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CB TICKET: Sunday's RPI Report
With Saturday's college baseball action in the books, here's our inside look back at the highlights and lowlights from around the country.
TEAM OF THE DAY: Arizona
The Wildcats put together a fierce ninth-inning rally to beat No. 2 Stanford in the series opener on Friday, but didn't need a ninth inning rally on Saturday, as they captured a 4-2 win over the Cardinal to solidify an outstanding home series win. Arizona starting pitcher Konner Wade struck out seven and allowed just two runs and three hits in a complete game performance. Meanwhile, center fielder Joey Rickard and shortstop Alex Mejia each had two hits in the game.
PLAYER OF THE DAY: Buck Farmer, rhp, Georgia Tech
Farmer and the Yellow Jackets have been greatly criticized the past two weeks, and rightfully so with their struggles in ACC play. But when the Jackets needed the junior right-handed pitcher to step up the most against Duke ace Marcus Stroman, he did just that. Farmer was tremendous in GT's 1-0 win over Duke. He struck out 12 Blue Devils and allowed just three hits in a complete-game shutout performance.
UPSET OF THE DAY: Villanova over Louisville
The Cardinals already didn't have a great RPI, but it took yet another hit on Saturday with a rough home loss to Villanova, 5-2. Villanova starting pitcher Pat Young stymied the Cardinals in the winning cause. The sophomore right-handed pitcher struck out two and allowing just two runs (one earned) on five hits in eight innings of work. On top of that, the Wildcats lit up UL starting pitcher Jeff Thompson, who allowed five runs on eight hits in 4 2/3 innings.
FIVE BEST
LSU (21-6): The Tigers have responded nicely to that Auburn series loss last weekend. They clinched a series win over Arkansas on Saturday with a 2-1 triumph, led by right-handed starting pitcher Ryan Eades. Eades struck out eight and allowed just a run on five hits in 7 1/3 innings of work. He threw 108 strikes, 80 of them for strikes. Hot-hitting Raph Rhymes had another three-hit performance.
Clemson (14-12): The Tigers are in such a huge hole after starting ACC play on a sour note, but maybe, just maybe, they're turning the corner after winning the first two games of the Miami series, Game 2 on Saturday, 3-1. Clemson starting pitcher Dominic Leone was solid, striking out six Hurricanes and allowing just a run and six hits in seven innings of work. Third baseman Richie Shaffer led the way at the plate with a double and two RBIs.
Oregon (17-8): It's safe to say the Ducks took a significant step forward this weekend. They played exceptionally well on Saturday, taking both ends of a doubleheader against Arizona State by scores of 1-0 and 3-1. Alex Keudell was magnificent on the mound in the first game, allowing just four hits in a complete game shutout. Meanwhile, freshman right-handed pitcher Jake Reed was outstanding in the second game, striking out four and allowing just five hits in 7 1/3 shutout innings.
Southern Mississippi (16-11): The Golden Eagles are having a see-saw type of season with so many young players, but when things are good, they'r really good. USM redshirt freshman left-handed pitcher Jake Drehoff was excellent in a 2-1 win over the Owls. Drehoff didn't record a strikeout, but allowed just a run and nine hits in 8 2/3 innings. Meanwhile, freshman righty Bradley Roney had electric stuff in relief.
Portland (16-5): The Pilots have been one of the pleasant surprises in the WCC so far this season, and they took another step forward Saturday by clinching a series win over Santa Clara with a 2-0 triumph. Portland starting pitcher Travis Radke struck out two and allowed just one hit in six scoreless innings of work. Meanwhile, the Pilots bullpen did a terrific job with Kody Watts and Owen Jones leading the way.
FIVE DISAPPOINTMENTS
South Carolina (19-8): The Gamecocks knew they were taking a risk by moving Matt Price back into the bullpen, but coach Ray Tanner has to be perplexed with the way his team pitched in a 12-4 loss to Vanderbilt. Freshman Evan Beal struck out four and allowed four runs in 3 1/3 innings of work, while usually reliable Forrest Koumas was rough out of the bullpen, allowing three runs without recording an out.
Oklahoma State (14-13): There's no doubt the Cowboys are going against a red-hot Baylor team this weekend. However, they just haven't been very good so far this season. The Pokes fell to 1-4 in the Big 12 after dropping a 3-2 decision to the Bears. OSU starting pitcher Kyle Ottoson only allowed two earned runs in seven innings, but the Cowboys were stymied at the plate by Trent Blank, who allowed just two runs in seven frames.
Louisville (19-8): There isn't a lot of room for teams in most conferences to record some bad losses, so there sure isn't a lot of room for a team in the Big East to record a bad loss. Well, Louisville did just that on Saturday with a 5-2 setback to Villanova. Surprisingly, highly touted UL pitcher Jeff Thompson had a rough start, allowing five runs (two earned) on eight hits in 4 2/3 innings of work. UL must take care of business in the series finale against the Wildcats.
San Francisco (13-16): The Dons are having a rough go at it these days. They're off to an 0-2 start in the WCC after dropping an 11-5 decision to San Diego on Saturday. USF starting pitcher Alex Balog didn't have a good day, allowing seven runs on 10 hits in five innings. Meanwhile, reliever Haden Hinkle also didn't throw well, allowing three runs and four hits in three innings.
Houston (10-15): The Cougars actually looked like they were headed the right direction at the Houston College Classic a few weeks ago. However, things certainly have taken a nasty turn, as they dropped a tough 9-1 decision to UCF to drop another C-USA series on Saturday. UH starting pitcher Jordan Lewis allowed four runs and three hits in 4 1/3 innings of work, while reliever Mo Wiley allowed four runs in just 2 2/3 innings.
PG TOP 50 ROUNDUP
#1 Florida 9, #20 Mississippi 4
#2 Stanford 2, #10 Arizona 4
#3 Arkansas 1, #18 LSU 2
#4 Florida State 2 Virginia Tech 1
#5 North Carolina 7, #46 Wake Forest 3
#6 UCLA 9, Utah 6
#7 Kentucky 6,9 #23 Georgia 7,8
Cal State Northridge 6, #8 Cal State Fullerton 8
Missouri 4, #9 Texas A&M 3
Vanderbilt 12, #11 South Carolina 4
Clemson 3, #12 Miami (Fla.) 1
Southern Miss 2, #13 Rice 1
#14 Arizona State 0,1 #26 Oregon 1,3
#15 Purdue 2, Penn State 0
Villanova 5, #16 Louisville 2
#17 Central Florida 9, Houston 1
#47 Virginia 5, #19 N.C. State 2
#21 Baylor 3, Oklahoma State 2
#41 California 12, #22 Texas 2
#24 Georgia Tech 1,8 -- Duke, 0,0
#25 Mississippi State 6, #32 Auburn 10
#27 San Diego 11, San Francisco 5
Long Beach State 4, #28 Cal Poly 6
#29 Missouri State 8, Dallas Baptist 4
UAB 2, #30 East Carolina 12
#33 Washington 3,9 -- #31 Oregon State 1,0
Kansas State 8, #35 Oklahoma 7
#36 Southeastern Louisiana 4, Lamar 6
#38 Pepperdine 7,7 -- Gonzaga, 10,6
#39 Texas State 10, McNeese State 1
UNLV 1, #40 TCU 2
#42 UC Irvine 7, Pacific 4
#43 Coastal Carolina 3, Radford 6
#44 Stetson 4,7 -- Mercer 7,6
#45 College of Charleston 4, Georgia Southern 1
#48 Maryland 4,7 -- Boston College 5,1
#49 Southern California 7, Washington State 9
Kendall Rogers is the college baseball managing editor for Perfect Game and can be reached at kendall@perfectgame.org