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TEAM OF THE DAY: Oklahoma -- The Sooners entered the weekend
in dire straits from an NCAA postseason standpoint, but are giving themselves a
chance by sweeping a pair of games from Baylor to begin the weekend. OU
starting pitcher Jordan John was terrific in 8 2/3 shutout innings in the first
game of the day, while another talented righty, Jonathan Gray, allowed just a
run in 7 1/3 innings in the second game. Did OU just reopen its postseason
resume? You bet.
UPSET OF THE DAY: Utah over Oregon State -- The Beavers were
a long shot to make an NCAA Regional entering the weekend to begin with, but
they took a step back on Saturday with a 4-3 extra-inning loss to Utah. Utes
pitchers Joe Pond and Tyler Wagner each threw well in the triumph over the
Beavers.
PLAYER OF THE DAY: RHP Ross Stripling, Texas A&M --
Stripling skipped his graduation at A&M to pitch against San Diego State on
Saturday. Good thing he did, because he had a memorable final regular season
start at Blue Bell Park. Stripling tossed a 106-pitch no-hitter in a 1-0 win
over the Aztecs. He faced the minimum in the game, and threw 71 of his 106
pitches for strikes.
FIVE PLUSES
North Carolina State (36-12) -- The Wolfpack has put
together quite the campaign this spring. They moved stud left-handed pitcher
Carlos Rodon to the Friday spot in the weekend rotation this week, and that
moved was a shining success. Rodon struck out 11 in 7 1/3 innings of work in a
4-2 win over Virginia Tech, while reliever Travis Orwig was fantastic in the
nightcap, as the Wolfpack captured a 6-2 decision.
Auburn (28-23) -- The Tigers were on the bad side of the
NCAA postseason bubble entering the weekend, but certainly helped their case by
winning a road series over Arkansas, capturing a 12-5 triumph in the series
finale. Jay Gonzalez and Ryan Tella each had three hits in the game, while
Patrick Savage had two hits, one a home run.
Mississippi State (31-19) -- After dropping the series
finale with ace pitcher Chris Stratton on the mound, the Bulldogs desperately
needed a strong performance from right-handed hurler Kendall Graveman. He
didn’t disappoint, putting together a great showing in a 2-0 win over Florida.
The righty struck out three and allowed just three hits in 7 2/3 innings, while
reliever Jonathan Holder tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
Clemson (30-20) -- The Tigers are another team jockeying for
position on the NCAA postseason race, and they started the weekend on a
positive note with a very impressive 7-2 win over suddenly beatable Florida
State. Clemson starting pitcher Dominic Leone struck out five and allowed just
two runs in five innings, while young reliever Daniel Gossett tossed four
scoreless frames to finish the game.
UCLA (34-13) -- The Bruins picked up a nice home series win
over Purdue last weekend, and they’re taking care of business on the road this
weekend against Washington. UCLA starting pitcher Nick Vander Tuig allowed just
three runs in 6 1/3 innings, while outfielder Jeff Gelalich had a home run and
three hits in an 11-3 triumph to clinch an important road series victory.
FIVE MINUSES
San Diego (37-13) -- The Toreros were red hot entering the
weekend, but have taken a big step back with a pair of losses to Loyola
Marymount, dropping an 8-6 decision on Saturday despite a fierce late-inning
rally. USD was unable to get much going off LMU stud freshman starting pitcher
Trevor Megill, who struck out 12 and allowed just two runs in seven innings of
work.
Georgia Tech (30-21) -- The Yellow Jackets might be in some
trouble if they don’t finish the weekend series against the Cavaliers with at
least one win. Jackets starting pitcher Jake Davies was lifted after allowing
four runs in 4 2/3 innings, as GT dropped a 4-2 decision to Virginia to lose
the series. The Jackets were unable to do much against Virginia’s pitching
staff.
Cal State Fullerton (31-15) -- The Titans haven’t had too
many bad games this season, but they certainly did on Saturday, dropping a 7-1
decision to UC Santa Barbara. Fullerton starting pitcher Kenny Mathews allowed
three runs in five innings of work, while the Titans didn’t do much against
starting pitching Anthony Vasquez and the Gauchos pitching staff.
Central Florida (39-12) -- The Knights once again suffered a
significant RPI hit on Saturday with yet another bad loss, dropping a 9-6
decision to Marshall. UCF starting pitcher Brian Adkins allowed five runs on
six hits in 5 2/3 innings of work, while reliever Garrett Nuss only recorded
two outs and allowed four runs on four hits.
Gonzaga (29-19) -- The Bulldogs aren’t doing a single thing
to help their NCAA postseason cause this weekend. Gonzaga starting pitcher
Derek Callahan didn’t get out of the first inning without allowing five runs on
four hits, as the Zags dropped a tough 10-1 decision to Arizona State to lose
the series.