Team of the day
Vanderbilt: The Commodores have been extremely impressive this season, and built onto their resume again Friday night with a 3-2 win over South Carolina. Vandy left-handed pitcher Kevin Ziomek struck out four, walked nobody and allowed just a run on eight hits in eight innings of work. Meanwhile, catcher Spencer Navin had a big night at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a home run, a run scored and two RBIs. Vandy improves to 20-2 in the SEC with the victory.
Upset of the day
Washington over Arizona: I certainly wouldn't call Arizona an elite team at this point in the season, but it's still a huge shock when the defending national champions lose 23-1 at home to Washington, which even with the win, is now just 15-28 overall. Arizona starting pitcher Konner Wade allowed nine runs on 11 hits in 3 1/3 innings, while at the plate for the Huskies, outfielder Michael Camporeale went 3-for-5 with a home run, two runs and four RBIs. Also worth noting, Robert Pehl had four hits and five RBIs and Parker Guinn had four hits and three RBIs.
Player of the day
Mark Leiter, RHP, New Jersey Tech: What a record-setting night it was for Leiter in a 5-3 home win over Chicago State. Leiter struck out 20 batters, yes 20, walked two and allowed just three runs (two earned) on four hits in a complete game performance. Leiter threw 142 pitches in the contest, 92 of them for strikes.
Winners
Florida State: The Seminoles are out of conference this weekend against Central Florida and captured a solid 4-2 win in the series opener. FSU right-handed pitcher Luke Weaver struck out nine, walked one and allowed six hits in seven shutout innings, while reliever Robby Coles was fantastic out of the bullpen with 1 2/3 scoreless frames. Meanwhile, UCF right-handed pitcher Ben Lively also put together a solid performance, striking out seven and allowing just seven hits in six innings.
Arkansas: In a huge series for both teams, the Hogs captured the series opener against Kentucky, 2-1, in impressive fashion. Arkansas right-handed pitcher Barrett Astin struck out four, walked three and allowed a run on five hits in 5 2/3 innings, while the bullpen did a terrific job in the victory. At the plate, Hogs catcher Jake Wise went 2-for-3 with a home run and an RBI. With the win, the Razorbacks are now 9-1 on the road in the SEC.
Oregon State: The Beavers are well on their way to a collision course with heated rival Oregon in a few weeks, capturing yet another impressive win, 6-1 over California to start the weekend. OSU left-handed pitcher Matt Boyd twirled yet another gem for the Beavers, striking out 12, walking one and allowing just a run on three hits in 8 1/3 innings. At the plate, Kavin Keyes and Danny Hayes each finished the night with a pair of hits.
South Florida: Lelo Prado's Bulls have been extremely resilient so far this season, and they put together yet another impressive performance in a 19-inning, 8-2, win over Notre Dame. The Bulls scored six runs in the top of the 19th inning to beat the Fighting Irish. USF starting pitcher Jimmy Herget tossed seven strong innings, while relievers Janick Serrallonga, Adrian Puig and Steven Leasure were outstanding as well. At the plate, Alex Mendez and Kyle Copack each had three hits and two RBIs to lead the way.
East Carolina: The Pirates have had a rather tough campaign this season, but perhaps they're putting all the pieces together at the right time, capturing a solid 6-3 win over Southern Miss at home. ECU right-handed pitcher Jeff Hoffman struck out five and allowed just three runs on six hits in seven innings, while third baseman Zach Houchins led the charge at the plate with three hits.
LSU: The Bayou Bengals have rebounded quite nicely from last weekend's home series loss to South Carolina, clinching a series win over Florida with a 5-0 win Friday night. LSU sophomore right-handed pitcher Aaron Nola struck out three, walked one and allowed four hits in a complete game shutout, while at the plate, JaCoby Jones had two hits and an RBI to lead the way.
Cal State Fullerton: You never know what might happen in a rivalry series, but the Titans avoided any sort of upset on Friday in a 3-2 win over Long Beach State. As usual, fantastic freshman right-handed pitcher Thomas Eshelman tossed a gem, striking out six, walking just one batter and allowing two runs on seven hits in seven innings of work. Meanwhile, at the plate, first baseman Carlos Lopez had two hits to pave the way offensively.
Stanford: Cardinal junior right-handed pitcher Mark Appel pitched like the top overall MLB draft pick Friday night in a 5-3 win over Arizona State. Appel topped out at 96 and was simply fantastic against the Sun Devils. He struck out 13, walked one and allowed just three runs (two earned) on five hits in 7 2/3 innings.
Losers
Rice: Though it's a long shot, the Owls enter the weekend hoping to get back into the mix for an NCAA Regional host spot. Well, Friday's 10-9 loss to UAB isn't exactly a great way to start the weekend. Rice allowed seven runs in the sixth inning in the losing cause, with ace right-handed pitcher Austin Kubitza striking six, walking four and allowing eight runs (five earned) in 5 2/3 innings of work, and fellow righty John Simms allowing two runs in a short relief stint.
Loyola Marymount: It only was a couple of weeks ago the Lions were in the mix for an NCAA postseason spot. However, they've since slipped in ugly fashion, dropping another series, this time to BYU with a 3-2 setback on Friday. BYU starting pitcher Jeff Barker tossed an absolute gem in the win over the Lions. He struck out eight, walked two and allowed just two runs on seven hits in a complete game performance. Meanwhile, LMU starting pitcher Aaron Griffin allowed three runs in 7 2/3 innings.
Oklahoma State: The Cowboys put themselves in a situation last weekend to be on the good side of the NCAA postseason bubble. However, they must now bounce back after dropping the opening game of the series against Texas Tech, 5-2 tonight. OSU starting pitcher Jason Hursh allowed just two earned runs in six innings of work, but the Pokes were unable to do much against Texas Tech right-handed pitcher Trey Masek, who was 90-plus with his fastball in the ninth inning, and who struck out seven, walked two and allowed just two runs on four hits in a complete game performance.
Texas: The season of nightmares continues for the Longhorns. UT right-handed pitcher Parker French struck out two and allowed just two runs on seven hits against Kansas State, but as usual, the Longhorns were unable to do much offensively in a 3-2 setback. With the loss, the Longhorns dropped to 23-21 overall, now two full games out of eighth place, which is needed to reach the Big 12 tournament.
Top performances
Chris Razo, RHP, Illinois State: The talented right-handed pitcher struck out eight, walked one and allowed just two runs on two hits in a complete game performance and 9-2 win over Creighton Friday night. Razo now has a 1.21 ERA in 59 1/3 innings this season.
Carson Cross, RHP, Connecticut: Cross put together an impressive performance in a 3-1 road win over Rutgers. Cross struck out four, walked two and allowed just a run on eight hits in 7 2/3 innings of work.
Dean Ali, RHP, Old Dominion: The Monarchs captured a solid 3-0 win over George Mason with Ali leading the charge. He struck out seven, walked one and allowed just four hits in six shutout frames in the triumph.
Jeff McKenzie, LHP, CSU Bakersfield: Speaking of workhorses, it doesn't get much better than McKenzie in this department. McKenzie struck out five, walked one and allowed just three hits in a complete game shutout and 2-0 win over Louisiana Tech.
Taylor Sparks, 3B, UC Irvine: It's safe to say the Anteaters don't have a ton of room for error down the stretch, and Sparks put together a solid performance in a 14-9 win over UC Santa Barbara. Sparks went 4-for-5 with a home run, three runs scored and two RBIs.
Hunter Gordon, RHP, Boston College: Gordon and the Eagles can't catch a break. Gordon struck out eight, walked two and allowed just seven hits in nine shutout innings of work, and he still earned a no decision in a 1-0 extra-inning loss to Virginia Tech.
Blaise Salter, DH, Michigan State: The Spartans need a big weekend, and Salter rose to the occasion in a 12-3 home win over Illinois. Salter went 4-for-5 with a pair of homers, four runs scored and four RBIs in the triumph.
Chad Green, RHP, Louisville: The solid right-handed pitcher tossed a gem in a 6-0 road win over Villanova. Green struck out nine, walked two and allowed just four hits in 7 1/3 shutout innings of work.
Bobby Wahl, RHP, Mississippi: The Rebels really need to hit the road and take care of business against Auburn this weekend, and Wahl started the three-game set on the right foot in a 6-1 win. Wahl struck out five, walked two and allowed a run on four hits in eight innings of work.
Cody Jones, OF, Western Carolina: The Catamounts have a huge night at the plate with Jones leading the charge, beating Tennessee Tech 18-7 at home. Jones went 2-for-4 with a home run and five RBIs to lead the way.
Robert Baker, RHP, Northwestern State: Baker tossed an absolute gem as the Demons captured a 6-0 win over SFA on the road. Baker struck out seven, walked four and allowed just four hits in the complete game shutout.
Daniel Mengden, RHP, Texas A&M: Perhaps Mengden got the Aggies back on track Friday night in a 2-1 win over Missouri. Mengden struck out a career-high 10 batters, walked three and allowed just a run on two hits in eight innings.
Alex Gonzalez, RHP, Oral Roberts: Gonzalez has really improved his MLB draft stock throughout this spring, and had another dominance performance in an 8-0 road win over Lamar. He struck out seven, walked two and allowed just four hits in eight shutout frames.
Robert Lecount, 3B, New Mexico State: The Aggies captured a dominant 17-1 win over San Jose State to start the weekend. Lecount went 3-for-4 with a pair of homers, three runs scored and six RBIs.
Trevor Foss, RHP, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi: Foss has been pretty impressive this season, and put together another solid start in a 4-0 win over McNeese State. Foss struck out 10, walked no one and allowed just three hits in a complete game shutout.
Calvin Orth, 1B, The Citadel: Orth had a huge night at the plate as the Bulldogs captured a 22-7 win over Davidson. Orth went 3-for-6 with a pair of doubles, three runs scored and three RBIs to lead the way at the plate.
Brent Cobb, RHP, Eastern Kentucky: Cobb was sensational Friday night in a 4-0 road win over Eastern Illinois. He didn't record a strikeout in the game, but walked just one, and allowed just six hits in a complete game shutout.
Josh Melendez, OF, New Mexico: DJ Peterson and Mitchell Garver typically lead the way offensively for the Lobos, but tonight was Melendez's night in an 11-10 win over Air Force. He went 4-for-5 with a double, two runs scored and two RBIs.
Taylor Williams, RHP, Kent State: Williams put together a gem Friday night in a 4-1 home win over Central Michigan. Williams struck out eight, walked two and allowed a run on four hits in 6 2/3 innings of work.
Eli Anderson, RHP, Northern Illinois: Anderson might just be one of the more underrated staff aces in the country. He put together yet another strong performance in a 4-0 win over Toledo. He struck out three, walked one and allowed seven hits in eight shutout frames.
Jeff Limbaugh, OF, Wright State: Limbaugh and the Raiders hit the road and captured a solid 18-4 win over Youngstown State. Limbaugh went 3-for-6 with a home run, a run scored and five RBIs to lead the offensive onslaught.
John Farrell, RHP, William & Mary: Farrell had a terrific performance at home in a 3-0 win over Hofstra. He struck out 10, walked three and allowed just four hits in 7 1/3 shutout innings of work.
Joey Wagman, RHP, Cal Poly: The Mustangs desperately need a series win over UC Riverside this weekend, and Wagman started things on the right foot in a 4-1 victory. The righty struck out seven, walked no one and allowed just a run on five hits in a complete game performance.
Chris Diaz, LHP, Miami (Fla.): The Hurricanes recorded a dominant 12-3 home win over St. John's, and Diaz was locked in all night. The talented left-hander struck out six, walked two and allowed just one hit in six shutout innings.
Josh Cotham, RHP, Lipscomb: The talented right-handed pitcher was fantastic in a 1-0 road win over Northern Kentucky. Cotham struck out seven, walked one and allowed just three hits in a complete game shutout.