Team of the day
Mississippi: The Rebels have had trouble getting into a groove the past couple of weeks, but finally experienced some success Saturday in a doubleheader sweep of rival Mississippi State to take the three-game series. In the first game, a 3-0 victory, right-handed pitcher Mike Mayers struck out five, walked two and allowed just two hits in seven innings of work. In the second game, a 10-8 victory, outfielder Auston Bousfield went 3-for-5 with five RBIs, while on the mound, starting pitcher Sam Smith did his job with two strikeouts, while allowing three runs in six innings of work. Ole Miss improved to 14-12 in the SEC with the two wins, while State drops to 13-13.
Upset of the day
Northwestern over Indiana: After dropping a hard-nosed contest to Indiana on Friday, the Wildcats captured an impressive 12-1 victory on Saturday. Northwestern starting pitcher Brandon Magallones had a huge performance, striking out six, walking no one and allowing just a run on two hits in a complete game performance. Meanwhile, at the plate, first baseman Jack Havey went 3-for-5 with a double, a run scored and six RBIs.
Player of the day
Harrison Musgrave, LHP, West Virginia: What an impressive campaign the sophomore left-handed pitcher is putting together for the Mountaineers. He struck out 14, walked one and allowed just three hits in a complete game shutout and 2-0 win over TCU For the season, Musgrave has a 2.14 ERA in 88 1/3 innings of work, along with 76 strikeouts and 21 walks.
Winners
BYU: The Cougars are putting themselves in the NCAA Regional mix this weekend with a strong showing, capturing a series win over San Francisco with a 6-4 win on Saturday. Cougars usually sure-handed starting pitcher Adam Miller allowed four runs in 1 2/3 innings, but relievers Keaton Cenatiempo and Mark Anderson took care of business to end the contest.
Memphis: The Tigers entered the weekend with an RPI in the 90s, but are making a huge statement in the NCAA postseason picture this weekend with an impressive series win over Rice, taking Saturday's contest 3-1. Memphis junior left-handed pitcher Erik Schoenrock struck out seven, walked one and allowed just one run (none earned) on six hits in a complete game performance, while at the plate, Zach Willis and Carter White each had two hits.
South Alabama: The Jaguars started their series against Louisiana-Lafayette on the right foot with a 9-6 victory in the series opener. USA starting pitcher Jarron Cito allowed six runs in 1 2/3 innings of work, but reliever Anthony Izzio rose to the occasion with seven shutout innings out of the bullpen. Offensively, outfielder Nolan Earley had a huge day at the plate, going 3-for-5 with a double, home run, two runs scored and three RBIs.
Creighton: The Bluejays still have some work to do, but moved closer to the top of the Missouri Valley standings with a 3-1 road win over Wichita State. CU starting pitcher Nick Musec only allowed a run on two hits in five innings of work, while reliever Mark Lukowski was terrific out of the pen, allowing two hits in four shutout frames to preserve the victory.
UC Santa Barbara: The NCAA postseason picture is taking shape and the Gauchos moved one step closer to at-large contention with a 6-2 win over Cal State Northridge. UCSB starting pitcher Robby Nesovic, who allowed two runs on six hits in six innings of work. Meanwhile, he also had two hits at the plate, while outfielder Cameron Newell went 3-for-4 with an RBI.
Campbell: The Camels might not have the greatest strength of schedule, but they're once again on a roll in the midst of a winning streak after taking down Liberty 4-2. Right-handed starting pitcher Heath Bowers struck out seven, walked no one and allowed two runs on six hits in 8 1/3 innings of work.
Seton Hall: The Pirates moved up the pecking order on the NCAA bubble with a pair of wins over South Florida on Friday. Well, they're in really good shape now after finishing off a home series sweep over South Florida with a 4-2 triumph. SHU starting pitcher John Prevost struck out three and allowed just two runs on six hits in 6 2/3 innings of work, while Brian Gilbert closed the game with a solid inning.
Louisville: The Cardinals had a huge day on the diamond with a doubleheader sweep of Connecticut on the road. UL won the two games a combined 14-0. In the first game, right-handed pitcher Chad Green struck out six, walked two and allowed just three hits in eight innings. Meanwhile, in the second game, Jeff Thompson struck out seven, walked one and allowed four hits in eight shutout frames.
Kansas State: What a wild afternoon it was for the Wildcats. K-State scored nine unanswered runs against rival Kansas Saturday afternoon to take a 9-6 triumph and the overall series win, potentially moving closer to an NCAA Regional host site. KSU shortstop Austin Fisher went 2-for-5 with a home run, three runs scored and three RBIs, while Lance Miles finished the afternoon with two hits and three RBIs.
Oklahoma State: Josh Holliday's turnaround campaign continued in impressive fashion with a 4-3 win over Oklahoma to clinch a huge series win. OSU starting pitcher Tyler Nurdin allowed two runs on three hits in 5 2/3 innings of work, while at the plate, second baseman Donnie Walton went 2-for-4 with a run scored. For OU, right-handed pitcher Jonathan Gray struck out eight, walked three and allowed three runs on six hits in five innings.
North Carolina State: Sophomore left-handed pitcher Carlos Rodon made sure the Wolfpack started the weekend on the right foot in a 3-1 win over Florida State. Rodon struck out eight, walked four and allowed just a run on nine hits in eight innings. Meanwhile, for Florida State, right-handed pitcher Luke Weaver struck out nine, walked one and allowed three runs on eight hits in seven innings.
Losers
Alabama: The Crimson Tide must finish strong to reach the NCAA postseason, but suffered a setback Saturday afternoon in a 7-3 home loss to Missouri. Tide starting pitcher Spencer Turnbull struggled in the contest, allowing four runs on four hits in 3 1/3 innings of work, while for the Tigers, reliever Keaton Steele came up big, allowing a run on four hits in 4 1/3 innings of work.
Texas A&M: The Aggies definitely needed to take care of business in at least one of the remaining two games against LSU to keep their at-large hopes alive for now. However, though they had their chances, the Aggies dropped the series to the Tigers at home, losing 7-4 in a resumed game and 2-1 in the series finale. A&M starting pitcher Parker Ray was a bright spot, striking out five and allowing just a run on five hits in 5 1/3 innings of work.
Kentucky: The Wildcats just might be in trouble from an NCAA postseason standpoint after dropping both ends of a doubleheader with Vanderbilt to drop to 10-16 in the Southeastern Conference. UK lost the two games 11-3 and 5-3. In the opener, two-way player A.J. Reed allowed 10 runs on 12 hits in five innings of work, while in the second game, the offense was unable to do much against VU pitchers Tyler Beede and Carson Fulmer.
Stanford: The Cardinal entered the season with very high expectations, but is in huge trouble after dropping the first two games this weekend to Oregon State, Game 2 on Saturday by the score of 10-4. Stanford starting pitcher John Hochstatter allowed four runs on four hits in just 2 2/3 innings of work, while the offense was silenced by Oregon State freshman right-handed pitcher Andrew Moore, who allowed just two runs in six innings.
Ohio State: The Buckeyes entered the weekend with a golden opportunity to make a statement against Oregon, but have dropped the first two games of that series 3-1 and 4-0, respectively. In the first game, the Buckeyes were silenced by Ducks left-handed pitcher Tommy Thorpe, who allowed just one run in 6 2/3 innings, while in Game 2, the Bucks were silenced by Ducks freshman left-handed pitcher Cole Irvin, who allowed just six hits in a complete game shutout.
Southern Mississippi: The Golden Eagles probably ended any hope of making an NCAA at-large appearance on Saturday by dropping a series to SIU-Edwardsville in a 6-5 setback. USM starting pitcher Conor Fisk was less than impressive against SIU-E, allowing four runs on five hits in six innings of work. With the loss, the Golden Eagles fell to 25-23 overall.
Michigan State: The Spartans have some work to do in the Big Ten tournament after dropping a tough weekend series to Iowa, losing Saturday's contest 2-1. MSU starting pitcher David Garner struck out nine and allowed just two runs in 7 2/3 innings, but Iowa starting pitcher Sasha Kuebel was better, striking out three, walking one and allowing a run on seven hits in eight innings.
Top performances
Marco Gonzales, LHP, Gonzaga: The junior left-handed pitcher twirled yet another gem in a 4-0 home win over Appalachian State. He struck out 10, walked two and allowed six hits in a complete game performance. Gonzales threw 114 pitches, 77 for strikes.
Travis McDonald, LHP, Arkansas-Little Rock: McDonald tossed another gem Saturday in a 1-0 home win over FIU. He struck out eight, walked one and allowed just four hits in 8 1/3 shutout innings of work. He threw 94 pitches, 59 of them for strikes.
Jeremy Strawn, RHP, Florida Atlantic: The Owls captured a 10-3 road win over Western Kentucky with Strawn leading the charge. He struck out three, walked no one and allowed a run on six hits in six innings of work.
Cody Dickson, LHP, Sam Houston State: Dickson was absolutely terrific in a 4-1 road win over Southeastern Louisiana. He struck out seven, walked four and allowed just two hits in seven shutout frames.
Taylor Johnson, OF, Furman: The Paladins captured a 13-7 home win over UNC Greensboro with Johnson leading the charge. He went 5-for-5 with three runs scored and three RBIs.
Matthew Crownover, LHP, Clemson: Crownover continued the Tigers' impressive pitching this weekend against Georgia Southern with a masterful performance in a 7-0 victory. Crownover struck out eight, walked three and allowed three hits in seven shutout innings.
Ryne Stanek, RHP, Arkansas: Stanek put together yet another dominant performance for the Razorbacks in an impressive 11-1 home win over Tennessee. Stanek struck out nine, walked two and allowed just five hits in seven shutout innings of work.
Jordan Montgomery, LHP, South Carolina: Montgomery once again was terrific as the Gamecocks captured a 7-1 series-clinching win over Georgia. The left-hander struck out two and allowed just a run on two hits in seven innings of work.
Nick Vander Tuig, RHP, UCLA: The elite right-handed pitcher put together yet another big-time start as the Bruins captured a 7-1 win over Arizona at home. Vander Tuig struck out three, walked no one and allowed a run on six hit sin 7 1/3 innings.
Craig Schlitter, RHP, Bryant: The Bulldogs are an impressive team to watch down the stretch and got a great performance from the righty in a 9-0 home win over Monmouth. Schlitter struck out four, walked one and allowed just seven hits in seven shutout frames.
DJ Peterson, 3B/1B, New Mexico: Peterson put together yet another solid offensive performance in a 7-2 road win over Fresno State. He went 2-for-5 with a home run, triple, two runs scored and two RBIs. The home run was Peterson's 15th of the season.
Robby Ort, 1B, Indiana State: Ort had a big-time offensive performance as the Sycamores captured a 14-2 home win over Alcorn State. He went 3-for-5 with a triple, two runs scored and five RBIs to lead the offensive charge.
George Robert, 1B, Kent State: Roberts put together an impressive performance at the plate as the Golden Flashes captured a 13-4 road win over Western Michigan. Roberts went 3-for-4 with a double, home run, four runs scored and four RBIs.
Mike Fish, OF, Siena: What an impressive offensive showing Fish had in a 16-4 road win over St. Peter's. He went 4-for-7 with a double, two homers, five runs scored and five RBIs to lead the Saints to victory.
Cale Tassi, RHP, Milwaukee: The talented right-handed pitcher tossed a gem in an 8-0 home win over Youngstown State. He struck out six, walked four and allowed just six hits in a complete game shutout performance.
Andrew Garner, OF, Tulane: It's better late than never for the Green Wave, as Garner put together a huge performance in a 15-9 road win over UCF to clinch a series victory. Garner went 5-for-5 with two doubles, a home run, two runs scored and seven RBIs.
Chad Carroll, OF, James Madison: Carroll put together quit an impressive offensive performance in a 16-3 home win over Towson. Carroll went 4-for-5 with two doubles, two runs scored and five RBIs to lead the offensive charge.
Chad Wallach, C, Cal State Fullerton: The Titans had a nice night on the diamond with a 12-0 road win over UC Riverside. Wallach had a huge night at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a home run, two runs scored and five RBIs.
Mike Papi, OF, Virginia: Papi had a huge afternoon at the plate as the Cavaliers captured an impressive 17-8 home win over Duke. Papi went 4-for-4 with a double, triple, three runs scored and four RBIs. He also induced a walk in the game.
Benton Moss, RHP, North Carolina: Moss had an impressive performance on the mound in the 3-1 win over Georgia Tech. He struck out five, walked two and allowed just two hits in eight innings of work. He also threw 120 pitches, 74 for strikes.
John Hamilton, LHP, Charlotte: Hamilton had an impressive performance as the 49ers captured a 3-0 home win over Dayton. Hamilton struck out six, walked one and allowed six hits in a complete game shutout.