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College  | Story | 4/14/2022

Week 9 College Picks and Preview

Vincent Cervino
Craig Cozart
Photo: Miami Baseball (Miami Athletics)
Picks & Breakdowns

Matchup Vin's Picks Cozy's Picks
#2 Miami at #17 Virginia Tech
#3 Oklahoma State at West Virginia
Long Beach State at #5 Oregon State
Stanford at #13 UCLA
Liberty at Kennesaw State
Cal Poly at UC Irvine
Georgia State at Georgia Southern
Indiana at Rutgers
  



No. 2 Miami at No. 17 Virginia Tech 

Cozy's Pick: Miami 
This weekend’s ACC matchup in Blacksburg features two of the hottest teams in the nation.  The Hurricanes (27-6) have won 14 in a row and have a stranglehold on the Coastal Division at (13-2) in league play.  The Hokies (21-8) have won 9 of their past 10 and are 5 games behind Miami in the conference.  The Canes lead the league in team ERA with a 4.21 in ACC play and held the outstanding UVA offense to just over 3 runs per game in last weekend’s sweep.  Their bullpen was particularly strong, allowing just 2 earned runs in 12 2/3 innings during the series.  The offense is averaging almost 8 runs per game in league and have been getting nice contributions one through nine.  Virginia Tech has been an absolute wrecking ball with the bats of late as they are averaging 9 runs per game in ACC play and are first in home runs.  On a national scale, they are fourth in team batting average, 17th in doubles, and second in home runs.  They play outstanding defense, fielding .981 and play their best ball at home with a 16-3 record.  This will be high-level baseball with two talented clubs, but Miami’s ability to mix and match with their arms should be able to keep the Hokies under control.  The Hurricanes head north and expand their comfortable lead in the Coastal Division with another series victory.  

Vin’s Pick: Miami
The Hurricanes are one of the hottest teams in the country fresh off dispatching Virginia in a home sweep last weekend. The rotation has matured nicely while the offense is deep and disciplined. Look for star reliever Andrew Walters to be dispatched in clutch situations and for Miami to take 2-of-3 on the road.

No. 3 Oklahoma State at West Virginia 

Cozy's Pick: West Virginia 
Oklahoma State (24-9) has been a fixture in the top-10 almost all year, while West Virginia (21-10) has lingered just outside the Top 25 for quite a while.  The Cowboys are currently (7-2) in Big 12 play and are winners of 18 of their past 20.  They seem to have the knack for winning games in whatever way the game dictates, whether that be slugging it out or playing stifling defense.  They continue to be one of the nation’s best defensive clubs, fielding .984 but do have a concerning 4.50 ERA amongst their weekend rotation.  Offensively they continue to pressure opponents with a nice power/speed combo.  The Mountaineers (5-1) sit atop the conference standings and have a chance to create some separation if they can take care of business this weekend.  They have won 11 of their last 12 and went on the road last weekend to sweep Baylor.  They have been doing it with pitching and defense in league play.  They lead the Big 12 with a 3.57 ERA and field .982, good for second-best in conference competition.  Their sticks are a bit inconsistent, but they are third in the nation with 106 stolen bases on the season.  This is one of the biggest weekends for baseball in Morgantown in recent history and the home standing Mountaineers look ready for a marquee series victory.  WVU should win two out of three and take further control of the Big 12 standings. 

Vin’s Pick: Oklahoma State
The Cowboys have been one of the best teams in the country to this date and they’ll have one of their tougher tests yet in a very solid West Virginia team. Justin Campbell is the difference maker on opening nights and with a strong start from him the Cowboys will have the opportunity to split 2-of-3 the rest of the weekend.


Long Beach State at No. 5 Oregon State 

Cozy's Pick: Oregon State
Both teams take a break from conference play to pick up a highly competitive mid-year non-conference series this weekend.  The Dirtbags (15-16) seem to have multiple personalities as a team as they have had huge series victories like Opening Weekend at Mississippi State and then getting swept the following weekend by Sacramento State.  They have lost 6 of their last 10 and have been extremely inconsistent with the bats.  They have offensive talent but don’t move the ball enough as they average over 9 strikeouts per game.  The one bright spot has been on the mound where they carry a 3.74 team ERA, an almost 3:1 K/BB ratio and allow less than 6 free bags per game.  The Beavers (24-7) come into the weekend having won 8 of their past 10 contests.  They are batting over .300 as a team with 65 doubles, 27 home runs and 44 stolen bases, so they can score.  However, they are the best defensive unit in the nation with a .988 fielding percentage and only allow 4.4 free bases per game.  So, they just don’t create offense for their foes and can eliminate scoring threats with the strikeout when necessary.  Oregon State should win at least 2-of-3 this weekend. 

Vin’s Pick: Oregon State
The Beavers are another national title contender and while the Dirtbags have given teams fits over the course of the season, I do not think this will be the case this weekend. Cooper Hjerpe has blossomed into one of the best pitchers in the country while the offense is very disciplined and should be able to fend off Long Beach.

Stanford at No. 13 UCLA 

Cozy's Pick: UCLA 
This is a Pac-12 matchup of two college baseball blue bloods and a pivotal series in the regular season standings.  The Cardinal (18-10) are probably the nation’s most talented team not ranked in the Top 25 currently.  However, their offense has been disappointing, only slashing .276/.454/.361, but they do average 6 runs per game.   They can really pitch, sitting second in conference play with a 3.88 team ERA and an OBA of just .238, but do surrender over 7 free bags per game.  They are (9-6) in the league, winners of 8 out of the last 10, however, their road record is well under .500 to date.  The Bruins (23-9) are even less offensive than their opponent this weekend, with a slash line of .258/.384/.393, but they do pressure teams with action having stolen 49 bags.  Currently they are (8-4) in the Pac-12 and may have the best pitching staff on the West Coast.  They lead the league with a 2.73 ERA in league play, carrying an impressive .207 OBA as well.  They minimize opponents’ opportunities to score and only give away 5 free bags per game.  UCLA wins the weekend and takes over the top spot in the Pac-12. 

Vin’s Pick: Stanford
The Cardinal had a disappointing start to the season but they’ve got hot in recent weeks and will find themselves right back in the rankings with a road win over UCLA. These will be close, well-played games down in Los Angeles but Stanford’s pitching has gotten themselves into a good place to take a big series on the road.

Liberty at Kennesaw State 

Cozy's Pick: Kennesaw State 
This is a marquee matchup in the Atlantic Sun and a showdown for two of the better teams in the nation not in a Power 5 Conference.  The Flames (20-11) seem to be waking up with the sticks lately after going through several weeks where they struggled to score.  Since their tough series against Stetson a couple weeks ago, they are averaging over 7 runs per game.  They rely on their arms to keep them in games, and their staff is talented and deep.  Sitting 7-5 in league play, they carry a 3.51 team ERA and an almost 4:1 K/BB ratio.  Still trying to get back to their best brand of ball they have only won 5 of their last 10 competitions.  The Owls (21-10) have won 7-of-10 and have been putting up runs in bunches averaging 9 runs per game during that stint.  They have also played an outstanding schedule that is currently ranked 17th toughest in the nation and are (10-2) in the league.  Offensively, in league play, they are slashing .326/.395/.500 and are solid on the mound with a 4.15 team ERA.  However, they are not a great fielding team with a .966 fielding percentage, and they allow over 8 free bags per game which could play huge in their hitter friendly park.  This should be an intense series, but the home field should play to Kennesaw’s advantage as they win two out of three and continue to hold onto the top spot in the A-Sun.  

Vin’s Pick: Kennesaw State
The Owls have found themselves atop the ASUN and with the 13th-best RPI in the country. The Liberty series will likely have major implications within the conference but the Owls are extremely talented and a veteran offense that will lead them to victory.

Cal Poly at UC Irvine 

Cozy's Pick: Cal Poly 
The Mustangs (20-12) are a team that we have been watching since the beginning of the season, but they started off pretty slow.  In fact, they were only playing .500 ball through the end of March, but they have won 8 of their last 10 games of late.  They are one dimensional offensively with a slash line of .279/.431/. 375 and have only stolen 4 bases the entire season.  On the mound they are elite strike throwers with an almost 3.5-to-1 K/BB ratio but do allow opponents to hit .280 against them.  They are (7-2) in Big West play, make teams earn the runs they get and that could bode well this weekend.  The Anteaters (20-11) have won 6 of their last 10 games and defend their home turf quite well.  They rely on moving the baseball and creating action with the sticks as they only slash .259/.393/.363 and swipe about 1 bag per game.  Defensively they are decent, allow only 7 free bags per game but all their starters on the mound have a 3.65 ERA or higher.  They sit (8-4) in league play and are a half game behind Cal Poly for second place in the Big West.  The Mustangs are playing their best ball of the season and look poised to take the series on the road this weekend. 

Vin’s Pick: UC Irvine
Cal Poly and Irvine are both in a good spot in terms of conference record but the advantage in this series lies with the home team. Irvine has a host of arms they can rely on in clutch situations and if they can steal game one with Drew Thorpe on the mound the series win is certainly attainable.
 
Georgia State at Georgia Southern 

Cozy's Pick: Georgia State
The Panthers (22-10) are playing their best ball of the season and are in the middle of an 8-game winning streak.  They currently lead the East Division of the Sun Belt Conference with a 10-2 record in league play.  They are a well-balanced club, slashing .293/.483/.380 at the plate, adding in 62 doubles, 44 home runs and have swiped 44 bases.  They are solid on the mound but don’t have a lot of margin for error since they carry a team ERA of 4.86, field .968 and surrender on average 8 free bags per game.  The Eagles (21-11) have played a challenging schedule and have been on our Top 25 follow list often but haven’t been able to break through.  They have won 6 of their past 10 games, are a scrappy offensive unit with a slash line of .263/.403/.372 so far.  Their team ERA is a bit elevated at 5.19 and have a less than 2:1 K/BB ratio.  They field a solid .977 but still give up an average of 8 free bags per contest.  They sit (8-4) in league play which is 2 games behind this weekend’s opponent.  Statesboro is a notoriously difficult place for visitors, but it looks like Georgia State is up to the task and should win two out of three in the series. 

Vin’s Pick: Georgia State
The Panthers are super hot with a 10-2 conference record and a couple of sweeps against their top conference opponents. Their in-state rival Georgia Southern will be a tough task but their veteran bats like Griffin Cheney and Max Ryerson will provide the fireworks to secure the series.  

Indiana at Rutgers 

Cozy's Pick: Rutgers
The Hoosiers (13-18) were a team that we had fairly high expectations for in the preseason.  Unfortunately, things have been tough going and they have had a tough time winning on the road.  Offensively they are tremendous with a slash line of .273/.462/.383 and have a good power/speed mix adding in 48 doubles, 46 home runs and 40 stolen bases.  They are 2-4 in Big Ten play, average scoring over 7 runs per game but it has been a trainwreck on the mound.  They surrender over 7.5 runs per game as seen with their 7.26 ERA and allow opponents to bat .262 against them.  The most troubling defensive stat is that while they field a solid .974, they still give up over 11 free bases per game.  The Scarlet Knights are having their best year in recent history.  They have won 11 in a row, currently sit 26-6 and were one more good weekend away from breaking into the Top 25 a couple weeks ago.  One of the best offensive units in the nation with a slash line of .325/.513/.426, they have collected 83 doubles (fifth in the nation), 43 home runs and 23 stolen bases. They are 8-1 in league play and have arguably the best staff in the Big Ten.  They have a team ERA of 3.11, have almost a 3:1 K/BB ratio and only allow opponents to hit .214 against them.  Rutgers is poised to expand their lead in the conference standings with a possible sweep.

Vin’s Pick: Rutgers
I couldn’t possibly pick against the Scarlet Knights as the revamped Rutgers program looks capable of winning the Big Ten this season. Transfer Nick Cimillo has been a force for Rutgers as I expect that this series won’t be all too close.
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