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TEAM OF THE DAY
Florida State
The Seminoles are playing an outstanding brand of baseball and continued their winning ways Tuesday night with a 2-1 triumph over rival Florida. FSU hard-throwing right-handed pitcher Luke Weaver tossed a gem against the Gators, striking out nine and allowing a run on three hits in six innings, while Marcus Davis and John Sansone each had two hits in the game.
UPSET OF THE DAY
Lamar over Houston
The Cougars have played exceptionally well over the past few weeks, but they finally stumbled Tuesday night in a 6-3 road setback to Lamar. The Cardinals used seven pitchers in the contest, while at the plate, second baseman V.J. Bunner hit a home run to lead the LU charge. UH sophomore right-handed pitcher Aaron Garza had a tough start against LU, allowing six runs (three earned) on four hits in 5 1/3 innings of work.
PLAYER OF THE DAY
TJ Lighton, RHP, Virginia Military
Virginia Tech has one of the nation's most potent offensive lineups, but Lighton made easy work of that lineup Tuesday in an 8-0 Keydets victory. Lighton struck out three batters, walked none and allowed just six hits in a complete game shutout. He also threw 103 pitches, 72 for strikes.
FEELING GOOD
LSU: The Tigers are yet another team playing exceptionally well, earning a 14-1 win over in-state foe Tulane. LSU freshman shortstop Alex Bregman had yet another great game at the plate, going 4-for-4 with three runs scored and an RBI, while outfielder Andrew Stevenson had two hits and two RBIs. On the mound, Russell Reynolds put together a solid start, striking out four, walking one and allowing a run on four hits in seven frames.
Texas A&M: Aggies right-handed pitcher Rafael Pineda was lifted from the weekend rotation after a couple of bad starts, but he returned to his normal self in a 7-0 win over Texas-Arlington. He struck out three and allowed just three hits in 7 1/3 shutout frames. Meanwhile, hot-hitting first baseman Cole Lankford led the Aggies at the plate with a hit and two RBIs.
Utah: The Utes made a statement over the weekend with a road series win over Stanford. They were at it again on Tuesday in a 5-4 win over BYU in 10 innings, as TJ Bennett hit a walk-off RBI single to win the contest. Bennett finished the game with two hits and an RBI, while shortstop Cory Hunt went 4-for-4 with two RBIs.
Central Arkansas: Though the Bears had a tough weekend at Oral Roberts, they showed a lot of resiliency in an 11-3 win over Oklahoma State on the road. UCA reliever Clint Green allowed just a run in seven innings, while at the plate, second baseman Blake Marchal went 2-for-4 with five RBIs. Also worth noting, Forrestt Allday and Scott Zimmerle each had four hits.
Sam Houston State: The Bearkats have played an outstanding brand of baseball during the midweek so far this season, with right-handed pitcher Tyler Eppler having yet another great start in a 9-3 win over Rice. Eppler struck out two and allowed just five hits in six shutout innings, while third baseman Kevin Miller led the charge at the plate with three hits and an RBI.
Mississippi State: The Bulldogs responded in a big way from the road series loss to Kentucky over the weekend with a 13-5 win over a solid Austin Peay club. State designated hitter Trey Porter went 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored and three RBIs, while outfielder Hunter Renfroe had a hit and RBI, two stolen bases, and also walked twice.
Pepperdine: The Waves appear to be back in business after an 8-6 win over Cal Poly. Pepperdine outfielder Bryan Langlois went 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored and two RBIs, while third baseman Austin Davidson had a big game with three hits and two RBIs.
WANTING A DO-OVER
Stanford: The Cardinal surprised everyone this past weekend with a tough home series loss to Utah. Instead of coming out Tuesday on fire, the Cardinal struggled offensively in a 2-1 loss to UC Davis. Stanford got two solid innings from freshman Freddy Avis, while it was silenced by four UCD pitchers, including Evan Wolf, Spencer Henderson, Zach Williams and Max Cordy.
TCU: Horned Frogs starting pitcher Trevor Seidenberger struck out six and allowed just two runs in six innings of work, but the bullpen was unable to take care of business in a 5-4 loss to Dallas Baptist. The Patriots used 10 pitchers in the win over the Frogs.
San Diego: The Toreros suffered a tough series loss to Gonzaga over the weekend, and didn't respond in impressive fashion Tuesday in an 8-4 loss to Cal State Northridge. The Toreros really struggled in the loss to the Matadors, while sophomore pitcher Brandon Warner led Northridge with five shutout frames.
Auburn: The Tigers suddenly are starting to struggle. AU got swept in SEC play over the weekend, and didn't look good in an 11-2 loss to Troy. AU starting pitcher Trey Wingenter allowed two runs on five hits in 3 2/3 innings of work, while Trey Cochran-Gill didn't fare better out of the bullpen, allowing five runs on three hits in 1 1/3 innings.
Georgia: The Bulldogs just continue to scuffle in ugly fashion. Georgia dropped a 9-1 decision to Clemson at home with starting pitcher Luke Crumley struggling. Crumley allowed five runs on five hits in just three innings, while the Bulldogs were unable to do much against Clemson freshman Matthew Crownover, who allowed a run in five frames.
East Carolina: The Pirates just can't seem to get into a groove. ECU starting pitcher Tyler Bolton allowed two runs on seven hits in just 2 1/3 innings of work in a 10-4 loss to William & Mary at home, Meanwhile, reliever Andy Smithmyer also had a tough night on the mound, allowing four runs on seven hits in 3 2/3 innings.
TOP PERFORMANCES
Colby Holmes, RHP, South Carolina: The veteran righty put together a solid start as the Gamecocks captured a 3-1 win over College of Charleston. Holmes struck out eight, walked two and allowed just a run on four hits in 7 1/3 innings in a win over in-state foe College of Charleston.
Jordan Cooper, LHP, Middle Tennessee: The Blue Raiders have been pleased with Cooper's progressions on the mound. He was phenomenal in a 2-1 win over Memphis, striking out 10, walking two and allowing just three hits in six shutout frames.
Matt Bell, RHP, South Alabama: The talented junior put together a great start in the 3-1 win over Southern Miss. He struck out three, walked one and allowed just three hits in six shutout frames. He threw 75 pitches, 48 of them for strikes.
Sam Kelley, LHP, UAB: The Blazers captured an impressive 1-0 win over in-state foe Alabama with Kelley leading the charge. He struck out a batter and allowed just two hits in five shutout innings. He threw 61 pitches, 34 for strikes.
Ruben Rios, RHP, North Carolina Central: Rios put together a solid start as the Eagles captured a 10-0 win over Longwood. Rios allowed just four hits in seven shutout frames.
Ryan Retz, RHP, High Point: Retz put together a solid start in an 8-0 win over Elon. Retz struck out two, walked one and allowed five hits in five shutout innings.
Heath Bowers, RHP, Campbell: The Camels continue to play very well, capturing a 6-3 win over Duke with Bowers leading the charge. Bowers struck out seven, walked none and allowed two runs on six hits in 6 2/3 innings.
Ryan Tuntland, 3B, West Virginia: Tuntland put together an impressive offensive performance in a 16-9 win at Eastern Kentucky. He went 4-for-6 with two doubles, four runs scored and two RBIs.
Patrick McGrath, RHP, Loyola Marymount: The talented right-handed pitcher struck out five, walked two and allowed just a run on five hits in 5 2/3 innings in an impressive 3-2 win over Cal State Fullerton.