PG College Baseball Top 25 | Video Vault

The irresistible force met the immovable object when No. 23 Nevada traveled to Omaha to face Creighton. Despite its national ranking and glitzy 38-11 record, Nevada only had a No. 45 RPI ranking according to Boydsworld.com, so the non-conference matchup was vitally important to their NCAA tournament health. Creighton, sitting in second place in the Big East, were 27-14 with the 62nd best RPI.

The irresistible force was the Nevada offense. Although no doubt buoyed by playing at an elevated altitude in Reno, they were among the national leaders in both doubles (133) and home runs (52) while scoring over eight runs per game, including 16 games with over 10 runs.

The immovable object came in two different forms. The Creighton pitching staff had allowed only three home runs all season, with the last one having come on March 7. Of course, the Creighton offense had only produced six itself all year. That is in part due to the team's offensive approach, which is very opposite-field heavy, but also due to the other immovable object; TD Ameritrade Park. The home of the College World Series has dimensions and prevailing winds that conspire to limit runs just as much as Reno's 4,400 foot elevation promotes them. There had been four home runs hit in 19 games this spring at TD Ameritrade heading into the weekend.

In this battle, the irresistible force won, but not without conceding the terms of the match to TD Ameritrade Park.

Nevada took the first game 5-4, with most of the runs being connected to walks and well-timed singles rather than extra-base hits. Wolf Pack third baseman Bryce Greager drove in the tying and leading runs with an eighth inning single and side arming closer Adam Whitt notched his 14th save of the year with two near-perfect innings.

Saturday was more of the same, as Nevada got a combined eight-hit shutout from lefthander Christian Stolo (five innings) and righthander Evan McMahan in a 4-0 victory.

Sunday's game was cancelled due to weather and Nevada's travel schedule.

While Nevada's hitting approach is definitely power oriented, the Bluejays pitchers very consistently executed their plan of keeping the ball down in the zone while changing speeds, very rarely missing anywhere but down low or outside. There was only one ball hit that looked like it may have been a home run at a "normal" field, such as Nebraska's Haymarket Park. That, ironically, was hit by Creighton third baseman Harrison Crawford and that ended up as a double to left-center field on Saturday.

Here are some impressions on the individual players:

Nevada first baseman Austin Byler was a ninth round pick last year by the Nationals and will likely go higher this year as a premium senior sign. He's every bit of his listed 6-foot-3, 225-pounds, but shows very good athleticism for his size and has been a primary third baseman much of his life. He picked up a few singles when the ball shot through the infield quickly but was often left reaching with an early commit swing against Creighton's off-speed/low zone approach. Byler is hitting .328-13-49 with 52 walks.

Christian Stolo is an interesting southpaw who has been up to 91 mph this year per an area scout and showed a nice curveball on Saturday. He's 7-1, 2.74 this spring and has only allowed two home runs, notable numbers while pitching in Reno.

Nevada sophomore lefthanded pitcher and outfielder Trenton Brooks is both the team's leading hitter (.364-3-51, 37 walks) and new Friday night starter (4-1, 3.23 in 30 inning). He's very athletic in all regards and has reportedly been up to 91 mph on the mound, although his command and secondary pitches were erratic in Friday's five-inning stint due to an out-of-sync cross-body delivery. The 6-footer doesn't have the true carrying tool to say he's going to be a high pick next year, or as a senior, but he is one of the best two-way players in the country now.

Junior second baseman Ryan Howell has posted some eye-opening numbers (.322-15-62, 34 walks) and there is no doubt he has real bat speed. It's a hand dominated uppercut approach that sells out for pull and lift power and he continuously put the ball in the air, mostly in the form of pop-ups, during the two games.

My favorite swing on the Nevada team belonged to third baseman Bryce Greager (.353-5-41, 26 walks). It was short and crisp and attacking, similar to Howell's in many ways but with better barrel plane.

Freshman Jordan Pearce, a veteran of many PG events, served as the designated hitter on Saturday and crushed a double up the right-center field gap that was one of the hardest balls all weekend. He's been playing both ways on a part-time basis for the Wolf Pack and will be a factor for them over the next couple of years.

Redshirt junior first baseman Reagan Fowler is Creighton's best player and was named the Big East co-Player of the Year in 2014 when he hit .362-0-27. He's posting similar numbers this year (.333-0-31) and has good bat speed and strength from the left side but the combination of Creighton's team swing approach and the realities of TD Ameritrade pretty much preclude him showing more than doubles power.

It should also be noted that Saturday's game was Creighton's fourth annual Military and First Responder's Appreciation Game and drew a huge crowd of 10,302 fans, a huge number of which were 8-12 year old boys and girls with their parents. The national anthem, sung with an acoustic guitar by a Master Sergeant from nearby Offutt Air Force Base, and accompanied by three sky divers landing at the conclusion, was one of the best that I've ever heard regardless of venue. It would have been acclaimed at a World Series game.