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College  | Story  | 4/30/2015

Weekend Preview: Week 12

Patrick Ebert      Jheremy Brown      Andrew Krause     
Photo: Ohio State Athletics




National Notebook: April 28 | College/Draft Chat: April 28 | Video Vault

There's only one series between ranked opponents this weekend and it looks like it will be a good one as No. 24 Ohio State, the newest members to the Top 25, host No. 6 Illinois. This series, as well as two others that could have distinct ramifications on the Top 25 rankings come Monday – No. 16 Oklahoma State vs. Oklahoma and Coastal Carolina at No. 9 Florida State – are previewed below.

Top 25 in Action

Rk. Team Opponent Location
1 Louisiana State at Mississippi State Starkville, MS
2 Texas A&M at Tennessee Knoxville, TN
3 Louisville at Clemson Clemson, SC
4 UCLA home vs. Gonzaga Los Angeles, CA
5 Texas Christian at West Virginia Morgantown, WV
6 Illinois at No. 24 Ohio State Columbus, OH
7 Arizona State at California Berkeley, CA
8 Florida at Georgia Athens, GA
9 Florida State home vs. Coastal Carolina Tallahassee, FL
10 UC Santa Barbara home vs. UC Davis Santa Barbara, CA
11 Vanderbilt at Kentucky Lexington, KY
12 Miami at Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA
13 Dallas Baptist at UNC Charlotte Charlotte, NC
14 Florida Atlantic at UAB Birmingham, AL
15 Southern California at Utah Salt Lake City, UT
16 Oklahoma State vs. Oklahoma Tulsa, Oklahoma City, OK
17 North Carolina Do not play NA
18 Oregon State at Washington Seattle, WA
19 Missouri State home vs. Wichita State Springfield, MO
20 Iowa at Michigan Ann Arbor, MI
21 Maryland home vs. Indiana College Park, MD
22 Virginia Do not play NA
23 College of Charleston at William and Mary Williamsburg, VA
24 Ohio State home vs. No. 6 Illinois Columbus, OH
25 Nevada at New Mexico Albuquerque, NM



Marquee Matchup #1:

No. 6 Illinois at No. 24 Ohio State

Ohio State will receive trial by fire during their first week in Perfect Game's Top 25 rankings as they host No. 6 Illinois in Columbus this weekend. Both teams have been playing exceptional baseball, and similar to last weekend's big LSU/Texas A&M SEC matchup, both the Illini and Buckeyes are very evenly matched on paper.

Led by an extremely talented sophomore class, the 31-10 Buckeyes are 12-3 in the Big Ten Conference, behind only Illinois (13-1) and Iowa (13-2) with a chance to put themselves at the top of the standings by the end of the weekend. They have won all five of their conference series, and also have a big midweek win over No. 3 Louisville on April 14 to their credit. And after this weekend it doesn't get much easier for Ohio State with series at Maryland and Indiana to close out the regular season.
Kevin Duchene (Photo: University of Illinois Athletics)

Similar to Illinois, the team is led by a very strong and deep pitching staff, with three experienced and effective starters and anchored by a lockdown closer. The starters, from Friday through Sunday, will be sophomores Tanner Tully (4-2, 2.76) and Travis Lakins (3-2, 3.31) as well as senior Ryan Riga (5-2, 1.87 ERA). Do-it-all closer Trace Dempsey is easily this club's MVP with a 9-1 record, seven saves and a 2.10 ERA in 19 relief appearances.

Illinois rides an 18-game winning streak into Columbus and secured a perfect 16-0 month of April on Tuesday with a 7-5 win over Southern Illinois. The Illini of course can counter any team's closer with arguably the best in the nation in junior lefthander Tyler Jay, who is 5-1 with eight saves and a miniscule 0.78 ERA. Only Kevin Duchene's 0.74 mark is better on the Illini staff, whose 2.29 team ERA leads the conference (Ohio State is second at 2.59). Duchene has been nearly untouchable since his season started a couple of weeks late, and is currently 7-1 with a near perfect 67-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 61 innings.

Drasen Johnson (6-2, 2.11) and John Kravetz (4-0, 2.92) round out the rotation, and they have a fourth productive starter, Rob McDonnell (6-1, 2.05), designated for midweek contests. Nick Blackburn, J.D. Nielsen and Cody Sedlock also provide valuable innings out of the 'pen.

Illinois' offense has been better than expected this season, with six regulars hitting above .300, and they are paced by their fleet-footed, slick-fielding, leadoff-hitting shortstop Adam Walton. Jason Goldstein, whose .287 average, 14 doubles and six home runs are nothing to scoff at, is a rock defensively behind home plate and has gelled the past three years with the rest of the veteran staff.

Ohio State's dynamic leadoff hitter Troy Montgomery sets the tone on offense, leading all sophomores in the nation with 26 stolen bases (in 28 attempts) while producing a .307/.409/.477 triple slash line with 15 extra-base hits and more walks (24) than strikeouts (22). He has also yet to commit an error, and is flanked by two productive corner outfielders in Pat Porter and Ronnie Dawson, the team's Nos. 3 and 4 hitters respectively who each have hit six home runs so far this year.

Matchups could be the difference in Columbus this weekend, as Illinois has a lefty-heavy staff led by Duchene and Jay going against the lefty-hitting trio of Montgomery, Porter and Dawson atop the Buckeyes' lineup. Otherwise, expect three close games as the two teams fight and claw for Big Ten supremacy.

– Patrick Ebert


Marquee Matchup #2:

No. 16 Oklahoma State vs. Oklahoma

Just over three weeks ago, Oklahoma State put a beating on their in-state rivals in a midweek contest. The April 7 matchup was a non-conference game, and despite the fact that it was played in Stillwater, nobody could have predicted such a wide margin victory. The Cowboys scored eight runs in the first inning en route to a 24-2 thrashing.

This weekend the two sides meet in conference play in what will certainly be a more tightly contested series. After winning the Big 12 crown in 2014, Oklahoma State has put themselves in prime position to capture another league title. They enter the weekend with a 12-6 conference record and are 29-14 overall. After taking two out of three from Texas Tech in Lubbock last weekend, Josh Holliday's squad travel to Tulsa (for game one) and Oklahoma City (for games two and three) to face a hungry Sooners team that has already matched last season's win total.

At 29-19 overall and 10-5 in Big 12 play, Oklahoma has made some solid strides in its second season under Pete Hughes. Currently tied for second place in the Big 12 (with TCU), the Sooners will look to rebound from a non-conference series loss to Sam Houston State last weekend and a midweek collapse against Wichita State. A series victory against their rivals this weekend could potentially set up a crucial end-of-season series against TCU in Norman in two weeks.
Kolbey Carpenter (Photo: OU Athletics Communications)

As one would expect given their records and caliber of play, both teams are well-rounded. However, the matchup between the Cowboys' pitching staff and the Sooners' lineup would appear to be the most critical, as both units are among the best in the conference and the country.

Oklahoma State ace, Michael Freeman, is enjoying a spectacular senior season and he'll look to build upon his dazzling outing against Texas Tech (8 inning, 1 run, 10 strikeouts) this weekend. The 6-foot-8 southpaw has the lowest ERA (1.17) among starting pitchers in the Big 12, has thrown two complete games and leads the team in strikeouts (70) and innings pitched (76). Another stabilizing force in the Cowboy rotation has been fellow senior Jon Perrin. The righthander is 4-4 with a 3.88 ERA and has been solid as the typical Saturday starter.

Whenever the two veterans are forced to make way, they'll be replaced by some of the more reliable relief arms available in Remey Reed, Trey Cobb, and Koda Glover. The two sophomores, Reed (2-0, 1.03 ERA) and Cobb (2-1, 3.29 ERA) have been very good in their setup roles, paving the way for the Glover, the closer and junior college transfer from Eastern Oklahoma State College that has struck out 24 in 19 innings.

Oklahoma, meanwhile, boasts some solid arms of their own in sophomore starters Alec Hansen (4-4, 3.71 ERA, 81 strikeouts) and Jake Elliott (4-3, 2.15 ERA, 65 strikeouts), and junior closer Jacob Evans (4-0, 2.03 ERA, 42 strikeouts), but have been particularly impactful on offense.

Junior Kolbey Carpenter leads the Big 12 in hits (70), is second in batting average (.372) and home runs (8). Center fielder Craig Aikin, also a junior, has put up big numbers this year as well, and ranks seventh in the conference in hitting with a .348 average and second in hits (69). Senior outfielder Taylor Alspaugh (.307) and junior catcher Anthony Hermelyn (.305) are other Oklahoma starters that are hitting over .300 thus far.

Finally, sophomore shortstop/relief pitcher Sheldon Neuse is one of the more intriguing two-way talents eligible for the 2016 draft. Last year's Big 12 Rookie of the Year is hitting .295 with six homers and 10 stolen bases and also offers a low- to mid-90s fastball and above average slider from the mound.

Oklahoma will also be looking to avenge last year's series loss to their intrastate rivals, and with so much on the line within the conference, the atmosphere in Tulsa and Oklahoma City should be electric.

– Andrew Krause



Marquee Matchup #3:

Coastal Carolina at No. 9 Florida State

With the Chanticleers just on the outside of the Top 25, winning a key out of conference matchup against the Seminoles of Florida State would all but solidify them a national ranking. And it’s not like they haven’t been playing a high quality of baseball as they're currently 31-13 overall with a 14-4 record in the Big South Conference.

After taking at least two out of three in their first four conference series, Coastal suffered their first setback with a series loss to Radford two weeks ago. Like any good team would do, they bounced back with a vengeance, sweeping Presbyterian in a three game set this past weekend before collecting a big 5-2 mid-week victory over UNC Wilmington. Though the Chanticleers have been without lefthander Alex Cunningham in their rotation, their bats have stepped up in a big way and will need to do so again to beat a strong Florida State team.

Leadoff hitter Anthony Marks has paced the offense with a .383 average and leads the team with a .463 on-base percentage with a walk-to-strikeout ratio just over 1-to-1. Once he gets on first he’s able to put himself in scoring position thanks to his speed (16 stolen bases). Of the nine everyday starters, Marks is just one of two who have not yet hit a home run, but neither he nor Al Molina have had to as their teammates have accounted for plenty of them this spring.
Austin Kerr (Photo: Coastal Carolina)

The up-the-middle combo of Michael Paez and Connor Owings has been solid on both sides of the ball for Coastal. Paez, a sophomore, leads the team with 15 doubles, showing some strength to the gaps, and he has also hit six balls out of the yard while standing in second place in RBI (34) and stolen bases (14).

Switching hitting catcher Casey Schroeder has been a daily fixture behind the plate with some interesting pop from the right side, currently leading the club with 11 bombs. David Parrett joins Schroeder with double-digit home runs, hitting 10 of his own this spring. There’s no easy out in the Chanticleers lineup, a physical group who together have hit 49 home runs and feature seven players who have at least four home runs this spring.

The absence of Cunningham has created a void in the weekend rotation but senior lefthander Austin Kerr has continued to be magnificent this spring improving to 8-0 last weekend while showing solid command of the strike zone. Junior Michael Morrison made his first start of the spring last Friday going five strong innings, while freshman Shane Sawczak was handed the ball on Sunday for his ninth start of the year, picking up his second win.

The bullpen has also been solid for Coastal with two pitchers already making over 20 appearances – Bobby Holmes and Andrew Beckwith – while Brock Hunter has made 19 of his own. All three have been consistent this spring in logging valuable innings and will be relied upon again this weekend in some big opportunities.

The Seminoles have been covered in great length as they continue to be featured in key matchups. With an outstanding 33-13 overall record, and a 16-8 record in the ACC – tied for second best in the conference – the Seminoles have continued to outslug their opponents with some very familiar names at the forefront.

Junior left fielder D.J. Stewart continues to hit at an elite level, leading the team in nearly every offensive category including batting average (.324), home runs (10), and on-base percentage (.517), but he isn’t a one man wrecking crew. Quincy Nieporte, a junior college transfer, has been a strong addition to the lineup, as has freshman Dylan Busby, who is tied with Danny De La Calle for second on the team with eight home runs.

The Seminoles are riding high coming off a key conference victory over their in-state rivals, the Miami Hurricanes. Sophomore Boomer Biegalski threw 5 1/3 shutout innings in the Friday opener allowing just two hits before lefty Mike Compton turned in an eight inning performance on Saturday, surrendering only two earned runs while striking out four. Over those two games, the bullpen allowed just four earned runs and will be a big piece this weekend as well. That unit is led by closer Billy Strode, who has been fantastic this spring converting 11 saves, second best in the ACC, while posting a 1.57 ERA in 23 innings.

If each side comes out swinging like they're capable of there's a good chance there could be some high scoring affairs this weekend in Tallahassee.

– Jheremy Brown



National Notes:

• Tuesday was a tough night for nationally ranked teams, as six clubs currently in the Top 25 suffered losses. No. 4 UCLA was beat by Long Beach State, Arizona knocked off No. 7 Arizona State, No. 11 Vanderbilt loss to crosstown Belmont, No. 15 Southern California loss to Cal State Fullerton, UNC Greensboro took down No. 17 North Carolina and No. 22 Virginia continues to spin their wheels with a loss to Old Dominion. In addition, No. 10 UC Santa Barbara tied Loyola Marymount 6-6 in a game that was called in the bottom of the 14th due to darkness, while No. 20 Iowa narrowly edged Sacramento State 4-3 in 18 innings.

• Although neither team is ranked, both Coastal Carolina (as detailed above) and UNC Wilmington are just on the outside looking in, with the Chanticleers claiming a key midweek road contest over the Seahawks, 5-2, on Tuesday. Third baseman Zach Remillard had the key hit for Coastal Carolina in the team's three-run seventh inning, a two-run home run, his sixth of the year, that gave them a comfortable 5-0 lead. Catcher Casey Schroeder also hit a home run in the win, a solo shot in the fourth, his 11th of the season.

• After taking two of three from UC Irvine last weekend, Cal State Fullerton will have a chance to catch up to the Anteaters in the Big West standings. Having already played an extra conference series, Irvine travels to Minnesota for a non-conference matchup while Fullerton travels to UC Riverside, who currently sits at the bottom of the Big West at 2-10.

• Every college baseball fan remembers Stony Brook's magical run to Omaha in 2012. While it would be asking a bit much for the 2015 squad to repeat the feats of their predecessors, this year's team has performed very well despite the losses of key contributors Kevin Krause and Brandon McNitt to professional ball. With their 15-3 win over Fairfield last night, the Seawolves have now won 13 of their last 14 games. They are 24-12 overall and sit comfortably atop the America East Conference standings with a 12-2 record in league play.

• Throwing just seven innings to this point in the spring, hard throwing University of Louisana sophomore righthander Reagan Bazar worked a flawless inning last night, facing the minimum while striking out one. The 6-foot-7, 269-pound Texas native came out firing, showing premium velocity on his fastball, peaking in the high-90s while sitting in his usual mid-90s and is a name that needs to be followed for the 2016 MLB Draft.

• Bazar wasn’t the only flame throwing backend arm to take the mound last night, as two more high velocity arms appeared in the midweek matchup of No. 5 Texas Christian and No. 13 Dallas Baptist. Both TCU’s Riley Ferrell and DBU’s Brandon Koch are two of the hardest throwers in country and have shown the ability to run their fastballs into the upper-90s while working more in the mid-90s range. As expected, each worked flawless innings with Ferrell retiring the side in order while picking up a strikeout. Koch punched out all four batters in his inning and a third of work, allowing a single through the right side before notching his 11th save of the spring.

Starting in the midweek for his second week in a row, draft-eligible sophomore Mitchell Traver went five innings allowing just two earned runs while striking out seven. He was ultimately handed the loss, putting his record to 6-2 on the year as the DBU bats came out swinging and were able to plate four runs off Traver.

Of the nine Dallas Baptist starters, eight recorded hits which included multi-hit performances from Drew Turbin and Tagg Duce, and a big two-run double from catcher Daniel Salters who ended the night with three RBI.
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