This weekend saw plenty of movement as five teams in the Top 25 lost to teams that were outside of the Top 25, two of which were swept. Ten teams in the conference currently have eight, nine, or ten ACC wins. Top to bottom, this could be the deepest ACC we have ever seen. You really can not take a week off; just ask Louisville and Notre Dame. And Miami. Let’s go ahead and dive into this weekend's results. Duke Shocks No. 4 Notre Dame, Sweeps Fighting Irish Entering the weekend, the Blue Devils were on a six game conference losing streak and had not won an ACC series in five attempts this season. Facing one of the best collective pitching staffs in the entire country, Duke was expected to have their hands full. The Blue Devils had other plans, pounding out 36 hits and scoring 25 runs to complete the sweep of the visiting Fighting Irish squad, with 15 of the runs coming in the opening game of the series. Duke took care of business early and often on Thursday, with the eventual knockout punch coming in the 8th inning when the Blue Devils scored seven runs to win game one, 15-5. With an opportunity to win the series on Friday, Duke failed to cash in throughout the game, leaving nine runners on base. In the bottom of the 11th inning, RJ Schreck had seen enough. With runners on first and second and one out, Schreck lined a ball to right field, scoring Alex Mooney to win the series. Jimmy Loper, who picked up the save on Thursday for the Blue Devils, also tossed three innings on Friday to earn the win. Notre Dame will host Wake Forest next weekend as they attempt to get back in the win column. Panthers Stay Hot, Beat No. 9 Virginia Pittsburgh has now won their fourth straight ACC series after taking two games from the visiting Cavaliers. Although the Panthers were outscored 23-13, they still won the series. Baseball can be a strange game. It may sound like a broken record, but Matt Gilberston picked up his sixth win of the season after another strong performance on Friday. Gilbertson went eight innings, giving up four runs to one of the highest scoring offenses in the nation. The Cavaliers released some of their built up anger on Saturday, walloping the Panthers 18-0, setting up a big rubber match on Sunday. You have to tip your hat to the Pittsburgh pitching staff yet again as Billy Corcoran recorded his fifth win of the season after an impressive seven inning outing, giving up zero earned runs. Baron Stuart picked up the save, tossing the final two frames. Now that everyone has their attention on the Panthers, they will head to Coral Gables next weekend to take on the Hurricanes. Can Pittsburgh win their fifth straight series? Virginia on the other hand, has now lost two straight ACC series after winning their first four to begin the season. Coach Brian O’Connor will have his hands full against North Carolina and Virginia Tech over the next two weekends. No. 26 Florida State Dominates No. 13 Louisville, Sweeps Series It is no secret that Parker Messick and Bryce Hubbart make up one of the best duos in the country, but no one expected them to shut down the Cardinals in the manner they did. Facing one of the best offenses in the country, the two Florida State starters put this series on their shoulders after losing to Georgia Tech and Notre Dame in the two previous weekends. Messick and Hubbart combined for 12.1 innings, allowing 10 hits, one run, and striking out 20 batters. Both pitchers picked up a win and never gave the Louisville offense a glimmer of hope to make a threat. Louisville still sits atop the division, but they do not have near as much breathing room after taking three losses. The road does not get any easier for the Cardinals as they welcome North Carolina State next weekend. The Seminoles have entered themselves back in the conversation to claim the ACC Atlantic Division. They are currently one of four teams with nine or ten wins. Florida State has four conference series left with three of them coming on the road. If Messick and Hubbart continue to throw the way they did this weekend, it won’t matter where they play. No. 27 Virginia Tech Upsets No. 2 Miami If the Hokies did not have your attention prior to this weekend, they should now. This team is legit. In the upset of the Hurricanes, Virginia Tech lit up the scoreboard with 30 runs and 39 hits, taking the first two games of the series. The top three hitters in the Hokies lineup, Nick Biddison, Gavin Cross, and Tanner Schobel, combined for 21 hits, 14 RBI, and four home runs in the series. When you have that type of production from the top of your lineup, you are going to win a lot of games. After winning nine consecutive ACC games, the Hurricanes will host Pittsburgh next weekend as they try to get back on track. Even with the series loss, Miami still holds a four game lead in the Coastal Division. Nowhere near time to panic in Coral Gables — the Hurricanes will be just fine. No. 49 Clemson Takes Series from No. 18 Wake Forest on the Road The Tigers bounced back after losing five straight ACC games by taking the series from Wake Forest in Winston-Salem. The opening game on Friday saw nine hits combined and one single run, which came in the 9th inning. Clemson loaded the bases and scored the lone run on a sac-fly off the bat of Tyler Corbitt to pick up the opening game win. Mack Anglin and Geoffrey Gilbert teamed up for the shutout for the Tigers, surrendering just four hits for the game. On Saturday, the teams combined for 27 hits and 21 runs in a 10 inning thriller. With two runners on base in the bottom of the 10th, Michael Turconi belted a three-run home run to force the rubber match on Easter Sunday. With first place in the Atlantic Division on the line for Wake Forest, the Demon Deacons came up short as the Tigers took the game and the series, 10-8. The finale on Sunday saw nine home runs, five by Clemson, who were led by Caden Grice with two. Wake Forest will travel to South Bend next weekend to take on Notre Dame in a series with major Atlantic Division implications. No. 23 Georgia Tech Powers Past No. 31 North Carolina The Yellow Jackets belted 10 home runs this weekend, scoring 31 runs to win the series against a Tar Heels team that was in desperate need of a series win. Six different Georgia Tech batters hit a home run in the series. Kevin Parada and Tim Borden both chipped in with three home runs a piece, each hitting a grand slam on Sunday to secure the series. Borden launched two bombs during the rubber match and ultimately hit the game winning grand slam in the top of the 9th inning. After losing three ACC series in a row, the Yellow Jackets have found their stride, winning their last two series against North Carolina and Florida State. Georgia Tech will get Duke next weekend, who is coming off a sweep of Notre Dame. North Carolina is trending in the wrong direction after a scorching start to begin the season. The Tar Heels are 4-11 in their last 15 games after starting 18-3. There is plenty of season left, but the road does not get any easier as they travel to Virginia and North Carolina State over the next two weekends. No. 32 North Carolina State Sweeps Boston College The Wolfpack did not have their best stuff over the weekend but were fortunate enough to pull off the sweep against a struggling Boston College team. North Carolina State won two of the games by one run, before taking the finale 6-3. The Eagles outhit the Wolfpack in two of the three games but waited all weekend long for that big hit to open the floodgates, and it never came. It took the final at bat in each of the first two games in order for the Wolfpack to claim the victory, both of which came via unearned runs. With the sweep, North Carolina State is within striking distance of Louisville for first place in the Atlantic Division. Just who do the Wolfpack play this weekend? Louisville. Go ahead and grab a chair, it is going to be another exciting weekend in the ACC. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

After Tennessee nudged the door open a tiny bit with a couple of losses, Arkansas took the opportunity to jump back in with a sweep of LSU. We now, pretty clearly, have a two-team race in the SEC between Tennessee and Arkansas with five weeks left to go. Arkansas With a Smooth Sweep Over LSU The Tigers came into Fayetteville after an impressive sweep over Mississippi State, and were humbled by the new number three team in the country, Arkansas. It wasn’t an overly dominant performance by the Razorbacks with scores of 5-4, 4-0, and 6-2, but they did all the little things well that good teams need to do to win a baseball game. Freshman Hagen Smith had his best start of the year on Friday tossing 7 shutout innings allowing just 2 hits and 1 walk with 7 strikeouts. Arkansas was out-hit by LSU 11-6 on Sunday, but they were able to come up with some key hits – especially in that 4-run fifth. The Razorbacks are still three games behind the Vols for the top spot in the SEC, but have a pretty favorable schedule the rest of the way. Tennessee Bends But Doesn’t Break with Another Series Win The Volunteers had their worst week of the season going 2-2 with losses to Tennessee Tech and Alabama – that’s how high they’ve set the bar with an incredible start to the season. And they still came away with an SEC series win after dropping the first game to Alabama 6-3. A huge win for the Crimson Tide who continue to build their tournament resume and hold on to a winning SEC record. Owen Diodati had a big game in the win for Alabama going 2-for-4 with 2 runs, 2 RI, and a home run. But the Volunteer bats broke out in the final two games winning 9-2 and 15-4. Jorel Ortega was 4-for-5 on Sunday with 4 RBI, while Trey Lipscomb was 3-for-5 with 5 RBI. Worth noting, Tennessee ace Chase Burns has now failed to get past the third inning in his last two starts. And their number two starter, Chase Dollander, took a line drive off his right arm in the first inning of Saturday’s game and had to leave. The Aggies are back … Again! After starting off SEC play with a top-10 series win over LSU, Texas A&M followed that by losing a couple of series. Now they have back-to-back series wins and took down another ranked opponent in Georgia. Nathan Dettmer was great for A&M on Thursday allowing 1 unearned run on 5 hits and no walks over 8 innings with 9 strikeouts. Dylan Rock had a big 3-run home run in that game as the Aggies won 8-1. After dropping the middle game 4-3, the offense put up 23 on Friday, which included a 10-run ninth inning. In that game, Texas A&M had innings of 6, 6, and 10 runs scored. Jordan Thompson had the big game at the plate going 3-for-4 with 3 runs and 4 RBI. Georgia remains second in the SEC East behind Tennessee, but they’re still without their top pitcher in Jonathan Cannon. As for the Aggies, they’re tied for second in the SEC West, three games behind Arkansas. Vanderbilt and Florida Play Tightest Series of the Year A couple of teams who are very good on paper but haven’t really lived up to expectations played about as tight a three-game series as anyone can play with all three games decided by a total of four runs. Vanderbilt came out on top in the first two with Florida winning the last one in extra innings. Jack Bulger had 3 hits on Thursday with the last one being a walk-off. Florida was up 4-0 in game two, but Vanderbilt came back to win 8-6. Enrique Bradfield Jr. had a bases-clearing 3-run triple in the 6th that gave Vanderbilt the lead. The Gators almost blew another game late on Saturday giving up two in the ninth as the Commodores tied it up. But a Deric Fabian solo shot in the top of the 10th gave them the lead and they were able to hold on this time and avoid the sweep. This was a very fun series between two teams looking to get on track. Missouri, Mississippi State, and South Carolina Come Away With Series Wins Missouri needed a series win in a bad way and got one against Kentucky. Both of those teams are now tied for last place in the SEC East. And they’re also tied for the worst record in the SEC along with Ole Miss, who dropped a series to South Carolina. The Gamecocks are only one game ahead of Missouri and Kentucky – as is Mississippi State who won a series against Auburn this past weekend. The bottom two teams in the league will not make the SEC Tournament in Hoover, so it will be interesting to see which of these teams breaks free from the bottom in the coming weeks to remain relevant in the SEC. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

This weekend the Pac-12 Conference had its top teams in action. One series featured two teams in the top 15, while the other leading teams, except one, played weaker conference opponents. No. 11 Stanford at No. 5 UCLA Stanford traveled south to Los Angeles for an intriguing top 15 matchup with UCLA. The Cardinal sent ace Alex Williams to the mound on Thursday night to open the road series. Williams delivered a five-inning, one-run performance where he scattered two hits. Carter Graham and Braden Montgomery led Stanford with three-run home runs. The Cardinal bullpen only yielded two additional hits to Bruins batters who had just four hits in the game. Stanford pitchers held UCLA to just 1-for-15 with runners on base in the 9-1 Cardinal win. On Saturday, the two teams faced off again, this time on Jackie Robinson Day, on the field named after the civil rights icon at his alma mater. Michael Curialle hit a two-run home run in the second inning, and UCLA took a 4-0 to the fourth inning. Home runs by Montgomery and Drew Bowser kept Stanford close, and they tied the game with a run in the eighth inning. UCLA answered right back with a run in the bottom of the frame and held on for a 5-4 win to even the series. Saturday afternoon was all Stanford as they punished UCLA pitching. Quinn Mathews took the mound for the Cardinal and kept the UCLA bats quiet, while the offense gave Mathew’s plenty of room to work with. Brock Jones hit two two-run home runs and Bowser had a two-run home run of his own. Bowser added a two RBI double later in the game. Mathews tossed seven shutout innings and struck out eight batters, and the bullpen preserved the shutout as Stanford took the road series with the 11-0 win. Around the Conference After losing the opener by one run on Thursday, Utah bounced back to win the next two and take the series from No. 17 Arizona with 11-4 and 9-5 wins. Arizona’s TJ Nichols improved to 5-2 on the year and Chase Davis powered the offense with four RBI in the 7-5 win on Thursday, but the rest of the weekend belonged to the Utes. This was a bad weekend loss for Arizona as their unpredictable performance continues. Arizona is 11-7 in conference play and 24-12 overall so their chances remain very much alive, but they face a tough test with series remaining against Arizona State, Oregon, and Oregon State. Oregon swept Washington in Seattle over the weekend in three games decided by two runs or less. Jacob Walsh had a four RBI performance to lead Oregon’s offense and Anthony Hall added a two-run home run in the series-opening 7-5 win. Oregon needed some late magic, in the form of a five-run eighth inning, to win Friday’s game 8-6. Logan Mercado was solid out of the Oregon bullpen, throwing four innings and allowing just one unearned run. He earned the win with his performance and improved to 5-0 on the season. The Ducks needed eleven innings on Saturday after giving away a sizable lead in the eighth inning. Tanner Smith hit a late home run for Oregon and Colby Shade drove in the game winning run in the 6-5 victory. Oregon is now 10-5 in conference play. No. 12 Oregon State was in action over the weekend, but not within the conference. The Beavers played host to Long Beach State, and despite a narrow 3-1 win in Thursday’s opener, did not really struggle over the weekend with the Dirtbags, outscoring them 22-5 Friday and Saturday. Recapping Stanford finishes the weekend 11-7 in conference play, and if they get a near-complete team performance the rest of the way, like they got this weekend in Los Angeles, they should be fighting for the top two or three spots in the Pac-12 by the time the conference tournament gets underway on May 25. UCLA is 9-6 in conference play and their road could have become that much more difficult by only winning one game at home against Stanford. However, the Bruins will be favored to win their next three series before they close out the regular season at Oregon State, who might also be playing for positioning when that final weekend rolls around. Oregon State is 10-5 in the conference. Their early inability to close out Sunday sweeps is holding them back when looking at their conference record compared to their dominant 27-7 record overall. The Beavers remain the team to beat, but the distance between two and three is not as far as was once believed, and five teams have a legitimate chance of winning the regular season title. Five weekends remain for these programs, and if that seems like a long time or a lot of games, just consider that this weekend was week nine of the season. Opening weekend on February 18 does not seem all that long ago. May 25 in Scottsdale, Arizona will be here soon enough. The teams in the best position to win the first ever Pac-12 Tournament have until then to make their case on the field. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

Tennessee stays at No. 1 for the fourth straight week after winning a series against Alabama. The Tide ended Tennessee's 12-0 start to SEC play before the Volunteers bounced back to win the final two games of the series. No. 2 Oklahoma State traveled to Morgantown, West Virginia and took two out of three games from West Virginia Arkansas, Miami, and Stanford round out the top five. Oregon State swept Long Beach State and moved up to No. 6. Southern Miss, Gonzaga, UCLA, and Virginia finish out the top ten. Texas A&M (31), Mississippi State (43), Pittsburgh (44), and ECU (47) all enter the top 50. The ACC and SEC lead all conferences with 11 ranked teams followed by the Big 12 (6) and Pac-12 (5). Teams from 14 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!

The midpoint in the baseball season is here, so it's time for another Preseason Field of 64 projection! Listen to the College Baseball Nation Podcast! Last 4 in: UC Irvine Oklahoma Texas A&M North Carolina First 4 out: Kennesaw State Illinois Wofford Indiana State The full Field of 64 is below: Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

The American Athletic Conference (AAC) played just its second weekend of action this weekend. As the weekend concluded, no team is undefeated and several teams find themselves in the middle of the pack with plenty of time for position changes between now and the start of the conference tournament in Clearwater on May 24. Tulane Wins Fourth Straight Series Tulane was one of two teams that entered weekend play undefeated in conference action. The Green Wave hosted the Bulls of South Florida and Friday went according to script for Tulane. Grant Siegel tossed six innings allowing two earned runs to improve his record to 6-0 and Zach Devito handled the final two innings without allowing a run to earn his eighth save in the 8-5 win. Dylan Carmouche took the mound for the Green Wave on Saturday and pitched seven scoreless innings before the bullpen finished the 6-0 shutout. By the close of play on Saturday, Tulane was 5-0 and looked well on their way to a perfect record before heading to Houston for Easter weekend. Sunday saw things go off the rails for Tulane as they dropped the weekend finale 13-8. Despite scoring six runs in the sixth inning, the Bulls scored in five different frames and scored more than one run in four of those. Hunter Mink pitched the final four innings for South Florida and picked up his sixth save in the road victory. Cincinnati Comes From Behind Against Houston Houston took a 2-1 record to Cincinnati after the Bearcats took one game from ECU on opening weekend, getting to Pirates starter Jake Kuchmaner for 5 runs before chasing him in the second inning. The weather in Cincinnati was less than ideal on Friday and Saturday; in fact, there was a very light snow falling when Houston arrived at the ballpark on Saturday and the weather all day was in the 30’s. But the teams played on. Houston jumped on the Bearcats in the first inning Friday for a quick 4-0 lead. Behind the pitching of right-hander Jaycob Deese and closer Ben Sears, the Cougars took game one 5-4 to push their conference record to 3-1 after they opened conference play with a series win at home against Wichita State. The next two days were pretty much all Cincinnati as the Bearcats run-ruled the Cougars 13-3 in seven innings on Saturday and then out hit Houston in a 9-6 victory on Sunday to send both teams to week three of conference play with 3-3 records. East Carolina Move to 4-2 in American Play East Carolina was in every top 25 poll when the season began, but the Pirates started the season poorly, and that was not helped by the loss of their projected Friday starter Carson Whisenhunt to a “performance enhancing drug” suspension that eventually took him out of action for the entire season. The Pirates welcomed Wichita State (1-2) to Greenville this weekend. Ryder Giles allowed one run over seven innings for the Pirates on Friday, and despite a three-run ninth for the Shockers, East Carolina closed out the 6-5 win and Giles improved his record to 3-0. Saturday, East Carolina rolled to a 10-3 win. The Pirates scored ten runs on twelve hits without the benefit of a long ball. Three Pirates hitters, including Zach Agnos, had three base hits in the victory. Just as all seemed well after ECU took the first two games, the Shockers shutout the Pirates 5-0 on Sunday to leave questions about both teams very much on the table. Cameron Bye pitched eight scoreless innings for Wichita State to improve to 3-0. Chuck Ingram was 2-for-4 with a home run to lead the Shockers offense. UCF Tied Atop American Standings The Knights of Central Florida traveled northwest to Memphis for a weekend series that saved the theatrics for Sunday. On Friday, Landon Gartman allowed just one run over six innings and improved his record to 4-0. Dalton Kendrick handled the final three innings of work for Memphis, and he earned his fourth save with the 6-1 win over the Knights. The Knights took control of the series on Saturday as Alex Freeland (4-for-5) paced Central Florida with two home runs and a five RBI performance. Ben Vespi pitched four scoreless innings in relief for the Knights, who won the game 13-3 via the run-rule after seven innings. On Sunday, the Knights sent fourteen men to the plate in the first inning as they scored ten runs. In one of the most bizarre scenarios all season, UCF catcher Andrew Sundean hit a three-run home run in the top of the first inning, but the umpires examined his bat and ruled him out because, in their judgment, there was too much pine tar on the bat. Knights head coach Greg Lovelady went onto the field to talk with the umpires and made for the Memphis dugout and was eventually ejected. That preceded the ejection of Memphis starting pitcher Blake Wimberley seconds later as he objected to something Lovelady said. Wemberley was making a spot-start as the Tigers are having major pitching problems this season, losing many arms to injury. To add to the weirdness of the entire situation, the umpires overturned themselves and ruled the home run as valid and counted the runs. Down 10-0 in the first, the Tigers had little fight left as they fell at home 15-6. Tulane and Central Florida both ended the weekend atop the AAC at 5-1. Perennial leader East Carolina is just a game behind at 4-2. Houston and Cincinnati are even at 3-3. And Wichita State at 2-4 is one game better than Memphis and South Florida. The standings look a little different than in years past, even though this was only the second weekend. East Carolina has not figured out the starting rotation yet, and they will need to if they are to overtake the teams in front of them to repeat as regular season champions. Tulane scored eight runs in their only loss, so their offense should not be an issue, but the bullpen will need to keep opponents under thirteen runs, and more often than not, will deliver. Central Florida is the real wild card atop the standings right now. Their five wins have come against the teams with the worst records. The Knights face a test next week when they go on the road to face East Carolina. That will be a good measure to see where the Pirates stand as well. Tulane (No. 36) and UCF (41) are both ranked in this week's Top 50. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

In the 2021 season, the Gonzaga Bulldogs won the West Coast Conference regular season championship and traveled to Eugene in the NCAA Tournament. They won a game, but were then promptly eliminated ending their season. It was a good season for Gonzaga, most definitely one that would be categorized as successful. But, the Bulldogs were definitely looking for more. Entering the 2022 season, Gonzaga returned several of its key players. Picked first in the WCC preseason poll, there were questions if Gonzaga would live up to the hype. Through the first two weekends of April, they have. After an opening weekend that included two losses to Oregon State, Gonzaga has won 19 of its last 25 games. The hot stretch includes an impressive sweep of Oklahoma State on the road. Offensively, nobody has been more vital to the offense than freshman Cade McGee. He’s hitting .327 posting a .961 OPS while playing all but one game so far this season; his four home runs lead the team. Tyler Rando has been fantastic in his senior season so far, as his .326 batting average is a point behind McGee’s. On the pitching side of things, the loss of 2021 WCC Pitcher of the Year Alek Jacob has proved to be big at times for the Bulldogs. As a team, Gonzaga has a 4.36 ERA on the season, while in conference play posting a 5.30 ERA in the 12 games played. The Bulldogs have been very good in high-scoring games. This past weekend was a perfect example, as they scored at least 11 runs in all three games; they finished the weekend winning two out of three against San Francisco. But, is there anyone that can challenge Gonzaga? San Diego Toreros San Diego had a lightning quick start to the season when they won three of their four games against Oregon to open the season. Since then, things have slowed down a bit, but they continue to show they could be a threat to Gonzaga. San Diego is 7-5 in conference play and just lost a brutal series in Portland. Holding a 4-3 lead headed into the final inning in game three of the series, San Diego gave up a run in the 9th and 10th to lose the series. Most of their losses this season have been tough. Including their most recent loss, San Diego lost two of three at San Francisco – both of those losses were decided by one run. In conference play, San Diego has been pitching well, as they’ve posted a 3.25 ERA in 12 games. Their offense hasn’t been an either with Chase Meidroth (.368 average), Caleb Ricketts (.347 average), Jack Costello (.328 average), and Kevin Sim (.325 average) at the top of their lineup. San Diego has the talent, but they need to win the close games. It will be a big next few weeks for them, as they will travel to BYU April 21-23 and host Gonzaga in the final weekend series of the year, May 20-21. BYU Cougars The other team who could make some noise in the WCC is BYU. After a down year in 2021, BYU has played strong so far this season, but it has been a bit of a roller coaster. The Cougars have a series sweep at Arizona State on their resume, but also have multiple bad losses, including losses to Dixie State and Marshall. They’ve had a tough start to conference play, as in each of their first three series – to Portland, Gonzaga, and St. Mary’s – they’ve only won one of the three games. But, they still are 6-6 in conference play after a dominating sweep at home this past weekend over Santa Clara. What makes BYU interesting is their upcoming schedule. This upcoming weekend BYU will travel to Nebraska in a mid-season non-conference weekend series. The Cornhuskers came into the season with high hopes but have struggled mightily; both teams need wins this weekend badly. Following the Nebraska series, BYU will host San Diego and travel to San Francisco on back-to-back weekends. To get right back into things in the WCC, they will need to take advantage of the opportunity they will have to make up ground. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

Miami Head Coach Gino DiMare joins the College Baseball Nation Podcast to talk about Miami's sweep of Virginia. Tennessee is using wooden bats. DBU is underrated? And the state of Mississippi is in turmoil. John and Kyle recap last week's pick'em where the guys went 8-0 and look ahead to week 9. 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!

There were a few surprises, as usual, in this weekend’s Big 12 slate, and once again, the competitiveness and parity was displayed. Texas Tech needed a walk-off home run to down Kansas State on Sunday, while Oklahoma State’s walk-off came on a wild pitch to keep the Cowboys’ hopes of a series victory alive in the Bedlam rivalry. And West Virginia is now sitting atop the Big 12 standings. Here is a closer look at how each of those storylines, plus several more, unfolded in the Big 12: West Virginia sweeps Baylor, ascends to first-place in Big 12 standings Maybe it is too early to say, but No. 38 West Virginia is looking the part of an NCAA Tournament team. They entered this weekend’s matchups with Baylor looking to parlay last week’s road series win at TCU, and that is exactly what happened, as the Mountaineers pulled off a sweep. Picked to finish eighth in the conference’s preseason poll, finding West Virginia alone atop the standings, even this early in the Big 12 schedule, is a surprise. But the Mountaineers’ sweep came as no surprise with the way they performed in pivotal situations. West Virginia had just nine extra base hits on the weekend, but strung together hits, accompanied by walks, at the right times. That was put on display from the get-go, as the Mountaineers edged Baylor 7-6 in a walk-off victory on Friday night. With two outs in the ninth, Nathan Blasick drew a walk on a 3-2 count with the bases loaded, bringing the winning run across the plate. It capped a three-run comeback over the final two innings for the Mountaineers, and they came back 16 hours later for a 8-4 win in game two. A six-run outburst over the first two innings in Sunday’s series finale was enough to hold off Baylor’s fifth inning charge for a 7-5 victory. The Mountaineer pitching staff (Zach Bravo, Noah Short, Chris Sleeper, and Trey Braithwaite) walked seven in Sunday’s win, but held Baylor to a mere three hits, the fewest hits allowed in a game by West Virginia this season. Austin Davis was huge in that consistent run production, batting 8-for-11 from the leadoff spot for the Mountaineers. For Baylor, Jared McKenzie continued in his exceptional season at the plate, leading the Bears in a 3-for-4 performance on Saturday. West Virginia’s rise to the top gives the Mountaineers favorable momentum heading into Tuesday’s non-conference matchup at Penn State and a weekend series at home against No. 3 Oklahoma State. Baylor, now 2-7 in Big 12 play, hosts Kansas next weekend. No. 8 Texas moves above .500 in Big 12 play with series win over No. 37 TCU The last time TCU traveled to Austin it was 2018. And the Longhorns, led by the performances of Kody Clemens, swept the Horned Frogs. This time, the highly-anticipated rematch at Disch-Falk Field saw a more evenly-matched series play out, with Texas and TCU splitting the first two, before the Longhorns pulled away for a 7-3 win on Sunday. Perhaps the best pitching performance this weekend in the conference came on Friday night as Texas ace Pete Hansen delivered in yet another victory, moving to 6-0 on the year. The right-hander shut down a strong TCU lineup in a 2-0 win for the Horns, tossing a complete game shutout, with just two hits and a single walk allowed. 12 strikeouts did not hurt either, as he claimed the Big 12 lead in innings pitched (52.0). Despite Texas’ series win, much-needed for the Longhorns who are now 5-4 in Big 12 play, TCU did enough to remain fourth in the league standings with a 7-5 mark. The Longhorns travel to Kansas State next weekend with an opportunity for a sweep against the Big 12’s last-place squad, while the Horned Frogs, after consecutive series losses to West Virginia and Texas, host Texas Tech. No. 6 Texas Tech sweeps Kansas State behind ninth-inning game three rally West Virginia was not the only Big 12 team that notched a sweep. After letting last weekend’s series finale at Kansas slip away, Texas Tech dominated against K-State, with 14 runs on 10 hits in Saturday’s shutout before walking it off in Sunday’s finale with a 7-6 win. The Red Raiders entered the bottom of the ninth trailing 6-4, but matching the heat on this particular afternoon in Lubbock, the bats found fire. Zac Vooletich swatted a solo homer that led off the inning, just before Cole Stilwell singled. Jace Jung then sent a 2-2 pitch deep to right center field after fouling off three straight pitches, bringing the crowd of nearly 4,000 to its feet as Tech earned the come-from-behind win. Even against the conference’s last-place team, there are no easy days in Big 12 play. Jung had just one hit in the series entering that at-bat, but made up for it with his late-game heroics, and each win on the weekend was critical for the Red Raiders, who came in hungry after dropping back-to-back games to Grand Canyon earlier in the week. Andrew Morris took the mound for Tech in the opener Friday night and kept his undefeated record alive, moving to 4-0 in a 7.0 inning, nine-strikeout outing. The Red Raiders sealed a 6-3 win, as relievers Derek Bridges and Trendan Parish fired two innings of scoreless work in relief. Stilwell led Tech at the plate, with multi-hit performances in all three contests. He capped the series with a 3-for-4 mark on Sunday, which was preceded by two 2-for-4 days, as his batting average rose from .302 to .313. Tech battles conference foe Oklahoma in non-conference action in Amarillo on Tuesday, before traveling to Fort Worth for a weekend series at No. 37 TCU. K-State will not have it easy on this holiday weekend, but the Wildcats are at home, against No. 10 Texas. No. 3 Oklahoma State battles past No. 46 Oklahoma in thrilling rivalry weekend There are few Big 12 rivalries like Oklahoma-Oklahoma State, and the series did not disappoint in the least, though Oklahoma State proved why the Cowboys are now the nation’s No. 3 team, earning a 2-1 series victory with a 9-4 win Sunday afternoon. The weekend result was key for the Cowboys, who now sit tied for second in the standings with Texas Tech. After dropping a non-conference matchup to the Sooners on March 29, it was clear Oklahoma State had something to prove against its in-state rival, who is far better than its 4-5 Big 12 record. Playing in Stillwater, the Sooners did what only one other team, Gonzaga, had done this season: they beat the Cowboys on the road. An 8-7 victory on Friday saw Oklahoma push two across in the top of the ninth, taking the lead, before Trevin Michael struck out two in the bottom of the frame. Catcher Jimmy Crooks then caught Oklahoma State’s Zach Ehrhard stealing and ended the game with a brisk throw to second base for the final out. But the next two meetings swung in favor of the hosts, who won by the identical score, 8-7, on Saturday afternoon. Oklahoma State’s Roc Riggio, who went 3-for-4 with two homers in that one, had a solid performance at the plate, batting 5-for-13 with five RBIs. Marcus Brown won game two for the Cowboys in the ninth in a thrilling finish, scoring the game-winning run on a wild-pitch. The Cowboys went deep into their bullpen in all three contests, particularly in game two, in which seven pitchers took the mound, none except for starter Victor Mederos and Mitchell Stone throwing more than an inning. Having that depth will be critical as the conference schedule continues, with West Virginia next on the slate. Oklahoma plays four non-conference games against three different opponents this coming week, including a Tuesday duel in Amarillo against Texas Tech. Kansas sweeps Illinois State in non-conference action Desperately needing to get back in the win column, Kansas earned every bit of its home sweep of Illinois State, as the Jayhawks bounced back from Tuesday’s 14-6 loss to Missouri and the series loss to Texas Tech last weekend. In a high-scoring series opener, Kansas led off with a five-run first inning, winning 13-9. A 6-2 win on Saturday soon followed, before Ryan Vanderhei picked up the win with a 7.0 inning start in Sunday’s 10-5 win, Vanderhei struck out nine, and allowed a total of 10 baserunners, with three earned runs. Shortstop Maui Ahona led Kansas at the plate, going 5-for-11 with five runs scored. That included a 3-for-3 performance in the series finale, raising his batting average to .431, which ranks second in the league. The Jayhawks (1-5 Big 12) resume Big 12 play at Baylor beginning on Thursday. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

This conference never seems to disappoint. Week in, and week out, we are witnessing baseball that is being played at the highest level. Outside of Miami, the rest of the conference continues to beat up on each other. Six teams currently have seven wins as we are approaching the half-way point of conference play. Get your popcorn ready, because it’s going to be a heck of a ride over the next month and a half. Miami Sweeps Virginia in Top Five Matchup The headliner of the weekend was a much anticipated series between the Hurricanes and Cavaliers, who entered the weekend first and second in the Coastal Division. They still sit atop the division, but the separation is much greater as Miami takes a four game lead over Virginia. The Hurricanes have now swept three straight conference series after allowing just 9 earned runs to one of the best offenses in the country. On Friday night, Carson Palmquist (W, 6-1) tossed six innings, allowing zero earned runs and struck out eight batters to set the tone for the weekend. Miami pounded out seven home runs, led by Yohandy Morales who chipped in with two of his own, scoring five runs and compiling four RBI. Miami heads to Blacksburg next weekend to take on a hot Virginia Tech team that just won the series against No. 21 North Carolina State. Extra Innings Fuel No. 15 Louisville Over No. 22 North Carolina The Tar Heels took command early on Friday night, taking the first game of the series 13-9, but the Cardinals bounced back and won the next two games, both in extra innings, to claim the series. Ben Metzinger hit a walk-off home run in the 10th inning on Saturday to force the rubber match on Sunday, which was action packed. In the top of the 6th inning with North Carolina commanding a 5-1 lead, the game was delayed as a bomb threat was called in to the stadium. After the threat was cleared, Louisville responded with four runs in the bottom of the 9th to force extra innings for the second consecutive day. A walk-off single in the bottom of the 14th proved to be the winner for the Cardinals, who bounced back after losing their series to Pittsburgh a week ago. North Carolina is trending in the wrong direction, dropping seven of their last nine ACC games after starting 5-1 in conference play. They will host Georgia Tech in a big matchup next weekend in Chapel Hill. No. 9 Notre Dame Sweeps No. 39 Clemson After losing four straight conference games, the Fighting Irish have put together two consecutive sweeps against Florida State and Clemson, putting them just a game behind Louisville in the Atlantic Division. The Notre Dame weekend rotation, made up of John Michael Bertrand, Austin Temple, and Will Mercer, kept the Tigers bats quiet all weekend. Clemson scored just three earned runs and recorded 17 hits all weekend long. All three earned runs were allowed by the bullpen over 10.1 innings of work. Link Jarrett has to feel good about the direction of his pitching staff at this point of the season. Carter Putz led the Notre Dame offense with six hits, one home run, and eight RBI, which is double the amount Clemson had all weekend. No. 33 Georgia Tech Upsets No. 12 Florida State, Seminole Continue to Tumble This Georgia Tech team has been Jekyll and Hyde all year long, you never know who is going to show up when they take the field. Fortunately for Yellow Jackets fans, they showed up and took care of business this weekend against the visiting Seminoles. After splitting the first two games of the series, the rubber match on Sunday was all Georgia Tech. Skipper Danny Hall had his team ready to play, dominating the finale 10-0. Kevin Parada continues to put up ridiculous numbers, adding seven hits, seven RBI, and three home runs this weekend. Parada is now batting .390 with 15 home runs and 50 RBI for the season. The Seminoles are trending in the wrong direction, dropping six of their last seven ACC games and seven of their last nine overall. Mike Martin Jr. and Co. do not have much time to regroup as they host Florida for a midweek tilt before Louisville comes to town next weekend. No. 40 Virginia Tech Continues to Climb Is this Hokie team fun or what? Virginia Tech has now won three of their four conference series after taking two games from No. 21 North Carolina State. The Hokies can score runs in bunches, amassing 32 runs over the weekend, compiling 35 hits, including 11 home runs by five different batters. The two top batting averages in the conference, Jack Hurley and Cade Hunter, both play for Virginia Tech. Not to mention, Gavin Cross, one of the high rated draft prospects in the conference, chipped in with two home runs and six RBI of his own. Just how good is this offense? We will soon find out as the Hokies host Miami for a three game series starting Thursday night in Blacksburg. The Wolfpack salvaged the series by avoiding a sweep on Sunday, but they will need to get back on track next weekend as they host Boston College. Pittsburgh Wins Third Consecutive Series The Panthers were the only ACC team to win a series on the road this weekend, taking two games from Boston College in Brighton, Mass. Pittsburgh has now beaten Clemson, Louisville, and Boston College three weeks in a row after starting 1-5 in conference play. Matt Gilbertson picked up another victory on Friday night, improving to 5-2 on the season. He threw seven innings, giving up just three runs. Going for the series win on Saturday, the Panthers entered the 9th inning, down 9-4. With a little help from two errors and a walk by Boston College, Pittsburgh made it interesting until the final pitch, but the Eagles pulled it out 9-8. The rubber match on Sunday was also a nail-biter down to the final inning, but the Panthers prevailed to win the series with a 10-9 victory. Billy Cochran picked up his fourth victory, recording another quality start. Pittsburgh will be tested yet again next weekend, facing Virginia who is coming off a sweep to Miami. No. 23 Wake Forest Sweeps Duke The Demon Deacons, who were picked to finish 6th place in the Atlantic Division, are putting together quite an impressive resume. They improved to 9-6 in the ACC and 25-7 overall after sweeping the Blue Devils this weekend. Rhett Lowder continues to dominate, tossing seven innings of two-run baseball on Friday to pick up the victory for Wake Forest. Lowder is now 7-1 on the season with a 2.30 ERA. He is 4-1 in conference play with his lone loss coming at the hands of Virginia. The road gets more challenging in the next few weeks as the Demon Deacons face Clemson, Notre Dame, and Louisville in their next three weekend series. If they win two of those series, look for Wake Forest to hear their name called on Selection Monday. Eleven ACC teams are ranked in this week's Top 50. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

With a bunch of SEC teams stacked in the middle, each week will be a battle to see who can gain some separation and remain at the top. Everyone is currently chasing Tennessee, but with Arkansas taking a series loss to Florida, who is most likely to step forward and challenge the Volunteers? Who Are These Florida Gators? The Florida Gators are one of the most difficult teams to figure out in the SEC. They have the talent to be a top 10 team in the nation, but you never know which team is going to show up week-to-week. The good Gators showed up this past weekend with a series win over second ranked Arkansas. However, it wasn’t all pretty as Hunter Barco struggled for the second straight week and was outdueled by Connor Noland on Thursday night. Nolad gave up just 1 hit and 1 walk over 7 innings with 7 strikeouts in an 8-1 win for the Razorbacks. But then the Gators bats broke out, scoring 7 and 9 runs in the next two games, led by SEC Player of the Year candidate Wyatt Langford. In the final two games of the series, Langford was 4-7 with a pair of home runs and 5 RBI. Texas A&M Gains Separation with Series Win Over Kentucky Texas A&M continues to try and show they belong among the top of the SEC, and they were successful in doing so this past weekend with a series win over Kentucky. The Aggies started off the weekend with some dramatic fireworks as they took the game with a walk-off homer in the 11th by Troy Claunch who drove in all 3 runs on the night for Texas A&M. The Wildcats bounced back with a 7-2 win on Friday. In the finale, Texas A&M got a quality start from Micah Dallas who went 7 innings and gave up just 3 earned runs. He got plenty of run support as the Aggies’ offense scored 17 runs on 14 hits and 7 walks. Ryan Targac was 4-5, hit for the cycle, scored 3 runs, and drove in 5. Dylan Rock was 2-3 with a double, a homer, 4 runs scored, 4 RBI, and 2 walks. The Tide are Rolling with Back-to-Back Series Wins If you look back at Alabama’s schedule they are so close to being considered a great team. They got swept by Texas on the road, but all three games were close. And they blew the first two games against Mississippi State in the ninth inning ultimately losing both by a single run. They win two of those games, and the perception of this team is a lot different. As it is, they are in a really good spot after a series sweep against eighth-ranked Ole Miss. Garrett McMillan was great on Friday allowing just 1 earned run on 3 hits and 3 walks over 7 innings with 7 strikeouts. Jim Jarvis set the tone at the top of the order with 3 hits and 3 runs scored, while Drew Williamson drove them in with 3 RBI. On Saturday, Alabama was down 7-3 going into the sixth inning. The Crimson Tide would score 3 in that sixth inning and add 4 more in the 7th to take a 10-7 lead. However, they once again blew a save by giving up 2 in the eighth and 1 in the ninth as the two teams went to extra-innings. Zane Denton had the big hit for Alabama hitting a 2-run homer in the 10th that proved to be the difference. They finished off the sweep with a 7-3 win on Sunday. Home runs late from Andrew Pinckney and Zane Denton helped put the game away. Grayson Hitt had an excellent start on the mound for the Crimson Tide allowing just 3 earned runs on 3 hits and 2 walks over 6.1 innings with 8 strikeouts. He’s now 3-0 on the season. Auburn Picks Up Third Straight Series Win The Auburn Tigers have now won three straight series in SEC play after dropping their first SEC series against Ole Miss. And their last two series wins have come against ranked teams in LSU and Vanderbilt. On Friday, Auburn starter Hayden Mullins struck out 9 batters, but he lasted just 4.1 innings because he walked 6. Overall, Auburn pitching struck out 15 batters and allowed just 1 run on 2 hits and 7 walks. Brooks Carlson had the big blow on offense for the Tigers with a 3-run homer in the third that made it a 4-0 game. Auburn went on to win 5-1. The Commodore bats were hungry after struggling on Friday and broke out with 19 runs on 23 hits, including a 9-run fourth inning. Enrique Bradfield Jr, Spencer Jones, Dominic Keegan, Jack Bulger, and Parker Noland all had at least 3 hits. Keegan, an SEC Player of the Year candidate, was 4-5 with 3 runs, 3 RBI, and 3 doubles. Bulger was 5-5. But the series flipped back to Auburn on Sunday as starter Joseph Gonzalez pitched a complete game allowing just 1 earned run and striking out 8, while SEC Player of the Year candidate Sonny DiChiara provided the offense going 3-5 with two home runs and 5 RBI. LSU Sweeps Defending Champs in Starkville LSU has been up-and-down to start SEC play, but the Tigers broke things open with a sweep over Mississippi State. The weekend started with a dramatic comeback win on Friday. LSU trailed 2-1 going into the ninth as Mississippi State got a brilliant start from Preston Johnson who allowed just 1 earned run on 2 hits and 4 walks over 6 innings with 10 strikeouts. But the Bulldogs couldn’t hold on to give him the win. LSU’s Tre’ Morgan had a 2-RBI single in the ninth to give LSU the lead. Then Dylan Crews extended that lead with a 2-run homer for a final score of 5-2. Saturday was another tight contest. Jacob Berry hit a 3-run homer in the first, but the Bulldogs answered right back and tied it up 3-3 in the 5th. But a Jordan Thompson home run for LSU in the sixth ended up being the difference in a 4-3 win for the Tigers. RJ Yeager had 3 hits, including a home run for Mississippi State on Saturday. Is Georgia the Second-Best Team in the SEC? Tennessee is clearly the top dog in the SEC right now, but who pushes them is up for grabs, and Georgia is trying to show why it can be them after another series win – this time over South Carolina. Noah Hall had a great start for South Carolina on Friday allowing just 1 earned run on 7 hits and 2 walks over 7 innings with 10 strikeouts. But Georgia got the last laugh with 2 runs in the ninth for a comeback 3-2 win. Cole Tate and Corey Collins had the big hits in the ninth. The Gamecocks made sure they scored enough on Saturday to not worry about a comeback in a 13-7 win. Colin Burgess scored 3 runs and drove in 4 with a 3-run homer, while Andrew Eyster scored twice and drove in 2. It was another slugfest on Sunday, but this time Georgia prevailed with a 13-9 victory. Parks Harber was 4-4 at the plate for the Bulldogs, while Chaney Rogers drove in 5 and had a home run. The Bulldogs needed the added offense as they are currently without their ace Jonathan Cannon who is dealing with a strained muscle in his right forearm. Tennessee in a League of Their Own What else can you say about Tennessee at this point? After a series sweep at Missouri they’re now 31-1 on the season and 12-0 in SEC play. Volunteer pitching gave up 10 runs on the weekend, which is the most runs they’ve allowed in an SEC series. But with their offense, that was good enough. Chase Burns had his worst start of the season on Friday only lasting 2.2 innings. But the offense picked him up with 8 runs on 11 hits and 7 walks. Evan Russell had a big 3-run homer that extended a 4-3 lead to 7-3. Chase Dollander struck out 10 on Saturday over 6.2 innings for Tennessee. Jordan Beck had the big blast at the plate with a grand slam in the sixth that gave Tennessee a 7-4 lead. They’d add four more to cap off a 11-4 victory. A pair of Lipcius homers early on Sunday gave Tennessee a 3-0 lead, which was later made 4-0 on a Drew Gilbert RBI double. However, the offense stalled after that and the Volunteers had to hold off a late comeback from Missouri to hold onto a 4-3 lead. Drew Beam moved to 7-0 on the season after allowing just 2 earned runs on 6 hits and 0 walks over 6.1 innings with 7 strikeouts. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

With about half of the college season complete, let’s take a look at some of this year’s biggest storylines through the lens of the draft, which will be held July 17-19th. As we’ve indicated in the past, the plethora of high-ceiling college bats is the central theme of 2022, and the quantity and quality within this demographic should more than offset the Tommy John pandemic that has ravaged all the top arms in the class. In fact, it’s possible that as many as 10 college bats could disappear from the board before the first college arm is even selected. Battle of the Backstops What better place to start than behind the plate where All-Americans Kevin Parada from Georgia Tech and Daniel Susac from Arizona are asserting themselves as likely top-10 picks with banner seasons. Simply put, Parada, a draft eligible sophomore, is having a historic season with a slash line of .390/.476/.773 and an astounding 15 homers in just 33 games through Sunday. Equally as impressive is his 19/16 BB/K ratio, which speaks to his excellent plate discipline. While Susac—also a draft-eligible sophomore--has not displayed the same over-the-fence power as Parada, his .392/.444/.657 performance so far this spring is nearly as sterling, and his outstanding batted ball metrics have not gone unnoticed by pro scouts. If there is a blemish on Parada and Susac’s record, it is the struggles they’ve had controlling the running game. Parada has thrown out just 17 percent of would-be base stealers, while Susac’s mark resides at 15 percent. A couple points on this: first, both backstops have received high marks from scouts for their other attributes, such as blocking errant pitches, receiving, and working with pitchers. Second, Parada and Susac’s catch-and-throw deficiencies won’t be as glaring in the pros as they would have been 20 years ago, as the running game in MLB has ground to a halt since the analytics movement took hold a generation ago. Outfielders Galore When we published our Preseason Top 50 Prospects List right after the new year, we had four outfielders within the top 15, and that wasn’t counting LSU’s Jacob Berry, who’s seen extensive playing time in RF and Florida’s Jud Fabian (more on him later). Suffice to say, outfield remains the primary strength of this year’s college crop. Though Chase DeLauter has rebounded extraordinarily well from a nightmarish opening weekend against Florida State, the guy currently in pole position is Virginia Tech CF Gavin Cross. Cross’ conventional stats pointed to a pedestrian season as recently as two weeks ago, but his top-flight batted ball data and minscule K-rate told a different story, and as if on cue he’s been on fire since. Even with an 0-for-4 on Sunday, Cross in his last eight games is 13/28 with 5 HR and just 2 Ks to 5 BBs. He’s also played a dynamite CF. Three months out, it’s hard to envision the Bristol, TN native falling out of the top-10 come July. Another guy with a bead on a premier draft slot is DeLauter, who shook off a 3/14 start to his season (with 8 Ks) and is now slashing .437/.576/.828 with 8 dingers and 10 steals in 11 attempts. While the pitching DeLauter has faced in Colonial Conference play is nowhere near what he saw that first weekend against the Seminoles’ vaunted lefty trio of Parker Messick, Bryce Hubbart, and Ross Dunn, he’s displayed all the attributes scouts saw last summer when he established himself as the most complete hitter in the Cape Cod League. Additionally, scouts contacted by CBN have not voiced any concerns surrounding DeLauter’s unorthodox swing mechanics (he moves his back—left—foot in his swing follow-through) and universally believe he’ll be at worst a top-15 pick. We assess that the broken foot DeLauter suffered this weekend will not materially hamper his draft stock. Although DeLauter will likely be out between three weeks and the remainder of the season, the 469 PAs he’s accumulated between JMU and summer ball (with a cumulative 24 homers and 1.156 OPS) has provided big league clubs with a sufficient sample size from which to base their analysis of the big slugger. Consensus No. 1 team Tennessee has received extensive praise because of its championship caliber weekend rotation; however, Jordan Beck’s improvement has not been ignored by scouts. Beck, a prototype right fielder at 6-03/220, had a banner third weekend of the season at the Shriners Classic and hasn’t looked back. His K-rate is holding steady at a manageable sub-20 percent and his walks are ticking up. If he continues to show progress against SEC pitching, don’t be shocked if Beck goes in the top-20 after ranking 45 in CBN’s pre-season top 50. Beck’s muscular frame, power bat and bazooka arm have evoked multiple Hunter Renfroe comps. Unfortunately, CBN’s highest-ranked outfielder coming into the season, Stanford’s Brock Jones, has seen his stock suffer considerably. We ranked Jones as the second overall college prospect back in December, but thanks to his .265 average, 3 homers, and 26 percent K-rate, Jones will likely not hear his name called in the 1st round and could fall out of the Day 1 conversation altogether. According to scouts, offspeed pitches have been Jones’ kryptonite—he’s frequently off balance with the slow stuff while exhibiting a propensity to swing over such offerings. And then there’s Fabian It wasn’t supposed to be like this. If all had gone to plan, Jud Fabian, after being selected in the top 5 of the 2021 draft, would have this week started his first full professional season in High A or Double-A en route to a seemingly inevitable big league promotion. But as Scottish poet Robert Burns once said, “the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” In Fabian’s case, it was last season’s 29 percent K-rate that threw a monkey wrench into his plans and caused him to fall to the 2nd round, where the Red Sox’ $2.1 million bonus offer was not enough to deter him from returning to Florida. To Fabian’s credit, he’s shown a remarkable improvement in his swing decisions by lowering his K-rate to 18 percent while retaining his plus power. He’s also hiked his BB-rate from 15 percent to 20 percent. Combine these trends with Fabian’s stellar CF defense, and you’ve got a guy who’ll almost assuredly hear his name called during Round 1. Lighting it up in the Keystone Cal Poly SS Brooks Lee and Texas Tech 2B Jace Jung are great bets to join Parada and Cross in this draft’s top 10. Lee has done nothing this year but enhance his resume, which was already spotless thanks to his .405 average in the Cape last summer. Not only does the switch-hitter boast a .413 mark this year with 25 XBHs in 33 games, but his 8 Ks in 155 PAs are good for a microscopic 5 percent K-rate. Though Lee’s chiseled 6-02/205 frame may preclude him from staying at the 6 long-term, his soft hands and strong arms would easily support a move to the hot corner. Jung is another guy who didn’t miss a beat when the calendar turned to 2022. After achieving a 1.159 OPS in 2021, the powerful left-handed hitter has upped the ante to the tune of 1.265 this season. And if that’s not enough, he’s lowered his K-rate from 17 to 12 percent in the process. Expecting the Unexpected Every year, guys emerge out of nowhere to hoist their flag at the front of the draft, and this year is no different. A number of players on no one’s radar just several months ago are engulfed in helium and could very well be picked within the first several rounds. Perhaps no player in America is rising as quickly as Virginia Tech C Cade Hunter. Hunter is an uber-athletic, left-handed hitting backstop who’s taken his offensive game to a whole new level. Some may point to his 11 HR and 1.333 OPS as a sign of things to come, but others may emphasize his 9 SBs in 10 attempts when describing just how much of a unicorn Hunter may turn out to be. Although Hunter still must iron out some inconsistencies in his pitch blocking and throwing, the tools are there for him to be an average defender as a pro. As such, it’s not a stretch, according to scouts, to imagine him as a 2nd rounder. Mercer is off to a 27-5 record this year, and RF Colby Thomas is a big reason why. With 12 doubles and 14 HR, the Georgia native is flirting with a 1.300 OPS, and his batted ball data is among the best in the country. And if that isn’t enough, his 28/19 BB/K ratio is indicative of a hitter with an excellent grasp of the strike zone. Illinois State CF Ryan Cermak is essentially a Midwest version of Thomas with slightly inferior bat-to-ball skills. At 6-1/205, Cermak looks the part, and he’s been a dynamo on both sides of the ball. He’s OPSing over 1.300 while playing a flawless CF and showing above average speed on the bases. With the Yankees’ 2021 selection of Eastern Illinois SS Trey Sweeney 20th overall, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Cermak (and Thomas, for that matter) gets popped before the conclusion of Round 3. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!