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Team of the day
South Carolina
The Gamecocks have had little trouble mastering in-state rival Clemson the past couple of seasons, and that trend continued over the weekend. South Carolina got a great start from veteran left-handed pitcher Nolan Belcher, while third baseman Chase Vergason recorded two hits (one a home run) and an RBI in a dominant 8-0 win over the Tigers to take the series.
Upset of the day
Pacific over Arkansas
The Tigers entered the ninth inning against Arkansas down 3-1, but rallied for three runs to capture the shocking 4-3 triumph. Though the offense rose to the occasion at the end of the contest, the Tigers had a chance to win the game because of sophomore right-handed pitcher Michael Benson. Benson struck out three batters and allowed just two runs on eight hits in eight innings of work.
Player of the day
Jordan Hymel, LHP, Sr., Southeastern Louisiana
It was an interesting day on the mound for the talented left-handed pitcher. Hymel struck out seven batters and tossed the program's fourth no-hitter in the complete game performance. Perhaps even more impressive, depending on how you look at it, is the fact that Hymel also walked six batters in the afternoon victory over Texas Southern. For the season, Hymel has a 4.70 ERA in 15 1/3 innings of work.
Teams feeling good
Mississippi: The Rebels were terrific in a series that was considered a potential upset watch. Ole Miss starting pitcher Sam Smith struck out five, walked one and allowed just a run on six hits in six innings of work in an 8-1 win over Florida International Meanwhile, talented catcher Stuart Turner provided a spark at the plate with three hits (two doubles), two runs scored and three RBIs.
Oklahoma: The Sooners and Pepperdine split the first two games of the series, but the Sooners stepped up in the series finale with youngster Adam Choplick allowing just a run on four hits in 5 1/3 innings of work, while hard-throwing reliever Billy Waltrip struck out seven batters in 3 2/3 shutout innings in an 8-1 win over the Waves.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi: What a week on the diamond it was for coach Scott Malone's program. The Islanders had a huge week that included a midweek win over Texas State, and even more surprising, a weekend series sweep over Dallas Baptist. The Islanders won the series finale on Sunday with outfielder Kyle Danford going 4-for-5 with a double, home run, two runs scored and five RBIs.
North Carolina: The Tar Heels put together a very impressive weekend at the Astros Foundation College Classic with three victories, finishing things off Sunday afternoon with a dominant 14-2 win over Texas A&M. Though both teams had major command issues on the mound, the difference was UNC's offense with freshmen Skye Bolt and Landon Lassiter each finished the afternoon with a pair of hits.
Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets have been fantastic the past couple of weeks, and that trend continued Sunday afternoon in a dominant 12-0 win over Rutgers. Tech starting pitcher Cole Pitts struck out four (walked none) and allowed just two hits in five shutout frames, while leadoff hitter Kyle Wren had four hits and an RBI.
Connecticut: The Huskies have played a very solid brand of baseball the past couple of weeks, and that continued Sunday afternoon with a 9-3 win over Stetson. The Huskies got a solid start from pitcher Brian Ward, who struck out five and allowed just two runs on three hits in seven innings of work, while second baseman LJ Mazzilli went 2-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and four RBIs. UCONN has now won five-straight contests.
Florida: The Gators have had a frustrating campaign thus far, but stepped up Sunday afternoon with a series-clinching 6-3 win over in-state rival Miami. UF outfielder Justin Shafer went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI, while relievers Jay Carmichael and Ryan Harris performed at a very high level. UF has now 13 of the last 14 meetings against the Hurricanes.
Teams wanting a do-over
Pittsburgh: The Panthers made a statement the first weekend of the season with a road series sweep over Wichita State. However, they've since taken a step back, going 0-3 over the weekend with losses to The Citadel, UNC Asheville and Virginia Commonwealth, that contest Sunday afternoon. Pitt starting pitcher Rhys Aldenhoven allowed just one run in six innings of work, but the bullpen was unable to take care of business.
Arkansas: The Razorbacks were very solid and crisp the first two weeks of the season, but certainly took a significant step backward over the weekend with an 0-4 record out at the Coca-Classic in Surprise, Ariz. Hogs starting pitcher Randall Fant allowed just a run in four innings in his return to the mound, while surprisingly, reliever Brandon Moore allowed three runs in the ninth inning, as the Hogs dropped a tough 4-3 decision to Pacific.
Stony Brook: After being the talk of the town just a year ago, the Seawolves are having a tough time adapting to life as one of the hunted. SBU dropped another tough decision, a 15-4 contest to San Diego on Sunday. SBU starting pitcher Danny Zamora had a bad start, allowing six runs on six hits in just two innings of work. With the loss, SBU is now 0-9 overall.
Long Beach State: The Dirtbags suffered a couple of tough injuries before the season and are off to another bad start this spring. LBSU sits at .500 after losing two of three at home to Seattle over the weekend, including an 8-3 decision in Sunday's series finale. LBSU starting pitcher Jon Maciel had a tough night on the mound, allowing five runs on nine hits in six innings.
New Mexico: The Lobos entered the season with incredibly high expectations, but are having trouble dealing with them so far this season. UNM hit the road over the weekend, only to get swept by struggling Nebraska. To illustrated just how much the Lobos struggled over the weekend, hard-hitting third baseman DJ Peterson went 0-for-4 in the series finale, a 3-0 setback.
Southern California: The Trojans hit the road over the weekend to face struggling Fresno State, but headed home with a pair of setbacks. USC freshman starting pitcher Kyle Twomey had a rough start in the series finale, a 14-3 setback. Twomey didn't make it out of the first inning after he allowed five runs on five hits. He also walked three batters and only struck out two.
Best individual performers
Michael Conforto, OF, So., Oregon State: The outstanding outfielder had a huge weekend, and a significant Sunday for the Beavers. He had three total hits on Sunday against Bryant, smacking a pair of homers and driving in seven runs.
Aaron Judge, OF, Jr., Fresno State: Judge is one of the nation's premier prospects for a reason. The hard-hitting outfielder had an afternoon to remember against USC, going 4-for-6 with two doubles, a home run, three runs scored and four RBIs.
Philip Pfeifer, LHP, So., Vanderbilt: The Commodores finished off the weekend in style by sweeping Illinois-Chicago at home, capturing the series finale 3-1 on Sunday. The sophomore lefty had a great day on the bump, striking out seven and allowing just three hits in six shutout innings. He also threw 110 pitches, 62 for strikes.
Cole Irvin, LHP, Fr., Oregon: The Ducks took plenty of pressure off Irvin with some offensive production, but the freshman lefty still again put together a great start. Irvin struck out three batters, and allowed just a run on eight hits in seven innings of work.
Nolan Belcher, LHP, Sr., South Carolina: The Gamecocks continued their winning ways against Clemson over the weekend, and Belcher is a big reason why. The senior left-hander was fantastic in the 8-0 victory, striking out seven batters and allowed just three hits in a complete game shutout.
Max Garner, RHP, Jr., Baylor: After the Bears put together a rather ugly performance on Saturday, Garner did a tremendous job of getting them off to a hot start in Sunday's 9-2 win over Rice. Garner struck out eight batters, walked just three and allowed two runs on six hits in 8 1/3 innings of work.
Dillon Haupt, C, Sr., San Diego: The Toreros had an impressive weekend out on the East Coast, and Haupt led the charge in Sunday's thrashing of Stony Brook. Haupt went 4-for-5 with a pair of homers, four runs scored and five RBIs.
Ryan Beck, LHP, Sr., New Mexico State: Beck is one of the elite pitchers in the WAC this spring for a reason. Beck tossed an absolute gem in a 4-0 win over Wake Forest. He struck out seven and allowed just three hits in six shutout frames against the Demon Deacons.
Jantzen Witte, 3B, Sr., Texas Christian: The Horned Frogs finally put together a full weekend and captured a road series win over Jacksonville. The talented third baseman had a Sunday afternoon to remember, as he went 3-for-3 with two doubles, a home run, two runs scored and four RBIs.
Andrew Knapp, C, Jr., California: Knapp has a very good frame and showed well in Sunday's big win over Houston. Knapp went 4-for-5 with a double, a home run, three runs scored and three RBIs.
Zac Fujimoto, OF, Sr., Loyola Marymount: Fujimoto and the Lions brought out the bats in a big way in a dominant 23-10 win over Bradley. The senior went 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles, three runs scored and four RBIs.
How the PG Top 25 fared
No. 1 North Carolina
Went 4-0 on the week with a midweek win over St. John's, followed by an impressive weekend that included wins over Texas A&M, Rice and California at the Astros Foundation College Classic.
No. 2 Arkansas
It's safe to say the Razorbacks (0-4) had a week to forget. They headed out to Arizona, where they dropped a pair of contests to Arizona State, a game with Gonzaga, and finished the weekend off by blowing a contest against Pacific.
No. 3 Vanderbilt
The Commodores continue to put together some impressive wins. They defeated Arkansas State and Evansville in midweek play before going 3-0 against Illinois-Chicago over the weekend.
No. 4 LSU
The Tigers went a perfect 4-0 for the week with fantastic pitching leading the charge. LSU cruised past Louisiana-Lafayette to begin the week before beating Brown (twice) and Nicholls State over the weekend.
No. 5 UCLA
The Bruins went 4-0 last week, continuing their rash of consistency. UCLA began the week with a midweek triumph over UC Santa Barbara before sweeping Wright State at home.
No. 6 Stanford
The Cardinal has played a much better brand of baseball since that first weekend against Rice. They defeated St. Mary's in midweek action before sweeping Texas over the weekend, allowing just four runs the entire weekend.
No. 7 Oregon State
The Beavers continue to show a lot of consistency each week. OSU had a hard-fought series at home against Bryant, but won all four contests, with left-handed pitcher Ben Wetzler returning from an injury in the series finale.
No. 8 Oregon
The Ducks began the week with a solid midweek win over Portland, but hit the road over the weekend and ran into the Fullerton machine in a series loss. The good news for UO is that it finished the weekend with a solid win over the Titans.
No. 9 North Carolina State
The Wolfpack went a perfect 5-0 for the week with some impressive showings. For instance, the Wolfpack swept a midweek series against New Mexico State before beating UMBC, Florida Atlantic and Coastal Carolina over the weekend.
No. 10 South Carolina
The Gamecocks again showed why they're considered an elite team this past week. They defeated Furman in midweek action before again taking two of three from rival Clemson in a three-game series. Sophomore left-handed pitcher Jordan Montgomery set the tone in the series opener Friday night.
No. 11 Georgia Tech
What a start the Yellow Jackets are off to this season. They began the week with a pair of wins over Georgia Southern before sweeping Rutgers over the weekend, outscoring the Scarlet Knights 36-3 in the process.
No. 12 Kentucky
The Wildcats continue to play at a high level this season, taking care of business against Murray State and Eastern Kentucky during the midweek before sweeping Akron over the weekend.
No. 13 Mississippi
The Rebels split a pair of midweek games against Memphis and Arkansas-Pine Bluff, but responded in a big way over the weekend with a road series sweep over a very solid Florida International club.
No. 14 Rice
The Owls certainly had a week to forget. They began the week with a victory over Hawaii, only to head to the Astros Foundation Classic and go 0-3 with setbacks against Texas A&M, North Carolina and Baylor.
No. 15 Louisville
Speaking of being a very consistent club, how about the Cardinals? Louisville went 3-1 last week with a midweek win over Morehead State before taking two of three from struggling Kent State over the weekend.
No. 16 Mississippi State
The Bulldogs couldn't have had a better showing last week. State swept a two-game midweek series over Rhode Island before sweeping St. Joseph's at home with, you guessed it, outstanding pitching leading the charge.
No. 17 Florida State
The Seminoles continue to press on in impressive fashion. They hosted Villanova over the weekend and had very little trouble taking care of business.
No. 18 Cal State Fullerton
The Titans continue to do big things with freshman right-handed pitchers Thomas Eshelman and Justin Garza leading the charge. Fullerton had a short week with only weekend games, but made the best of its situation by taking a series from a very good Oregon club.
No. 19 Oklahoma
The Sooners have an outstanding two-man punch on the weekend in starting pitchers Dillon Overton and Jonathan Gray. OU took care of business over the weekend with a home series win over a solid Pepperdine club.
No. 20 Arizona
The Wildcats have had some consistency issues at times, but still had a good week. The Wildcats split a pair of midweek games against Utah Valley before taking two of three from San Francisco over the weekend.
No. 21 UC Irvine
The Anteaters have been very impressive so far this season. They defeated Loyola Marymount in midweek action before taking three of four from Portland over the weekend.
No. 22 Texas
It was interesting to see if the Longhorns would have some offensive success on the road against Stanford. Well, after dropping a tough contest to Sam Houston State, the Longhorns struggled immensely against the Cardinal with just three runs in three games.
No. 23 Notre Dame
It's impressive to see what the Fighting Irish are accomplishing even without one of their top pitchers. The Irish went 3-1 over the weekend with a trio of wins over Tennessee, Massachusetts and Virginia Tech, while they dropped a game to Rhode Island.
No. 24 Southern Miss
The Golden Eagles had a tough week on the diamond. They dropped a midweek bout to Louisiana-Monroe before hitting the road and dropping two of three from Troy.
No. 25 Arizona State
Speaking of exceptional weekends, how about the Sun Devils? They defeated Arkansas twice, Pacific once, also tied with Gonzaga at the Coca-Cola Classic in Surprise, Ariz.