College baseball in the state of Mississippi is always exciting. Mississippi State won the 2021 National Championship and Ole Miss, once ranked #1 in the country this season, are always dominant figures in the SEC. But, this season, a different team in Mississippi has led the pack: Southern Miss. Riding a 15-game win streak, Southern Miss has dominated the entire season, sitting at 33-8 overall and 16-2 in Conference USA play. “It’s just been lots of fun here lately. We’re just playing good baseball,” Southern Miss slugger Slade Wilks said. “We’ve been playing with a lot of confidence, and playing with a lot of confidence is really fun.” Last season was successful for the Golden Eagles, but they were close to achieving much more. Southern Miss won 40 games on the season, but lost two heartbreakers to Louisiana Tech in the Conference USA Tournament and fell in a winner-take-all game against Ole Miss in the Oxford Regional Final in the NCAA Tournament. The Golden Eagles lost Reed Trimble, their strongest hitter, to the MLB Draft, but returned the majority of their offense for this season. “We got that late postseason experience going into this year; we just know what to expect,” Wilks said. “All of our offense is back from last year. We’re just building on last year with another year of experience.” That extra year of experience has been important for the Golden Eagles, as they have played well this season with wins against in-state rivals Mississippi State and Ole Miss. They also won series over Louisiana and Louisiana Tech among others. Through six series of conference play, Southern Miss holds a four game lead in the Conference USA standings. “We were on the verge of being on the top of our conference this year, and that’s something we go out to do every year — be at the top of our conference,” Wilks said. “We knew we could be a really good team… You’ve been able to see it come together more; we’ve been playing some really good baseball. I still think we could obviously be a lot better, but we’re starting to play good.” Southern Miss is ranked fifth in RPI, propelled by its elite pitching staff. During conference play, the Golden Eagles’ pitching staff has recorded a 2.45 ERA. “It takes a lot of pressure off of us,” Wilks asid. “It’s really fun to go out and watch our pitchers pitch. Not just our starters, but the guys coming out of the ‘pen. We just have a really good pitching staff.” The offense has performed nearly as well with Wilks leading the way. He struggled in his freshman season, hitting .158 in 30 games. But, his sophomore season has been entirely different. Wilks is hitting .319 with six homers. “Coming in as a freshman, I was just trying to do too much at the plate,” Wilks said. “I went off to summer ball, found myself again and let that carry over. It was just maturity.” Wilks has become a leader on the Golden Eagles, both at the plate and in the clubhouse. But, he said he isn’t the only leader in the program. “Our team is really built full of leaders,” Wilks said. “We have some great offensive leaders on this team.” Team continuity has been a reason Southern Miss has succeeded in 2022. While Wilks notes that “they haven’t accomplished anything yet,” the Golden Eagles could be on their way to accomplishing more than they have since 2009, when they appeared in the College World Series. “We’re about as close as a group of college guys could be,” Wilks said. “We’re just out there having fun. It’s nice, we take it one game at a time.” Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

There is no conference in college baseball that has made as big of a leap than the one the Sun Belt has taken this year. In the conference RPI rankings, the Sun Belt is ranked No. 8, ahead of conferences such as the American Athletic, Big Ten and even other strong mid-major conferences like the Atlantic Sun. The conference has three teams in the top 50 of the RPI: Texas State, Georgia Southern and Louisiana Lafayette. Could the Sun Belt Conference be a multi-bid, and dare we say, three-bid league? No. 13 Texas State It’s no secret that Texas State has been one of the best teams in college baseball this season. Everybody remembers their big midweek victory at Texas in early March, along with other series victories against Arizona in Tucson and sweeping Ohio State. The Bobcats are ranked No. 13 in the College Baseball Nation Top 50 and have been hitting their stride as of late. The Bobcats have won nine in a row and have been peaking at the right time. Dalton Shuffield has been one of the best hitters in all of college baseball this season, having a .392 average with seven home runs on the year. The Bobcats have a .301 team batting average. Their pitching has been no slouch either. Tristan Stivors is one of the best relief pitchers in college baseball, posting a 1.89 ERA with nine saves in 33.1 innings this season. In a home series at the beginning of April, Texas State lost back-to-back close games against Georgia Southern at home. Since that Saturday two-run loss, Texas State has rattled off nine consecutive victories. The Bobcats still have many important games in conference play, including a big one in their final home weekend series of the season against Louisiana Lafayette. No. 24 Georgia Southern We mentioned Georgia Southern in last week’s mid-major roundup, but we’ve determined that wasn’t enough. In the last week, Georgia Southern fell at Florida State in extra innings but then impressively swept a series at South Alabama. The Eagles are No. 3 in the RPI. (No, that’s not a typo.) Georgia Southern has the third strongest non-conference schedule, and they’ve made the most of it, winning six quadrant 1 games. They’ve dominated at home, winning 10 in a row on their home grass. Their offense continues to be strong, with Jason Swan (.318 AVG) and Jesse Sherrill (.313 AVG) powering the lineup. Ty Fisher is pitching well, especially after a seven-inning, two run performance this past weekend at South Alabama. If Georgia Southern continues to play strongly, there should be no reason they would not be an NCAA Tournament participant. No. 42 Louisiana Lafayette While Texas State and Georgia Southern are in the top 25 and leading the Sun Belt conference, Louisiana is not far behind. Ranked No. 42 in the College Baseball Nation Top 50, Louisiana has sneakily had a very difficult non-conference schedule — fourth in the country. Louisiana has four quadrant 1 victories, including one over No. 5 Southern Miss. This past weekend, the Ragin’ Cajuns swept Georgia State to improve to a 23-16 record. They’ve been playing better as of late, winning eight of their last 10 to position themselves onto the tournament bubble. Louisiana’s next eight games are all against teams under .500. If they’re able to play well through that period, Louisiana will travel to Texas State for their biggest series of the year on May 13-15. Their pitching has been fantastic, especially in conference play. Their staff has a 3.49 ERA in 18 games, striking out 147 batters through that time frame. Carson Roccaforte has been one of the best hitters in the Sun Belt, posting a .367 average and a 1.144 OPS during conference play. He has a .360 average on the year. As the season has progressed, Louisiana has gotten onto the bubble quickly. They must continue to take care of business in the coming weeks before their big series against the conference leader, Texas State. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

As conference play continues halfway into April, there are a few potential bid stealers on the rise. Midway through the season, we have released a Field of 64 projection. Here are two teams that have been on the rise within their respective conferences and could find their way into the NCAA Tournament. Georgia Southern We’re only a few weeks into conference play, but Georgia Southern already has two key series wins against their top two opponents in Sun Belt Conference play. Over the past two weekends, the Eagles traveled to Texas State, who is ranked No. 12 this week, winning two out of three and then hosted Georgia State at home sweeping them. The season started off incredibly slowly for Georgia Southern, as they started the year 2-5 after being swept by Tennessee and lost two out of three against UCF, but they have won 22 of their last 28 games to put themselves back into the conversation. Nothing looks better for Georgia Southern than their RPI, as they are ranked eighth in the country. Their 14th ranked strength of schedule has helped mighty, but they have dominated at home to propel them in the rankings. While Texas State is the favorite in the Sun Belt, Georgia Southern is making their presence known. Noah Searcy, Jason Swan, and Jarrett Brown have made their impact known with the bats, as they all have batting averages north of .318. As a team, Georgia Southern has hit .268 while only hitting 30 home runs. The pitching has lacked consistency, but starter Ty Fisher has been great in conference play. Fisher has posted a 3.06 ERA in his five starts so far this season. Georgia Southern still has opportunities to build their resume. They will travel to Florida State on Wednesday and will also play Georgia Tech before rounding out the season with five more weekend series. Kennesaw State It’s to nobody’s surprise the Atlantic Sun is one of the best mid-major conferences in baseball this year. But, even with Liberty leading the way, Kennesaw State has been loud in conference play. Before this weekend, Kennesaw State was 10-2 in conference play. That was before a three-game set with Liberty where they lost two out of three. This shouldn’t cause panic for Kennesaw State fans, though. The Owls were very good in non-conference play, which included a win against Georgia Tech. But, the time is now for Kennesaw State. They are 22-12 overall with a 11-4 conference record; their RPI is 17th in the country. This week, they have non-conference, mid-week opportunities against Georgia State and Auburn; the following week they will play two at Georgia Southern before beginning May with a game at Georgia. In the ASun, teams play each other twice. So, even though Kennesaw State lost two of three against FGCU and Liberty, they have a second opportunity against their conference opponents. Their resume is there, they will just need to take advantage of their second chances against tough conference opponents. Georgia Southern vs Kennesaw State The best part about these two teams (and we swear this didn’t factor into our decision of who to pick), is that they will meet twice at Georgia Southern on April 26 and 27 on ESPN+. It goes without saying that this matchup will be huge for both teams. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

Another week of ACC baseball and another week of mass confusion in the standings. The top five teams in the Atlantic Division have 10 or 11 wins. Who is going to separate themselves from the rest of the pack? Miami appears to be in cruise control in the Coastal Division, but Virginia Tech is quickly approaching and Virginia is right on their heels. These next few weeks are going to be a fun ride in the ACC. Let’s dive in and see what happened this weekend. No. 13 Notre Dame Responds by Sweeping No. 26 Wake Forest After Notre Dame was surprisingly swept by Duke a week ago, the Fighting Irish bounced back by sweeping Wake Forest in South Bend to remain atop the ACC Atlantic Division standings. John Michael Bertrand turned in yet another stellar performance on the mound Friday evening, tossing 6 innings, giving one two runs (one earned) while striking out four batters. On Saturday, Notre Dame pounded out 19 hits on their way to a 21-3 victory to claim the series over the Demon Deacons. Carter Putz led the way at the plate with four hits, three runs, and two RBI. When this offense is clicking on all cylinders, they are going to be a tough out in any regional. Wake Forest had a chance to salvage the series on Sunday, but late innings heroics by the Fighting Irish kept the sweep intact. Trailing 12-8 entering the bottom of the 7th, Notre Dame scored the final five runs of the game. In the bottom of the 9th inning with the game tied, Putz singled, bringing home Brooks Coetzee to complete the walkoff. Notre Dame will host Boston College and Pittsburgh before heading to Coral Gables to end their season. No. 22 Louisville Outlasts Tommy White, No. 29 North Carolina State The Cardinals captured their 15th and 16th come from behind victories of the season, keeping pace with Notre Dame in the Atlantic Division. Louisville scored 32 runs over the weekend, proving that they have one of the best offenses in the conference. The Wolfpack on the other hand, did not go away easily, belting 11 home runs, four of which came from the bat of freshman phenom, Tommy White. After splitting the first two games of the series, the teams battled it out on Sunday until the final pitch. North Carolina State opened the game with five runs in the first inning, including three home runs. Louisville responded with four runs of their own in the home half of the inning. White blistered his second home run of the afternoon in the 7th inning, giving the Wolfpack a 7-6 lead, but it was all Louisville from there. Jack Payton hit a ground rule double with bases loaded, followed by a trio of RBI’s to give Louisville an 11-7 lead, which held as the final score. The Wolfpack, who have lost two of their last three ACC series, get a week off before taking on rival North Carolina, in Raleigh. No. 46 Clemson Rallies to Knock Off No. 14 Florida State Although he did not pick up the win on Friday, Parker Messick was lights out yet again. After earning ACC Pitcher of the Week honors for his performance against Louisville, Messick backed that up with 7 strong innings against Clemson, allowing two earned runs and striking out eight batters. Max Wagner hit a grand slam in the 8th inning that proved to be the game winner on Friday, 6-4 in favor of the Tigers. The Seminoles evened the series on Saturday with a 4-3 victory, forcing a deciding game on Sunday. James Tibbs broke the tie in the 7th inning with a solo home run to give Florida State a one run lead, which would hold as the final score of the game. Wagner, who homered on Friday for the Tigers, hit two more home runs on Saturday. The rubber match on Sunday came down to the final innings, with the Tigers scoring three runs in the bottom of the 8th inning to break the tie and take the series. Although Clemson is just 6-11 in the ACC, the RPI continues to be impressed with what the Tigers are doing. They have now won two series in a row and have a showdown with the Cardinals in Louisville next weekend. Win that series and the Tigers will be in business. No. 4 Miami Gets Back on Track, Takes Down No. 44 Pittsburgh After winning four straight ACC series, the Panthers ran into one of the best teams in the country over the weekend, dropping two games to the Hurricanes in Coral Gables. Pittsburgh gave Miami all they could handle on Friday night, taking the game into extra innings before falling 2-1. In the bottom of the 10th, CJ Kayfus singled to left field, scoring the winning run in walk-off fashion. Both of the starting pitchers were dominant in their no-decision. Matt Gilbertson tossed eight innings of one run baseball, allowing just six hits and striking out seven Hurricanes. His counterpart, Carson Palmquist, set the tone for the Miami bullpen, keeping the Panthers off the scoreboard for the 5.1 innings he worked. On Saturday, the Hurricanes scored early and often, dominating the second game 17-2. Karson Ligon (W, 5-2) kept the Panthers off balance all game long, going eight innings, allowing just one run. The Panthers bounced back on Sunday to take the third game, 9-4. They will get to enjoy a weekend away from ACC play as they host North Carolina A&T next weekend. No. 10 Virginia Sweeps North Carolina The Cavaliers climbed all the way up to No. 4 in the country just a few weeks ago before dropping two consecutive series to Miami and Pittsburgh. Virginia made a statement this weekend, outsourcing the Tar Heels 25-12. Virginia used the long ball on Friday night as they won the series opener, 4-2. Griff O’Ferrall, Alex Tappen, and Colin Tuft all homered to pace the Cavaliers offense. On Saturday, Virginia was trailing 7-4 heading into the bottom of the 9th inning. It appeared that North Carolina would be forcing a rubber match on Sunday, but the Hoos had other plans. Virginia was able to manufacture three runs, tying the game at seven in the home half of the 9th inning. Just a few batters later with the bases full of Cavaliers and Devon Ortiz at the plate, he launched a ball just inside the left field foul pole for a series clinching grand slam. Virginia completed the sweep on Sunday, taking game three 10-3. The Cavaliers will host Virginia Tech next weekend in one of the most anticipated series in all of college baseball. The Dish is going to be rocking. No. 18 Virginia Tech Wins Fourth Straight ACC Series, Sweeps Boston College The Hokies have put the rest of the nation on notice, winning their fourth straight conference series after being selected to finish sixth in the Coastal Division. This is your final warning, it’s time to get on board because this team is for real. Virginia Tech, who has been known for their offensive prowess, took care of the Eagles by playing a different style of baseball this weekend. The Hokies scored 14 runs but only surrendered five in all three games. Sure, Boston College is no juggernaut at the plate, but Virginia Tech is proving they can win in a multitude of ways. Friday and Saturday night starters, Griffin Green (W, 6-1) and Drue Hackenberg (W, 8-0), combined for 13.2 innings, allowing just one run while striking out 14 Panthers. If Virginia Tech Skipper, John Svec, can get this type of production out of his pitching staff, coupled with the offensive attack we have become accustomed to seeing out of the Hokies, watch out. This is not a team you will want to see in your regional. Duke Upsets No. 14 Georgia Tech in Atlanta You will be hard pressed to find a series that saw as much firepower as Duke and Georgia Tech over the weekend. The teams combined for 64 runs, including 17 home runs in just three games. In the series opener, the Blue Devils found themselves with a five run lead heading into the bottom of the 7th inning. The Yellow Jackets would tie the game and force extra innings. In the bottom of the 10th, Drew Compton hit a base knock up the middle, scoring Andrew Jenkins to complete the comeback. After taking the game on Saturday by a score of 8-4, the Blue Devils forced a rubber match on Sunday to decide the series. Ten home runs and 12 pitchers later, Duke completed the upset by taking down Georgia Tech, 15-14. Graham Pauley led the offensive for the Blue Devils with three home runs and eight RBI. Time is running out, but can Duke be this year's North Carolina State? Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

No. 15 TCU wins final two games in Stillwater, now first-place in Big 12 When No. 9 Oklahoma State opened the series with a 13-2 win in Stillwater, it seemed that the Cowboys would not have much trouble maintaining their position atop the Big 12 standings. OSU rattled off 17 hits, while starter Justin Campbell moved to 6-1 in 8.0 innings with just two hits allowed and 14 strikeouts. But TCU’s resilience was revealed. The Horned Frogs battled back, and won the next two games, shocking the Cowboys, to take first-place in the Big 12. The visitors from Fort Worth were off and running from the get-go in game two, a 6-4 win, mounting a 6-1 lead by the third inning. OSU responded with three runs, two of which were scored in the sixth, but TCU’s bullpen held the Cowboys there, shutting the powerful lineup out for the final three innings. Sunday’s 7-6 contest was taken down to the wire, and decided on the final out of the game. Played out remarkably even, with 10 hits apiece, OSU went up 4-3 in the third, but TCU pushed one run in each of the final four innings for a 7-4 advantage entering the bottom of the ninth. OSU nearly took that opportunity and walked it off, scoring twice in the frame, and even had runners on first and second with two outs. But two-way player Nolan McLean, who pitched the final two innings for the Cowboys, struck out swinging on a well-placed pitch from TCU closer Garrett Wright, giving the Horned Frogs a narrow win in the series’ most critical contest. Now 12-6 in Big 12 play, TCU has been battle-tested time and time again the last two weeks. In fact, the Horned Frogs have faced a Top 6 team in six of their last seven games. Their record in those contests? 5-1. No. 22 Texas Tech takes series from No. 40 West Virginia in back-to-back complete games from starters Inclement weather delayed the start of Texas Tech’s home series with West Virginia. But it did not douse the intense fire burning for the Red Raiders, who had dropped four straight, including a midweek game at New Mexico, entering the weekend. In a doubleheader on Saturday, head coach Tim Tadlock’s ballclub left nothing to chance. Complete games from Tech’s starting pitchers- Andrew Morris in game one and Brandon Birdsell in game two- kept the WVU lineup at bay, while the Red Raiders took both games, and the series. The opener appeared to be headed in the same direction of last weekend’s series opener at TCU after the Mountaineers scored four in the third for a 5-2 lead. But in that same inning, the Tech bats caught fire, scoring five runs that kept them in front the rest of the way. Morris looked shaky early on, but found his rhythm by the fourth, holding WVU scoreless for the remainder of the contest as he allowed just three hits. In game two, a 12-2 rout for the Red Raiders, Birdsell struck out nine, and both of the Mountaineers’ runs came unearned. In fact, of the seven runs scored by WVU on Saturday, just two were earned, both against Morris. According to Texas Tech’s sports information department, it marked the first time that Tech pitchers fired back-to-back complete games since April 11, 2009. A 15-4 loss on Sunday was much closer than the final result, with each side having its opportunities over the final innings. Entering the ninth, it was 5-4 in favor of the Mountaineers, but that did not last long. Four different Red Raider pitchers took the mound in the frame, as WVU went on a 10-run tear, promptly putting the game out of reach. Postgame, Texas Tech head coach Tim Tadlock noted that he and his staff “are definitely looking for a guy to pitch Sundays,” but praised the effort from Mason Molina and Trendan Parish early on. The Red Raiders have now dropped their last two Big 12 series finales, but have won four of their last five conference series. WVU leadoff hitter Austin Davis hit safely in all three games, capping the series with a 5-for-6 day in the series finale, with four runs scored. For Tech, Cole Stilwell hit a homer and a double on Sunday, finishing the series 5-for-14, and Ty Coleman was an impressive 8-for-13. No. 23 Texas blasts Baylor Sometimes, a statement is made early in the series, and that provides momentum for the rest of the weekend. Texas’ 20-1 rout of Baylor on Friday was that statement for the Longhorns, coming off a disappointing series loss at Kansas State a week ago. Back in the familiar atmosphere of Disch-Falk Field, Texas pounded the ball at the plate, with 48 hits in the series, outscoring the Bears 46-9 in a desperately-needed series sweep. The trio of victories puts Texas back in the league title conversation, as the Longhorns are now third in the ever-changing conference standings with a 9-6 mark. Baylor meanwhile, heads in the opposite direction, now seventh, at 4-11. Texas was consistent in Friday’s 19-run win, scoring in every inning from the second to the seventh, including a seven-run fourth that saw Ivan Melendez propel the Horns into double digits with a two-run homer. It was not the last time Melendez sent a pitch over the outfield wall. In game two, his two-run blast in the fourth made it 6-3, and on Sunday, he added a pair of home runs that helped Texas secure its 13-4 victory. On the weekend: four home runs, 6-for-10 at the plate, 10 RBIs. That level of hitting was nearly impossible for Baylor’s pitching staff to slow, and the results revealed that. The Longhorns hit for an eye-popping .448 in the series. No. 39 Oklahoma sweeps Kansas, highlighted by 14-inning thriller in game two It did not take the Sooners long to set the tone in Lawrence. Cade Horton’s steal of home in the third inning of the series opener said plenty about who would be the aggressor. Oklahoma promptly swept Kansas, extending its win streak to five games as the Sooners continue to fight in the middle of the Big 12 pack as one of the more underrated teams in the league. OU starter Jake Bennett allowed just one earned run through six innings on Friday, striking out seven in his third win of the year. That is not to say there was not some drama in the mix. Saturday’s 7-6 win for the Sooners was decided in the 14th inning of a game spanning nearly five hours, as both teams tallied 10 hits. With two outs in the ninth, Horton came up clutch, with a single up the middle that scored Mason Lowe and tied the score at six apiece. That is the way it stayed for the next four innings, until Peyton Graham singled and came around to score on a sacrifice fly from Tanner Tredway, for OU’s first lead of the game. Kansas attempted a counter, but went quietly in the bottom of the 14th, as OU hung on. Sunday’s duel needed only half of that before it was decided, with the Sooners dominating a 24-4 seven-inning result. Tredway, whose go-ahead sacrifice fly helped win OU the game the day before, was 4-for-6 at the plate, extending his hit streak to 13 games. He was 7-for-16 against the Jayhawks, pacing a lineup that hit .384 on the weekend. The sweep marked OU’s first series win since a March 25-27 series against Baylor. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

Slade Wilks, Southern Miss slugger, joins the podcast after the Golden Eagles hit an all time high in the rankings (No. 5). Texas A&M upsets Arkansas. John closes the gap in the pick'em. Get The College Baseball Nation Podcast on Apple Podcasts Get The College Baseball Nation Podcast on Spotify. Get The College Baseball Nation Podcast on Google Podcasts Have a question for Kyle and John? Send a DM to us on Twitter (@CollegeBallNat) or an email to podcast@collegebaseball.info and we might answer it on the podcast. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

The two top teams in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) met in New Orleans this weekend as East Carolina traveled east to take on Tulane. Tulane had not won a series over East Carolina since 2016. Tulane head coach Travis Jewett knew the importance of this weekend series at home. “Since I’ve been around here,” Jewett said before Friday’s game, “East Carolina has been the gold standard of this league. And, when you want something that somebody else has and has had for some time, it should excite you. That’s just competition.” Jewett had to make one of his most important decisions of the weekend before the games even got underway. Tulane Friday night starter Grant Siegel had to miss the series this weekend with forearm soreness, so Jewett had to alter his starting rotation. Left-hander Dylan Carmouche got the Friday start, pitching a day earlier than scheduled, but Jewett noted that Carmouche had his usual rest after Easter weekend created a longer week for the team. Tulane forced East Carolina starter Ryder Giles out of the game in the third inning on Friday. A four-run third inning was followed by a six run fourth inning and Tulane took a 10-0 lead and the game was all but over before it had even reached the halfway point. Jackson Linn hit a home run and drove in three runs and Trevor Minder homered and drove in five runs to lead the Green Wave’s offensive attack. The Pirates did all their scoring in the final three innings, including home runs by Zach Agnos and Bryson Worrell. Carmouche allowed four runs, but more importantly for his team, he pitched seven complete innings and gave the coaching staff plenty of pitching options for the rest of the weekend. In a reversal of scenarios, East Carolina used nine pitchers in the 11-5 defeat. The win for Tulane meant the two teams were tied in the conference standings going into Saturday. East Carolina outfielder Jacob Jenkins-Cowart homered in the first inning of Saturday’s game to give the Pirates an early 1-0 lead. Luis Aviles and Jackson Linn hit back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the inning to give Tulane a 2-1 lead. The Pirates went to the bullpen in the second inning and Carter Spivey took the mound. The rest of the game was all East Carolina. Cam Clonch hit a home run for the Pirates in the third inning, and Jenkins-Cowart hit his second home run of the game in the fifth inning forcing Tulane to go to the bullpen. The very next pitch was clobbered off the scoreboard in left field by Worrell and the Pirates led 7-2. Tulane finally got a run off of Spivey in the ninth inning (unearned), but Spivey was outstanding and kept the Pirates from having to use more than two pitchers after the taxing day the bullpen had on Friday. The 8-3 win put East Carolina in sole possession of first place once again with a lot at stake in Sunday’s finale. Zach Agnos led off Sunday’s game with a home run to get the Pirates on the board first. Tulane responded when Luis Aviles hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning and Tulane led 2-1. Brady Hebert and Ethan Groff hit solo home runs for Tulane to pace the offense. With Tulane leading 8-4 in the seventh, Hebert hit a towering two-run home run to right field, his second home run of the game. A brief rain delay in the eighth inning stopped play for a few minutes, but when the game resumed, Zach Devito closed out the 10-5 Tulane victory with his second inning of work. East Carolina used six pitchers in the Sunday defeat, while Tulane used only three. The two schools both found themselves with 8-4 conference records as the weekend came to an end. Tulane can score plenty of runs, but they can also be stopped as Houston showed a week ago and as East Carolina showed on Saturday. Siegel is expected to be back next weekend, and if he returns healthy, that makes a Tulane staff that just took two-of-three from the Pirates this weekend that much better. Tulane closes out the regular season with Cincinnati, Wichita State, and Memphis — nine games that can give them what they need to win the top spot and dethrone East Carolina in the AAC. Moving forward, East Carolina needs to figure out their pitching. The nature of their offense in the past has covered for what they may have lacked on the mound. But just when it seemed that Tulane was in trouble with the sidelining of Siegel, the Green Wave scored twenty-one runs in their two wins this weekend and won the series using significantly fewer pitchers than the Pirates did. The Pirates are already without the guy who was to be their ace, Carson Whisenhunt, who is out for the season. The Pirates have moved Ryder Giles from what had been his place at shortstop and made him a pitcher. The answers have not come easily, but the questions that remain about the rest of the 2022 season for East Carolina loom large. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

In a highly unpredictable SEC baseball season, Texas A&M is starting to look like a top team in the conference after a terrible start. There are only four weeks left in the regular season and at this point, all we really know in the SEC is that Tennessee is really good – the rest of the field remains wide open. What a Turnaround for Texas A&M Coming into SEC play it looked like Texas A&M might be one of the worst teams in the conference. They were just 10-6 with a series loss to Penn on their resume. Then they took down LSU to begin SEC play, but then lost series to Auburn and Alabama making you think the LSU series win was a mirage. Now they’ve won three straight series including series wins over top 10 teams in Georgia and Arkansas. Friday was a great pitching matchup between Connor Noland and Nathan Dettmer. Noland allowed 2 unearned runs on 2 hits and 3 walks with 7 strikeouts over 6 innings, while Dettmer allowed 1 earned run on 3 hits and a walk with 7 strikeouts over 5 innings in what ended up as a 2-1 win for Texas A&M. On the day, Aggie pitchers struckout 14 Arkansas batters. In game two, Arkansas jumped out to a 3-0 lead aided by a pair of solo home runs from Brady Slavens. A&M scored one late but it wasn’t enough in a 3-1 loss. Sunday’s game was a wild one as Texas A&M jumped out to a 9-1 lead after five, but Arkansas kept chipping away and a 5-run eighth brought them within a run, but that’s as close as they would get as the Aggies hung on for the 11-10 win to secure the series. Austin Bost was 3-4 with 4 RBI for Texas A&M, while Jack Moss was 4-5 with 3 RBI. LSU Continues Seesaw of a Season LSU could be the best team in the country or they could be the worst – it just depends on the weekend. They started conference play with a series loss, followed by a series win, followed by a series loss, followed by a sweep, followed by getting swept, and this past weekend they came back with a sweep of Missouri. It was a close series with Missouri, but unfortunately for the Tigers in yellow and black, they lost all three and now have the worst record in the conference. Jacob Berry powered the LSU offense on Thursday going 3-4 with 3 runs and a couple of solo home runs. Ma’Khail Hilliard was solid on the mound allowing 2 earned runs on 7 hits and no walks over 7 innings with 5 strikeouts. Friday’s game went back-and-forth and needed extras to be decided. That’s when Cade Doughty delivered the dramatics. LSU jumped out to a 7-3 lead on Saturday and held on for an 8-6 victory. Berry was 2-3 with another home run, while Tyler McManus was 3-3 with 3 runs and 2 RBI. Missouri’s Trevor Austin had 4 RBI in the game including a 2-run homer. Mississippi State Comes Back to Take Down In-state Rival Ole Miss Southern Miss may be the best team in the state this year, but that didn’t take anything away from the fierce rivalry between Mississippi State and Ole Miss. In fact, Ole Miss broke their attendance record for the weekend. Unfortunately for the home faithful, they witnessed a series loss to their rivals and now find themselves at the bottom of the SEC West. Kevin Graham set the tone on Thursday with a 3-run homer in the first inning for Ole Miss. They would ride that to a 4-2 victory – all 6 runs in the game were scored on home runs. Dylan DeLucia pitched a complete game for Ole Miss allowing just 2 earned runs on 5 hits and no walks with 8 strikeouts. Ole Miss jumped out to a 4-1 lead on Friday, but the Bulldog bats went to work late scoring two in the sixth, four in the seventh, and three in the eighth coming back for a 10-7 win. Brad Cumbest was 4-5 with 3 runs scored and an RBI for Mississippi State. Saturday’s game was the best of the weekend as a Jacob Gonzalez 2-run homer in the bottom of the ninth tied it up to send the game to extras. Brad Cumbest homered in the top of the 11th and Mississippi State was able to hold on for the win. A Rough Week for the Florida Gators Who Were Swept by Tennessee It had already been a disappointing year for the Florida Gators, but earlier this week they learned their staff ace Hunter Barco would be shut down indefinitely with an elbow injury. With that somber news, they then had to face the number one team in the country and it did not go well as they were swept, including an extra innings loss on Sunday. Chase Burns looked more like himself on Friday for Tennessee giving up just 1 earned run on 2 hits and 3 walks over 6.1 innings with 5 strikeouts. Barco’s replacement, Ryan Slater, did not fare as well, giving up 8 earned runs on 7 hits and 4 walks over 4.1 innings. Trey Lipscomb had a pair of hits, including a 3-run homer. Blade Tidwell continued his comeback and was stellar on Saturday, going 4.2 innings and giving up just 2 hits and a walk with 5 strikeouts. He and Camden Sewell combined to allow just 2 hits and 2 walks with 8 strikeouts in a shutout. Drew Gilbert and Luc Lipcius provided the offense with a couple of home runs that led to a 3-0 win for the Volunteers. It looked like the Gators were going to salvage a game on the weekend as they were up 4-0 after six innings on Sunday, but Tennessee rallied for one in the seventh and three in the ninth to send the game to extra innings where they won 6-4 in 11. Christian Moore was the star at the plate for Tennessee on Sunday as he had the 2-RBI single in the ninth to tie it up and then a 2-run homer in the 11th that won the game. There was also this crazy play to end the game, just pouring more salt in the Gators wounds. Auburn and Georgia Remain Next in Line Tennessee and, for now, Arkansas remain the leaders atop the two divisions. But behind them are a couple of teams trying to prove they belong among the best in the country in Georgia and Auburn. The pitching was outstanding for the Bulldogs on the weekend. Nolan Crips pitched 5.2 shoutout innings on Friday, while Cole Wagner delivered at the plate with a 3-run homer in a 4-2 win. A 3-RBI double by Parks Harber – part of a 3-hit game – was all the Bulldogs needed on Saturday as Jonathan Cannon returned to toss 5 perfect innings with 6 strikeouts and the bullpen kept the shutout intact. Alabama flipped the script on Sunday with a 3-0 win of their own to get a much-needed win for their NCAA Tournament hopes. Grayson Hitt went 6 innings for Alabama allowing just 3 hits and 2 walks with 7 strikeouts. Auburn might be one of the biggest surprises in the conference, and they were able to get just enough pitching and just enough offense over the weekend to take down South Carolina. A home run by Bobby Peirce broke a 3-3 tie in the 7th on Friday, and then Sonny DiChiara put the game away with a 2-run homer the following inning. South Carolina led 6-3 after six-and-a-half innings on Saturday, but then Auburn rattled off five unanswered runs for an 8-6 win. DiChiara and Brooks Carlson each had 3 hits in the middle of the lineup. Auburn finished off the sweep with a 2-0 win on Sunday. Joseph Gonzalez gave scattered 7 hits over 7 innings but didn’t walk anyone, and with that, was able to hold the Gamecocks scoreless. Blake Rambusch went 4-4 with an RBI and is hitting .382 on the season atop the Auburn lineup. Vanderbilt Back on Track – Get a Combined No-Hitter After losing three straight SEC series, including a sweep at the hands of their in-state rival, the Commodores have now won back-to-back series after taking down Kentucky this past weekend. It was a rout on Friday in a 10-0 win in which Chris McElvain and Christian Little combined for a no-hitter. Mcelvain went 7 innings and struckout 9 with 3 walks, while Little went the last two striking out 5 and walking one. Spencer Jones had a pair of hits and 3 RBI at the plate for Vanderbilt. The Wildcats overcame an early 2-0 deficit on Saturday and won 3-2 thanks to a brilliant performance out of the bullpen by Tyler Guilfoil who allowed just 1 hit in 4 innings with 5 strikeouts to seal the win. Vanderbilt scored 5 runs in the first four innings on Sunday and then held on for a 5-3 win. The top of the lineup got the job done as the Commodores 1-4 hitters were 9-17 with 5 runs and 4 RBI. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

If you think you've heard this before, you're not wrong—Tennessee is once again the No. 1 team in the rankings. This marks the fifth straight week with the Volunteers standing atop the top 50. Following Tennessee, Miami returns to No. 2 after a one-week dip to No. 4. Stanford and Oregon State, out of the Pac-12, fill spots 3 and 4. Southern Miss rises to No. 5 after sweeping Rice. This is the Golden Eagle's highest ever ranking in College Baseball Nation's Top 50. Virginia moves up to No. 6 after sweeping North Carolina. Gonzaga follows the Cavaliers at No. 7. Arkansas falls to No. 8 after dropping a series on the road in College Station, Texas at Texas A&M. Oklahoma State and UCLA round out the top 10. Texas A&M enters the top 25 at No. 20. Georgia Southern (24) and Wofford (25) also enter the top 25. Louisiana (42), Liberty (43), and San Diego (49) all enter the top 50. The ACC and leads all conferences with 11 ranked teams followed by the SEC (10), Big 12 (6) and Pac-12 (5). Teams from 16 different conferences are represented in the top 50. See the full top 50 below: Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

With Easter having just passed, we are less than three months from the 2022 draft and about four months removed from the publication of our Pre-season Top 50 College Draft Prospects. Suffice to say, a lot has changed in the college baseball landscape since the debut of the list. Not only have multiple highly touted hurlers succumbed to injury—a development that’s adversely impacted their draft stock—but a number of guys have seen their standing in the eyes of evaluators soar or plummet depending upon their performance this spring. Now that we’ve moved within the 3-month mark expect the action to increase here at CBN. We’re planning our first mock draft of the spring for early May, and this feature will be followed by additional mocks of varying lengths and scope as well as several in-depth articles on some of the top players available in July. In the meantime, enjoy our updated and expanded list: 1. Brooks Lee, SS, Cal Poly 2. Kevin Parada, C, Georgia Tech 3. Gavin Cross, OF, Virginia Tech 4. Jace Jung, 2B, Texas Tech 5. Chase DeLauter, OF, James Madison 6. Daniel Susac, C, Arizona 7. Jordan Beck, OF, Tennessee 8. Jacob Berry, 3B/OF, LSU 9. Dylan Beavers, OF, Cal Berkeley 10. Jud Fabian, OF, Florida 11. Cade Doughty, 2B/3B, LSU 12. Cam Collier, 3B, Chipola JC 13. Zach Neto, SS, Campbell 14. Connor Prielipp, LHP, Alabama 15. Cooper Hjerpe, LHP, Oregon State 16. Peyton Graham, 3B, Oklahoma 17. Landon Sims, RHP, Mississippi State 18. Blade Tidwell, RHP, Tennessee 19. Bryce Hubbart, LHP, Florida State 20. Gabriel Hughes, RHP, Gonzaga 21. Thomas Harrington, RHP, Campbell 22. Carter Young, SS, Vanderbilt 23. Peyton Pallette, RHP, Arkansas 24. Logan Tanner, C, Mississippi State 25. Parker Messick, LHP, Florida State 26. Brock Jones, OF, Stanford 27. Hunter Barco, LHP, Florida 28. Cayden Wallace, 3B/OF, Arkansas 29. Justin Campbell, RHP, Oklahoma State 30. Brycen Mautz, LHP, San Diego 31. Reggie Crawford, LHP, Connecticut 32. Adam Mazur, RHP, Iowa 33. Robert Moore, 2B/SS, Arkansas 34. Ryan Cermak, OF, Illinois State 35. Carson Whisenhunt, LHP, ECU 36. Jonathan Cannon, RHP, Georgia 37. Tyler Locklear, 3B, Virginia Commonwealth 38. Cade Hunter, C, Virginia Tech 39. Drew Gilbert, OF, Tennessee 40. Josh Kasevich, SS, Oregon 41. Jacob Melton, OF, Oregon State 42. Connor Staine, RHP, Central Florida 43. Drew Thorpe, RHP, Cal Poly 44. Joe Lampe, OF, ASU 45. Trystan Vrieling, RHP, Gonzaga 46. Jake Madden, RHP, Northwest Florida 47. Anthony Hall, OF, Oregon 48. Jordan Sprinkle, SS, UC Santa Barbara 49. Pete Hansen, LHP, Texas 50. Jace Grady, OF, Dallas Baptist 51. Sterlin Thompson, OF, Florida 52. Ben Joyce, RHP, Tennessee 53. Eric Brown, SS, Coastal Carolina 54. Riley Cornelio, RHP, TCU 55. Brandon Birdsell, RHP, Texas Tech 56. Hayden Dunhurst, C, Ole Miss 57. Trey Dombroski, LHP, Monmouth 58. Colby Thomas, OF, Mercer 59. Jared McKenzie, OF, Baylor 60. Zane Denton, 3B, Alabama 61. Alex Freeland, SS, Central Florida 62. Clark Elliott, OF, Michigan 63. Marcus Johnson, RHP, Duke 64. Nolan McLean, RHP, Oklahoma State 65. Owen Diodati, OF/1B, Alabama 66. Mack Anglin, RHP, Clemson 67. Brandon Sproat, RHP, Florida 68. Jack Washburn, RHP, Ole Miss 69. Silas Ardoin, C, Texas 70. Chris Newell, OF, Virginia 71. Nate Savino, LHP, Virginia 72. Colby Halter, 2B, Florida 73. Bryce Osmond, RHP, Oklahoma State 74. Carson Palmquist, LHP, Miami 75. Spencer Jones, 1B, Vanderbilt 76. Ryan Ritter, SS, Kentucky 77. Mason Barnett, RHP, Auburn 78. Jack Brannigan, RHP, Notre Dame 79. Orion Kerkering, RHP, South Florida 80. Zach Maxwell, RHP, Georgia Tech 81. Victor Mederos, RHP, Oklahoma State 82. Max Rajcic, RHP, UCLA 83. Sean McLain, OF, ASU 84. Ethan Long, 1B, ASU 85. Luke Gold, 3B, Boston College 86. Troy Melton, RHP, San Diego State 87. Drew Compton, 3B/1B, Georgia Tech 88. Adam Maier, RHP, Oregon 89. Jimmy Crooks, C, Oklahoma 90. Ivan Melendez, 1B, Texas 91. Eric Reyzelman, RHP, LSU 92. Luis Ramirez, RHP, Long Beach State 93. Kamren James, 3B, Mississippi State 94. Michael Prosecky, LHP, Louisville 95. Aaron Nixon, RHP, Texas 96. Chris Villaman, RHP, NC State 97. Dalton Rushing, 1B/C, NC State 98. Jack Jasiak, RHP, South Florida 99. Jacob Watters, RHP, West Virginia 100. Sebastian Keane, RHP, Northeastern Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

It was a wild holiday weekend in Big 12 play to say the least. With everyone but West Virginia and Oklahoma State playing on short rest in a Thursday-Saturday series format, a couple of surprising results unfolded, while the Cowboys of OSU found their way back to the top of the conference standings. Here is a closer look at the surprises, highlights, and noteworthy performances of the last several days in Big 12 action. Kansas State shocks No. 21 Texas in Manhattan In one of the more surprising results of the weekend, Kansas State found a way to beat No. 21 Texas on consecutive days, en route to the Wildcats first Big 12 series win of the year. It was far from the result most would have predicted entering the weekend, with the Longhorns coming off back-to-back series victories over Oklahoma and TCU, facing the last-place Wildcats. Perhaps the biggest question that stems from Manhattan is whether this result says more about the potential of K-State, or the now-visible struggles for Texas. Because even in the Horns’ 4-2 victory on Sunday, “convincing” would not be the best description. The loss drops Texas to 6-6 in conference action, and down to No. 21 in CBN’s Top 50, while K-State, playing its best baseball of the year, jumped ahead of in-state rival Kansas, departing the Big 12’s cellar, with a 3-7 league mark. In the series opener, Texas ace Pete Hansen, who was unstoppable last week in a two-hit shutout against TCU, struggled majorly for the first time all season, giving up eight hits, six earned runs, and two walks. Eight strikeouts failed to make up for K-State’s hot hitting. Wildcat starter Griffin Hassall did not fare much better, with five earned runs, but the bullpen shut out the Longhorns over the final four innings. For as much as Texas struggled, K-State also deserves plenty of credit, as the Wildcats found ways to score, led by Josh Nicoloff, who was 5-for-10 at the plate, including an impressive 3-for-3 day in Friday’s 8-1 victory. K-State hit .268 for the series, aided by nine walks and a four-homer performance in Thursday’s 8-5 win. Baylor’s first Big 12 series win comes over Kansas It had been a long time coming for Baylor. The Bears, despite an even .500 record entering the series against Kansas, lost five straight before Thursday's series opener, and dropped each of their first three Big 12 series. But against the Jayhawks at home, Baylor broke through. After dropping game one, 3-2, head coach Steve Rodriguez’s squad bounced back in a 19-2 rout on Friday afternoon. Four different players had three hits, including centerfielder Jared McKenzie, whose power-hitting showed in a two-run homer in the first inning, followed by a bases-clearing double in the sixth. A 6-5 victory in Saturday’s series finale handed Baylor its second win of the weekend, as the Bears put four runs on the board between the fifth and seventh innings. Jack Pineda swatted a solo homer in the seventh, breaking a 5-5 tie, and Kyle Nevin’s blast later in the frame extended the lead to two, as Kansas failed to overcome the deficit. The Bears’ lineup was what won Baylor the series, hitting .361 (39-for-108), with eight doubles, two triples and five home runs, while demonstrating exceptional strike zone awareness with 12 walks. No. 19 TCU sweeps No. 20 Texas Tech in surprising result It has been well-documented that Lupton Stadium is not an easy place to play. But that home-field advantage for TCU, who was coming off a series loss at Texas, was put to the test against the mighty Red Raiders of Texas Tech in Fort Worth. And while a trio of competitive duels unfolded, it was TCU who swept Tech, catapulting the Horned Frogs into second place in the Big 12 standings. For the first five innings of the series opener, it appeared that the Red Raiders, looking to rebound from Tuesday’s 14-9 loss to Oklahoma, would be the ones challenging the Horned Frogs. They certainly challenged, but not to the fullest extent, as Tech’s 2-0 lead was erased when Tommy Sacco homered in the sixth, tying the score, leading to two more runs in the inning, as TCU took a 7-4 victory. A narrow 4-3 win for TCU on Friday that saw Tech strand the bases loaded in the ninth was perhaps the best summary of the weekend series. The Red Raiders had scoring opportunities, but were unable to cash in on enough of them for a win. TCU’s 11-3 statement win on Saturday provided a statement conclusion to the Horned Frogs’ first Big 12 sweep of the year. Following up a four-hit showing in TCU’s lone win in Austin a week ago, Sacco was again a tough out all weekend. He was 6-for-12 at the plate, scoring three runs with three RBIs. TCU starter Brett Walker set a season-high for fewest hits allowed, giving up just three over six innings in Saturday’s win. As a staff, TCU’s pitchers allowed 18 hits over the 27.0 innings, striking out 25 batters in the first two games, and gave up just seven earned runs to a lineup that had scored six or more runs in each of its last five games. Oklahoma State jumps to No. 2, regains control of Big 12 West Virginia’s run as the Big 12’s top team proved brief, as the Mountaineers ran into their toughest opponent of the season, and Oklahoma State regained control atop the conference standings, taking two of three in Morgantown. After a series win over Oklahoma last weekend, the Cowboys were more than ready to parlay the momentum, and did so, using strong pitching in game one, and an offensive outburst in the series finale. Justin Campbell toed the rubber for OSU in game one, and turned in a performance worthy of Pitcher of the Week recognition, helping the Cowboys to a narrow 2-1 victory with seven scoreless innings, eight strikeouts and just seven total baserunners. Nolan McLean picked up the save in a scoreless ninth, firing a three-pitch strikeout for the third out. A 5-2 win for the Mountaineers on Saturday saw the hosts even the series, but OSU came back on Sunday for the 13-3 victory that ended after eight innings due to a run-rule. WVU turned to almost every option left in the bullpen after starter Zach Bravo exited the contest after a five-run first inning for the Cowboys, but nothing slowed OSU on this particular afternoon. The Pokes’ 11 hits, seven walks, and three errors were enough for the visitors from Stillwater to score 10-plus runs in a game for the first time since an April 1 win over Kansas State. OSU shortstop Marcus Brown was 5-for-9 in the series, scoring three runs on Sunday and raised his batting average above .300 for the first time since March 2. It sets the Cowboys up for a must-see showdown at home against second-place TCU next weekend, which begins Friday. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

Who's better Georgia or Vanderbilt? Will either Mississippi State or Ole Miss make the tournament? Is Stanford really the best in the west? All of this and more on this week's podcast. Get The College Baseball Nation Podcast on Apple Podcasts Get The College Baseball Nation Podcast on Spotify. Get The College Baseball Nation Podcast on Google Podcasts Have a question for Kyle and John? Send a DM to us on Twitter (@CollegeBallNat) or an email to podcast@collegebaseball.info and we might answer it on the podcast. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!