Team of the day
Virginia: The Cavaliers entered the weekend hoping to capture a huge series win over Florida State, and got just that on Saturday with a doubleheader sweep of the Seminoles by scores of 9-2 and 2-0. In the first game, freshman left-handed pitcher Brandon Waddell struck out three and allowed just a run on four hits in six innings, while third baseman Nick Howard went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs. In the nightcap, left-handed pitcher Scott Silverstein struck out six, walked three and allowed just one hit in seven innings of work.
Upset of the day
Washington over Oregon State: In what amounts to a huge surprise, the Huskies swept a doubleheader, consequently clinching a series win over red-hot Oregon State. In the first game, Washington starting pitcher Jared Fisher struck out two, walked one and allowed just five hits in seven shutout innings. Meanwhile, in the nightcap, Austin Voth struck out five, walked four and allowed three runs on nine hits in seven innings.
Player of the day
Carlos Rodon, LHP, North Carolina State: Rodon hasn't been at his best as of late, but really rose to the occasion Saturday in a series-clinching 6-2 win over Georgia Tech, which has one of the nation's premier offensive lineups. He struck out 10, walked none and allowed just two runs on eight hits in a complete game performance. Rodon threw 104 pitches, 74 for strikes.
Feeling good
Southern Mississippi: The Golden Eagles won their 10th-straight game with an impressive 8-1 road win over Memphis to clinch an important Conference USA series victory. Golden Eagles veteran right-handed pitcher Andrew Pierce struck out seven, walked two and allowed just a run on five hits in a complete game performance. Meanwhile at the plate, first baseman Blake Brown went 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored and two RBIs.
North Carolina: The Tar Heels captured an impressive 7-1 victory in the series opener against Duke. Junior left-handed pitcher Kent Emanuel struck out eight, walked one and allowed just a run on two hits in a complete game performance. At the plate, outfielder Brian Holberton went 3-for-5 with a home run, a run scored and an RBI.
Rice: Just a night after dropping a tough series opener to rival Houston, the Owls responded in impressive style Saturday afternoon with a 4-0 victory. Rice junior right-handed pitcher Austin Kubitza struck out 10, walked three and allowed just two hits in seven shutout innings, while at the plate, outfielder Michael Ratterree had a productive day at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a home run, a run scored and two runs batted in.
St. John's: There's no question it has been a tough season thus far for the Johnnies, who lost several players from last year's NCAA Super Regional club. But they had something to smile about Saturday afternoon in a 4-3 win over Louisville. St. John's left-handed pitcher Sean Hagan struck out two and allowed just two runs in six innings, while at the plate, outfielder Pat Talbut went 1-for-3 with two RBIs to lead the offensive cause.
Gonzaga: The Zags are taking control of the West Coast Conference this weekend, clinching a series win over Pepperdine with a 2-0 triumph on Saturday. Left-handed starting pitcher Tyler Olson led the charge for the Bulldogs, striking out six, walking three and allowing just four hits in a complete game shutout.
Florida: In a rather interesting Saturday occurrence, the Gators used eight pitchers Saturday afternoon in a series-clinching 4-3 win over Missouri. UF second baseman Casey Turgeon went 3-for-8 with three RBIs to lead the UF offensive charge, while on the mound, Daniel Gibson was the leading arm, allowing just four hits in 4 2/3 shutout innings of relief work.
LSU: Nate Fury and Kurt McCune combined for six innings of relief work, as the Tigers captured a series-clinching 11-8 win over Alabama in 16 innings. The Tigers won the game in the top of the 16th with three runs. Freshman shortstop Alex Bregman went 3-for-7 with a home run, a run scored and three RBIs, while catcher Ty Ross went 2-7 with four RBIs and second baseman JaCoby Jones went 3-for-7 with three runs scored and two RBIs.
UCLA: Junior right-handed pitcher Nick Vander Tuig struck out six, walked two and allowed just two hits in seven shutout innings of work in a 1-0 win over Oregon to clinch an important road series victory. Right-handed reliever David Berg also worked in the contest, tossing 1 1/3 innings of shutout relief to finish the contest.
UNLV: The Rebels hope to get back in the at-large mix with a series win over San Diego State, capturing the second game of the series 4-3 on Saturday. UNLV right-handed pitcher Buddy Borden allowed three runs on six hits in 8 2/3 innings of work, while shortstop T.J. White and designated hitter Patrick Armstrong each had two hits to lead the way at the plate.
Pittsburgh: We profiled the red-hot Panthers earlier this week for a good reason. They captured a doubleheader sweep and series win over Rutgers on Saturday. They won the first game 14-5 with catcher Elvin Soto hitting a home run, two doubles, and going 4-for-5 with two runs scored and six RBIs, while they won the second game starting pitcher Matt Wotherspoon continues his impressive trend by allowing just three runs on eight hits in seven innings of work in a 9-4 triumph.
North Carolina: The Tar Heels are simply as consistent as it gets, improving to 38-2 overall on the season with a doubleheader sweep of Duke by scores of 7-1 and 4-1. In the first game, junior left-handed pitcher Kent Emanuel struck out eight, walked one and allowed a run on two hits in a complete game performance, while in the second game, Benton Moss struck out six, walked two and allowed just a run on five hits in 6 2/3 innings.
Wanting a do-over
Sam Houston State: The Bearkats began the week with a solid midweek win over Texas A&M, but aren't taking care of business this weekend against Oral Roberts, dropping the Saturday contest 7-2. SHSU starting pitcher Andrew Godail only allowed three runs in 7 1/3 innings, but the Bearkats were unable to do much against ORU starting pitcher Drew Bowen, who struck out four, walked two and allowed just two runs on four hits in 8 1/3 innings.
College of Charleston: As a bubble team heading toward the final month of the season, the Cougars have very little room for error. That's why getting swept by Furman in a doubleheader on Saturday was a legitimate setback. C of C dropped contests by scores of 11-9 and 6-5. Starting pitcher Matt Pegler allowed seven runs on eight hits in six innings in the first game, while in the nightcap, Jake Zokan's solid start was wasted by an iffy performance from the bullpen.
Kentucky: The Wildcats appeared to be in good shape for an NCAA Regional host site a couple of weeks ago, but hope is slipping away again this weekend, getting swept in a doubleheader by South Carolina. UK starting pitcher AJ Reed allowed four runs on nine hits in 5 1/3 innings in the first game Saturday, while Jerad Grundy struggled in the nightcap, allowing five runs on nine hits in five innings in a 7-6 loss that ended with a Brison Celek walkoff single.
Long Beach State: The Dirtbags had recently been working their way toward a .500 overall record, but have taken another step back this weekend with a series loss to UC Santa Barbara, dropping Saturday's contest 5-4. LBSU starting pitcher Jake Stassi allowed four runs in 7 2/3 innings of work, while at the plate, outfielder Zack Rivera had two hits to lead the offense.
Top performances
Dylan Becker, 1B, Missouri State: The hard-hitting first baseman had a big day at the plate in a 12-2 win over Bradley. He went 3-for-3 with a home run, two runs scored and four RBIs to lead the offensive charge for the Bears.
David Lucroy, RHP, East Carolina: ECU clinched an important series win over UAB with Lucroy leading the charge. He struck out six, walked two and allowed just a run on four hits in 6 1/3 innings of work in a 4-1 triumph over the Blazers.
Max White, OF, Oklahoma: White had an impressive offensive performance in a dominant 14-5 win over New Orleans. He went 4-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored and two RBIs to lead the way.
Jacob Felts, C, Texas: Felts and the Longhorns finally got some offense brewing against West Virginia on Saturday. Felts went 2-for-4 with a home run, a run scored and four RBIs to lead the way for the 'Horns.
Jordan Mills, LHP, St. Mary's: The Gaels notched an impressive 4-0 win over Portland with Mills leading the charge. He struck out nine, walked one and allowed just five hits in a complete game shutout.
Ali Knowles, OF, Troy: The Trojans are playing well these days, and clinched a series win over Arkansas-Little Rock in a 14-6 win with Knowles leading the charge. He went 2-for-5 with a home run, a run scored and five RBIs to lead the Trojans.
Trevor Belicek, LHP, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi: Belicek put together a terrific start as the Islanders captured a win over Central Arkansas. He struck out 10, walked two and allowed just one hit in a complete game shutout.
Bryan Radziewski, LHP, Miami (Fla.): In a series that has been dominated by great pitching so far this weekend, the talented left-handed twirled a gem in a 2-1 win over Clemson to even the series at 1-1. Radziewski struck out 10, walked four and allowed a run on two hits in seven innings of work.
Jacob Lindgren, LHP, Mississippi State: The talented sophomore left-handed pitcher shined in a 6-0 win over Auburn. He struck out 11, walked two and allowed just five hits in eight innings of work in the series clincher.
Jordan Farris, 2B, Arkansas: The Razorbacks have gotten a nice infusion of production from the talented infielder. He went 3-for-4 with a double, home run, two runs scored and five RBIs in a 12-2 win over Texas A&M.
Derek Gibson, OF, Southeast Missouri: Gibson put together an impressive offensive performance in a 25-6 win over Eastern Illinois. He went 3-for-6 with a double, four runs scored and five RBIs in the triumph.
Colby Harrison, 1B, Northern Colorado: The talented first baseman went 4-for-5 with a triple, four runs scored and three RBIs in a solid 16-6 win over New Jersey Tech on Saturday.
Ben Lively, RHP, UCF: The elite right-handed pitcher struck out nine and allowed just a run on seven hits in 7 2/3 innings of work in a 3-1 home win over Marshall. He outdueled Marshall right-handed pitcher Aaron Blair, who struck out eight, walked four and allowed three runs on six hits in seven innings of work.
Mitch Patishall, RHP, Cincinnati: The Bearcats got a big-time performance from the talented right-handed pitcher in a 4-0 win over Villanova. He struck out five, walked two and allowed just three hits in a complete game shutout.
Luke Farrell, RHP, Northwestern: It would take a special performance to cool down red-hot Michigan, and that's exactly what happened when the Wildcats and Wolverines met on Saturday. Farrell struck out nine, walked none and allowed just three hits in a complete game shutout and 6-0 victory.
Greg Muller, 1B, Albany: Muller put together a big-time performance in a 23-8 win over Hartford. He went 4-for-5 with a double, home run, three runs scored and seven RBIs to lead the charge.
Chad Wallach, C, Cal State Fullerton: The veteran catcher put together a solid performance at the plate in a 10-5 road win over Cal Poly. He went 3-for-5 with two doubles, two runs scored and two RBIs.