TEAM OF THE DAY: Texas

The Longhorns entered the bout with in-state rival Rice with a .195 batting average, but didn't play like that on Friday in an 11-8 triumph over the Owls. Texas shortstop Jordan Etier had a triple in the game, while the 1-4 hitters in the UT lineup combined for seven of the team's 13 hits in the victory. Also worth noting is the performance put together by spark plug second baseman Brooks Marlow, who recorded three hits.


PLAYER OF THE DAY: Mike Zunino, c, Florida

Coaches often say the best players rise to the occasion on the biggest stage. That definitely was the case with Zunino on Friday night in a 7-5 win over Miami. Zunino had a mammoth game at the plate for the Gators, going 4-for-5 with a home run, two doubles, two runs scored and two RBIs. When the Gators needed a hit the most, Zunino was always there waiting to contribute. That's called an All-American and leader.


UPSET OF THE DAY: Miami (Ohio) over Mississippi

The Rebels looked very solid last weekend in a home series sweep over UNC Wilmington, but started the Miami of Ohio series off on the wrong foot, a 9-8 setback. Ole Miss ace pitcher Bobby Wahl had a rough outing, allowing seven runs in just five innings of work. Meanwhile, Redhawks sluggers John Crummy and Matt Honchel each had three hits, while center fielder Alex Johnson chipped in a four-hit performance.


FIVE BEST TEAMS

Florida: Mike Zunino's night at the plate was already noted, but how about reliever Austin Maddox in the win over Miami? Maddox continued his bullpen mastery on Friday night with a stellar showing. He struck out seven Hurricanes hitters and allowed just two hits in 3 1/3 innings of work.

South Carolina: The Gamecocks series opener against Clemson went pretty much as expected, with ace pitcher Michael Roth allowing just a run on four hits in 7 1/3 innings of work. Meanwhile, the bullpen really did a nice job with Forrest Koumas, Tyler Webb, Ethan Carter and Nolan Belcher contributing to the 3-2 victory.

Fresno State: Talented Bulldogs outfielder Aaron Judge apparently wasn't overly impressed with Stanford stud right-hander Mark Appel. Judge had a huge night in a 7-4 Fresno upset win. He slammed two homers and went 2-for-2 with three runs scored and three RBIs. Winning a series over red-hot Stanford would be a huge boost to a Bulldogs club that has started a little slow.

North Carolina: It's safe to say the Tar Heels brought USC back down to Earth a little in an easy 11-1 triumph. UNC starting pitcher Kent Emanuel tossed six shutout innings with eight strikeouts, while transfer first baseman Cody Stubbs continues to be a monster at the plate, going 4-for-5 with a home run, two doubles and three RBIs.

Arkansas: The Hogs are really going to be in excellent shape toward the end of the season if Stanek consistently looks as good as he did in a 3-1 win over Texas Tech. Stanek topped out at 96-97 with his fastball and struck out seven batters while allowing just a run on six hits in seven innings.


FIVE WITH SOMETHING TO PROVE

Rice: It's not so much Rice in general that has something to prove, but more so right-handed pitcher Austin Kubitza, who really has pitched iffy so far this season. Against the Longhorns in an 11-8 loss, Kubitza was lifted after just 1 2/3 innings after allowing two runs and walking five batters.

TCU: The Horned Frogs just can't seem to establish any sort of consistency, and that must change sooner rather than later, falling to 2-6 on the season with a 4-3 setback to Oklahoma State. TCU starting pitcher Andrew Mitchell didn't have a good day, allowing four runs in just 2 2/3 innings of work. The lone bright spot was catcher Josh Elander having a 3-for-3 day.

Mississippi: It wasn't a good day for the Rebels. Ace right-handed starting pitcher Bobby Wahl had a tough day on the mound, allowing seven runs on nine hits in just five innings. Meanwhile, the defense didn't do their job, either, with three errors in a disappointing 9-8 loss to Miami (Ohio).

Jacksonville State: The Gamecocks' struggles are one of the bigger mysteries in the mid-major ranks. JSU was expected to compete and perhaps even win the Ohio Valley Conference title, but that's looking in doubt right now. The Gamecocks dropped to 1-6 with a 13-3 loss to Kennesaw State. It was surprising to see starting pitcher Aaron Elias allowed six runs in just 3 1/3 innings of work.

St. John's: The Johnnies are one of those teams that wishes they could push a reset button to the season. The Johnnies dropped yet another contest, a 4-0 decision to Illinois, to drop to 3-6 on the season. Starting pitcher Kyle Hansen allowed four runs on nine hits in 6 1/3 innings in the losing cause.


FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS

* Clemson has to be sick right about now. The Tigers received a strong performance from starting pitcher Kevin Brady in a 3-2 win over South Carolina. Yet, when the final out was recorded, the Tigers lost another contest to the Gamecocks, 3-2. And to make matters worse, the Gamecocks got a stellar defensive play from center fielder Evan Marzilli to end the game. Once again, all the luck in this rivalry seems to be on South Carolina's side. At some point, Clemson will take away the momentum, but it won't likely be this weekend. These losses must be frustrating for Clemson coach Jack Leggett.

* We're certainly not saying he's injured, but something seriously appears to be wrong with Rice starting pitcher Austin Kubitza, likely in the mental department. Kubitza allowed four runs in 4 2/3 innings against Dallas Baptist this weekend. He was worse than that against a Texas offense that had been downright atrocious leading up to the contest. On top of that, he was only 87-89 with his fastball throughout the contest. It'll be very interesting to see what happens with Kubitza over the next couple of weeks.

* Florida showed why its the nation's top-ranked team in Friday's 7-5 win over Miami. The Hurricanes simply wouldn't go away despite some impressive UF innings. But in the end, the Gators took care of business with hard-nosed reliever Austin Maddox leading the way. Maddox continued his amazing streak of great outings against the 'Canes, striking out seven and allowing just two hits in 3 1/3 innings of work. Meanwhile, veteran catcher Mike Zunino and others had impressive offensive performances. UF really impressed me with the way it won the series opener.

* Stanford is hitting the road for a weekend series for the first time this season this weekend at Fresno State. Well, things didn't exactly start off on the right foot. Despite being very dominant the first two weekends of the season, Cardinal All-American pitcher Mark Appel wasn't good at times against the Bulldogs. Interestingly, he struck out 11 batters, but managed to allow seven runs on eight hits in eight innings of work. Having experienced some adversity on the weekend with their big gun getting knocked around, it'll be interesting to see how Stanford comes out the rest of the weekend.

* It's time to start giving Gonzaga more publicity. The Bulldogs are off to a terrific start this season, improving to 8-0 with a 6-1 triumph over Louisiana-Lafayette. Zags two-way stud Marco Gonzales struck out nine and allowed just a run on three hits in six innings. It's also worth noting reliever David Peterson allowed just one hit in three scoreless innings of work. Though Gonzaga's marquee wins are over Nebraska and Illinois so far this season, this team appears to be solid with balance. Keep an eye on them.

Kendall Rogers is the college baseball managing editor for Perfect Game and can be reached at kendall@perfectgame.org