron's Pick: Clemson

Clemson's Matthew Crownover is having a great season. (Aaron Fitt)
Clemson's Matthew Crownover is having a great season. (Aaron Fitt)
It was the third week of the season and Clemson entered the series finale against rival South Carolina even in the series. It could either be a case of the same old result, or the Tigers could flip the script once and for all. Righthander Brody Koerner took matters into his own hands, tossing a four-hit shutout (chronicled here) to lead the Tigers to a series win over the Gamecocks.

At that point, the Tigers were 7-3 overall and were riding high following that series victory over South Carolina, and I tweeted that they looked like they were simply a better team than the Gamecocks. In the podcast, I insisted that Clemson is legitimately very good. Whoops. Since that weekend, Clemson has gone 9-14, losing series to NC State, Notre Dame and Wake Forest. They're just 16-17 overall and 7-8 in the ACC, and they need to make a real run to make it back to a regional.

Clemson Tigers logoStarting pitchers Matthew Crownover (1.33, 54 IP) and Zack Erwin (2.70, 53.1 IP) are bright spots, especially Crownover, whom we considered for the Midseason All-American team. But otherwise, this team has struggled with consistency on the mound, and Koerner has not been able to replicate his early success, stumbling to a 6.42 ERA. Tyler Krieger (.370) has been a real bright spot offensively, and Clemson's offense has been decent overall but not as good as it should be, considering how athletic, physical and experienced the lineup is.

The Tigers played much better baseball in a home series win over North Carolina last weekend, but now they must show they can play well consistently. Series against Boston College and Duke over the next two weekends are critical, and they afford Clemson an opportunity to build some momentum heading into the stretch run.

Five More Disappointments

Texas

Texas logoThe Longhorns entered the season expected to get back to the College World Series. And you know what, this team has all the pieces to make that so during the second half of the season. But things haven't gone as planned so far this spring. For starters, the 'Horns were supposed to have a much improved offense. And early on, this unit showed glimpses of that. However, shortstop C.J. Hinojosa has struggled mightily with a batting average around .200, and this team is now hitting .247 overall. Toolsy outfielder Ben Johnson has been a real bright spot, but Hinojosa and others must step up, along with the weekend rotation, to finish on a positive note and make the postseason.

Virginia

University of Virginia logoThe Cavaliers, along with the Longhorns, are a team that I really feel like could finish the season on a strong note, but some things will need to happen. Virginia opened the season ranked No. 3 nationally, and thanks to injuries and inconsistency, just haven't gotten into a groove. Athletic outfielder Joe McCarthy still isn't back from an injury and to make matters worse, Robbie Coman is TBA for this weekend's series against Georgia Tech after taking a ball to the face earlier this week. Add to that righthander Josh Sborz, who was expected to be a huge part of this team's success this spring, being more hittable than usual, and you don't really have a recipe for success thus far.

Alabama

Alabama Crimson Tide logoHere's another team that could finish the second half of the season strong. Honestly, the Tide might be our best bet from this group to surge forward. There's no doubt that 'Bama, sitting just 16-15 overall after being ranked well into the Top 25 to begin the season, has been a disappointment. However, this is a team that began SEC play with a road series win over Mississippi State before facing the murderer's row trio of Texas A&M, Florida and LSU. Geez, that's brutal. The good news is the Tide hasn't come close to reaching their offensive potential, and that sets the stage for a potentially strong finish with Casey Hughston and Mikey White leading the way.

Tennessee

Tennessee logoDave Serrano's Volunteers certainly have a chance to turn the ship around the second half of the season, but you almost wonder - even now - if the ship has already sailed too far away. The Vols did take the series opener against Missouri Thursday night, and a series win over the Tigers could be huge. But we're talking about a team with an overall record of 15-14, and still an extremely difficult schedule left to navigate. The saving grace for the Vols could be an RPI of 48, which is pretty good considering what has transpired so far this season. There's still a chance … but it's slim looking at the remaining slate.

Stanford

Stanford logoThe Cardinal has had an abysmal campaign thus far, and some keep pointing to the injury losses of Cal Quantrill and Marc Brakeman to somehow validate a poor 12-18 overall record and yes, an 0-9 mark in the Pac-12 Conference. Well, that's all fine and dandy, except for that little fact that Stanford is hitting .241 as a team. And on top of that, if A&M can overcome the losses of Stubblefield and Minter, why can't Stanford, which has plenty of talent, at least put together a respectable overall resume. That's baffling, and we don't see this team finishing the season incredibly strong. This, of course, being a club that we strongly considered ranking heading into the season. Whew.

-Kendall Rogers

Five Biggest Stories Of The First Half

1. The home run is back.

The new lower-seamed balls dominated the early-season talk in college baseball. The balls were intended to increase home run levels in response to the lack of power that resulted from the advent of the BBCOR bats, and so far the mission has been successful. The NCAA's midseason trends report showed that home runs are up 39 percent from the same period a year ago, from 0.36 homers per game to 0.50 per game. Even though scoring is up just 5 percent, the return of the long ball has infused some excitement back into the game. It's just nice to go to a ballpark and know that there is a realistic chance you could see a home run or two (or 12, in Belmont's case).

2. Texas A&M is a machine.

Texas AM logoNo team had a better first half than Texas A&M, which started the season an amazing 24-0 and carries a 31-2 record into Week Nine. Early on, it was easy to discount the hot start as the product of a soft, home-baked nonconference schedule, but the Aggies kept winning through a trip to the Houston College Classic, and they have kept winning in SEC play, with series victories against Auburn, at Alabama, Missouri and at Kentucky. It hasn't been a murderer's row of SEC opponents either, but 31-2 is 31-2. That is awfully difficult to do.

3. The Big Ten is living up to the hype.

Big 10 logoAs part of our season preview coverage, Michael Baumann wrote an in-depth piece about the rise of the Big Ten, which has steadily gained momentum in recent years with Purdue and Indiana hosting regionals, and the Hoosiers breaking through to Omaha in 2013. We predicted this year would be the best yet for the conference, which we projected to send four teams to regionals for the first time in the 64-team era. Well, that estimate now looks too conservative. We project five Big Ten teams to make regionals in our midseason Field of 64, and two of them (Illinois and Maryland) to host. The Illini, Terrapins and Nebraska are currently ranked in the D1Baseball Top 25, and Indiana was ranked earlier this season. Iowa, Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State all look like bona fide regional contenders. It's going to be a fun finish in the Big Ten.

4. Dillon Tate's rise to the top of draft boards happened in a flash.

UCSB's Dillon Tate is special to watch. (Kendall Rogers)
UCSB's Dillon Tate is special to watch. (Kendall Rogers)
Tate, UC Santa Barbara's talented righthander, really made a name for himself last summer with USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team, but he had never started a college game heading into this spring, and he entered the season as the No. 15 prospect on the D1Baseball Top 150 College Prospects list. It only took a week for him to insert himself squarely into the very early discussion for the No. 1 overall pick, as he opened the season in the rotation and showed dominant stuff from the get-go. Kendall Rogers and Shotgun Spratling both chronicled Tate's rise in the last week.

5. Best individual performance: Drew Rasmussen's perfect game.

Oregon State's Drew Rasmussen (Scobel Wiggins)
Oregon State's Drew Rasmussen (Scobel Wiggins)
Don't expect any player to top Rasmussen for the individual performance of the year. The Oregon State freshman threw a perfect game in Week Six against Washington State, the first Pac-12 perfect game since 1973 and just the third Division I perfect game in the last dozen years. The electric righthander struck out 10 and needed just 103 pitches to complete his perfect game, and he went to a three-ball count just twice in the game.

D1 - State Of College Baseball: Midseason Report
 
5-Year Total: 237 Wins, Three Big 12 Titles, Three CWS Appearances.

Read that again. That's 47 wins per year, folks. And 2004 was substandard with "only" 36 wins. It sure would be nice to look back five years from now and see a similar run. Or even something close!

I don't think I can watch the highlight video, though. As much as I would like to, it has Mike Anderson in it...
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