You can follow college baseball managing editor Kendall Rogers on Twitter @KendallRogersPG and can join the Perfect Game College Baseball Facebook page. Fans also can subscribe here to receive the college baseball ultimate ticket.
Like the content that you're reading? If so, get our premium features, premium scoop and much more by subscribing to our College Baseball Ticket for only $7 monthly, $60 annually ($24 savings), by SUBSCRIBING HERE.
Rivalry games during the midweek are an added bonus.
Baylor and TCU typically only play during the midweek, but there’s a rivalry between the two schools that is present on and off the field. The Bears hope to build off their series win over Oral Roberts with a triumph over the third-ranked Horned Frogs, while TCU wants a win with a series against Cal State Fullerton looming.
Stanford and California take the field for an early-season midweek rivalry game, while a raucous crowd is expected to be present when Georgia Tech invades Georgia Southern for a two-game midweek series.
The matchup between Rice and Texas State also has great importance. The Bobcats could use a solid midweek victory and the Owls hope to rebound from a tough home series loss to Stanford. Most intriguing about this contest is the presence of top prospects Carson Smith of Texas State and Rice’s Anthony Rendon.
We breakdown the week’s best midweek matchups.
TUESDAY
Pepperdine at No. 2 UCLA: After taking a season-opening series over Eastern Kentucky, the Waves hope to add an impressive win to their resume against UCLA. The Bruins will send top prospect, sophomore right-handed pitcher Scott Griggs, to the mound, while the Waves are countering with freshman lefty Matt Maurer, who had a tough first weekend. Keep an eye on Pepperdine outfielder Brian Humphries.
No. 1 Florida at Florida Atlantic: The top-ranked Gators made easy work of South Florida to start the season, but get a stiff test with a contest against John McCormack’s solid FAU club. The Gators are sending veteran right-handed pitcher Anthony DeSclafani, who last made a start last April against Kentucky, to the bump. FAU is countering with left-hander Josh Gonzaga. FAU could be a bubble team should it not win the Sun Belt regular season title, so this is a very important game.
No. 3 TCU at Baylor: After taking two of three from Kansas over the weekend, the Horned Frogs hit the road for a very tough matchup against a solid Baylor club. The Bears, despite some sketchy pitching at times, picked up a solid series win over Oral Roberts to begin their season. BU will send left-handed pitcher Josh Turley (4.41 ERA in 2010) to the bump while TCU freshman righty Andrew Mitchell makes his collegiate debut.
No. 21 California at No. 10 Stanford: The Cardinal had an impressive opening weekend against Rice with freshman sluggers Austin Wilson and Brian Ragira headlining the series. Now, they have the tough chore of playing a motivated Cal club to start a new week. The Cardinal finished opening weekend hitting .303 and had a pitching staff ERA of 2.77 ERA. It’s a great rivalry on tap for the midweek.
No. 25 Georgia Tech at Georgia Southern: You know it’s a big series when Tech head coach Danny Hall posts on Twitter that he can’t wait to see how his young team deals with the raucous crowd in Statesboro, Ga. This is a very important midweek series for both teams, but more so for a GSU club that needs good midweek wins. Tech will send right-hander Luke Bard to the bump in the first game, while freshman right-hander Matt Grimes, a former fourth-round pick of the White Sox, headlines the midweek with his first collegiate start on Wednesday.
Irvine at San Diego State: Jordan Fox and the Irvine offense thoroughly impressed on opening weekend with a series sweep over Nevada. But now things get much more difficult as they hit the road to face a San Diego State club looking to bounce back from a 1-2 weekend. While Fox is the offensive cog to watch for the Anteaters, keep an eye on top prospect Brandon Meredith for the Aztecs.
Jacksonville at No. 7 Florida State: The Dolphins started their season with a solid road series win over UNC Wilmington. Now they hope to take care of business on the road against a very solid Seminoles club. The Dolphins need productive performances from talented prospects and position players Dan Gulbransen and Adam Brett Walker. Should be a good midweek game between two Sunshine State clubs with some legit talent.
Loyola Marymount at Long Beach State: After suffering a two of three series loss to rival Cal State Fullerton with the series finale being played into late Monday night, the Dirtbags have little time to sulk as LMU comes calling. This should be a fantastic contest, as the Lions are coming off an impressive weekend that included a series win over a good UC Riverside club. Jason Gill’s club could add yet another impressive win to their early-season resume.
USC at UC Riverside: The Frank Cruz era, no matter how long it lasts, got off to a nice start over the weekend as the Trojans went 2-1 with victories over Missouri and Cal Poly. The Trojans get a stiff midweek test when they hit the road to face a UC Riverside club hoping to bounce back from a tough series loss to Loyola Marymount. UCR will send one of its better pitchers, Dustin Emmons, to the mound against USC. Emmons pitched just a 1/3 of an inning against LMU. USC counters with Ben Mount, who’s making his first appearance of the season.
Memphis at Mississippi: This could be a very solid midweek matchup. The Tigers are feeling good about themselves after doing a clean sweep of Evansville over the weekend with a plethora of offense. Ole Miss, meanwhile, swept a solid Wright State club to begin the season. A win over Ole Miss would give the Tigers, who are aiming for an NCAA postseason berth, an early-season resume builder. Memphis sends right-hander Dane Sharp to the mound, while Ole Miss lefty Matt Tracy makes his first appearance.
Tulane at Southeastern Louisiana: Easily one of the top midweek matchups of the week, this should be a fantastic matchup. The Green Wave was scary close to losing a home series to Sam Houston State to begin the season. Now they have the tough chore of playing the Lions on the road. The Lions went on the road to begin the season and took two of there from a solid Florida International club. SELU coach Jay Artigues continues to do a very nice job with his program.
Wichita State at Oral Roberts: After almost taking two of three from Baylor over the weekend, the Golden Eagles get another chance at an important win over a solid team with the Shockers coming to town. WSU stud starting pitcher Tim Kelley gets the start against the Golden Eagles, while ORU responds with righty Matt Rush, who didn’t have a good start to the season.
Central Florida at Bethune-Cookman: The Knights began their season on a positive note with an expected home series sweep over Siena. Now they hit the road to take on a Bethune-Cookman that can be scary. Terry Rooney’s club needs to win these types of games early in the season to create some momentum. They certainly were impressive to start the season. Will that continue?
WEDNESDAY
No. 15 Rice at Texas State: The Owls will have a midweek bout against Lamar before heading to San Marcos, Texas, for a showdown with the Bobcats. Throngs of national scouts and crosscheckers are expected at the game, as top prospect and Texas State right-handed pitcher Carson Smith is expected to start. Many of those scouts also will be there to watch a familiar name in Rice third baseman Anthony Rendon. The Bobcats could use an early-season resume builder.
No. 16 Miami at Florida Atlantic: There probably won’t be a more important midweek slate this spring than the one the Owls have this week. They begin the week playing top-ranked Florida, and could cap off an amazing midweek with a win over the Gators and a triumph over Miami. The Owls know a pair of wins over Florida and Miami would give them a head start when it comes to a postseason resume.
Kendall Rogers is the managing editor of college baseball for Perfect Game USA and has covered the sport for over 10 seasons. He can be reached at kendall@perfectgame.org