Texas stays atop the College Baseball Nation Top 50 after an impressive performance against the Crimson Tide in Austin this past weekend. Texas pitching allowed just one run on the weekend en route to a series sweep. Stanford moves up to the second spot after a sweep of their own at the Round Rock Classic. Stanford powered past Indiana, Louisiana and Arkansas. No. 3 LSU won four games over the weekend, and No. 4 Oklahoma State earned a two-game sweep of Wright State. Arkansas rounds out the top five. No. 6 Florida State saw two dominant pitching performances from Parker Messick and Bryce Hubbart as the Noles took down Samford. No. 7 Vanderbilt and No. 8 Tennessee were both perfect on the week. Georgia Tech and Ole Miss finish the top ten. Tulane enters the rankings at No. 24 after a series win on the road at Louisiana Tech. The full top 50 can be found below. 1 Texas 2 Stanford 3 LSU 4 Oklahoma State 5 Arkansas 6 Florida State 7 Vanderbilt 8 Tennessee 9 Georgia Tech 10 Ole Miss 11 Arizona 12 Oregon State 13 NC State 14 Miami 15 LBSU 16 Mississippi State 17 Notre Dame 18 Liberty 19 Southern Miss 20 UCLA 21 Florida 22 Maryland 23 TCU 24 Tulane 25 Virginia 26 Louisiana Tech 27 South Carolina 28 UCSB 29 Texas Tech 30 UC Irvine 31 Georgia 32 UNC 33 Sacramento State 34 Old Dominion 35 Oklahoma 36 Auburn 37 Gonzaga 38 Clemson 39 Oregon 40 West Virginia 41 ECU 42 Louisville 43 Charlotte 44 Dallas Baptist 45 BYU 46 Wake Forest 47 Connecticut 48 South Alabama 49 San Diego 50 Texas State Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

Florida State's ace Parker Messick joins the podcast to talk pitching against the top prospects and Florida State Baseball. John and Kyle recap all the action from week 1 and look ahead to Week 2. 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!

Opening weekend for the 2022 college baseball season offered fans around the country the opportunity to view some unique matchups in some unusual locales. In Arlington, Texas, the State Farm College Baseball Showdown took place in Globe Life Field, home of the Texas Rangers where Auburn, Oklahoma, Michigan, Arizona, Kansas State, and Texas Tech did battle over three days. In Surprise, Arizona, three teams—Oregon State, New Mexico, and Gonzaga—competed in the Sanderson Ford College Baseball Classic, with participating schools each playing one double header during the three days of tournament play. Over in Scottsdale, the MLB4 Tournament played host to TCU, San Diego State, California, and Houston. The event took place at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, the spring training home of the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks. Arlington, Texas Friday Oklahoma beat Auburn 3-0 in a pitching effort led by Jake Bennett who went five complete innings allowing just one hit before three relievers combined to finish off the shutout. A two-run home run was all the offense the Sooners needed. Texas Tech’s only win of the weekend came on Friday night when they walked-off Michigan to win 7-6 after scoring two runs in the bottom of the ninth. Freshman Owen Washburn went 3-for-4 and drove in the winning run with a single. Arizona beat Kansas State 8-6 to win head coach Chip Hale’s first game as skipper of the Arizona squad. Arizona catcher Daniel Susac (2-for-5) drove in three runs for the Wildcats while TJ Nichols made the start on the mound and handled the first four innings of work. Saturday, Auburn won a thriller over Texas Tech 2-1 as five pitchers carried the load for the Tigers. Joseph Gonzalez threw five scoreless innings for Auburn, and Kason Howell delivered a sac fly RBI in the fourth, which held up as the winning run. Oklahoma fell to Arizona 14-4 on Saturday night. Mac Bingham (2-for-5) and Tanner O'Tremba (3-for-5) drove in half of Arizona’s runs. Quinn Flanagan relieved Garrett Irvin after four innings and earned the win. Arizona only scored in three innings, but the five run third and seven run seventh were the knockout blows. In the Saturday finale, Michigan and Kansas State played a close game before the Wolverines eventually put the game away and took a 10-2 victory. Left-hander Jacob Denner scattered four hits and five strike outs in six innings of work, and he finished his outing strong as he retired the last eight batters he faced. Leading 3-2 going to the bottom of the seventh, the Wolverines exploded for seven runs to put the game out of reach for the Wildcats. Sunday started in Arlington with Auburn dominating Kansas State 12-1. Auburn’s Brayton Brown and Nate LaRue, drove in the first four runs for the Tigers and combined for five of the runs scored on Sunday. Trace Bright picked up the win as he pitched five innings and allowed just one unearned run and had five strikeouts. Arizona throttled Texas Tech 13-2 in Sunday’s middle game. Dawson Netz pitched for the Wildcats and went five innings and struck out six Red Raiders. Left fielder Chase Davis paced the Wildcats offense by going 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. Oklahoma closed out the weekend with a 6-1 victory over Michigan. Chazz Martinez took the hill for the Sooners and set the pace with 4 2/3 innings pitched allowing just one unearned run. Trent Brown went 1-for-2 and his two RBI double in the second inning was all the offense Oklahoma needed. Auburn allowed only five runs in their three games over the weekend, but they were shutout on opening night and managed to salvage a winning record over the weekend. Surprise, Arizona Oregon State put on an incredible offensive display in Arizona over the weekend, which they also matched with solid pitching. Cooper Hjerpe worked five strong innings striking out eight. Meanwhile, the Oregon State offense was impressive, led by Travis Bazzana and Mason Guerra who had three RBI each. The Beavers had eight players with a multi hit game in the 21-1 win over New Mexico. Oregon State's 21 runs is the most on opening day since their 1960 team scored 23. New Mexico and Gonzaga played a close, low-scoring game Friday before Ezra Samperi drove in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth to give the Bulldogs the 3-2 walk-off victory. On Saturday, Jake Pfennigs went five scoreless innings for the Beavers on their way to a 13-5 win. The Beavers scored in five of their eight innings and were spurred by Garret Forrester and Jacob Melton who had two hits apiece in the win. Gonzaga did all their scoring in the top half of the ninth getting to the Beavers bullpen when the game was all but decided. On Saturday against New Mexico, Gonzaga scored four in the first inning to open up the game and added six more in the fourth to lead 10-1 en route to a 12-2 win. Grayson Sterling went 3-for-4 and drove in three runs for the Bulldogs. Left-hander Bradley Mullan went six innings on the mound for the win. Oregon State took on Gonzaga again on Sunday and walked away with a 9-5 victory. Gonzaga jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning before Oregon State plated 9 unanswered runs. Sunday night Oregon State beat New Mexico 13-3. New Mexico got on the board with two in the top of the first, and Oregon State immediately answered with three in the bottom frame. TJ Wheeler hit a grand slam for the Beavers in the eighth inning and Gary Fuchs also drove in four runs. Oregon State left Surprise with a 4-0 record after their dominating performances. Scottsdale, Arizona The Cal Golden Bears were the winners of the weekend in Scottsdale. They opened the tournament on Friday with a 4-2 win over Houston in ten innings. Houston got a lights out performance from newcomer Nathan Medrano who went seven strong innings and only allowed one run, but the Houston offense was stymied by a bevy of Cal relief pitchers. In the Friday nightcap, TCU defeated San Diego State 5-3 to give new head coach and former big leaguer Kirk Saarloos a win in his managing debut. The Horned Frogs took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first and led until the bottom half of the sixth. Trailing in the top of the ninth, David Bishop drove in a run for TCU to put them in front before a wild pitch accounted for the third run of the inning, the Horned Frogs scored three times in the ninth for the win. In what was likely the most drama filled game of the weekend in Scottsdale, Cal defeated TCU 7-6 in the bottom of the ninth on Saturday afternoon. TCU led the game 4-0 after the second inning. But, in the eighth inning Cal scored four runs to take a 6-4 lead into the ninth. TCU tied the game in the top of the ninth. Cal freshman Rodney Green Jr. ripped a pinch-hit triple and scored on a wild pitch to win the game in regulation. San Diego State outlasted Houston 4-3 with the potential tying run left at second base for the Cougars in a well pitched game for both squads. Poncho Ruiz drove in two runs for the Aztecs and starting pitcher Kelena Sauer turned in five innings allowing one run and striking out six. Sunday morning got started with TCU taking advantage of five walks in the first inning against Houston on their way to a 10-0 shutout that ended in the eighth in run-rule fashion. In the tournament finale, Cal defeated San Diego State 6-3 to finish the tournament a perfect 3-0. Cal catcher Cole Elvis deposited a three-run home run onto the lawn in left-center to break a tie in the fifth inning and the Golden Bears never surrendered the lead. College baseball is back for 2022 and these three tournaments showcased some of the great stories college baseball fans can all look forward to watching as the season moves along. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

With the opening weekend of 2022 in the books, let’s have a quick rundown of notable performances from a draft perspective. Obviously, since we’re dissecting just a handful of games, all the necessary small sample size caveats apply. Just remember, it’s terribly early and so much can change between now and July. While some hitters certainly had banner weekends, the common tenor among scouts was that most of the vaunted names on the ’22 draft board had lackluster performances. Chase DeLauter, Brooks Lee, Brock Jones, Jace Jung, Jud Fabian, Kevin Parada, and a host of others were unable to burst out of the chute as pitchers—as they usually are this time of the season—were far ahead of the hitters. DeLauter’s weekend was particularly rough. A consensus top-10 talent after an eye-opening summer on the Cape, DeLauter struggled through a 3/14 3-game stretch against Florida State with 8 Ks and no BBs. A lion’s share of these ABs came against tricky southpaws Parker Messick and Bryce Hubbart, themselves in the 1st round conversation. DeLauter, according to ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel, had trouble handling pitches up and in and lifted his back foot off the ground on every swing. As much as DeLauter struggled, fellow top-10 candidate LSU’s Jacob Berry put on a show. The switch-hitting transfer from Arizona was 6/14 with 2 dingers and a double. And even more interesting was Berry’s appearance in LF and RF. If Berry proves to be adequate in either corner, he should cement his status at the very top of the draft. Speaking of LSU, this year’s Tiger squad might prove to be the best college lineup EVER. That’s right—in Berry, Tre Morgan, Cade Doughty, and Dylan Crews, LSU might have as many as FOUR future 1st rounders on the club. While we’re still on the topic of LSU, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention Crews’ exploits this weekend. The super sophomore was 6/11 with a double and 2 3Bs. And his batted ball data were even more impressive than the gaudy stats he put up. For example, on Saturday the center fielder hit two balls with exit velocities that eclipsed the 110 MPH mark. Crews, along with Wake Forest third baseman Brock Wilken (5/10 this weekend with 3 XBHs and 5 BBs), have begun to separate themselves from the rest of the pack among the 2023 bats. Vanderbilt’s Carter Young was another 2022 bat whose weekend didn’t go according to plan. After K-ing 84 times in 279 PAs last season, Young’s top priority this year was to improve his contact—especially against high heat. Unfortunately, the Washington native went 1/12 against Oklahoma State with 6 Ks. California's Dylan Beavers had an uneven opening series in Arizona but was still able to show why he may have as much upside as anyone in this year’s draft class. His weekend was bookended by mediocre showings on Friday and Sunday, but on Saturday the left-handed slugger went 2/3 with a homer and 2 BBs. He also demonstrated a strong arm in RF and enough athleticism and defensive chops to warrant a look in CF. Oregon State’s Jacob Melton isn’t a household name after an injury-riddled 2021, but he’s another hitter to keep an eye on. Despite missing half the season in ’21, Melton still slashed .404/.466/.697 and he’s off to a 9/17 start this season with 3 XBHs. On the pitching side, if Mississippi State RHP Landon Sims has more Friday nights like opening night, he’ll establish himself as the college hurler to go off the board first in July. The young flamethrower required just 81 pitches to strike out 13 hitters in 7 IP while featuring his customary mid-90’s fastball and nuclear slider. It will be interesting to follow how Sims works in his burgeoning changeup as the season progresses. Finally, while NC State’s Tommy White received extensive praise—and all of it well deserved after his 5-HR tour de force—we urge all fans to keep an eye on another freshman first baseman. West Virginia’s Grant Hussey went 5/13 with 2 dingers and just 2 Ks. As we highlighted in our CBN Freshman All America article, Hussey showed immense power last summer in the MLB Draft League. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

Just three days into the college baseball season, we’ve seen countless upsets and multiple mid-major teams playing incredibly well against strong opponents. What makes college baseball so great is the constant upsets around the country, and it didn’t take long for that to happen in the 2022 season. Long Beach State wins series over reigning National Champions While it already is incredibly difficult to travel to Starkville to win a series when Mississippi State is ranked in the top five, it only becomes more difficult when they’re the reigning National Champions opening up the season at home. That is unless you’re the Long Beach State Dirtbags. On opening day, Luis Ramirez dominated Mississippi State, striking out five over six scoreless innings. He induced 11 groundouts during the 18 outs he recorded. Ramirez’s unbelievable outing paved the way for Matt Field and Harrison Devereaux to shut the door, combining for a one-hit shutout of the Bulldogs in a 3-0 victory. After a pitchers duel on Friday, LBSU got out to an early 8-3 lead on Mississippi State before finishing the game with a double digit advantage, winning 13-3. Jonathon Long was unbelievable, as he went 4-for-4 with a home run on Saturday afternoon; Long went 6-for-11 with two home runs on the weekend. Although LBSU couldn’t complete the sweep, as Mississippi State secured their first victory of the season on Sunday, they jumped into the top 10 of College Baseball Nation’s Week 1 rankings, finishing the weekend as the No. 8 team in the country. Liberty wins final two in Gainesville After finishing the 2021 season with 41 wins, Liberty continued their success during the opening weekend in 2022 with a series victory at Florida. Liberty fell in game one, 7-2, but was able to take the series with a 6-4 Saturday victory and a 5-3 victory on Sunday. Liberty’s bullpen kept them in both of their victories. In 11.1 innings between Saturday and Sunday’s games, the Liberty bullpen didn’t allow a run. Having the ability to pitch multiple pitchers and be as dominant as they were is incredibly encouraging for Scott Jackson. Gray Betts had a .364 average and Derek Orndorff went 3-for-9 with a home run this weekend. Liberty is now ranked No. 19 in the College Baseball Nation Week 1 Top 50. San Diego dominates Oregon at home Oregon was ranked No. 13 coming into the 2022 season by College Baseball Nation; San Diego didn’t appear in the top 50. That quickly changed. San Diego dominated Oregon this weekend, as they took the first three games of a four-game series against the Ducks, securing 11-1, 10-4 and 5-4 victories. While the first two games of the series were blowouts, Sunday wasn’t. Oregon was able to tie the game at four in the 8th inning. But, that didn’t last long as San Diego quickly regained the lead with an Ariel Armas bases-loaded walk. Oregon ran out of pitching at the end of the weekend. Jack Costello was unbelievable this weekend for San Diego, as he went 7-for-12 and had four RBIs. Dustin Allen had a .400 average with a double and a triple over the first three games. Oregon and San Diego will meet up in a fourth game of the series Monday at 3 p.m. (EST). Bryant sweeps East Carolina on the road East Carolina entered the season ranked No. 12 in College Baseball Nation’s Top 50. But, in Greenville, North Carolina this past weekend, it appeared Bryant was the nationally ranked ballclub. On Opening Day, from the second inning on it was all Bryant, as they routed East Carolina on the road 10-2. Saturday, Bryant was down 3-1 but tied it in the eighth inning, eventually sending it to extras and closing with a 5-4 victory. Sunday, it was more magic, as pinch-runner Matt Smith scored on a wild pitch in the top of the ninth to give Bryant a 4-3 lead and the eventual sweep. The pitching was fantastic for Bryant. Starters Collin Lowe, Jared Burrows, and Logan Frasier combined for two earned runs over 14 innings pitched. Offensively, Logan Allen hit .500 this weekend, knocking in three RBI’s and Derek Smith hit .455 and hit two doubles. Alex Lane hit Bryant’s lone home run of the weekend. Bryant is No. 49 in College Baseball Nation’s Top 50 after their sweep of East Carolina. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

There’s no better way to start the 2022 college baseball season than a top 25 matchup in Nashville, Tennessee. The 2021 National Championship runner-up Vanderbilt Commodores hosted Oklahoma State to open the season in a must-see matchup. After the Commodores won the season opener 3-0, the Cowboys finished the weekend with back-to-back wins, propelling the Cowboys to No. 4 in the country. Here are five things we learned from this weekend’s series: 1. Oklahoma State’s starting pitching is legit Ahead of this weekend’s series, the conversation regarding starting pitching was focused on Vanderbilt’s. While the Commodores’ rotation is one of the deepest in college baseball, Oklahoma State’s top three starting pitchers impressed this weekend. Even with the loss charged to him, Justin Campbell showed much promise for the Cowboys on Friday. Striking out eight over his four innings of work, Campbell showcased his elite 12-6 curveball. In a great start to the season, Campbell proved his worth as a projected top 100 prospect for the upcoming 2022 MLB Draft. Victor Mederos and Bryce Osmond each had quality outings to fill out the weekend. Both pitchers got many swing-and-misses, as Mederos struck out six over four innings and Osmond struck out eight over five. Through the first series of the year—on the road against one of the best teams in the nation—Oklahoma State has already proved that all three starters are going to be incredibly valuable this season in the Big 12. They’ll need to continue this early success as the Cowboys have one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country. 2. Vanderbilt’s missed opportunities became costly After taking advantage of early opportunities Friday, in each of Vanderbilt’s next two games they had multiple opportunities to overtake the Cowboys. Saturday, with Vanderbilt already trailing 3-0 in the third inning, the Commodores loaded the bases with nobody out and their clean-up hitter—Dominic Keegan—up to the plate. Keegan struck out on a wild pitch, but the runner from third couldn’t advance. The next batter, Parker Noland, struck out and Carter Young grounded out on the first pitch to him. Oklahoma State escaped unscathed. Vanderbilt lost the game 4-3. Sunday, even though Vanderbilt was able to comeback from an original deficit, in the eighth inning they had runners on the corners with nobody out and the bases loaded with one out. A sac fly brought in the tying run, but another strikeout with the go-ahead run just 90 feet away left the game tied. In the ninth, Oklahoma State was able to regain the lead and hold it. Vanderbilt failed to get the big hit. 3. Trevor Martin is OSU’s X-Factor After a solid freshman season posting a 4.60 ERA, Oklahoma State’s Trevor Martin came into the season as perhaps the Cowboys’ most important reliever. He proved that he can fill this role during opening weekend. Martin pitched both Saturday and Sunday. After allowing two runners on Saturday from a walk and hit-by-pitch, Martin was able to induce three strikeouts, including one with two outs and the tying run on third. When Martin entered the game on Thursday, he allowed a sacrifice fly to the first batter he faced, but struck out the next batter with the go-ahead run on third. After his offense gave him a two-run lead, Martin cruised with a 1-2-3 ninth inning, striking out two. Martin was fantastic. If Oklahoma State plans on him being the closer all year long, they’re in good hands. The 6-foot-3 sophomore already has proved he can pitch in the big stage in the big moments. 4. Chris McElvain was the right choice for Friday’s starter; Vanderbilt’s depth at SP is immense When Vanderbilt’s starting rotation was announced for this weekend, many heads were scratched when Christian Little and Patrick Riley were not included. The three pitchers that started—Chris McElvain, Nick Maldonado, and Carter Holton—were the right selections. McElvain was unbelievable on Opening Day, as he struck out ten over four innings, only allowing four hits; he walked one batter. Although his fastball only sat between 91-93 mph, the ball flew out of his hands. He had an incredibly strong first outing for Vanderbilt, proving that he belongs in this year's rotation. Riley came out of the bullpen following McElvain’s four innings and was lights out as well. Riley struck out seven only allowing one hit over his four innings. Little pitched one inning on Sunday, striking out one of the five batters he faced. 5. Apparently electric watches are legal in baseball now All nine players on the field for Vanderbilt this weekend were wearing electronic watches that relayed signs. They are “electronic display boards,” which are now legal in NCAA Baseball. Wait, what? Scott Brown, the Vanderbilt pitching coach, puts numbers into the system that are then relayed to all nine players on the field. The message relayed includes what pitch should be thrown along with where the location should be. The product, provided by Game Day Signals, will allow Vanderbilt’s pitching coach to call every single pitch from the dugout this entire season. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

The first weekend of college baseball is behind us, so it is time to release the first official rankings of the year. Texas surprised no one as they dominated Rice in three games; the Longhorns cemented their hold on the No. 1 spot. Arkansas, winners of two out of three against Illinois State, follows Texas, with LSU at No. 3. No. 4 Oklahoma State earned one of the most impressive series wins of the weekend as the Cowboys travelled to Nashville and took down the defending nation runner-up, Vanderbilt. Florida State rode its dominant pitching to a sweep of James Madison and rounds out the top five. No. 6 Stanford earned a series win over Cal State Fullerton and remains the highest ranked team in the Pac-12. Vanderbilt slipped to No. 7, while Long Beach, winners of two out of three games at Mississippi State, rose to No. 8. Tennessee in the ninth spot and Georgia Tech at ten finish the top ten. The full top 50 can be found below. 1 Texas 2 Arkansas 3 LSU 4 Oklahoma State 5 Florida State 6 Stanford 7 Vanderbilt 8 LBSU 9 Tennessee 10 Georgia Tech 11 Ole Miss 12 Mississippi State 13 Miami 14 Louisiana Tech 15 Arizona 16 Oregon State 17 Notre Dame 18 NC State 19 Liberty 20 Southern Miss 21 UCLA 22 Florida 23 South Carolina 24 Virginia 25 UCSB 26 TCU 27 Nebraska 28 Texas Tech 29 UC Irvine 30 Maryland 31 Oklahoma 32 Old Dominion 33 Georgia 34 Charlotte 35 Auburn 36 UNC 37 ECU 38 San Diego 39 California 40 Oregon 41 Arizona State 42 Sam Houston 43 Clemson 44 Duke 45 Gonzaga 46 Louisville 47 Dallas Baptist 48 Louisiana 49 Bryant 50 Wichita State Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

In sports, the bond between a father and son usually blossoms. For Brooks Lee, he told 30 Major League Baseball teams to not draft him out of high school so he could attend Cal Poly University to play for his father, Larry. “He’s been the biggest impact out of anybody in my life, other than my mom,” Brooks Lee said. “I’m extremely blessed because I was raised the right way…. I’m grateful just to give back these three years that I gave with him, ever since I was growing up he’s given me everything I’ve ever had, as a person, as a baseball player, as a son, and all those things that kind of made me who I am. I just want to reflect as one of his players.” Larry Lee has been the head coach at Cal Poly since 2003, when Brooks was just two years old. Growing up, Brooks would always fill in during inner-squad scrimmages, having the unique opportunity to face live collegiate pitching early in his career. Out of high school and ahead of the 2019 MLB Draft, scouts considered Lee as a top 40 prospect. Expecting to arrive on campus as a freshman and make an immediate impact, Lee hyperextended his knee in his first semester which required surgery. He only had two at-bats in his freshman year before COVID-19 shut down the remainder of the season. “I was kind of lucky, honestly. I felt like I came back from my knee and hamstring injury a little too quickly,” Lee said. “It was kind of a blessing in disguise that we ended up not playing. I got to really rehab and focus on getting every other part of my right leg stronger.” Lee was lucky enough to play summer ball in 2020 in the Northwoods League in Minnesota. He hit .345 and held a .866 OPS in just 36 games. This opportunity helped him tremendously entering his first full collegiate season as he was able to play consistently while many others were unable. “It’s all about consistency,” Lee said. “Everybody always sees the ups and downs they have in baseball. Personally as a player, when you’ve gone through them and it’s evident on the stat sheet. So, you’re just trying to be as consistent as possible. I’ve always viewed myself as being tough and having a different mindset.” At the plate, Lee doesn’t like to watch many strikes go by without a swing. He only struck out in 34 of 250 plate appearances in his sophomore season. “As a kid, I was taught to swing at every single pitch,” Lee said. “When guys take pitches out of the zone, it kind of just shrinks out their zone even more…. I know I need to be a little more relaxed. I’m always aggressive at the plate. I know that if I want to have that continued and consistent success, I got to be a little more patient” In those 250 plate appearances, Lee only reached via base on balls 18 times. In what will be Lee’s last season at Cal Poly, Lee is excited to have the opportunity to win. “I’m excited just to play baseball, but I’m really excited because things have changed. I feel that we have better pitching; we have more notable guys that can hit and then you have some guys that really needed some games under them and they got that this summer,” Lee said. “The most important thing is that we win. We have to get sweeps or win two out of three, and we need to win all of our Tuesday games.” The goal for Lee is to finish the year with 40 wins. In 2021, Cal Poly finished with a 31-25 record, winning the last seven games of the year. “We need to make a regional, so we got to win 40 games,” Lee said. “When you make a regional, you got certain guys on the mound for two or three games and can make a super regional. Then when you get to Omaha, literally anything can happen. That’s the way I want go out and as [Larry] always says ‘Winning takes care of everything.’” After this season, Lee will be headed into the 2022 MLB Draft. Even though he’s a projected top-10 selection, he doesn’t let that get to his head. “I love looking at the write ups and seeing what people have to say because I know my game better than anybody,” Lee said. “I love what people have to say and I especially love it when it’s not positive. That’s just the way I am. I’m a stubborn person.” He says although he tries to not pay attention to it, sometimes—especially when he’s tagged in posts—it’s impossible. Lee compared his situation to Corey Seager’s. Out of high school, scouts projected Seager to have to move away from playing shortstop due to his size. Scouts are projecting the same for Lee, which is something he doesn’t pay attention to. “Whatever happens [in the draft], I’m good with. It’s just another checkpoint down the road,” Lee said. “I want to be a Hall of Famer, I don’t want to just be a big leaguer. I don’t care about being a top five pick in the draft. I want to be a notable name 20 years down the road.” In College Baseball Nation’s Preseason Top 50, Cal Poly is ranked at No. 49. The Mustangs were fourth in the Big West preseason coaches poll. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

The season is here, so it's time for John and Kyle's eight for Omaha picks. John @johnny_omaha_ Texas Stanford Mississippi State Arkansas Florida State Oklahoma State Ole Miss Louisiana Tech Texas returns the bulk of a pitching staff that had a sub-3.00 ERA a year ago. Yes, the Horns lost Ty Madden, but this team has a great case for having the best pitching staff in the country. Stanford, another 2021 College World Series participant, looks to be the best team on the West Coast. Expect to see the Cardinal host a Regional and Super Regional and have a great shot at Omaha. Choosing SEC teams to make it to Omaha always feels a little like drawing names out of a hat. For now, I'll stick with defending national champion, Mississippi State, as well as Arkansas and Ole Miss. If Texas has the best pitching staff in the country, Florida State may have the second best. Parker Messick and Bryce Hubbart will provide one of the best one-two punches in the nation. Wrapping up my eight for Omaha are Oklahoma State and Louisiana Tech. I said it on this week's podcast: a man is nothing if he doesn't stand by his convictions. And all offseason, I've lauded Louisiana Tech, so it's time to put my money where my mouth is. The Bulldogs will make history this season and make it to Omaha. Kyle @kylemckelv Texas Vanderbilt Stanford Mississippi State Arkansas Arizona Ole Miss Georgia Tech I was going through our Projected Field of 64 to pick these teams, but if I were to start from scratch, I think it would end up looking pretty similar to this group of eight. Based on our Field of 64, this would mean that all but one team are from our projected top eight seeds. I also wanted to compare to previous years’ College World Series participants and found that six of my 2022 picks were just in Omaha in 2021. What I am trying to say is that it is difficult to pick against chalk so early in the season. Otherwise, why would we have ranked them so high? Arizona is that team that is not a Top 8 seed that I picked to go to Omaha. The main thing I like about the Wildcats is that experience returning from last year’s team. The experience needed to make a deep tournament run is there. I also thought they matched up well with the other teams in the way on their path to this hypothetical Omaha. Picking against chalk was difficult, but my non-chalk picks were more prevalent in the “Super Regional” round of this exercise. One of those picks was UC Irvine. I really like the experience this team brings back, especially on the mound. I believe they will be able to hit well, too, but having depth on the mound could really help this team advance. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

Long Beach State Head Coach Eric Valenzuela joins the podcast to preview the Dirtbags' opening weekend trip to Mississippi State. John and Kyle pick their eight for Omaha and choose teams for the Week 1 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!

An ACL tear takes approximately six to nine months to fully recover. Especially athletes are advised to sit out for an extended period of time before returning from the injury. Returning just 26 days later and hitting home runs constantly is virtually impossible—unless you are Ole Miss’s Tim Elko. Elko’s Rebels took the SEC and nation by storm to start the year. After reaching No. 1 in the nation in multiple polls after a three-game sweep in Texas over TCU, Texas Tech, and Texas. Elko started the season in his first 28 games holding a .340 batting average with nine home runs. His hot beginning to his senior season came to a crushing—and painful—hault. After hustling down the first base line to beat out a ground ball to second base, an awkward tumble after an errant throw left Elko on the ground in extreme pain. The Ole Miss captain had torn his ACL. All that he could think is that his season, and potentially Ole Miss career, was over. “I’m like, man, my season’s over. I can’t believe this just happened,” Elko said. “I was having probably the best season I’ve had at Ole Miss. Our team was looking so good. Now, I’m not going to be able to help at all and be there for the guys.” Elko had never been seriously injured during his Ole Miss career to that point. He played in 109 games until the injury. It was unfamiliar territory for the Rebels fifth-year senior captain. There was never time for Elko to sulk. He began his road to recovery almost immediately. “Once the doctors told me ‘Hey, you know, there’s a chance you could come back and play with a brace,’ Sometimes it happens, like some people can play with the brace and they make it work and others get the surgery,’ Elko said. “Once they gave me that chance that I could come back, it was full of optimism from there.” Unbelievably, Elko was available to pinch-hit in a game just 25 days later. With his cross around his neck, Elko knew his faith in God was a large part of his ability to return. “From that first day, God was really putting peace on my heart. That was really the main reason I came back. That’s how I felt so positive all the time,” Elko said. “I was praying, a lot of my family was praying, and people were praying, and He answered those prayers for healing.” Elko believed his first at-bat was one of the most memorable moments of his career. “That first time getting back was a super cool feeling,” Elko said of that first game. “Just walking in the box and being able to get back on the field after a huge turn of emotions where, at the beginning, I’m like ‘you know, I may never play at Ole Miss again.’ Then to get back with everything that happened in that month. Just all those emotions right there hit me. All of the support from the crowd and teammates… All of that together just made that moment unforgettable.” Remarkably, 33 days after his ACL was torn, in his second at-bat from returning, Elko rocked a 0-1 pitch over the right-center field fence for a home run. “It was just a surreal feeling,” Elko profoundly said. “I blacked out. I came back to the dugout and I’m sitting there in the dugout and then it hits me like, ‘Alright, I guess I’m going to be able to do this.’” He was able to do it. Elko began playing like his injury never happened. Originally, he was only able to appear as a pinch-hitter. But, as the season progressed at the end of the year Elko was able to DH. He was running at about 75% of his speed but was still able to contribute; if needed, he would be run for later in the game. After getting into a groove playing in more games, Elko hit his stride as the Rebels entered the SEC and NCAA tournaments. His best game garnered national attention, when Elko hit two home runs against the reigning National Champion Vanderbilt Commodores. He hit two more home runs in the Rebels’ winner-take-all regional final against Southern Miss. After Ole Miss’s loss to Arizona in their NCAA Super Regional, there was a possibility Elko’s career in Oxford, Mississippi had ended. But, he ultimately made the decision to return for an extra season. “The draft didn’t exactly go how I wanted it to and was hoping for it to go,” Elko said. “I remember between the second and third day and I just prayed about it. I wasn’t sure if I should go and I just prayed. God put on my heart that like ‘Hey, you got one more year, go use that.’” The super senior is coming into 2022 hungrier than ever. The expectations for Elko and the Rebels are high. “My expectations for myself are just to try to help us win as many games as possible. If I’m helping us win, I’m probably doing pretty well,” Elko said. “Our expectations are just to win, win as many games as possible. Host a regional, host a super regional, go to Omaha and you know the rest.” The Rebels finished the 2021 season 45-22 and lost in game three of the super regional against Arizona. They returned the vast majority of their lineup but lost starting pitchers Doug Nikhazy and Gunnar Hoglund. “The team’s looking great. We pretty much have the same whole offense back. We lost a couple of some key pitchers, but we have a lot of guys that have stepped up and we got some transfers,” Elko said. “I think this might be one of the most complete pitching staffs we’ve maybe ever had since I've been here.” If the Rebels can break through and earn a trip to Omaha, Elko believes they would leave as champions. “If we get to Omaha, we will be national champions. Since I’ve been here we’ve lost two times in that last game of the Super Regional,” Elko said. “One of our mottos is sticking to the journey and playing each game like it’s the last…. We’re going to play with the same intensity, same mindset.” Elko will be 100% on Friday for the beginning of the season. He plans to play the field this season and plans to be “out there like normal.” After a season full of adversity a year ago, Elko is ready for a completely fully healthy season with the Rebels and he only has one goal. “I want to win a National Championship.” Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

The college baseball season is around the corner, and College Baseball Nation's Preseason Field of 64 is here! Preseason number one Texas starts the year as the projected number one overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, followed by Vanderbilt out of the SEC. Stanford, the projected Pac-12 champion, checks in at the number three seed. Mississippi State and Arkansas fill back-to-back spots from the SEC. Florida State, Ole Miss, and Georgia Tech round out the top eight seeds. Ten teams represent the SEC in the field of 64 with the ACC just behind at nine. The Pac-12 has six teams in the field, and the Big 12 sees five of its nine teams in the bracket. Conference USA (four), Big West (three), American (two), and Big Ten (two) are the remaining conferences with multiple teams in the projection. Last 4 in: Maryland North Carolina Duke Auburn First 4 out: Michigan Cal Poly Clemson Wake Forest 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!