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TEAM OF THE DAY
Kentucky
Wildcats two-way star A.J. Reed might just be the favorite to earn National Player of the Year honors at this point in the season. Reed struck out seven and allowed just two runs on nine hits in eight innings, as UK captured an impressive 4-2 road win over Vanderbilt. He out-dueled Vandy righthanded pitcher Tyler Beede, who allowed three runs on five hits in five innings. Reed also helped his case from an offensive standpoint, going 2-for-5 in the contest.
PLAYER OF THE DAY
Matt Imhof, lhp, Cal Poly
The Mustangs cruised to an 8-0 home victory over UC Davis with Imhof leading the way. The outstanding lefty struck out 13, didn't walk anyone and allowed four hits in a complete game shutout. Imhof threw 123 pitches in the game, 82 for strikes.
UPSET OF THE DAY
Missouri over Auburn
Sunny Golloway’s Tigers had been fantastic the past couple of weeks, but they suffered a tough setback, losing 4-2 to Missouri on Friday, and losing the overall series. Missouri righthanded pitcher John Miles struck out three, walked three and allowed just a run on four hits in 5 1/3 innings, while closer Keaton Steele continued his dominant ways with 1 1/3 shutout frames. Missouri was paced at the plate by Eric Anderson, who had three hits and two RBIs. The interesting thing about this series is Missouri now is in solid shape to earn a series sweep with elite righthanded pitcher Brett Graves getting the start in the finale.
More notable upsets:
Stanford 6,2 #8 Oregon 3,1 (P Brett Hanewich: 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER)/(P Cal Quantrill: 7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 8 K)
Middle Tennessee State 3, #10 Rice 2 (P Zac Curtis: 9 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 7 K)
Memphis 2, #15 Houston 1 (P Caleb Wallingford: 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K)
Hawaii 3, #14 UC Santa Barbara 1 (P Matt Cooper: 9 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 K)
Northwestern State 12, Sam Houston State 1 (P Adam Oller: 9 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K)
Duke 3, #23 North Carolina 2 (P Drew Van Orden: 8 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 12 K)
THE GOOD
Corey Miller, rhp, Pepperdine: The veteran righthanded pitcher had an impressive afternoon in a home win over Portland. Miller struck out seven, walked one and allowed just seven hits in a complete game shutout. With the win, the Waves improved to 18-7 overall.
Alabama: The Crimson Tide suffered a tough setback last weekend at Arkansas, but responded in impressive fashion Friday night with a 7-6 win over Ole Miss. ‘Bama righthanded pitcher Spencer Turnbull didn’t have a great day on the mound, allowing six runs in six innings, but freshman Thomas Burrows was terrific, tossing 2 1/3 shutout frames. Meanwhile, outfielder Ben Moore had a good day at the plate, going 3-for-4 with an RBI, and Wade Wass recorded a pair of doubles.
Kyle Freeland, lhp, Evansville: Freeland is an elite prospect and is having no problem meeting expectations this spring. Freeland struck out 10, walked one and allowed just a run on five hits in eight innings, as the Purple Aces defeated Eastern Kentucky 8-2
UNLV: The newly-ranked Rebels are on the road this weekend to face Nebraska, and began the series in positive fashion with a 5-2 victory. UNLV second baseman Justin Jones had a nice night at the plate, hitting a home run, recording two hits and knocking in a pair of runs. Meanwhile, UNLV elite righthanded pitcher Erick Fedde impressed, striking out three and allowing just two runs on four hits in seven innings.
Dan Savas, rhp, Illinois State: Savas just might be the nation’s most underrated pitcher. He earned his 17th-straight win Friday night in a 5-2 road victory over red-hot Indiana State. Savas struck out six, walked two and allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits in a complete game performance.
Thomas Eshelman, rhp, Cal State Fullerton: The talented righthanded pitcher continued his impressive ways in a 5-1 road win over Wichita State. Eshelman struck out four, didn't walk anyone and allowed just a run on six hits in seven innings of work.
Josh Prevost, rhp, Seton Hall: Prevost is having a terrific campaign for the Pirates, and he put together yet another outstanding performance in a win over Iona. He struck out 11, walked one and allowed just two hits in eight shutout innings.
East Carolina's pitching: Junior lefthanded pitcher Reid Love struck out six, walked one and allowed just six hits in a complete game shutout win over Maryland-Baltimore County. Earlier in the day, righthanded pitcher Jeff Hoffman struck out six, walked one and allowed just two runs on six hits in seven innings in a 13-3 victory.
Southern Mississippi: The Golden Eagles haven't had a great campaign thus far, but talented starting pitcher Christian Talley struck out four, walked one and allowed just seven hits in seven shutout innings in a 2-0 road win over Florida Atlantic. Meanwhile, righthanded reliever Bradley Roney struck out four in two shutout frames to end the contest.
Chase Mallard, rhp, UAB: Boy, the senior righthanded pitcher is having an impressive final season with the Blazers. Mallard had yet another dominant performance, striking out six, walking two and allowing just four hits in eight shutout innings as UAB captured a 1-0 home win over Florida International.
Trey Lambert, rhp, Liberty: The Flames hit the road to take on Presbyterian, and Lambert shined in his start, striking out seven, not walking anyone and allowing just one hit in a complete game shutout. Lambert threw 83 pitches, 60 for strikes.
Oklahoma: The Sooners hit the road Friday and defeated Kansas 2-1 in what was a very well pitched game by both teams. OU starting pitcher Corey Copping allowed just two hits in 4 1/3 shutout frames, while Ralph Garza finished off the contest with 1 2/3 shutout frames. OU freshman Sheldon Neuse led the way offensively with two hits and an RBI.
Texas: The Longhorns are on the road with something to prove, and couldn't have looked much better in an 11-1 win over Texas Tech. UT leadoff hitter Brooks Marlow went 4-for-6 with a home run and an RBI, while outfielder Mark Payton and freshman Tres Barrera each finished the contest with three hits a piece. On the mound, it was business as usual for righthander Parker French, who allowed just a run on six hits in seven innings.
Calvin Mathews, rhp, Iowa: The Hawkeyes hit the road and won the series opener against Michigan 3-2 with Matthews leading the way. The imposing righty struck out nine, walked no one and allowed just two runs on six hits in a complete game performance.
Indiana: Veteran lefthanded pitcher Joey DeNato did his typical thing against Ohio State in a 6-4 win, allowing just a run on five hits in seven innings. Meanwhile, the offense had a nice night with first baseman Sam Travis and catcher Kyle Schwarber combining for six hits and a pair of RBIs.
Luke Weaver, rhp, Florida State: The Seminoles swept a pair of games from Boston College on Friday, with the talented righthanded pitcher setting the tone in the series opener. Weaver struck out four, walked two and allowed just one hit in a complete game shutout performance. Later in the day, the Seminoles scored nine runs in the ninth inning to complete the doubleheader sweep with an 11-7 win.
Clemson: After dropping a tough home series to Florida State last weekend, the Tigers entered Friday looking to make a statement against Maryland. They did just that, beating Maryland twice, 3-1 and 7-1 to clinch an important ACC road series victory. In the first game, righthanded pitcher Daniel Gossett struck out six, walked one and allowed just a run on eight hits in eight innings, while in the second game, Matthew Crownover struck out nine and allowed just a run on four hits in a complete game performance.
Jimmy Herget, rhp, South Florida: The Bulls hit the road and captured a 2-1 win over Cincinnati with the usually reliable righty leading the charge. Herget struck out 11, walked three and allowed just four hits in eight shutout innings.
Andrew Morales, rhp, UC Irvine
We often talk about guys like Thomas Eshelman and Justin Garza at Cal State Fullerton, and elite Cal Poly lefthander Matt Imhof. But how about Morales? He continues to tally amazing numbers, striking out 12, walking one and allowing just four hits in a complete game shutout, 8-0 home win over UC Riverside.
Washington: Huskies sophomore starting pitcher Jared Fisher struck out five, walked one and allowed just two runs on seven hits in 8 1/3 innings, as they captured an impressive 8-2 road win over USC. Offensively, the Huskies were led by Trevor Mitsui, who had two hits and three RBIs to lead the way.
Bubba Derby, rhp, San Diego State: The Aztecs improved to 20-6 overall with a solid 2-1 win over Fresno State. Derby struck out seven, walked four and allowed just a run on five hits in 6 2/3 innings. Meanwhile, hard-throwing Michael Cederoth threw a clean ninth inning for the Aztecs.
THE BAD
Georgia Southern: The Eagles started the season sizzling hot, but have been much more beatable here as of late. The Eagles dropped a 5-2 decision to Davidson Friday night. Junior lefthanded pitcher Sam Howard struck out five, walked one and allowed five runs (none earned) in 5 2/3 innings, while Davidson’s Rob Bain was outstanding on the mound, striking out five, walking no one and allowing just two runs (one earned) on five hits in 6 1/3 innings.
San Francisco: Though the Dons look to get an important home series win over San Diego, they didn't exactly start the weekend off on a positive note, losing to USD 15-9 with yet another poor starting performance. This time it was from Abe Bobb, who allowed eight runs on 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings.