TEAM OF THE DAY
Louisville
The Cardinals came out ready to play against Notre Dame after dropping a midweek bout to Indiana earlier this week. UL third baseman Ty Young had a monstrous day at the plate in a 10-5 win over the Fighting Irish. Young went 3-for-5 with a pair of triples, two runs scored and five RBIs, while Cole Surgeon had a double and three RBIs. On the mound, Dace Kime and Kyle McGrath were fantastic, combining for four solid frames.
UPSET OF THE DAY
San Diego over Oregon State
The Toreros have struggled here as of late, but rose to the occasion in an impressive 7-4 win over Oregon State. While Kris Bryant led the charge at the plate with another home run, outfielder Louie Lechich also had a productive night, going 2-for-4 with two triples, two runs scored and an RBI.
PLAYER OF THE DAY
Mark Appel, RHP, Stanford: Appel has been phenomenal since having a hiccup at Rice to start the season. The hard-throwing right-hander was outstanding in a 3-0 win over Washington State. He struck out 10, walked one and allowed just four hits in a complete game shutout. Overall, Appel has allowed just three earned runs and struck out 61 batters in his last five starts.
FEELING GOOD
Alabama: The Crimson Tide is on a roll so far in Southeastern Conference play, as they improved to 6-1 in the league with a 6-2 win over rival Auburn. Tide senior right-handed pitcher Charley Sullivan struck out seven, walked one and allowed a run on five hits in eight innings, while first baseman Austen Smith led the way at the plate with a home run, three hits and two RBIs.
South Carolina: The Gamecocks were magnificent on the mound in an important 3-2 home win over red-hot Texas A&M. South Carolina starting pitcher Evan Beal struck out six in 3 1/3 innings, while relievers Adam Westmoreland and Tyler Webb were outstanding. Westmoreland struck out seven in 3 2/3 shutout innings, while Webb struck out four in two shutout frames.
Arizona State: Sun Devils freshman right-handed pitcher Trevor Williams struggled the past two weekends against Oregon State and Washington State, but got back on track Friday in a 4-1 win over UCLA. Williams struck out six, walked one and allowed just a run on eight hits in 7 2/3 innings. ASU third baseman Michael Benjamin hit a home run in the game.
New Mexico: The Lobos have been playing a solid brand of baseball lately and captured an impressive 14-3 win over San Diego State to improve to 5-2 in the Mountain West. Lobos junior third baseman DJ Peterson went 3-for-3 with three doubles, four runs scored and an RBI, while leadoff hitter Chase Harris went 2-for-6 with a home run and four RBIs.
Georgetown: The Hoyas actually have been an interesting surprise so far this season, sitting at 16-8 overall, 2-2 in the Big East after a 1-0 win in 13 innings over South Florida. Hoyas starting pitcher Jack Vander Linden was very good, striking out five and allowing just three hits in seven shutout frames, while the bullpen, led by Neal Dennison and Tim Davis, also performed at a high level.
Texas: The Longhorns certainly haven't been very productive offensively so far this season, but they woke up in impressive fashion Friday night in an 8-5 win over Oklahoma State. UT catcher Jeremy Montalbano went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs, while third baseman Eric Weiss had three hits and an RBI. Also, Travis Duke tossed three shutout frames in relief.
Mercer: The Bears are having a solid campaign with a productive offense leading the charge. Derrick Workman, Nick Backlund, Austin Barrett and David Reid-Foley each hit homers and totaled 12 RBIs in a 13-5 win over Chris Anderson and Jacksonville. The hard-hitting Bears touched up the heralded prospect for nine runs on 11 hits in six innings.
WANTING A DO-OVER
Baylor: The Bears dropped to 11-15 overall on Friday in a 3-2 home loss to Kansas State. BU starting pitcher Dillon Newman put together a respectable performance, allowing two earned runs over six innings, but the Bears were unable to do much against the KSU pitching staff, including starting pitcher Joe Flattery and relievers Levi MaVorhis and Jake Matthys.
Stetson: The Hatters really have struggled so far this season, sitting at 12-14 overall, 1-3 in the Atlantic Sun after dropping a 4-0 decision to Kennesaw State at home. Stetson starting pitcher Josh Powers allowed four runs on nine hits in 6 1/3 innings in the losing cause, while the Hatters were unable to do anything against KSU starting pitcher Stephen Janas, who struck out three in 6 1/3 shutout frames.
Long Beach State: The Dirtbags continue to go through some growing pains. LBSU starting pitcher Shane Carle allowed nine runs on 10 hits in 4 2/3 innings, as his club dropped a 10-5 home decision to Cal State Northridge. With the loss, LBSU now has a 9-16 overall record.
TOP PERFORMANCES
Kris Bryant, 3B, San Diego: The hard-hitting junior infielder put together an impressive showing against the highly-ranked Beavers. He went 3-for-5 with a home run, a run scored and three RBIs.
Jonathan Gray, RHP, Oklahoma: To no surprise, Gray put together yet another dominant start in a 12-1 win over Kansas. Gray struck out 12, walked none and allowed just one run on two hits in a complete game performance. He has a 1.34 ERA in 53 2/3 innings of work. And oh yeah, 63 strikeouts and nine walks.
Donnie Dewees, OF, North Florida: Dewees had one of the more impressive offensive performances we've seen so far this season, going 4-for-6 with three triples, a double, four runs scored and seven RBIs.
Ricky Knapp, RHP, Florida Gulf Coast: The Eagles are having a terrific campaign with Knapp and others leading the way. The righty was outstanding in an easy win over Lipscomb. He struck out seven, walked two and allowed five hits in 6 2/3 innings.
Jeff McKenzie, LHP, Cal State Bakersfield: McKenzie is putting together an impressive campaign for the Roadrunners. He was dominant in a 4-0 win over New Mexico State. He struck out nine, walked three and allowed just four hits in a complete game shutout.
Jake Johansen, RHP, Dallas Baptist: The hard-throwing right-handed pitcher was impressive in a 10-0 win over Sacramento State. He struck out three and allowed five hits in seven shutout frames.
Alex Gonzalez, RHP, Oral Roberts: Gonzalez attracted some scouting attention Friday afternoon in ORU's 8-2 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Gonzalez struck out eight, walked one and allowed two runs on six hits in a complete game performance. He threw 105 pitches, 75 for strikes.
Chase Brookshire, RHP, Belmont: Brookshire just continues to impress for the Bruins. The outstanding left-handed pitcher struck out six, walked none and allowed just three hits in seven shutout frames in a 2-0 win over Morehead State.
Tristan Archer, RHP, Tennessee Tech: The right-handed pitcher tossed an absolute gem in a 1-0 win over SIU-Edwardsville. He struck out eight, walked two and allowed just four hits in a complete game shutout.
Andrew McGee, LHP, Monmouth: The Hawks captured a 3-0 win over Central Connecticut with McGee leading the way. McGee struck out six, walked one and allowed just four hits in a complete game shutout. He threw 116 pitches, 81 of them for strikes.
Thomas Eshelman, RHP, Cal State Fullerton: Eshelman put together yet another solid performance for the Titans in a 9-2 win over Pacific. The right-hander struck out eight, walked none and allowed just two runs on four hits in eight innings.
Josh Prevost, RHP, Seton Hall: The Pirates captured a win over Connecticut with Prevost leading the way on the mound in a 3-0 triumph. Prevost struck out just one batter, and walked four, but also allowed just three hits in 7 1/3 shutout frames.
Rob Smorol, LHP, Rutgers: Smorol made a huge statement last weekend with a great performance against Louisville. He was back at it again on Friday in a 6-0 win over Villanova. The lefty struck out eight, walked one and allowed five hits in eight shutout innings.
Caleb McClanahan, RHP, Central Arkansas: The Bears appear to be back on track after capturing an impressive 10-0 win over Lamar. The UCA starting pitcher was fantastic against the Cardinals, striking out four, walking one and allowing just three hits in seven shutout frames.
Jake Drehoff, LHP, Southern Miss: Drehoff hasn't had a great campaign for the Golden Eagles, but he rose to the occasion in a 4-1 win over UCF. The lefty struck out six, walked two and allowed just one run (not earned) on four hits in eight innings. He threw 116 pitches, 64 strikes.
Austin Kubitza, RHP, Rice: The talented right-handed pitcher had his slider going against Tulane in a 4-2 victory. Kubitza, who improved to 4-1, struck out six, walked five and allowed a run on three hits in six innings.