ALSO SEE: PG College Top 25 | Surprise tournament coverage | Ben Wetzler suspended | Weekend preview
TEAM OF THE DAY
Nebraska
Here in Surprise, the Cornhuskers avenged last week’s loss to No. 3 Oregon State in impressive fashion, roughing up right-handed pitcher Andrew Moore in the middle innings on the way to a dominant 9-2 victory. NU righty Christian DeLeon put together a solid start, striking out five, walking one and allowing just a run on four hits in seven innings, while several Huskers, including Austin Christensen (two hits), Blake Headley (two hits) and Steven Reveles (two hits) each led the charge at the plate. Meanwhile, athletic outfielders Austin Darby and Ryan Boldt also had impressive performances.
PLAYER OF THE DAY
Reed Garrett, rhp, Virginia Military
The Keydets had quite a special night on the diamond, as the talented right-handed pitcher had an outstanding start, tossing a no-hitter in a win over Lafayette. Garrett was dominant from start to finish, striking out nine of the final 14 hitters he faced. He struck out 13 in all, walked just one batter, and threw 84 strikes in 117 total pitches. Also impressive about Garrett’s performance is the fact he only went to three three-ball counts in the contest.
NOTABLE UPSETS
SFA over No. 21 Alabama: One of the most shocking upsets of the night took place in Tuscaloosa, Ala., where the Southland Conference’s SFA Lumberjacks defeated ranked Alabama 2-1 in 13 innings. SFA starting pitcher Cameron Gann had a dominant start, striking out seven, walking one and allowing just a run on four hits in seven innings of work. Meanwhile, the most clutch performance might’ve come from SFA reliever Tyler Wiedenfeld, who struck out two, walked no one and allowed just four hits in five shutout frames.
Long Beach State over No. 18 Arizona State: The Sun Devils’ movement of right-handed pitcher from closer to starter might work out at some point, but it’s not looking great at this point. Burr struggled mightily on Friday in an 11-0 loss to Long Beach State. Burr allowed six runs in just 2 1/3 innings of work. LBSU got an impressive hitting performance from first baseman Ino Patron, who went 3-for-5 with a home run, two runs and three RBIs, while hard-hitting Richard Prigatano had two hits and two RBIs … On the mound, LBSU starting pitcher Nick Sabo was terrific, too, striking out eight, walking two and allowing just six hits in eight shutout frames.
Sacramento State over No. 19 Texas A&M: If you read the weekend preview, which can be found here, you know we had the Hornets series on the road at Texas A&M on upset watch. The Hornets still have a lot of work to do to actually finish off the road series win, but they took a step in the right direction with a 1-0 triumph in the opener. Sacramento State’s Ty Nichols struck out two, walked one and allowed just six hits in seven innings of work. He also threw 77 pitches, 48 for strikes, while hard-throwing right-handed pitcher Sutter McLoughlin, who has a fastball in the mid-90s, finished off the contest with a pair of scoreless innings.
Xavier over No. 13 North Carolina: Back from an injury, the Musketeers got a sensational performance from redshirt sophomore right-handed pitcher Adam Hall, who led the club to a 2-1 road win over North Carolina. Hall didn’t record a strikeout, but walked just two and allowed just a run on four hits in six innings of work. Meanwhile, XU reliever Brad Kirschner was outstanding out of the bullpen with two scoreless frames. For the Tar Heels, starting pitcher Benton Moss struck out four, walked one and allowed two runs on six hits in 7 1/3 innings of work.
San Francisco over No. 2 Cal State Fullerton: It took a full 19 innings to get it accomplished, but the Dons recorded their biggest win of the season to-date, a 19-inning, 6-5 triumph over the Titans. Amazingly, Dons designated hitter Brendan Hendriks went a whopping 1-for-8 in the game, but that one hit? Yeah, it was the game-winning home run. USF starting pitcher Abe Bobb didn’t have a great start, allowing five runs in seven innings of work, but reliever Houston Hibberd couldn’t have been most impressive with 7 1/3 innings of shutout baseball. Meanwhile, for the Titans, usually unflappable starting pitcher Thomas Eshelman, too, allowed five runs in seven innings of work. Fullerton reliever Koby Gauna, who was terrific opening weekend against Washington State, also had an eight-strikeout, nine-inning of shutout baseball, outing wasted in the loss.
Monmouth over No. 24 Florida Atlantic: The Hawks made a significant statement on Friday with left-handed pitcher Andrew McGee tossing a gem in a 5-1 road win over the Owls. McGee struck out six and allowed just a run (not earned) on four hits in a complete game performance. Meanwhile, at the plate, third baseman Robbie Alessandrine had a pair of hits and two RBIs. For the Owls, it was a surprisingly so-so start for rising lefty Austin Gomber, who struck out seven and allowed five runs in six innings.
DID YOU SEE THIS?
Belmont head coach Dave Jarvis earned his 800th career win on Friday in a 9-8 thrilling win over Miami (Ohio). Bruins catcher Jamie Ritchie had a huge night at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a home run, double and four RBIs.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
Chris Ellis, rhp, Mississippi: Ellis is a highly touted prospect and pitched like it in a 3-0 win over Georgia State on Friday. Ellis struck out four and allowed just five hits in a complete game shutout.
Corey Miller, rhp, Pepperdine: The impressive senior had an outstanding start in a 5-0 win over Utah Valley. Miller struck out 11, walked one and allowed just two hits in a complete game shutout performance.
Aaron Nola, rhp, LSU: Nola is Mr. Consistent and was exceptional in a 9-0 home win over Virginia Tech. Nola struck out eight, walked one and allowed no hits in seven innings of work. Nola threw 87 pitches, 55 for strikes.
Jordan Montgomery, lhp, South Carolina: To absolutely no surprise, the junior left-handed hurler is off to another sensational start this season. Montgomery struck out four, walked two and allowed just five hits in seven shutout innings in a 4-0 win over Eastern Kentucky. Montgomery threw 89 pitches, 59 for strikes.
Brandon Finnegan, lhp, Texas Christian: Critics can say what they want about Finnegan’s size, but he’s in the process of making that notion look foolish. The talented left-handed pitcher struck out nine, walked no one and six hits in seven innings in a 10-0 win over BYU.
James Kaprielian, rhp, UCLA: Just when you thought the Bruins might be a bit pedestrian early this season, they take control in a 5-2 win over Cal Poly at home. Kaprielian, after not settling in until a few innings into the game last week, was very good against the Mustangs, striking out nine, walking one and allowing a run on three hits in seven innings of work.
Jordan Stephens, rhp, Rice: The Owls are ecstatic about the junior right-handed pitcher. Stephens was terrific in a home win over Purdue, striking out seven, walking two and allowing just a run on five hits in seven innings of work.
A.J. Reed, lhp/1b, Kentucky: The Wildcats have one of the best in business in Reed, who had a dominant overall performance in a 16-2 win over St. Joseph’s. Reed had two hits (both homers) and six RBIs in the victory, while also striking out four, walking no one and allowing just a run on six hits in seven innings of work.
Matt Ring, rhp, Cincinnati: New UC coach Ty Neal couldn’t be more pleased with the way Ring pitched in a 5-0 win over Wake Forest. Ring struck out three, walked two and allowed just four hits in a complete game shutout.
Cole Sturgeon, of, Louisville: What an impressive hitting performance the veteran had in a 21-8 home win over Western Michigan. Sturgeon was a force at the plate, colleting two doubles, a home run and knocking in six runs.
Dylan Wolsonovich, 2b, Pittsburgh: Wolsonovich was terrific at the plate in a contest the Panthers won a 15-7 bout against Butler. Wolsonovich was terrific against the Bulldogs, going 4-for-4 with an RBI.
Ryan Yarbrough, lhp, Old Dominion: The Monarchs captured a very impressive win over St. John’s with Yarbrough leading the charge. Yarbrough struck out five, walked two and allowed just four hits in six shutout frames.
Ryan Butler, rhp, Charlotte: Butler and the 49ers had an impressive showing on Friday with a 6-0 win over Canisius. Butler struck out seven walked four and allowed just one hit in six shutout frames.
Drew Bridges, rhp, New Mexico: UNM head coach Ray Birmingham praised Bridges throughout fall workouts, and he had an impressive start in a 12-0 home win over Northern Illinois. Bridges struck out eight, walked two and allowed just five hits in six shutout frames.
Travis McDonald, lhp, Arkansas-Little Rock: How about those Trojans? UALR shocked many last weekend with a home series sweep over Creighton. On this night, the Trojans captured a win over Bradley with McDonald striking out seven, walking one and allowing just four hits in 6 1/3 innings of work.
Cole Bieser, of, Southeast Missouri: Bieser had a huge night at the plate in an 18-0 win over IPFW. Bieser went 2-for-3 with a double, two runs scored and five RBIs.
Mark Payton, of, Texas: The Longhorns got an early Christmas gift last summer when Payton, one of the scrappy players in college baseball, decided to return for his senior season. Payton was terrific on Friday in a win over Stanford, going 4-for-5 with a triple, a run scored and three RBIs.
Taylor Byrd, lhp, Nicholls State: The lefty couldn’t have put together a much better start in a 3-0 win over Louisiana-Monroe. Byrd struck out 11, didn’t walk anyone and allowed just four hits in seven shutout innings.
Lucas Humpal, rhp, Texas State: The Bobcats have several premier arms, and Humpal is one of them. The righty struck out 13, walked two and allowed just four hits in a complete game shutout and 2-0 win over UC Riverside.
Brandon Downes, of, Virginia: Downes is one of the better outfielders in college baseball, and had an afternoon to remember against East Carolina, slugging a pair of homers and knocking in a couple of runs against Jeff Hoffman and the Pirates.
HOW THE TOP 25 FARED
No. 1 Virginia 3, East Carolina 2
San Francisco 6, No. 2 Cal State Fullerton 5 (19)
Nebraska 9, No. 3 Oregon State 2
No. 4 Florida State 8, Georgia 3
No. 5 Mississippi State 6, Holy Cross 2
No. 6 South Carolina 4, Eastern Kentucky 0
No. 7 UCLA 5, No. 22 Cal Poly 2
No. 8 Oregon 12, Loyola Marymount 2
No. 9 Vanderbilt 14, Illinois-Chicago 1
No. 10 Indiana 8, Washington 2
No. 11 N.C. State 6, Appalachian State 5
No. 12 LSU 9, Virginia Tech 0
Xavier 2, No. 13 North Carolina 1
No. 14 Clemson 5, Maine 2
No. 20 Miami (Fla.) 6, No. 15 Florida 4
No. 16 Louisville 21, Western Michigan 8
No. 17 Rice 3, Purdue 1
Long Beach State 11, No. 18 Arizona State 0
Sacramento State 1, No. 19 Texas A&M 0
Stephen F. Austin 2, No. 20 Alabama 1
No. 21 Oklahoma State 3, Oakland 2
No. 25 Kentucky 16, St. Joseph’s 2