ALSO SEE: PG College Top 25 | Surprise tournament coverage | Ben Wetzler suspended | Weekend preview
TEAM OF THE DAY
Miami
It’s safe to say the Hurricanes have had a few issues beating the Gators over the past few years, much less taking a series from them. But Jim Morris’ club turned the tables so to speak on Saturday with an impressive 5-2 win over the Gators to clinch a home series win. Miami left-handed pitcher Bryan Radziewski struck out six, walked two and allowed just two runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings, while at the plate, talented freshman Zack Collins, who previously was 0-for-17 for the season, smacked a three-run home run to pace the offense. Also impressive about the win for the ‘Canes was play of the bullpen, where Cooper Hammond, A.J. Salcines and Bryan Garcia each had scoreless outings, with Garcia earning his second save. Also big from this game is athletic outfielder Dale Carey reaching base once again, doing so in all six games thus far.
PLAYER OF THE DAY
Slater Lee, rhp, Cal Poly
Looking to get the series at UCLA back on track, the Mustangs looked to the 6-foot, 200-pounder, to get the job done. He definitely didn’t disappoint, sitting 84-87 with his fastball, but doing a terrific job of commanding three pitches for strikes. Lee, on the way to a dominant 8-0 win over the Bruins, threw 108 pitches, 73 for strikes. He struck out seven, walked just one Bruins hitter, and allowed just two hits in a complete game performance. The Bruins and Mustangs are tied 1-1 in the crucial series between the two ranked teams.
UPSET OF THE DAY
Utah over Indiana
It has taken some time for Indiana to get used to playing baseball outside again. The Hoosiers made headlines last weekend for all the wrong reasons by dropping three of four games on the road to Texas Tech. The Hoosiers looked to be back on track Friday night in an impressive 8-2 win over Washington, but resorted to some bad habits offensively Saturday in a disappointing 5-4, 15-inning loss to a gritty Utah club. Indiana catcher Kyle Schwarber caught everyone’s attention Friday with a towering home run into the right-center field gap, but finished this game just 1-for-7 at the plate. Meanwhile, IU leadoff hitter Casey Rodrigue had two hits in seven at bats, and hard-hitting first baseman Sam Travis was 1-for-6 with just an RBI.
For Utah, left-handed pitcher Tanner Banks put together an impressive performance, striking out two, walking two and allowing just two runs on three hits in 6 2/3 innings of work, while reliever Nick Green was terrific, using an 86-88 fastball and 79-81 changeup combination to stymie the Hoosiers. Green struck out nine, walked one and allowed just a run on three hits in seven innings.
DID YOU SEE THIS?
• UAB head coach Brian Shoop earned a good reputation during his previous stop as head coach at Birmingham Southern, and reached a milestone Saturday when the Blazers defeated Youngstown State 4-0 for Shoop’s 900th career victory.
• George Mason captured an impressive 5-4 win over Wichita State Saturday afternoon, marking the 900th career win for Patriots skipper Bill Brown, who’s in his 34th overall season as a head coach in college baseball.
NOTABLE UPSETS
Michigan State over No. 3 Oregon State: The Beavers aren’t having a great weekend out in Arizona, but the opposite holds true for the Spartans. MSU reliever Anthony Misiewicz allowed just a run in 4 1/3 innings of work in relief of starting pitcher Justin Alleman, while the offense touched up Oregon State left-handed pitcher Jace Fry for five runs on nine hits in seven innings, including a first-inning grand slam off the bat of Joel Fisher that set the tone for the afternoon. Fisher finished the contest 3-for-5 with two runs scored and five RBIs. Meanwhile, leadoff hitter Cam Gibson had two hits and an RBI, while Ryan Richardson and PJ Nowak each added two hits. For Oregon State, outfielder Dylan Davis was the bright spot by hitting his first home run of the season, while leadoff hitter Trever Morrison, who struggled in the field, attempted to make up for it with a pair of hits.
Holy Cross over No. 5 Mississippi State (second game of DH): The Bulldogs captured a victory on the front end of the doubleheader, but dropped Game Two 7-6 to the Crusaders in the nightcap. Third baseman Anthony Critelli led the Crusaders at the plate, going 4-for-4 with a double and three RBIs, while some credit also should be given to relievers Justin Finan and Jon Escobar, who tossed a combined five shutout frames to end the game. The loss spoiled all good feelings for the Bulldogs, who watched improved first baseman Wes Rea hit three homers in the two contests.
UC Irvine over No. 18 Arizona State: Though not a massive upset on the national stage, it’s still an upset, as the Anteaters sent the Sun Devils to 2-4 on the season, the worst start in school history. Irvine starting pitcher Andrew Morales struck out struck out five, walked two and allowed just two runs (none earned) on four hits in seven innings. Meanwhile, the ‘Eaters offense had some success against ASU talented sophomore Ryan Kellogg, who allowed four runs on 10 hits in six innings of work.
Western Carolina over Washington State: The Catamounts crushed the Cougars in the series opener on Friday, and though Game Two was much closer, they still were victorious in Game Two on Saturday, taking home an 8-6 decision to capture the impressive road series. WCU leadoff hitter Bradley Strong had two hits in the game, while WSU starting pitcher Tanner Chleborad, who was solid last weekend against Cal State Fullerton, was roughed up for seven runs on seven hits in just four innings of work. WCU is a team we expected to be postseason bound entering the season, and its performances over the past week has only enhanced that feeling moving forward.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
Mark Payton, of, Texas: The hard-hitting outfielder has been terrific so far this weekend against a young Stanford club, going 3-for-3 with a pair of walks in a series-clinching win Saturday afternoon.
Logan Nottebrok, 3b, Texas A&M: The Aggies were tied with Sacramento State in the bottom of the ninth inning Saturday night, but received a walk-off two-run homer from Nottebrok, the junior college transfer who has made an immediate impact.
Jake Stinnett, rhp, Maryland: Stinnett earned some rave reviews last weekend at Florida with a fastball that sat 90-94, and he had an impressive showing against Bryant in a 3-0 triumph. Stinnett struck out 11 and allowed just one hit in eight shutout frames.
Justin Garza, rhp, Cal State Fullerton: Garza didn’t have a great showing opening week, but shined Saturday in an 11-0 win over San Francisco. The hard-throwing righty struck out 12, walked just one and allowed five hits in seven shutout innings.
Caleb Adams, of, Louisiana-Lafayette: The veteran hard-hitting outfielder put together quite an impressive performance to finish a doubleheader against Southern Mississippi, going 4-for-5 with three doubles and a triple to lead the offensive charge.
Christian Trent, lhp, Ole Miss: Georgia State entered the weekend with one of the better offenses in the country, granted it only was a one week sample size, but Trent, as with Friday starter Chris Ellis, had his way with the Panthers, striking out six and allowing just a run on three hits in seven innings in a 9-1 victory.
Justin Kamplain, lhp, Alabama: The Crimson Tide was shocked in the series opener against SFA, but bounced back in impressive fashion Saturday with the lefty leading the way. Kamplain struck out seven and allowed just three hits in six shutout frames in an 8-0 win over the Lumberjacks.
Logan Jernigan, rhp, N.C. State: Jernigan had an outstanding performance in a 7-0 win over Appalachian State. He struck out seven, walked three and allowed just two hits in six shutout frames.
John McLeod, lhp, Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons took care of business against SEC foe Missouri with the lefty on the bump. He struck out five, walked three and allowed just three hits in 6 2/3 innings of work in a 1-0 win over the Tigers.
D.J. Stewart, of, Florida State: Stewart showed off his big-time raw power in a dominant win over Georgia. Stewart had a pair of hits (one of those the HR), three runs scored and two RBIs.
Jared Miller, lhp, Vanderbilt: Miller earned good reviews last weekend against Long Beach State, and didn’t disappoint in a 2-0 win over Illinois-Chicago. He struck out six and allowed just four hits in seven shutout innings of work.
Nick Dignacco, lhp, Army: The lefty had an impressive performance in a win over Massachusetts. Dignacco struck out six, walked one and allowed just one hit in six shutout innings of work.
Austin Christensen, 1b, Nebraska: What an impressive offensive onslaught the Huskers had in a 13-3 win over Washington. Christensen went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBIs to lead the offensive charge.
Daniel Miles, 3b, Tennessee Tech: TTU scored 32 runs in two games against New York Tech with Miles leading the way. Miles had just one hit in the first game of a doubleheader, but was amazing in the second game, going 4-for-5 with a double, two homers and eight RBIs.
Brad Kuntz, lhp, Baylor: The Bears have been solid so far this season, and the lefty was outstanding against a good Austin Peay club. Kuntz struck out seven, walked one and allowed just a run on two hits in six innings of work in a 15-1 triumph.
Jack Wynkoop, lhp, South Carolina: What an impressive performance the sophomore lefty had in a 2-0 win over Eastern Kentucky. Wynkoop struck out 10, walked one and allowed just three hits in 7 1/3 innings of work.
Jon Harris, rhp, Missouri State: Harris was dominant and got plenty of help from his offensive in an 11-0 win over Northern Illinois. He struck out four, walked one and allowed just five hits in a complete game shutout.
Kyle Funkhouser, rhp, Louisville: Funkhouser is one of the nation’s rising arms, and didn’t disappoint in an 8-0 win over Western Michigan. Funkhouser struck out 10, walked two and allowed just two hits in seven shutout innings.
Garrett Deschamp, 2b/ss, Tulane: The Green Wave had an offensive onslaught in a 16-3 win over Louisiana Tech. Deschamp went 4-for-5 with two runs scored and six RBIs to lead the offensive cause.
Alex Close, 1b, Liberty: The Flames hit the road and captured a really impressive 14-6 win over UNC Wilmington. Close had an afternoon to remember, going 3-for-5 with a pair of homers and three RBIs.
Jake Lemoine, rhp, Houston: The hard-throwing righty was fantastic in a 1-0 win over Michigan on Saturday. Lemoine struck out eight, walked one and allowed just four hits in seven shutout innings of work.
Josh Sborz, rhp, Virginia: The Cavaliers captured an impressive home series win over East Carolina with a 4-0 win in Game Two. Sborz was terrific on the mound, striking out six, walking three and allowing just three hits in five shutout frames.
HOW THE PG TOP 25 FARED
No. 1 Virginia 4, East Carolina 0
No. 2 Cal State Fullerton 11, San Francisco 0
Michigan State 8, No. 3 Oregon State 7
No. 4 Florida State 10, Georgia 4
No. 5 Mississippi State 8,6 – Holy Cross 4,7
No. 6 South Carolina 2, Eastern Kentucky 0
Cal Poly 8, No. 7 UCLA 0
No. 8 Oregon 5, Loyola Marymount 3
No. 9 Vanderbilt 2, Illinois-Chicago 2
Utah 5, No. 10 Indiana 4
No. 11 N.C. State 11, Appalachian State 0
No. 12 15, Toledo 1
No. 13 North Carolina 2, Xavier 1
No. 14 Clemson 13, Maine 3
No. 20 Miami 5, No. 15 Florida 2
No. 16 Louisville 8, Western Michigan 0
No. 17 Rice 9, Purdue 1
No. 18 Texas A&M 7, Sacramento State 5
No. 21 Alabama 8, Stephen F. Austin 0
No. 23 Oklahoma State 10,7 – Oakland 4,10
No. 24 Florida Atlantic 4, Monmouth 0
No. 25 Kentucky 7, Old Dominion 5