TEAM OF THE DAY
LSU
The Tigers are rocking and rolling these days. Sophomore right-handed pitcher Aaron Nola struck out seven, walked three and allowed a run on four hits in seven innings as the Tigers dominated Kentucky 11-1 in Baton Rouge, La. While Nola led the charge on the mound, Mason Katz, JaCoby Jones and Alex Bregman each knocked in two runs in the contest to spearhead the offense. With the win, the Tigers improve to an unreal 28-2 on the year.
UPSET OF THE DAY
Marshall over Houston
Cougars right-handed pitcher Daniel Poncedeleon allowed six runs in only 3 1/3 innings of work, as his club dropped a disappointing 19-13 decision to Marshall with the Thundering Herd scoring 13 runs in the fourth and fifth inning. Nathan Gomez and Sergio Leon each had homers for the Herd. The Herd also got a solid performance from outfielder Eric Escobedo, who went 3-for-6 with two doubles, four runs scored and three RBIs.
PLAYER OF THE DAY
Michael Cederoth, RHP, San Diego State
The hard-throwing right-handed pitcher had a performance to remember, as he outdueled Nevada right-handed pitcher Braden Shipley in a 2-0 victory. Cederoth struck out a career-high 14, walked one and allowed just four hits in eight shutout frames. Cederoth was consistently 96-100 throughout the game, while he also threw his secondary pitches for strikes.
THE GOOD
Duke: Blue Devils left-handed pitcher Trent Swart had a great night on the mound, striking out six, walking one and allowing just seven hits in eight shutout frames in a surprising 2-0 win over Buck Farmer and Georgia Tech. While Swart led the charge on the mound, Mark Lumpa had two hits and an RBI.
Indiana: Hoosiers right-handed pitcher Joey DeNato put together yet another solid performance in a 3-2 win over Illinois. He struck out six, walked two and allowed a run on seven hits in six innings of work. Meanwhile, at the plate, shortstop Michael Basil and Casey Smith each had a home run in the game.
Arkansas: The Hogs are playing a very solid brand of baseball these days. Junior right-handed pitcher Ryne Stanek struck out five, walked none and allowed just four hits in eight shutout frames in a 6-0 win over Alabama. Meanwhile, at the plate, shortstop Brian Anderson went 2-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBIs.
Oklahoma: Sooners first baseman Matt Oberste had his 30-game hitting streak snapped against rival Texas. However, the Sooners still captured a 2-1 victory with right-handed pitcher Jonathan Gray leading the charge. Gray struck out eight, walked two and allowed just a run (none earned) on seven hits in 6 2/3 innings.
Vanderbilt: The Commodores have been incredibly consistent this season and captured yet another impressive win, beating Mississippi 3-1 to take a 1-0 series lead. Vandy junior left-handed pitcher Kevin Ziomek struck out three and allowed a run on three hits in 7 1/3 innings, while sure-handed closer Brian Miller allowed three hits in 1 2/3 shutout frames.
North Carolina: The Tar Heels got yet another solid performance from left-handed pitcher Kent Emanuel in a 12-4 win over Maryland. Emanuel struck out six, walked two and allowed two runs on three hits in eight innings of work. Meanwhile, Cody Stubbs and Skye Bolt combined for nine RBIs to lead the UNC offense.
West Virginia: Randy Mazey's Mountaineers are playing at a solid level so far this season, improving to 4-3 in the Big 12 with a 9-8 win over Baylor. WVU first baseman Ryan McBroom went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs, while outfielder Bobby Boyd had two hits and two RBIs. The win was the eighth-straight for the Mountaineers.
Florida State: The Seminoles hit the road last weekend and dropped a tough series to Virginia Tech, but bounced back in a big way Friday night with a 4-2 win over rival Miami. FSU right-handed pitcher Luke Weaver struck out six, walked one and allowed just two runs on eight hits in five innings in the victory. The FSU bullpen also rose to the occasion with Gage Smith and Robby Coles throwing four shutout frames, including allowing just one hit in the final four frames.
UCLA: Junior right-handed pitcher Adam Plutko put together a big-time performance in a 3-2 win over Oregon State. Plutko struck out six, walked three and allowed just a run on two hits in seven innings of work. Meanwhile, righty David Berg closed out the contest with 1 1/3 shutout frames. Offensively for the Bruins, Pat Gallagher had two hits and an RBI.
North Carolina State: The Wolfpack scored a run on a wild pitch in the bottom of the 14th inning to best Virginia Tech 8-7 in what was a well-played game at times, and also an ugly game at times with the two teams combining for 10 errors. N.C. State starting pitcher Carlos Rodon struck out 10 in 5 2/3 innings of work, but it was the bullpen that did the best job, with Chris Overman leading the charge, striking out six and allowing just one hit in 4 2/3 innings of work. Sidearm right-hander Clark Labitan was the workhorse for the Hokies, striking out five and allowing just three hits in four shutout frames out of the bullpen
Arizona State: RJ Ybarra hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the 11th, as the red-hot Sun Devils captured a 6-5 win over Oregon. The Sun Devils were led at the plate by third baseman Michael Benjamin, who went 2-for-6 with a home run, a run scored and two RBIs, while outfielder Jake Peevyhouse had two hits and two RBIs. On the mound, relievers Matt Dunbar and Ryan Burr finished out the contest in impressive fashion with 3 1/3 shutout frames.
THE BAD
Long Beach State: Dirtbags starting pitcher Shane Carle put together a respectable performance, allowing just two runs on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings, but his club still dropped a 3-1 decision to Pacific to drop to 11-17 overall. Pacific starting pitcher John Haberman put together a solid performance, striking out three, walking none and allowing a run on six hits in six innings.
Pepperdine: Waves junior right-handed pitcher Scott Frazier struck out four, walked two and allowed just a run on five hits in seven innings, but the offense was unable to do much against Washington in a 6-2 setback. UW relievers Tyler Davis and Tyler Kane threw five shutout frames to end the game.
Georgia: The Bulldogs dropped to 1-9 in the Southeastern Conference Friday night with a 4-0 loss to Missouri. Bulldogs starting pitcher Patrick Boling struck out five and allowed just two runs in six innings, but the offense couldn't get much going off Missouri starting pitcher Rob Zastryzny, who tossed a complete game shutout in the win
Oklahoma State: Cowboys right-handed pitcher Jason Hursh is a big-time prospect, but had a tough night on the mound in a 7-5 loss to Kansas. Hursh struck out just two batters and allowed seven runs (four earned) on 10 hits in 3 2/3 innings of work.
Texas Tech: The Red Raiders could sure use right-handed pitcher Trey Masek back in the weekend rotation. Dominic Moreno was just OK against Kansas State in a 6-5 setback, moving the Red Raiders to just 17-15 overall for the season. Moreno struck out five, walked two and allowed three runs on nine hits in 5 1/3 innings of work.
TOP PERFORMANCES
DJ Peterson, 3B, New Mexico: Peterson had a triumphant return from a tweaked hamstring that sidelined him last weekend. He went 3-for-4 with a home run, a run scored and five RBIs to defeat Air Force 11-5. The home run was Peterson's 12th of the season.
Austin Kubitza, RHP, Rice: The talented right-handed pitcher put together yet another outstanding outing, striking out 10, walking three and allowing just four hits in 7 1/3 shutout innings in a 3-0 win over East Carolina.
Thomas Eshelman, RHP, Cal State Fullerton: Eshelman continues to be a magician on the mound this season. He struck out four, walked none and allowed just four hits in eight innings of work in a 3-0 win over UC Davis.
Colin Welmon, RHP, Loyola Marymount: Welmon put together a solid start in a 4-0 win over San Diego. Welmon struck out nine, walked one and allowed just six hits in eight innings of work to lead the Lions. For the season, he now has an 0.97 ERA in 64 2/3 innings.
Steve Janas, RHP, Kennesaw State: Janas tossed an absolute gem in a 6-1 road win over Florida Gulf Coast. Janas struck out six, walked one and allowed just a run on seven hits in seven innings of work.
Chris Razo, RHP, Illinois State: Razo put together an outstanding performance and outdueled Missouri State starting pitcher Nick Petree in a 2-1 victory. He struck out 10, walked four and allowed a run and a hit in a complete game performance.
Sam Moll, LHP, Memphis: The outstanding MLB draft prospect put together a dominant performance in a 2-1 win over UCF. He struck out 11, walked two and allowed a run on four hits in seven innings in the victory.
Tony Rizzotti, RHP, Tulane: Rizzotti put together yet another solid performance on Friday night in a 3-2 win over Southern Miss. He struck out five, walked two and allowed just one earned run on three hits in seven innings of work.
Preston Morrison, RHP, TCU: Morrison put together a very good start for the Horned Frogs in a 4-1 win over San Francisco. He struck out four, walked one and allowed just a run on three hits in a complete game performance.
Jack Picchiotti, C, Purdue: The Boilermakers have struggled this season, but captured a solid 13-4 win over Northwestern. He went 3-for-5 with a home run, three runs scored and three RBIs to lead Purdue to victory.
Andrew Thurman, RHP, UC Irvine: The talented right-handed pitcher struck out eight, walked none and allowed just one run (none earned) on three hits in 8 2/3 innings of work in a 4-1 win over Hawaii.
Robert Lecount, 3B, New Mexico State: Lecount put together a big-time performance in a 16-5 home win over Dallas Baptist. He went 2-for-3 with a home run, three runs scored and five RBIs in the victory.
Daniel Wright, RHP, Arkansas State: The talented right-handed pitcher was very good in a 6-0 win over Western Kentucky. He struck out 11, walked one and allowed five hits in a complete game shutout performance.
Chance Cleveland, RHP, Arkansas-Little Rock: Cleveland put together an outstanding performance in an 11-1 road win over Middle Tennessee. He struck out 11, walked none and allowed just a run on six hits in eight innings of work.
Eric Weiss, OF, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi: Weiss put together an outstanding performance in a 13-1 win over Nicholls State. He went 3-for-4 with two walks, a run scored, a triple and four RBIs to lead the Islanders.
Robert Baker, RHP, Northwestern State: Baker helped the Demons snap a lengthy losing streak with a great performance in a 1-0 win over Central Arkansas. Baker struck out nine, walked four and allowed just two hits in a complete game shutout performance.
Max Povse, RHP, UNC Greensboro: The Spartans are beginning to play a solid brand of baseball these days. Povse struck out seven, walked two and allowed just five hits in a complete game shutout performance against a hard-hitting College of Charleston club. He threw 125 pitches, 86 for strikes.
Owen Stewart, 3B, Monmouth: Stewart had an afternoon to remember in the Hawks' 13-7 win over Mount St. Mary's. He went 6-for-6 with a pair of doubles, four runs scored and two RBIs to lead the MU charge.
Jake Thomas, OF, Bowling Green: The Falcons captured a solid 10-4 win over Eastern Michigan with Thomas leading the charge at the plate. He went 4-for-5 with a double triple, a run scored and three RBIs to lead the way.
Peter Bowles, OF, Towson: Bowles put together a big-time performance as the Tigers tok home a 12-4 victory over William & Mary. Bowles went 3-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored and three RBIs in the victory.
Adam Barry, 3B, High Point: Barry had a big-time night at the plate as HPU cruised to a victory. Barry went 4-for-5 with two doubles, two runs scored and two RBIs to lead the way.
Jon Prosinski, RHP, Seton Hall: The talented right-handed pitcher tossed a gem and cooled off Rutgers' hot bats. Prosinski struck out seven, walked one and allowed just a run on six hits in a complete game performance and 15-1 win.
Jimmy Herget, RHP, South Florida: The right-handed pitcher tossed a gem in a solid 1-0 win over Pittsburgh. He struck out four, walked one and allowed just three hits in a complete game shutout.
Mark Appel, RHP, Stanford: The hard-throwing right struck out seven, walked one and allowed just two runs on seven hits in 8 2/3 innings of work in a 4-2 road win over USC.