TEAM OF THE DAY
Cal Poly
We said earlier this week the Mustangs were looking to make a statement against Cal State Fullerton this weekend. Boy, did they accomplish that goal, beating the Titans 3-0 in the series finale to sweep the three-game set. Cal Poly righthanded pitcher Casey Bloomquist struck out eight, walked three and allowed just three hits in a complete game shutout performance, while leadoff hitter and second baseman Mark Mathias hit a home run and knocked in a run.
PLAYER OF THE DAY
A.J. Reed, 1b/lhp, Kentucky
Reed has been a consistent force at the plate this season, and continued his impressive ways Saturday afternoon in a crushing 11-4 win over Texas A&M. Reed went 4-for-6 with two singles, a double and home run No. 15 of the season, along with four RBIs. Overall, Reed is now hitting .375 with 11 doubles, a triple, 15 homers and 52 RBIs, along with a .778 slugging percentage and .494 on-base percentage.
UPSET OF THE DAY
Air Force over UNLV
What a crazy weekend it was out in Colorado, as the Falcons captured a ridiculously surprising series sweep over UNLV with a 7-6 triumph in the series finale. Air Force leadoff hitter Spencer Draws went 3-for-4 with two RBIs, while catcher Travis Neubeck hit a home run in the contest. UNLV starting pitcher Bryan Bonnell didn't have a great performance, allowing five runs on nine hits in 6 1/3 innings.
DID YOU KNOW?
With Vanderbilt's 2-1 road win over Arkansas on Saturday, coach Tim Corbin earned win No. 700 in his coaching career.
Also, Florida State coach Mike Martin earned win No. 1,800 of his career Saturday afternoon in a road victory over Wake Forest to clinch an important ACC series. Martin becomes just the third Division I coach (Augie Garrido and Gene Stephenson the others) to reach that milestone.
THE GOOD
Andrew Sopko, rhp, Gonzaga: The talented righthanded pitcher put together a gem in a 3-0 home win over Portland. He struck out six, walked three and allowed just eight hits in a complete game shutout.
Shane McCain, lhp, Troy: The senior had an impressive performance in a 3-0 road win over Arkansas-Little Rock. McCain struck out 12, walked one and allowed just four hits in eight shutout innings.
Garrett Demeyere, rhp, Abilene Christian: ACU is in its first season as a Division I program and captured a nice 3-0 home win over Stephen F. Austin. Demeyere had an impressive performance against the Lumberjacks, striking out six, walking on one and allowing just four hits in a complete game shutout.
Alex Robinett, rhp, Army: The Black Knights picked up a doubleheader sweep over Holy Cross with the righty leading the charge. Robinett struck out seven, walked two and allowed eight hits in a complete game shutout, 1-0 victory.
Mississippi State: After dropping a tough home series to Ole Miss last weekend, the Bulldogs bounced back in nice fashion with a road series win over Missouri, winning Saturday 6-2 to clinch a series victory. MSU lefthanded pitcher Ross Mitchell bounced back from his tough start last week, allowing just two runs on seven hits in a complete game performance.
Florida: The Gators, along with LSU, are the hottest teams in the Southeastern Conference. UF continued its impressive ways Saturday with a pair of wins over Georgia by scores of 3-2 and 8-1. In the first game, lefthanded pitcher Bobby Poyner was great out of the bullpen, striking out seven and allowing just two hits in four innings, while in the second game, righthanded pitcher Aaron Rhodes set the tone by striking out four and allowing just a run on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings.
Alabama: The Crimson Tide scored four runs the final three frames to beat Tennessee 7-6 and to take an important SEC road series. Alabama's Wade Wass went 3-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored and an RBI, while second baseman Kyle Overstreet had three hits and two RBIs to help lead the way.
LSU: Somehow, the light switch was turned on for the Tigers after getting swept on the road by Florida. The Tigers captured yet another solid series win by beating Ole Miss 2-0 Saturday afternoon. LSU starting pitcher Alden Cartwright struck out two and allowed just two hits in four shutout innings, while Hunter Devall was terrific, allowing just two hits in 2 2/3 innings out of the bullpen.
Oregon: The Ducks finished off a home series sweep over Washington State with a 2-1 victory. UO starting pitcher Trent Paddon tossed a gem against the Cougars, striking out six and allowing just a run on five hits in six innings of work, while at the plate, A.J. Balta had two hits and an RBI.
San Diego State: With the postseason always in mind, the Aztecs hit the road and captured a nice series win over UC Irvine with a 4-3 triumph on Saturday. Righthanded starting pitcher Mark Seyler struck out four, walked two and allowed just two runs on six hits in seven innings, while catcher Brad Haynal led the way at the plate with a pair of hits and an RBI.
Christian Talley, rhp, Southern Mississippi: The Golden Eagles tallied a 1-0 win over Louisiana Tech with Talley leading the way on the mound. Talley struck out 10, didn't walk anyone and allowed just six hits in eight shutout innings.
Rice: Owls first baseman Skyler Ewing hit a walk-off two-run homer in the bottom of the 11th inning to catapult his club to a 5-3 win over UAB, clinching the series win in the process. Ewing went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBIs on the afternoon, while catcher John Clay Reeves went 3-for-5 with an RBI. On the mound, Rice reliever Matt Ditman again was terrific, tossing 3 2/3 shutout innings in the winning cause.
West Virginia: The Mountaineers got back into the overall postseason discussion this weekend with a series win on the road over Oklahoma, winning the series finale 9-5. WVU catcher Cameron O'Brien hit a home run in the contest and knocked in five runs, while Brad Johnson went 4-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI.
Oklahoma State: Josh Holliday's club just continues to improve their postseason resume, capturing a home series win over Kansas with a 5-3 win Saturday afternoon. Second baseman Tim Arakawa hit a home run and knocked in three runs, while leadoff hitter Saulyer Saxon finished the afternoon with three hits. With the win, OSU is now 28-11 overall, 10-4 in the Big 12.
TCU: The Horned Frogs made one of the biggest statements of the weekend by going on the road and doing a clean sweep of Texas, winning the series finale 3-1 in Austin. TCU freshman lefthanded pitcher Tyler Alexander struck out one and allowed just a run on six hits in five innings, while reliever Trey Teakell tossed 2 1/3 shutout innings and righthanded reliever Riley Ferrell earned his ninth save by finishing out the contest. Offensively, outfielder Dylan Fitzgerald led the charge with two doubles and two RBIs.
Mike Shawaryn, rhp, Maryland: How about the talented freshman righthanded pitcher in the series-clinching win over Georgia Tech? He struck out nine, didn't walk anyone and allowed just a run on five hits in six innings.
Daniel Gossett, rhp, Clemson: Another week, another stellar performance from the elite Clemson righthanded pitcher. Gossett struck out seven, walked one and allowed just three hits in a complete game shutout, 3-0 road win over Pittsburgh to take the series.
Virginia: The Cavaliers are having no problem atop the rankings this week, as they clinched a home series win over North Carolina with a 3-1 win Saturday afternoon. Virginia righthanded pitcher Josh Sborz struck out four and allowed just a run on nine hits in five innings, while reliever Connor Jones tossed three shutout frames.
THE BAD
San Diego: In easily the biggest surprise in the West Coast Conference this season, Santa Clara finished off a three-game road series sweep over San Diego with a 5-3 victory. USD starting pitcher Louie Lechich only allowed two runs on six hits in six innings, but the Toreros couldn't figure out SCU's hefty crop of relievers, including Jacob Steffens, who tossed three scoreless frames.
Arizona: We've been waiting for the Wildcats to get their act together this spring, but it just hasn't happened. Arizona dropped to 17-23 overall, 6-12 in the Pac-12, after losing to USC 2-0 and getting swept in the three-game series. UA starting pitcher Tyger Talley only allowed two runs in six innings, but the offense couldn't figure out USC starting pitcher Bob Wheatley, who allowed two hits in seven shutout innings.
Fresno State: It wasn't that long ago Fresno was coming off a home series sweep over Texas A&M and was ranked. Now, the Bulldogs are in huge trouble after dropping a series to Nevada, losing 9-8 on Saturday. Fresno starting pitcher Tim Borst only allowed two runs on eight hits in seven innings, but reliever Jimmy Lambert allowed seven runs on six hits in 1 2/3 innings of work. Fresno State is now 19-21, 8-13 in the Mountain West.