The NCAA Tournament selection is later this month (5/31), and College Baseball Nation's bubble watch is in full force. With the Ivy League not playing an official season this year, there are 34 at-large bids to go around. As of now 64 teams from 19 conferences are on the bubble watch. When automatic bids and tournament "locks" are accounted for, that means 26 teams are vying for 14 spots. Conference tournaments always bring a few bid stealers, so somewhere between 10-15 deserving teams will be left out. Editor's note: This will be updated regularly throughout Saturday. ACC (10) Locks (5): Notre Dame, Florida State, NC State, Georgia Tech, Miami Should be in (2): Virginia, North Carolina Work left to do (3): Louisville, Pitt, Duke Miami swept Louisville on Saturday, and Louisville is dropping down the bubble in a hurry. Pitt, losers of six straight has also seen a serious hit to its postseason chances, while Duke, winners of eight straight, is starting to look like a tournament team. Virginia Tech and Clemson drop off the bubble after getting swept. American (2) Locks (1): ECU Need a miracle (1): Cincinnati Cincinnati swept Tulane over the weekend. It probably won't be enough for the Bearcats whose RPI is at 67, and at the same time, it knocked Tulane off the bubble. The American is looking like a one-bid league unless Tulane, Cincinnati, or some other team makes a run in the American Tournament. ASUN (1) Should be in (1): Liberty With its RPI sneaking up to #28 and a 19-2 ASUN record, Liberty should start to feel pretty good about its at-large potential, should it need it. The Flames won their ASUN quarterfinal series against Bellarmine over the weekend and play Jacksonville on Thursday in the semifinal. Atlantic 10 (1) Should be in (1): VCU VCU, winners of 18 straight games, finished its regular season at 34-14. The Rams are nearly a lock at this point. VCU plays Saint Joseph's in the A10 semifinal on Thursday. Big 12 (6) Locks (4): TCU, Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State Work left to do (2): Baylor, Oklahoma Oklahoma upset the Bears in Waco over the weekend to greatly boost its chances at an at-large bid. The Sooners (RPI #55) begin their Big 12 Tournament run against Oklahoma State on Tuesday, while Baylor (RPI #40) gets Texas Tech first. Both teams, with their 11-13 Big 12 records, need wins in the Big 12 Tournament to feel secure about an at-large bid. Big East (1) Locks (1): UConn UConn has worked its RPI all the way up to #22. Even if they lose both games in the Big East Tournament, that should be enough to get the Huskies an at-large bid. Big South (2) Work left to do (2): Campbell, South Carolina Upstate Campbell has won ten straight games and finished its regular season with a sweep of High Point and an RPI at #38. South Carolina Upstate earned a sweep of its own (over UNC Asheville) and finished with an RPI at #43. Both of those look like good resumes, but history says it's tough to get an at-large bid from the Big South. Each team plays in the Big South semifinals on Thursday. Big Ten (6) Lock (1): Nebraska Should be in (2): Michigan, Maryland Work left to do (3): Indiana, Iowa, Ohio State Who knows exactly what the NCAA Selection Committee will do with the Big Ten? One thing is for sure: Nebraska will be in. The Huskers locked up the regular season championship and the automatic bid over the weekend. Four bids seems like the floor for the conference, and there is some separation between fourth place Indiana and fifth place Iowa. No Big Ten teams were selected among the 20 potential hosts, which is not good news if you're the fifth or sixth place team in the conference in search of an at-large bid. Big West (3) Should be in (1): UC Irvine Work left to do (1): UCSB Need a miracle (1): LBSU The magic number is down to one for UC Irvine to lock up the Big West. The Big West has turned into a one-bid league in recent years, so winning the regular season crown (and automatic bid in the Big West) is the only sure way in the tournament. Don't look now, but after being the last team in the country to head back on the field, Long Beach State, is at 69 in the RPI and has an outside shot at making a run in its last four games. Colonial (1) Work left to do (1): Northeastern Northeastern at #39 in the RPI and 12-6 in non-conference play feels like a team that should be in the NCAA Tournament no matter what. However, 33 of its games have been against Q4 teams. Northeastern is 29-4 in those games, but still, its SOS is #212. Conference USA (5) Locks (4): Charlotte, Old Dominion, Southern Miss, Louisiana Tech Need a miracle (1): Florida Atlantic What a year for Conference USA. The league will almost certainly get at least four teams into the postseason. Florida Atlantic (RPI #60) moved up five spots with a midweek win over Miami last week. The Owls, needing some more wins, open up the Conference USA Tournament against Old Dominion Horizon League (1) Should be in (1): Wright State Wright State is 5-7 against Q1 + Q2 teams. The #30 RPI and #132 SOS feel like enough to get Wright State an at-large bid should it need it. All that's left on the Raiders' schedule is the Horizon League Tournament. They play Milwaukee on Thursday. MAAC (1) Work left to do (1): Fairfield With no non-conference play in the MAAC, RPI is meaningless. However, Fairfield's 35-1 record is tough to ignore. The Stags may earn an at-large bid if they fail to get the auto bid. Fairfield won its quarterfinal series in the MAAC Tournament, and plays Canisius on Wednesday in the semifinal. MAC (1) Work left to do (1): Ball State Ball State split four games at Ohio and moved up to #49 in the RPI over the weekend. Central Michigan (RPI #64) likely do not have a path to an at-large bid. However, the Chippewas are two games up on Ball State with four games left to play. The regular season champion will earn the auto-bid in the MAC. Missouri Valley (2) Work left to do (2): Dallas Baptist, Indiana State Indiana State closed out its series with Evansville with a win and the Sycamores RPI is up to #37. Dallas Baptist checks in at #52 in the RPI and holds a four game lead over Indiana State in the Missouri Valley standings. Both of these teams will begin MVC Tournament play on Wednesday, knowing that a couple wins could lock in their bid. Mountain West (3) Should be in (1): Nevada Work left to do: (2) Air Force, UNLV With a series win at Dallas Baptist and wins at LSU and Arizona, Air Force's 8-6 non-conference record is fairly impressive. San Diego State (RPI #76) is just one game back of Nevada (RPI #26) for first place in the Mountain West (Nevada holds the tiebreaker). The regular season champion earns the auto-bid in the conference, so San Diego State could turn into a bid stealer. Pac-12 (7) Locks (5): Arizona, Oregon, Stanford, Arizona State, Oregon State Should be in (1): UCLA Need a miracle (1): California Cal (RPI #81) has now won back-to-back series against Stanford and UCLA. If the Bears can knock off Oregon, they will have a shot at an at-large bid. UCLA would lock up a bid with a single win against Arizona State this weekend. Even if the Bruins get swept, they would be 15-15 in conference play and would likely earn an at-large bid. SEC (9) Locks (7): Arkansas, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Florida, South Carolina Work left to do (1): LSU Need a miracle (2): Georgia, Alabama Alabama was swept by Mississippi State, so the Tide finished at 12-17 in SEC play to end the year. That nearly knocked Alabama off the bubble, and the Tide will likely need a deep run in the SEC Tournament to earn an at-large bid. Georgia salvaged its series with Ole Miss to stay on the bubble. They'll also need some wins in Hoover to make it in the NCAA Tournament. West Coast (1) Locks (1): Gonzaga Since Gonzaga was announced as one of the 20 potential host sites, the Bulldogs have won back-to-back series. Gonzaga's RPI is at 24, and with just one series to go, the Bulldogs hold a two-game lead over San Diego. Gonzaga hosts San Diego this weekend, and should San Diego win the series, the Toreros would win the conference and earn the automatic bid. Likely one-bid leagues: America East, MEAC, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot League, SoCon, Southland, SWAC, Summit League, Sun Belt, WAC Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

Editor's Note: The College Baseball Nation Top 50 is brought to you by Press Sports. Join over 2,000 players and 1,000 coaches from all college divisions posting their highlights on Press Sports for FREE! The Press Sports App allows players to archive all the top moments from throughout their career together in one place so that anyone can go back and easily find them. On top of that, players and coaches can use profiles as scouting tools to extend careers from High School to College as well as College to Pro. Essentially the app functions similar to Tiktok to serve the purpose of LinkedIn for athletes, coaches and fans from all levels & sports. The app also features a transfer portal for college athletes that is becoming a very popular destination for coaches! Download Press Sports on iOS today! Arkansas put its perfect weekend series record to the test one last time and rose to the challenge and then some. The Razorbacks swept Florida to further entrench their spot at number one. The remainder of the top five also stays the same with #2 Vanderbilt, #3 Texas, #4 Mississippi State, and #5 Tennessee. Notre Dame swept Virginia Tech on the road to bounce back from its only series loss of the year. The Fighting Irish check in at number six, followed by #7 Texas Tech. Two Pac-12 squads fill the next spots with Arizona at number eight and Stanford at number nine. The Cardinal won two out of three games on the road at Oregon over the weekend. Ole Miss rounds out the top ten. Old Dominion won two games against Louisiana Tech and is the only team to enter the top 25 this week. Maryland (#43), Duke (#46), and Long Beach State (#50) enter the top 50. The full top 50 can be found below. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

by Matt Sefcovic (@MattSefcovic) Heading into the season, North Carolina State had high expectations, ranked #23 in the College Baseball Nation Preseason Top 50. Covid-19 quickly put a damper on the Wolfpack season with multiple players missing crucial series, ultimately forcing a cancellation with the series against Duke. After being selected to finish second in the ACC Atlantic Division, Coach Avent saw his team begin conference play with a 1-8 record. After losing their first three conference series, the Wolfpack have bounced back to finish 19-14 in the ACC, winning ten of their last 12 conference games, securing the three seed in the upcoming ACC Tournament. The Wolfpack ended the season with a crucial series against Florida State in Raleigh, attempting to improve their tournament resume. It took just two games to secure their fourth series win against a quality Seminoles opponent. The first game on Thursday started and ended with Luca Tresh. In the bottom of the second inning, Tresh opened up a scoreless game with a solo shot to get the Wolfpack on the board. Jonny Butler later hit a home run of his own, extending the lead to 4-0. In the seventh inning, the Seminoles put some pressure on the Wolfpack, tying the game with a grand slam off the bat of Logan Lacey. The game remained tied heading into the bottom of the ninth, but Tresh had no interest in playing extra innings. With one man aboard, Tresh hit his 11th home run of the season to walk-off game one in dramatic fashion, 6-4. Reid Johnson and Evan Justice (W, 4-2) combined to strike out 16 Seminoles batters on the day. Florida State needed to secure a victory on Friday to force a rubber match on Saturday. The Seminoles took an early lead, but the Wolfpack proved to be too much in a back-and-forth game, taking the game and series by a score of 6-4 for the second day in a row. Tyler McDonough led North Carolina State with two RBI and scored four runs. He was 2-for-2 at the plate, including a two-run home run. Freshman Sam Highfill (W, 5-2) gave up just two earned runs in his six innings of work while striking out six. The freshman has made a name for himself as he has won his last four decisions and cemented himself in the starting rotation. In the series finale, the two teams combined for 29 hits and 26 runs as Florida State prevented the sweep, taking game three 15-11. Matheu Nelson made one final push to earn ACC Player of the Year honors with four hits, and three RBI, including two home runs. Jackson Greene also homered for the second consecutive day and added four RBI. Terrell Tatum launched two home runs for the Wolfpack, his 10th and 11th of the season. Heading into ACC tournament pool play, North Carolina State will play North Carolina and Pittsburgh, two teams that are desperate for quality wins to try to earn an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament. Florida State earned the five seed and will play both Miami and Duke. Winners of each of the four pools will advance to a single elimination tournament. Pool play is set to begin Tuesday and will run through Friday, with the semi-finals and championship scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

The NCAA Tournament selection is later this month (5/31), and College Baseball Nation's bubble watch is in full force. With the Ivy League not playing an official season this year, there are 34 at-large bids to go around. As of now 68 teams from 19 conferences are on the bubble watch. When automatic bids and tournament "locks" are accounted for, that means 30 teams are vying for 15 spots; ten of those teams are in the "need a miracle" category, so only 20 teams are in serious contention and on the bubble. Conference tournaments always bring a few bid stealers, so somewhere between 5-15 deserving teams will be left out. ACC (12) Locks (5): Notre Dame, Florida State, NC State, Georgia Tech, Miami Work left to do (7): Virginia, Louisville, North Carolina, Pitt, Clemson, Duke, Virginia Tech Miami clinched the series with Louisville on Friday, moving the Hurricanes into the "lock" position. Louisville on the other hand is sneaking down onto the bubble. Pitt, losers of five straight has also seen a serious hit to its postseason chances. Duke, winner of seven straight, is starting to look like a tournament team. American (4) Locks (1): ECU Need a miracle (3): Tulane, Wichita State, Cincinnati Cincinnati clinched the series with Tulane on Friday. It probably won't be enough for the Bearcats and nearly knocked Tulane off the bubble. The American is looking like a one-bid league. ASUN (1) Should be in (1): Liberty With its RPI holding pat at 30 and a 19-2 ASUN record, Liberty should start to feel pretty good about its at-large potential, should it need it. The Flames won game one of its ASUN quarterfinal series. Atlantic 10 (1) Should be in (1): VCU VCU, winners of 18 straight games, finished its regular season at 34-14. The Rams are nearly a lock at this point. Big 12 (6) Locks (4): TCU, Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State Work left to do (1): Baylor Need a miracle (1): Oklahoma Baylor and Oklahoma have now split the first two games of their series. Should Oklahoma win, the Sooner and Bears would each need wins in the Big 12 Tournament to earn an at-large bid. If Baylor clinches the series, they should be in regardless of what happens in the Big 12 Tournament. Big East (1) Should be in (1): UConn With just one game left in its regular season, UConn has its RPI up to 25. That should be enough to get the Huskies an at-large bid. Big South (2) Work left to do (2): Campbell, South Carolina Upstate Campbell has won ten straight games and finished its regular season with a sweep of High Point and an RPI of 39. South Carolina Upstate earned a sweep of its own (over UNC Asheville) and finished with an RPI of 45. Both of those look like good resumes, but history says it's tough to get an at-large bid from the Big South. Big Ten (6) Should be in (4): Michigan, Indiana, Nebraska, Maryland Work left to do (2): Iowa, Ohio State Who knows exactly what the NCAA Selection Committee will do with the Big Ten? Four bids seems like the floor, and there is some separation between fourth place Indiana and fifth place Iowa. No Big Ten teams were selected among the 20 potential hosts, which is not good news if you're the fifth or sixth place team in the conference in search of an at-large bid. Big West (3) Should be in (1): UC Irvine Need a miracle (2): UCSB, LBSU The magic number is down to three in order for UC Irvine to lock up the Big West. The Big West has turned into a one-bid league in recent years, so winning the regular season crown (and automatic bid in the Big West) is the only sure way in the tournament. Don't look now, but after being the last team in the country to head back on the field, Long Beach State, is at 76 in the RPI and has an outside shot at making a run in its last eight games. Colonial (1) Work left to do (1): Northeastern Northeastern at #41 in the RPI and 12-6 in non-conference play feels like a team that should be in the NCAA Tournament no matter what. However, 31 of its games have been against Q4 teams. Northeastern is 27-4 in those games, but still, its SOS is #207. Conference USA (5) Locks (4): Charlotte, Old Dominion, Southern Miss, Louisiana Tech Need a miracle (1): Florida Atlantic What a year for Conference USA. The league will almost certainly get at least four teams into the postseason. Florida Atlantic (RPI #60) moved up five spots with a midweek win over Miami. The Owls will need some wins in the CUSA Tournament. Horizon League (1) Should be in (1): Wright State Wright State is 1-7 against Q1 + Q2 teams. The #28 RPI and #129 SOS feel like just enough to get Wright State an at-large bid should it need it. All that's left on the Raiders' schedule is the Horizon League Tournament. MAAC (1) Work left to do (1): Fairfield With no non-conference play in the MAAC, RPI is meaningless. However, Fairfield's 35-1 record is tough to ignore. The Stags may earn an at-large bid if they fail to get the auto bid. Fairfield won its quarterfinal series in the MAAC Tournament. MAC (1) Work left to do (1): Ball State Ball State won its opener at Ohio and moved up to #49 in the RPI. The Cardinals have little room for error down the stretch. Missouri Valley (2) Work left to do (2): Dallas Baptist, Indiana State Losers of five of their last six games, Indiana State has gone from a sure thing, to a bubble team in a hurry. They have one game left at Evansville to try to salvage the series. Mountain West (3) Work left to do: (3) Air Force, Nevada, UNLV With a series win at Dallas Baptist and wins at LSU and Arizona, Air Force's 8-6 non-conference record is fairly impressive. Pac-12 (7) Locks (4): Arizona, Oregon, Stanford, Arizona State Should be in (2): UCLA, Oregon State Need a miracle (1): California Cal holds on for one more week after taking a series against Stanford and started the series at UCLA with a win. The Bears will need to beat UCLA and Oregon to have a shot at an at-large bid. UCLA and Oregon State are all just a win or two away from locking up an at-large bid. SEC (10) Locks (7): Arkansas, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Florida, South Carolina Need a miracle (3): Georgia, Alabama, LSU Alabama has already dropped the series with Mississippi State. A win in game three would put the Tide at 13-16 in SEC play to end the year. They would still need some wins in Hoover to make it in as an at-large team. West Coast (1) Locks (1): Gonzaga Gonzaga was announced as one of the 20 potential host sites. The Bulldogs are now a lock for the NCAA Tournament. Likely one-bid leagues: America East, MEAC, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot League, SoCon, Southland, SWAC, Summit League, Sun Belt, WAC Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

With just seven weeks to go until MLB’s First Year Player Draft on July 11, we are officially in mock draft season! And CBN has you all covered as we proudly present the first of three mocks we’ll deliver to you between now and the big day. Unlike last year when ASU’s Spencer Torkelson was essentially the wire-to-wire choice to go 1-01, things are a little murkier this time around. Vanderbilt’s gigantic righthander, Kumar Rocker, was the pre-season consensus choice to ride the pole position, but he was overtaken during the season’s first half by rotation mate and fellow righty Jack Leiter. While both hurlers’ names have still been bandied about as serious candidates for first overall, they’ve received plenty of competition from high school shortstops Jordan Lawlar and Marcelo Mayer, as well as Louisville catcher Henry Davis. It’s important to know that this is the first year the draft will be held in mid-July. As a result, there’s still ample time for many of the top college prospects to make their case. The most challenging aspect of this mock draft is an annual rite of passage with this exercise-- determining where injured pitchers fit. This is especially true for Tommy John patients Gunnar Hoglund of Ole Miss and Jaden Hill of LSU, the former having been ticketed for the top 10 until his elbow ligament gave out. In conversations with scouts, it’s become evident Hoglund won’t make it out of the first 20 picks. Hill will have to wait a little longer to hear his name called. Alas, in the words of the immortal Mills Lane, “Let’s get it on!” 1) Pittsburgh Pirates—Jordan Lawlar, SS, HS (Irving, Texas): Rocker and Leiter were the two obvious choices here early on, but recently it’s become more apparent that the Bucs are zeroing in on a bat with Lawlar as the current favorite. Pittsburgh has had a heavy presence at Lawlar’s games, and his well-rounded skill set is in sync with what they’re looking for with the first overall pick. The Pirates recently had a big contingent at one of Mayer’s games and have also kicked the tires on Davis. 2) Texas Rangers—Jack Leiter, RHP, Vanderbilt: On draft night, it’s not uncommon for Texas to zig when others zag, but this one is cut-and-dry. While local boy Lawlar is at the top of the Rangers’ wish list, they’re nearly as fixated on Leiter, whose show of force last Saturday against Ole Miss reaffirmed his lofty status after several disappointing starts. Leiter’s elite fastball and deluxe secondary stuff all but assure a rapid rise through the minor leagues. 3) Detroit Tigers—Marcelo Mayer, SS, HS (Chula Vista, CA): Detroit’s intense pursuit of Mayer has been well-chronicled this spring with numerous high-ranking Tigers evaluators and decision makers having already made pitstops to scenic Chula Vista. Mayer checks two important boxes for Detroit. First, he boasts a polished bat that should move with lightning speed through a system still largely devoid of high-end offensive talent. Second, the addition of Mayer would add a bona fide SS to an organization sorely lacking at the position. The Tigers’ heavy hitters have also been in to see Leiter, Brady House, and Jackson Jobe. 4) Boston Red Sox—Henry Davis, C, Louisville: Though Rocker is still on the board, he won’t land in the City with the Dirty Water, where Chaim Bloom has always had an affinity for hitters. Davis is the ideal pick for this offensive-minded franchise—his ability to make contact combined with impressive batted-ball metrics make him a unicorn behind the plate. 5) Baltimore Orioles—Brady House, SS/3B, HS (Winder, GA): Mike Elias was in Houston for the Mark Appel and Brady Aiken Draft Night Massacres of 2013-14 and has acted accordingly as O’s GM, popping C Adley Rutschman at 1-01 in 2019 and OF Heston Kjerstad second overall last year. In other words, Rocker will have to wait a little longer as Elias plucks the Georgia prep sensation House. Though there’s some swing-and-miss to House’s game, he offers an enticing combination of high-end athleticism, projected 70-grade power and arm, and youth (he’s still 17). In addition to rolling deep at several of House’s games, the Orioles’ brass has exhibited strong interest in Kahlil Watson. 6) Arizona Diamondbacks—Sal Frelick, OF, Boston College: Arizona has a type, and, unfortunately for Rocker, it’s smaller, contact-oriented outfielders like Corbin Carroll, Alek Thomas, and, now, Frelick. It’s important to note that Diamandbacks owner Ken Kendrick is not known as one of the more “generous” owners and it’s doubtful he’d be willing to play ball with a client of Scott Boras looking to recoup some of the slot money he lost during his draft night descent. 7) Kansas City Royals—Kumar Rocker, RHP, Vanderbilt: If the 2018 draft is any indication, Royals GM Dayton Moore & Co. will roll out the red carpet for Rocker. On that fateful night, KC scooped up premium arms Brady Singer, Jackson Kowar, Daniel Lynch, and Kris Bubic after they all became available far later than everyone expected. We think history will repeat itself should Rocker fall on July 11th. The Royals have also demonstrated heavy interest in Davis and House and sent a large group in to see Hoglund before he got injured. 8) Colorado Rockies—Kahlil Watson, SS/2B, HS (Wake Forest, NC): The Rockies have looked closely at Watson, a line drive machine whose game would translate very well to Coors. They also like House, who almost certainly won’t make it this far. 9) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim—Jordan Wicks, LHP, Kansas State: It seems like the Angels have been forever seeking polished arms to bolster the parent club’s beleaguered starting pitching and this year will be no different. The Halos have also been in to see Hoglund, and Ryan Cusick, among others, and will settle on Wicks, who made great strides during his time in Manhattan. 10) New York Mets—Ty Madden, RHP, Texas: Though Madden’s operation and offerings are considered unconventional in the high-spin rate, low-release point world we live in, he’s still high voltage with plenty of success under his belt. Not to mention he’s big and durable with command of three pitches. The Metropolitans have also put the full court press on Hoglund, Matt McLain, and Colton Cowser. 11) Washington Nationals—Jackson Jobe, RHP: HS (Oklahoma City, OK): Nats GM Mike Rizzo is never afraid to roll the dice on prep arms, and in Jobe he’d be getting one of the best in years. Jobe’s pitch metrics are off the charts, and his top-of-the-line athleticism allows him to repeat his delivery with ease. 12) Seattle Mariners—Colton Cowser, OF, Sam Houston State: In his rush to come down the mountain, Moses lost the 11th Commandment, which read, “Thou shalt not draft for need.” GM Jerry DiPoto and friends are following this edict to a T when they select Cowser, despite the crop of high end outfielders in the Mariners’ system. Though the Southland Conference is a far cry from the SEC, ACC, and other powerhouses, Cowser’s refined swing mechanics, burgeoning power, ability to stick in CF, and history of success with Team USA might make him somewhat of a value play at 12. In addition to Cowser, the Mariners have honed in on a bunch of college players, including Cusick and McLain. 13) Philadelphia Phillies—Ryan Cusick, RHP, Wake Forest: During his nearly 15 years in Detroit, Phillies GM Dave Dombrowski earned his reputation as a guy who coveted big, power arms because of their ability to miss bats in October as well as the ease at which they can be converted to valuable currency at the trade deadline. Cusick certainly qualifies as a big, power arm—the 6-06/235 righty’s fastball sits in the upper 90’s and he boasts a wipeout curveball. 14) San Francisco Giants—Matt McLain, SS/2B, UCLA: The Giants in recent years have taken the developed college hitter route—Joey Bart, Hunter Bishop, and Patrick Bailey—and will continue this trend with McLain, who earlier this month suffered a broken thumb. McLain’s unique in that he’s viable anywhere in the middle of the diamond and offers 15 HR/30 SB upside. 15) Milwaukee Brewers—Jud Fabian, OF, Florida: Last year, the Brewers took a tooled up college hitter with swing/approach questions in Garrett Mitchell and we feel they’ll be a repeat offender in 2021. Fabian began the spring as a legitimate 1-01 candidate, but a miserable February and March prompted a freefall down draft boards. But a change in his two-strike approach has sparked a revival (in his last 18 games Fabian is slashing .344/.476/.859 with 9 HR, 17 RBI, and a 15/17 K ratio). 16) Miami Marlins—Will Taylor, OF, HS (Irmo, SC): The Marlins are an organization that never shies away from premier athletes, and Taylor, a highly touted slot receiver in football and accomplished wrestler, certainly fits that description. Miami has also showed interest in a bunch of college arms. 17) Cincinnati Reds—Sam Bachman, RHP, Miami (OH): Reds country is now known as Spincinnati, and Bachman’s vicious slider (and 100 MPH heater) would be a great fit. If there wasn’t concern about Bachman’s long arm stroke and durability questions, he might go as many as 10 picks higher. 18) St. Louis Cardinals—Andrew Painter, RHP, HS (Pompano Beach, FL): St. Louis has been all over the map in recent years with its 1st Round demographics, and this late in the 1st round Painter represents an intriguing value play. He offers an interesting mix of size, stuff, and pitchability and should move relatively quickly for a high school arm. 19) Toronto Blue Jays—Gunnar Hoglund, RHP, Mississippi: As we indicated above, Hoglund was well on his way to landing in the top 10; however, a trip to Dr. Andrews changed that plan. Still, given the success rate of Tommy John surgery and Hoglund’s strong performance before he got hurt, he’d be a steal for Toronto at 19. 20) New York Yankees—Benny Montgomery, OF, HS (Lewisberry, PA): A number of teams in the teens are in on Montgomery, who has the loudest tools in the HS class and over the off-season reworked his swing to allow for more contact. The Yankees in the past have targeted high upside guys, so this pick makes a lot of sense. 21) Chicago Cubs—Will Bednar, RHP, Mississippi State: Bednar has shot up draft boards this spring after seeing both his fastball and slider tick up and now profiles as a middle-of-the-rotation workhorse, something the Cubs urgently need. 22) Chicago White Sox—Adrian Del Castillo, C, Miami (FL): Sometimes history does repeat itself. In 2016, Chicago took Miami backstop Zack Collins, who was best known for his lethal lefty bat, and this year the ChiSox go catcher shopping in the same aisle. Though Del Castillo has not had the type of season many expected, he still offers a keen eye and plenty of thump from the left side. Much like Collins, there are some questions regarding his defense and ability to stay behind the plate long-term. 23) Cleveland Indians—Joshua Baez, OF, HS (Boston, MA): The Indians are a very model-friendly organization, and Baez’ relative youth and loud tools are a perfect fit for the Tribe. 24) Atlanta Braves—Bubba Chandler, RHP, HS (Bogart, GA): A match made in heaven. The Braves aren’t afraid of high school arms and love kids from their own backyard. Chandler, a star on the gridiron and an excellent SS, oozes athleticism and projects as a frontline starter once he accumulates more reps on the mound. 25) Oakland A’s—Chase Petty, RHP, HS (Somers Point, NJ): For decades, it’s been all about extracting value for the A’s, and in Petty they see the best heater in the HS class to go along with a freakish slider. An MLB free agent with Petty’s toolset would be out of Oakland’s price range. 26) Minnesota Twins—Ethan Wilson, OF, South Alabama: The Twins have a “thing” for polished lefthanded OF bats (see Kirilloff, Alex and Larnach, Trevor) and Wilson, his dip in power notwithstanding, has displayed a penchant for making contact (K-rate of just 8 percent this season) and an ability to drive the ball to all fields. 27) San Diego Padres—Thatcher Hurd, RHP, HS (Manhattan Beach, CA): The Padres are known for their affinity for high school arms—a rarity these days—and Hurd fits their model. He has size, moxie, and stuff, though may be tough to lure away from UCLA. 28) Tampa Bay Rays—Michael McGreevey, RHP, UC Santa Barbara: The Rays’ scouting and player development system are the envy of all of baseball, and McGreevey is an ideal candidate for Tampa Bay’s finishing school. McGreevey has seen a substantial uptick in his fastball to the mid-90’s while sharpening command of all his pitches. 29) Los Angeles Dodgers—Alex Mooney, SS, HS (Rochester Hills, MI): The Dodgers have flown the northern prep SS route before, taking Gavin Lux in the 1st round in 2016 and that seems to be working out. There’s a lot of chatter that L.A. may take Fabian if he falls this far, but that’s doubtful. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

The SEC has once again lived up to expectations this season. A look at the standings headed into the final weekend will tell you that. Three teams; Tennessee, Florida, and Vanderbilt, are within one game of the East Division lead. Arkansas leads by a mere two games in the West Division. A top 10 East-West showdown to wrap up the regular season falls at the perfect time, as #6 Florida will travel to #1 Arkansas with SEC tournament seeding implications, and regular season titles on the line. The Thursday-Saturday series will be broadcast on SEC Network. Simply said, neither the Gators or Razorbacks have struggled much in the last month of the season. But flaws have been revealed. Arkansas comes off a series win, just barely, at #5 Tennessee, as the thrilling series resulted in three one-run games. The Razorbacks overcame a five-run deficit to defeat the Vols Friday, but a walk-off home run from Max Ferguson on Saturday gave Tennessee the 8-7 marquee victory in game two. Arkansas bounced back with a 3-2 win in the series finale, though many questioned the Razorbacks’ status as a top-ranked team. Arkansas will be aiming for a 40-win regular season this weekend, sitting currently at 39-10 overall, and 19-8 in SEC play. Among the notable victories include, #3 Texas, #8 Texas Tech, #13 TCU, a road sweep over #4 Mississippi State and a series win at #15 Ole Miss. Reaching the milestone of 40 wins appears to be in the cards, especially considering the Razorbacks are 23-5 at Baum-Walker Stadium this season. Florida has had a few more ups and downs than the Razorbacks, losing series to Tennessee, South Carolina and Miami, but the Gators are dangerous and a threat for the SEC East title nonetheless. They enter this weekend having won their last five series, including over Vanderbilt and Georgia, and do not appear to be slowing down anytime soon as the postseason edges closer. Florida enters the series with a respectable record of 35-16 on the year, and 17-10 in conference play. The Gators are just 7-9 on the road. Florida has a solid pitching staff, but the consistency of the lineup has allowed the Gators to pull away late in games. In a 9-2 win over Georgia on Saturday, Florida scored the game’s final seven runs, with all but two of those being scored off of home runs. The lineup seems to have an innate ability to keep an inning going, using whatever means necessary to reach base. With an on-base percentage of .379, the Gators also rank fourth in the SEC in batting average with .283. Getting on base seems to be what Florida does best, and no player embodies that more than Jud Fabian. The sophomore outfielder “checks all the boxes” according to CBN’s Harris Frommer and has displayed that unique ability, starting 50 games, with 20 home runs and a batting average of .267. He is a heavy bat in Florida’s lineup, though not the only one. Outfielder Jacob Young has burst onto the scene, batting .313 in 51 games. Though his power numbers are somewhat low (3 HR, .442 SLG %), he hits well to all fields and has remarkable speed. Also notable is third baseman Kirby McMullen’s 23-game streak of reaching base. The Gators pitching, led by ace Tommy Mace, will need to be just as good against the Razorbacks, though. Arkansas has a high-powered offense, with a focus on power. Interestingly, the Razorbacks rank tenth in the SEC in batting average (.276), but lead the conference in home runs (83). Their ability to drive the ball well will force Florida to use its best arms, especially because of the balance of Arkansas’ lineup. Christian Franklin, Brady Slavens, Jalen Battles, and Robert Moore are all players with sky-high draft potential, power behind their swings, and notable plate discipline. Slavens is batting .306 on the year with 54 RBI and 11 homers, and Franklin enters the series at .303 with 11 homers. Battles, though having what some may call a down year with a batting average at .250, has 33 RBI and 34 runs scored, having also gone 5-for-6 on stolen base attempts. Moore has been great defensively at second base, and at the plate, his consistency has paid big dividends. On March 30, he became the first Razorback to hit for the cycle in the 21st century, and enters the weekend hitting .284 on the year. While the power numbers are high for the Razorbacks, head coach Dave Van Horn has still employed a “small-ball” approach, using bunting and stealing bases to generate offense. Florida will need to be on guard, as Arkansas is the kind of unselfish team who does whatever necessary to claim a victory. Mace is perhaps Florida’s best weapon on the mound, though he has struggled lately. A quality right-hander who has a fastball in the mid-90s, Mace’s command seems to have slightly diminished throughout the second half of conference play, as he has allowed at least three earned runs in each of his last six starts. This will be the storyline to watch Thursday night, as the winner of game one will have a clear advantage throughout the rest of the series. The Arkansas crowd makes for a tough environment for opposing pitchers, but Mace has shown signs that he can rise to the occasion. The question is if he can do it against the superior bats of the Razorbacks. Toeing the rubber on Thursday for Arkansas will be Patrick Wicklander. The southpaw has looked extremely good this season, posting a 1.93 ERA through nine starts. With that said, he will be looking to get back on track after a tough outing at Tennessee last Friday, considering he was sent to the showers after just 2.2 innings of work and two earned runs. He throws a high percentage of strikes, having walked just 16 batters and struck out 60. Kevin Kopps has been Van Horn’s top option out of the bullpen this season, and could be used Thursday, depending on the situation. His ERA of 0.80 through 24 appearances, and 9-0 record, makes him a key weapon in late-game situations for the Razorbacks. He leads the team in strikeouts with 89. Prediction: With Arkansas at home, the Razorbacks will be tough to beat. I like what Mace can do on the mound, and at his best, with a quality performance from the lineup, Florida could win game one on Thursday. But I do not see Arkansas dropping the series, and if Florida wins Thursday, it will be by a one or two run margin. This has the makings of a highly contested series, and one that I think Arkansas wins 2 games to 1. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

Three months into the college baseball season and just seven weeks until MLB’s First Year Player Draft, it’s high time that we here at CBN updated our original College Player Rankings from December. In fact, we won’t just update the list, but will also double it from 50 to 100 players. Like all seasons, the 2021 campaign from a draft perspective has treated us to a wide array of surprises, Certain players have disappointed (looking at you, Jud Fabian, Adrian Del Castillo, Alex Binelas, and Richard Fitts), others have shot up draft boards (props to you, Henry Davis, Matt Mikulski, and Sal Frelick), and unfortunately the injury bug has muddied the draft stock of a third group (condolences to Gunnar Hoglund, Jaden Hill, Matt McLain, and Ryan Webb). As much as we love the draft, we hate to admit that 2021 will likely be a subpar year in terms of talent. While Jack Leiter, aside from a few hiccups, has emerged as arguably the best college righthander in years, the pitching ranks thin considerably after the first half-dozen or so hurlers—a development that certainly won’t be aided by Hoglund and Hill requiring Tommy John surgery. In addition, worse-than-expected seasons from Fabian & Co. have negatively impacted the college hitter crop to such an extent that it’s possible there will not be two college bats drafted within the top 10 for the first time since 2012. 1. Jack Leiter, RHP, Vanderbilt Related: Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter: A Pitching Odyssey 2. Henry Davis, C, Louisville 3. Sam Bachman, RHP, Miami (OH) 4. Kumar Rocker, RHP, Vanderbilt 5. Colton Cowser, OF, Sam Houston State 6. Matt McClain, 2B/SS, UCLA 7. Jordan Wicks, LHP, Kansas State 8. Ty Madden, RHP, Texas 9. Jud Fabian, OF, Florida Related: Florida Scouting Report: Jud Fabian Back On Track? 10. Ryan Cusick, RHP, Wake Forest 11. Matt Mikulski, LHP, Fordham 12. Sal Frelick, OF, Boston College Related: Boston College's Top Prospects Impress in Opening Weekend Sweep of Charleston Southern 13. Gunnar Hoglund, RHP, Mississippi 14. Will Bednar, RHP, Mississippi State 15. Andrew Abbott, LHP, Virginia 16. Michael McGreevey, RHP, UC Santa Barbara 17. Jaden Hill, RHP, LSU 18. Adrian Del Castillo, C/OF, Miami (FL) 19. Ethan Wilson, OF, South Alabama 20. Christian Franklin, OF, Arkansas 21. Ryan Holgate, OF, Arizona 22. McCade Brown, RHP, Indiana 23. Tommy Mace, RHP, Florida 24. Alex Binelas, 3B, Louisville 25. Sean Burke, RHP, Maryland 26. Joe Rock, LHP, Ohio 27. Mason Black, RHP, Lehigh 28. Gavin Williams, RHP, East Carolina 29. Cody Morissette, 3B, Boston College 30. Jonathan Cannon, RHP, Georgia 31. Dylan Smith, RHP, Alabama 32. Connor Norby, 2B, East Carolina 33. Robert Gasser, LHP, Houston 34. Mike Vasil, RHP, Virginia 35. Bryce McGowan, RHP, Charlotte 36. Matheu Nelson, C, Florida State 37. Christian MacLeod, LHP, Mississippi State 38. Jake Rucker, 3B, Tennessee 39. Spencer Schwellenbach, RHP, Nebraska 40. Trey Sweeney, 3B/SS, Eastern Illinois 41. Peyton Wilson, 2B, Alabama 42. Steven Hajjar, LHP, Michigan Related: Scouting Report: LHP Steven Hajjar (Michigan) 43. J.T. Schwartz, 1B, UCLA 44. Max Ferguson, 2B, Tennessee 45. Tyler Black, 2B, Wright State 46. Dominic Hamel, RHP, Dallas Baptist 47. Kamren James, 3B, Mississippi State 48. Ryan Webb, LHP, Georgia 49. Kyle Manzardo, 1B-OF, Washington State 50. Zack Gelof, 3B, Virginia 51. Hunter Goodman, C/OF, Memphis 52. Hugh Fisher, LHP, Vanderbilt 53. Nathan Hickey, C, Florida 54. Jack Leftwich, RHP, Florida 55. Seth Lonsway, LHP, Ohio State 56. Cooper Hjerpe, LHP, Oregon State 57. Rodney Boone, LHP, UC Santa Barbara 58. Evan Shawver, LHP, Cincinnati Related: Scouting Reports: Ben Casparius (UConn) and Evan Shawver (Cincinnati) 59. Grant Richardson, OF, Indiana 60. Tyler Hardman, 1B, Oklahoma 61. John Rhodes, OF, Kentucky 62. Justice Thompson, OF, North Carolina Related: Scouting Report: SS Danny Serretti & OF Justice Thompson -- North Carolina 63. Pete Hansen, LHP, Texas 64. Richard Fitts, RHP, Auburn 65. Eric Cerantola, RHP, Mississippi State 66. Doug Nikhazy, LHP, Mississippi 67. Chase Silseth, RHP, Arizona 68. Thomas Farr, RHP, South Carolina 69. Levi Usher, OF, Louisville 70. Bryce Miller, RHP, Texas A&M 71. Robby Martin, OF, Florida State 72. Jack Perkins, RHP, Louisville 73. Kevin Abel, RHP, Oregon State 74. Luca Tresh, C, North Carolina State 75. Landon Marceaux, RHP, LSU 76. Russell Smith, RHP, TCU 77. Jose Torres, SS, North Carolina State 78. Justin Wrobleski, LHP, Oklahoma State 79. Patrick Wicklander, LHP, Arkansas 80. Mack Anglin, RHP, Clemson 81. Elijah Cabell, OF, Florida State 82. Grant Holman, RHP, California 83. Wes Clarke, 1B, South Carolina 84. Pat Winkel, C, Connecticut 85. Brady Slavens, OF, Arkansas 86. Dominic Keegan, 1B, Vanderbilt 87. Ryan Bliss, SS/2B, Auburn 88. Mason Pelio, RHP, Boston College 89. Noah Cardenas, C, UCLA 90. Austin Love, RHP, North Carolina 91. Kris Armstrong, OF/1B, Florida 92. Casey Opitz, C, Arkansas 93. Luke Albright, RHP, Kent State 94. Caleb Roberts, OF, North Carolina 95. Troy Melton, RHP, San Diego State 96. Brant Hurter, LHP, Georgia Tech 97. Isaiah Thomas, OF, Vanderbilt 98. Cullen Kafka, RHP, Oregon 99. Ethan Murray, SS, Duke 100. Wyatt Olds, RHP, Oklahoma Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

The NCAA Tournament marches closer, and College Baseball Nation has another Field of 64 projection. Arkansas remains the number one overall seed with Texas staying pat with the second seed just behind the Razorbacks. Vanderbilt and Arizona follow. Tennessee, Notre Dame, TCU, and Mississippi State round out the top eight national seeds. Last 4 in: Virginia Alabama UNC Clemson First 4 out: Georgia Maryland Virginia Tech UCSB Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

The NCAA Tournament selection is later this month (5/31), and College Baseball Nation's bubble watch is in full force. The bubble watch started with 79 teams and is down to 66 teams in two weeks. With the Ivy League not playing an official season this year, there are 34 at-large bids to go around. As of now 66 teams from 18 conferences are on the bubble watch. When automatic bids and tournament "locks" are accounted for, that means 31 teams are vying for 17 spots; five of those teams are in the "need a miracle" category, so only 26 teams are in serious contention and on the bubble. Conference tournaments always bring a few bid stealers, so somewhere between 9-15 deserving teams will be left out. ACC (12) Locks: Notre Dame, Florida State, NC State, Georgia Tech Should be in: Pitt, Miami, Louisville Work left to do: Clemson, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Virginia Need a miracle: Duke After the ACC received only two potential host bids (Notre Dame and Pitt), the bubble teams in the conference have to be feeling worried. The last week of ACC play will decide the fate of several teams. American (3) Locks: ECU Work left to do: Tulane, Wichita State ECU finishes the season at USF, and Tulane will travel to Cincinnati with the Green Wave just 1/2 game back of the Pirates. Wichita State needs to sweep Memphis at home to stay in the at-large conversation. ASUN (1) Should be in: Liberty With its RPI holding pat at 32 and a 19-2 ASUN record, Liberty should start to feel pretty good about its at-large potential, should it need it. Atlantic 10 (1) Work left to do: VCU VCU, winners of 16 straight games, needs to keep winning to feel secure about an at-large bid. Rhode Island's bubble popped with a 2-2 series split against Saint Joseph's over the weekend. Big 12 (6) Locks: TCU, Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State Work left to do: Baylor Need a miracle: Oklahoma Oklahoma State won a key series against Baylor to wrap up its Big 12 schedule. Baylor will host Oklahoma with the Sooners needing a sweep to stay in the at-large conversation. Big East (1) Work left to do: UConn UConn scheduled tough with series at Texas Tech, Southern Miss, and Virginia which has contributed to the Huskies' #40 RPI. Creighton saw its bubble burst over the weekend with a 2-2 split at Seton Hall. Big South (2) Work left to do: Campbell, South Carolina Upstate Campbell swept South Carolina Upstate over the weekend to push its season record against the Spartans to 5-1. However, USC Upstate remains in the top 50 of the RPI and will have a chance at an at-large bid. Big Ten (6) Should be in: Michigan, Indiana, Nebraska Work left to do: Iowa, Maryland, Ohio State Who knows exactly what the NCAA Selection Committee will do with the Big Ten? Four bids seems like the floor, and there is a pack of teams in the middle of the conference competing for those bids. No Big Ten teams were selected among the 20 potential hosts, which is not good news if you're the fifth or sixth place team in the conference in search of an at-large bid. Big West (2) Should be in: UC Irvine Need a miracle: UCSB The magic number is down to four in order for UC Irvine to lock up the Big West. The Big West has turned into a one-bid league in recent years, so winning the regular season crown (and automatic bid in the Big West) is the only sure way in the tournament. Colonial (1) Work left to do: Northeastern Northeastern at #37 in the RPI and 12-6 in non-conference play feels like a team that should be in the NCAA Tournament no matter what. However, 30 of its games have been against Q4 teams. Northeastern is 27-3 in those games, but still, its SOS is #196. Conference USA (5) Locks: Charlotte, Old Dominion, Southern Miss, Louisiana Tech Need a miracle: Florida Atlantic What a year for Conference USA. The league will almost certainly get at least four teams into the postseason. Florida Atlantic (RPI #65) has a midweek at Miami and the CUSA Tournament to prove it belongs in the field of 64. Horizon League (1) Should be in: Wright State Wright State is 1-7 against Q1 + Q2 teams. The #29 RPI and #124 SOS feel like just enough to get Wright State an at-large bid should it need it. MAAC (1) Work left to do: Fairfield With no non-conference play in the MAAC, RPI is meaningless. However, Fairfield's 32-1 record is tough to ignore. The Stags may earn an at-large bid if they fail to get the auto bid. MAC (1) Work left to do: Ball State Ball State slipped to #54 in the RPI after splitting four games against Kent State over the weekend. The Cardinals have little room for error down the stretch. Missouri Valley (2) Should be in: Indiana State Work left to do: Dallas Baptist Indiana State (RPI #33) fell 14 spots in the RPI after a shaky week. Dallas Baptist's #56 RPI is getting them within shouting distance of an at-large bid. Four games at third-place Southern Illinois will give the Patriots a chance to move up in the RPI. Pac-12 (7) Locks: Arizona, Oregon, Stanford Should be in: UCLA, Oregon State, Arizona State Need a miracle: California Cal holds on for one more week after taking a series against Stanford. The Bears will need to beat UCLA and Oregon to have a shot at an at-large bid. UCLA, Oregon State, and Arizona State are all just a win or two away from locking up an at-large bid. SEC (11) Locks: Arkansas, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Florida, South Carolina Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU LSU has done just enough to stay in the conversation. A sweep at Texas A&M would nearly lock the Tigers in the tournament. Kentucky, losers of five straight games may have already played themselves out of the tournament. They need to win a series on the road at Vanderbilt this weekend. West Coast (1) Locks: Gonzaga Gonzaga was announced as one of the 20 potential host sites. The Bulldogs are now a lock for the NCAA Tournament. Likely one-bid leagues: America East, MEAC, Mountain West, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot League, SoCon, Southland, SWAC, Summit League, Sun Belt, WAC Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

by Matt Sefcovic (@MattSefcovic) Prior to the series between Florida State (28-19, 19-14 ACC) and Clemson (24-23, 16-17 ACC), the NCAA Selection Committee released a list of 20 potential host sites for the NCAA Tournament, which will later be trimmed to 16 teams. College Baseball Nation had the Seminoles firmly positioned on the two line, but with a last minute push, it appeared they could find themselves as one of the final one seeds. When the list was announced, Florida State was not one of the predetermined sites. It would have been easy for Mike Martin Jr. and his club to rollover and feel sorry for themselves, but instead, they took care of business against a Clemson team that was playing for a postseason berth. On Friday night, the Tigers jumped out in front in the first inning with a 1-0 lead, but Florida State was able to keep Clemson off the base paths for the majority of the evening after a strong start from Bryce Hubbart (W, 6-4). Hubbart tossed six innings, giving up just one run on four hits and recording seven strikeouts. Jack Anderson (S, 4) came in to clean things up after the Tigers made a late push in the seventh inning, not allowing a baserunner for the final two innings. The Seminoles scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to put the game out of reach and won game one 8-3. Logan Lacey led the way at the plate for Florida State with two hits and three RBI while Sam Hall paced the Tigers with a two run home run in the seventh inning. After losing game one on Friday night, Clemson was in desperation mode. Their bats woke up in game two, pounding out ten hits on their way to a 9-5 victory. The Tigers two through five batters tallied seven hits and five RBI on the afternoon, led by Caden Grice, who continued swinging a hot bat, roping a home run in the eighth inning. Davis Sharpe (W, 3-1) relieved starter Keyshawn Askew by throwing the final 4.1 innings. Sharpe allowed just three hits and kept the Seminoles off the scoreboard for the duration of his outing. Both Sharpe and Askew picked up eight strikeouts a piece. Lacey picked up where he left off on Friday night, adding two more hits including a home run for the Seminoles. Elijah Cabell, who has been on a tear as of late, hit a grand slam in the fifth inning that momentarily gave Florida State the lead, but it was not enough to edge out a determined Clemson team. On Sunday, the Tigers jumped all over the Seminoles with four runs in the first inning, but the lead did not last long as this game would go back-and-forth multiple times before Florida State prevailed, taking the rubber match and series by a score of 9-6. The Seminoles scored three runs in the second, followed by two unearned runs in the third to take a 5-4 lead. Clemson would battle back and take the lead in the sixth inning off a two run home run by Blake Wright, but again, that would not prove to be enough. In the eighth inning, the Seminoles sent ten batters to the plate, tacking on four more runs on their way to seal the series. Anderson (W, 2-0) came in and picked up his second victory of the season after recording the save on Friday night. Tyler Martin led the offense with three hits and two RBI, while Davis Hare and Jackson Greene would also tack on two RBI apiece. The Seminoles will travel to Raleigh to take on a red hot North Carolina State team that is 9-1 in their last ten games after sweeping Pittsburgh this weekend. The Tigers will host Duke in their regular season finale this weekend. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

Plus plus guest alert: Mike Rooney from D1 Baseball joins the podcast to talk about the postseason, coach of the year, and more. Arkansas wins another series. Louisville gets swept..again. Baylor and Oklahoma are fighting for their lives. 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!

In Stillwater, a statement desperately needed to be made. Oklahoma State, who entered this past weekend’s series against Baylor below .500 in Big 12 play, having lost eight of their last 12 league games, took it to Baylor, winning the series 2-1. The Cowboys won the series’ first two games, before the visiting Bears took the series finale in a game that was delayed over five hours due to rain. With the victories, Oklahoma State slid up three spots to #24 in College Baseball Nation’s latest poll, with a 30-16-1 mark on the year and a 12-12 Big 12 record. Baylor is in the conversation as a “bubble” team, sitting at 10-11 in the league and 30-16 on the year. The Bears are unranked in CBN’s latest Top 50 rankings. The series opener was perhaps the most intriguing game between the two rivals, as the contest was pushed into 11 innings, with the Cowboys eventually pulling out an 8-7 win. Baylor got on the board first, scoring a run in the second inning off an RBI groundout from right fielder Davion Downey. But Oklahoma State, driven by a large home crowd that was recorded at 3,304, countered on a Cade Cabbiness solo home run to left field in the bottom of the frame. By the fifth inning, Oklahoma State had taken a commanding 6-1 advantage, behind a second homer from Cabbiness and two errors on the Baylor infield. Baylor, which entered with the top batting average in the Big 12, made a late push, putting together a three-run sixth inning. The frame was highlighted by a one-out single from second baseman Tre Richardson through the right side of the infield that scored shortstop Jack Pineda from third and cut the deficit to 6-5. Oklahoma State turned to two different pitchers in the inning, Colton Bowman and Kale Davis, neither of whom had much luck silencing the Bears’ bats. Pitching as a whole was the Achilles’ heel for Oklahoma State Friday night, as starter Mitchell Stone allowed four earned runs through 5.1 innings of work. Stone was forced to shift from a bullpen role to the Friday night role due to several injuries on the Cowboy pitching staff, and showed signs of insecurity, especially as the sixth inning turned into a nightmare with Baylor’s momentum feeding a rally. The game Oklahoma State thought it had closed ended up being wide open, even as the ninth inning began, with the score knotted at seven. Neither team pushed a runner past first in the ninth, but in the 10th, Oklahoma State had life. A Max Hewitt base hit, and an error on Baylor second baseman Ricky Martinez, put two runners on base with just one out. Cabinness stepped to the plate, and the Oklahoma State crowd clearly expected him to flash his power for the third time on the night; however, he struck out looking on a 1-2 pitch. This paved the way for catcher Brock Mathis to load the bases with two outs as he got hit by a pitch in the following at-bat. Shortstop Hueston Morrill was fanned, however, on a 1-2 count as the contest headed for another frame. The Cowboys did not let their next opportunity get away, however, especially after Baylor threatened with two runners and two outs in the top of the inning. To open the bottom of the 11th, center fielder Caeden Trenkle reached on an error, moved to second on a failed pickoff, and found himself trotting to third on a walk to left fielder Carson McCusker on a 3-2 pitch. Third baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand, possessing the most power in the lineup, was intentionally walked two batters before. With one out, Marcus Brown, a pinch hitter, rose to the occasion, lofting a long fly ball to center field that allowed Trenkle to score easily and won Oklahoma State the game. The Cowboys carried that surge of momentum into Saturday’s contest, taking the series in a 3-1 pitcher’s duel. In a stark contrast from the previous night’s contest, the pitching was on-point for Oklahoma State, though Baylor kept the Cowboy bats under control. Justin Campbell was the key cog in Oklahoma State’s win, as the right-hander went eight innings, surrendering just one run, which was scored on an RBI double to left-center field off the bat of Pineda. He gave up six hits, struck out 10 and walked just one in what might be his best start of the season. The win moved Campbell to 6-1 on the year. Baylor’s Hayden Kettler was step-for-step with Campbell, though he was tagged with the loss and fell to 4-3. He fired 5.1 innings, and all three of Baylor’s runs were scored with the right-hander on the hill, though that was due to a poor showing from the Bears’ infield, rather than mistakes made by Kettler. All three runs went unearned, and though he allowed eight hits and walked three, he also notched six strikeouts. Brown and Trenkle were the only Cowboys to record multi-hit days, as each had two hits, but the Oklahoma State offense made the most of their challenging day at the plate, using a three-run third to win the contest. All three runs originated from an error charged to Baylor third baseman Antonio Valdez, as his throwing error with the bases loaded and two outs marked the beginning of Oklahoma State’s scoring. First baseman Jake Thompson crossed the plate on the play, and a single from Brown in the following at-bat brought two additional unearned runs across. With the series won, Oklahoma State aimed for the sweep on Sunday, but Baylor made sure to notch at least one win in Stillwater, taking the series finale by a score of 9-3. Heavy rain pushed the start time back five hours, from 1:00 p.m. to 6:02 p.m. and Baylor came out swinging once the first pitch was finally thrown on the rain-soaked field. A series of singles from Richardson and Valdez in the first put Baylor in front early, 3-0. Catcher Andy Thomas took a 3-2 pitch straight up the middle in the second, driving in yet another insurance run as Oklahoma State starter Bryce Osmond lost control. The Bears did a phenomenal job of working deep into the count, exhausting Osmond after just two innings of work. Osmond fired 71 pitches during his outing, facing 14 batters and allowing eight base runners with an equal number of hits and walks. The early deficit proved to be too much for Oklahoma State to overcome as head coach Josh Holliday said postgame, “We just weren’t good enough today.” The Cowboys did cut the lead to one run in the second, scoring all three of their runs in the frame, but that was as close as the hosts would get. Baylor put the game away in the fifth when left fielder Jacob Schoenvogel doubled into the left field gap, scoring two, widening the lead to 7-3. The series win was crucial to Oklahoma State’s postseason hopes, as it likely locked the Cowboys in for an at-large NCAA Tournament bid. The weekend put a bow on the conference slate for the Cowboys, who will face New Orleans next weekend in a three-game set to conclude the regular season. Baylor will host the Cowboys’ in-state counterparts next weekend in Waco, facing the Sooners of Oklahoma. Currently, Oklahoma State leads Baylor by two games in the conference standings, but the result of next weekend has the potential to change that. The Big 12 tournament is set to run May 25-30 in Oklahoma City. If the season ended today, Oklahoma State would be the #4 seed with Baylor at #5. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!