John and Kyle recap Arkansas's rise back to number one, pick conference winners at the midseason point, and look ahead to big series in the SEC, ACC, Big East, CUSA, and more. 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!

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 remains number one in the College Baseball Nation Top 50 after a series win against SEC West foe, Texas A&M. The Razorbacks have now spent seven weeks atop the poll this season. Vanderbilt stands pat at number two after a series win on the road at rival, Tennessee, while Mississippi State moves up a spot to number three. The Bulldogs took two out of three games from Ole Miss. Mississippi State has not dropped a series to Ole Miss since 2015. East Carolina slips one spot to number four after its weekend series at Houston was cancelled due to COVID protocol. Texas, with a 5-0 week, remains at number five. #6 Texas Tech, #7 Louisville, #8 Notre Dame, #9 Oregon, and #10 TCU round out the top ten. Oregon came from behind in its series at USC to earn a winning weekend. TCU earned one of the most impressive series wins of the weekend, sweeping Oklahoma State in Fort Worth. There was little movement elsewhere in the top 25, as no teams dropped out from a week ago. However, the bottom half of the top 50 saw quite the shakeup. Michigan rises to #29 and is the highest ranked Big Ten team. No team from the Big Ten has cracked the top 25 this season. #40 Alabama, #43 UC Irvine, #44 Liberty, #47 Florida Gulf Coast, and #49 Tulane are all new to this week's top 50. The Green Wave earned a marquee series win, sweeping Wichita State in New Orleans. 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!

Three storms collided in New Orleans this weekend as the Wichita State Shockers paid a visit to the Tulane Green Wave in American Athletic Conference action between the two schools. The Shockers arrived in town having won seven straight games and with a 7-1 conference record. Tulane entered the weekend having won three straight and with a 3-1 conference record. Mother Nature also decided to show up, and what was supposed to be a four-games series ended up being a three-game, rain-shortened series at Turchin Stadium on the Tulane campus. Something had to give. Tulane sent their top arm to the mound to get the Friday double-header started, right-hander Braden Olthoff. Olthoff allowed two runs in the second inning and after allowing a run in the third, appeared to be on the ropes with two runners on base and no outs. Olthoff buckled down and struck out Shockers batters three-four-five to end the inning, but his team trailed 3-1 for the moment. Tulane plated five in the fifth, sparked by Frankie Niemann who was 2-for-4 in the game with two doubles, one of four Tulane hitters with a run batted in. Olthoff took the game into the sixth and exited after 5 1/3 innings with ten strikeouts. The Green Wave won the opener 6-3 and halted the Wichita State winning streak. Olthoff improved his record to 3-1, while Tulane pitcher Clifton Slagel picked up his first save of the season in pitching three scoreless innings. For game two, Jack Aldrich took the mound for the Green Wave. Light drizzle turned to a light rain which created a wet field. The thick air and good pitching kept baseballs in the ballpark all day Friday. Tulane took an early 1-0 lead on a one-out single to left-center off Wichita State starter Liam Eddy. The Green Wave added two more in the second, aided by two errors by the Shockers defense, to take a 3-0 lead. Wichita State picked up a run on two hits and a double-steal in the fourth to get the deficit down to 3-1. A sacrifice fly two innings later made it 3-2 in the sixth. Tulane went to the bullpen to start the seventh after Aldrich completed six innings and left with the lead. Though Wichita State starter Liam Eddy pitched seven innings and kept the Shockers in the game, but both teams were done scoring by that point. Tulane took the nightcap 3-2 with the tying run for the Shockers stranded at second base. Tulane sent Tyler Hoffman to the mound on Saturday morning to start game three. One run and twenty-five pitches later, lightning was spotted and delayed the game as the two teams left the field. A re-start time was set for two hours later, but it was not to be on Saturday, and eventually it was decided to resume the game on Sunday morning, while cancelling the Sunday contest altogether. Roughly twenty-four hours after the Saturday game was stopped, Tulane starting pitcher Tyler Hoffman re-took the mound he had been standing on Saturday when the action stopped, with runners on the corners, two outs, and a 1-0 deficit. The game resumed, and so did Tulane’s winning ways. Tulane tied the game at one in the bottom of the first off Wichita State starter Spencer Hynes. Tulane went to the bullpen with two outs in the third trailing 2-1 after Hoffman’s two-day starting effort. Donovan Benoit inherited a runner on second and struck out the first batter he faced to end the frame. Tulane tied the game at two in the third. Chase Engelhard put the Green Wave in front with a leadoff home run in the fourth, making the score 3-2, this was also the first and only home run of the entire weekend for either team. Several batters later, Tulane chased Hynes with one out and runners on second and third. A walk loaded the bases before a double by Collin Burns down the left field line scored two more runs, giving Tulane a 5-2 lead. A potential third run was stopped at home plate on a commendable relay effort. Corrigan Bartlett drove in his third run of the game on his first base hit in the fifth to cut the Tulane lead to 5-3. Bartlett had driven in each of the previous two Shockers runs on two different sacrifice flies, and he would drive in four on the day. A ground out to short resulted in the second out, but the Shockers fourth run crossed the plate. Engelhard added a run-scoring double in the fifth to bump the lead up to 6-4. Wichita State went to the bullpen again in the fifth with one out and the bases loaded, but they escaped further trouble by inducing an inning-ending double play. The Shockers added two runs in the sixth and trailed 7-6, but Tulane tacked on an insurance run they would later need that made it 8-6. The Shockers added a run in the ninth and left the tying run on base as Zach Devito closed out the game and the sweep with an 8-7 final score. Donovan Benoit pitched 5 1/3 innings in long relief and earned the win for his effort, improving to 2-1. By the time the weekend series concluded, Mother Nature had erased one game, and Wichita State had seen their seven-game winning streak come to an end as they fell to 19-12 overall and 7-4 in the American Athletic Conference. Meanwhile, Tulane improved to 17-13 overall and 6-1 in the American and left having won six consecutive games. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

Editor’s note: College Baseball Nation is joined by guest writer, Owen Surett. Owen Surett is a college student who resides in North Carolina. Owen covers College Baseball for his media outlet, College Baseball USA (@ColBaseUSA on Twitter), which was founded in Fall of 2019. He is passionate about various aspects of the game, including analytics, player development, and player evaluation. Below are two scouting reports for some of North Carolina’s 2021 MLB Draft prospects, compiled after attending this past weekend’s series between UNC and Duke in Chapel Hill. UNC prevailed over Duke in the rubber match on Monday evening, by a blowout score of 21-8. SS Danny Serretti, UNC Governor Livingston HS (NJ) 6’1” 195 lbs Hitting just .229, hits have not come easy to Serretti this spring. Part of the struggles are due to a limited approach at times, but Serretti, the switch-hitter, hits the ball hard regularly. He has the bat control, with his quiet line drive-geared swing, to turn into an average bat on the major league scale. Serretti has 45 raw power and his current swing is not one that will get him big homerun numbers. Serretti has plus footwork and actions at shortstop with hands and overall range around average. His glove alone would easily be good enough to play in the majors but his overall arm strength may force him to move to second base, where he can be a plus defender. Despite the slow start, he is heating up lately. He can rebound his draft stock via improved offensive performance. Serretti plays hard and plays the game the right way. His on-field demeanor is that of a big leaguer, and that is where he will ultimately end up. Hit 35/50 Game Power 30/40 Raw Power 40/45 Speed 50/50 Defense 45/60 (2B) Arm 45/45 Projection: 3rd round pick, bench second baseman with a chance to start, can be serviceable at SS OF Justice Thompson, UNC King HS (FL) 6’4” 205 lbs With a long, athletic frame that scouting departments across major league baseball salivate over, Thompson immediately stands out for his projectability. He should fill out to the tune of 60 raw power from the right side. The key question is will he learn how to consistently get to that power in games? He can feast on fastballs, but Thompson’s swing is on the long side and his approach at the plate is a bit of a work-in-progress, especially versus breaking balls. A premium athlete, Thompson is a plus runner who can stick in center field. There is some rawness to his offensive game that will take some work to improve, but his ceiling is a big league regular. A team that is willing to take a risk on a high-level athlete with a projectable frame that can play center field may consider signing Thompson early on day two and hope that they can develop him into a serviceable-enough bat. Hit - 20/40 Raw Power - 55/60 Game Power - 35/50 Speed - 55 or 60 Defense - 45/55 Arm - unknown Projection: late 3rd round, has a chance to become a starting CF hitting .240 with 30 HR, but most likely scenario is a bench player that would produce a .225 AVG with 25 HR over a full season with above average defense Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

Less than a week after its first Big 12 loss of the season to #6 Texas Tech, #13 TCU will return to Fort Worth, but the challenge ahead is not any easier, as #8 Oklahoma State comes in with something to prove. The Cowboys, whose schedule has included numerous oddities including a tie with Grand Canyon due to travel curfew in March, and four cancellations, have posted a 21-7-1 record. Oklahoma State will be rested entering the weekend, as its midweek contest against Oral Roberts was erased due to rain. It has been two weeks since the Pokes last faced a conference opponent, as they defeated West Virginia in a series 2-1, before facing UNC Wilmington in a non-conference, three-game set last weekend. TCU surprised many by handily defeating Texas Tech last Friday 7-3, but collapsed in the next two games, falling in extra innings in game two, and losing 17-7 in the series finale. The 2-1 series loss dropped the Horned Frogs just one place in the most recent rankings, and they have posted a solid 23-9 record on the season. The Big 12 standings are topped by Texas heading into the weekend, with the Longhorns at 10-2. TCU and Oklahoma State are in the #2 and #3 spots at 7-2 and 6-3, respectively. The pitching staffs will be critical to both team’s success throughout the series. Unlike the majority of Big 12 series that we’ve seen this season that feature high-scoring affairs, this series has the potential to produce low-scoring, pitching-dominated contests because of the talent on the mound. TCU Friday night starter Russell Smith fared especially well against the potent Texas Tech bats last Friday, tossing a season-high seven innings, while allowing five hits, two earned runs, and striking out 12. A sensational lefty whose arsenal of pitches results in a high amount of swings and misses, Smith averages 1.3 strikeouts per inning. He will need to be on his game Friday night, as Oklahoma State’s Parker Scott has looked just as prolific throughout his junior season. Entering Friday’s duel with a 6-1 record, the southpaw has a knack for stranding runners. Though he has allowed 36 hits in 45 innings of work, just eight runs have been charged to his stat line. The Friday night duel featuring the two lefties is sure to set the tone for the remainder of the series, but the standout pitching does not end there. Saturday’s contest will pit the Cowboys’ Justin Campbell against TCU’s Austin Krob. Similar to game one, both pitchers enter with an identical record this season of 4-0. No doubt, Krob will be trying to shake off a tough outing in Lubbock that saw the sophomore allow four runs in just 3.2 innings of work. The bats made up for it, and he did not earn the decision, though TCU fell 6-5 in 10 innings. Besides last Saturday’s start, he has established himself as a consistent presence. He pounds the strike zone, with 53 strikeouts in 43.1 innings of work and a 2.91 ERA. Campbell is a two-way player who does it all for Oklahoma State. His start on Saturday will not be the only time he is on the field, but may be the most critical. Depending on Friday’s result, Campbell will either be put in a position to notch the series win, or keep hopes of a series win alive for the Cowboys. He has already done that once this season in the West Virginia series, and helped Oklahoma State rebound after a 4-3 game one loss to win the next two. TCU’s Johnny Ray is set to toe the rubber for the Horned Frogs in the series finale against Oklahoma State’s Justin Wrobleski. Ray comes off a challenging outing against Texas Tech that saw him allow six runs in 2.1 innings of work, and enters the weekend with a 5.40 ERA. Wrobleski, in his first season at the division one level after spending two years in the junior college ranks, has an ERA of 4.08, but has tallied 49 strikeouts in 39.2 innings. As intriguing as the pitching matchups are, the bats cannot be overlooked. On paper, TCU has an advantage at the plate, ranked third in the Big 12 in team batting average with .293. Oklahoma State is ninth with an average of .253. A large part of TCU’s success has been the power as the Horned Frogs have 39 home runs, fourth-best in the league. Phillip Sikes has led the offensive charge, with an average of .330, though he had a rough weekend against Texas Tech, going 2-for-10. Oklahoma State tends to rely less on the long ball and more on small ball. The Cowboys have stolen 23 bases this season compared to TCU’s 11, and drawn 134 walks next to the Horned Frog’s 116. This clash of styles should factor into the result of the series, though Oklahoma State does have a power hitter to match Sikes. Third baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand has been nothing short of terrific this season, with a batting average of .365, 10 home runs, and 37 RBI. He will need to be consistent in order to give Oklahoma State a chance to counter TCU offensively. Game one is set for 7:30 p.m. EST, game two for 3:00 p.m. EST, and game three will conclude the series with a 2:00 p.m. EST first pitch. All three games will be streamed live on Big 12 Now on ESPN+. Riley's Prediction: TCU has a clear advantage offensively, though the two squads are evenly-matched on the mound. Solid starting pitching will be critical to both team’s success, and should set the tone for the remainder of the game. If Oklahoma State can score early, I see the Cowboys pulling out at least one win in Fort Worth. But beating TCU on its home turf is a tough task, and for that reason, I’m going to take the Horned Frogs winning the series 2-1. Thanks for stopping by! 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by Matt Sefcovic (@MattSefcovic) After their first series loss of the year against Georgia, Vanderbilt (26-5, 9-3 SEC) does not have any time to regroup as they head to Knoxville to take on a red hot Tennessee (28-6, 9-3 SEC) team that has tied the Commodores for first place in the SEC East. The Georgia series was very uncharacteristic for Tim Corbin’s team, giving up 25 runs in three games. The ninth-ranked Volunteers, on the other hand, are coming in with a huge series win after taking two games from Florida in Knoxville. Even though the Bulldogs' bats erupted in Nashville, the Vanderbilt pitching staff is still ranked sixth in the country with a 2.75 ERA and have two of the most electric players in the nation. Entering the weekend, Kumar Rocker had given up just four earned runs on the season and was a perfect 7-0, but that quickly changed as Georgia put up six runs on him, giving Rocker his first loss of the season. Even so, Rocker is now 7-1 with a 1.88 ERA for the season. Jack Leiter enters the series against Tennessee with a 7-0 record, an ERA of 0.55, and has 84 strikeouts compared to 18 walks. The only thorn to the Vanderbilt pitching staff this season has been the Sunday starter. It is a role that Thomas Schultz held until Coach Corbin made the decision to start Patrick Reilly last weekend, his first start of his career. Reilly tossed three innings, giving up three runs on three hits. Despite its Sunday woes, the Vanderbilt pitching staff is ranked second in the country in hits allowed per game with 5.76, so the Volunteers will need to take advantage of every opportunity they get. At the plate, Commodores are led by Dominic Keegan, who was recently named to the Golden Spikes Midseason Watch List (along with Leiter and Rocker). Keegan is batting .391 with six home runs and 30 RBI, all stats that he leads the team in. He is one of six Vanderbilt players that is batting above .300, with eight Commodores above the .280 mark. This is a lineup that does not have many weaknesses and just about any batter can beat you. They are 14th in the country with 43 home runs, ranked number one in doubles with 72, and first in triples with 16. The Tennessee pitching staff will need to be very careful how they approach this Vanderbilt offense; they can score runs in a hurry and will put a lot of pressure on the Volunteers pitchers. Tennessee has been one of the biggest surprises of the season, entering the year at #32, climbing all the way up to #9. The Volunteers recipe has been pretty simple; throw strikes and play defense, something Coach Vitello has molded his teams around after coaching under Jim Schlossnagle and Dave Van Horn. He has the Volunteers ranked 22nd in the country in fielding percentage, committing just 28 errors in 34 games and are ranked 25th with a 3.57 ERA. The pitching staff has been very consistent this season, starting Chad Dallas, Will Heflin, and freshman flamethrower Blade Tidwell the majority of the season. These three have combined for an 11-2 record and have the potential to give Vanderbilt some fits at the plate. The Volunteers offense is going to have their work cut out for them this weekend against one of the best pitching staffs in the country. Tennessee is batting .273 as a team, which ranks them just inside the top 100 teams in the country, and they have just two hitters above .300, Liam Spence and Jake Rucker. That being said, this team is ninth in the country in runs, due to their patience at the plate, as they draw walks more than any other team in the nation. With their offensive approach, they will force the Vanderbilt pitching staff to throw strikes early and often. The Volunteers are going to try to get to the bullpen as soon as possible by elevating the pitch counts of Rocker and Leiter. Matt’s Prediction: This is going to be a really good series with two high quality, Omaha potential opponents. The Volunteers really have to stick to their game plan and remain disciplined against a pitching staff that is going to be hungry, especially against their in-state rival. I want to pick Tennessee, but my gut says Vandy bounces back and takes the series in Knoxville. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

It seems impossible for a visiting team to win a series in Lubbock. TCU found that out this past weekend, as Texas Tech rebounded from a 7-3 game one loss, to win the next two games, and a critical Big 12 series. The Red Raiders’ series win changed the landscape of the Big 12 standings. TCU, who entered the three-game set 6-0 in conference action, fell to 7-2, as Texas Tech pulled itself right back into the conference title conversation. Texas remains atop the standings with a 10-2 Big 12 record, with TCU second, but Texas Tech is right on their heels in fourth with a 5-4 Big 12 record. The series victory was much-needed for Texas Tech head coach Tim Tadlock’s team, who had been upset by unranked Kansas State the previous weekend. “There’s a lot you can talk about,” Tadlock said in a postgame press conference when asked about the importance of the series win, “RPI, hosting. It’s way too early to even go there, but that is what the big picture is. You win series, put yourself in a position to win the league . . . “The simple answer is, it’s better to win two out of three than lose two out of three. But there’s long-term things that [winning a series like this] is going to help you [with].” There were two constants throughout the two victories for the Red Raiders: scoring first and making good use of the depth in the bullpen. But at the same time, there was very little similarity when the three contests are compared. Game one featured a TCU victory, game two saw Texas Tech rally from an early two-run deficit and the series finale was focused on the bats. In the series opener, TCU made a statement, scoring six first-inning runs that sapped much of Texas Tech’s momentum before the Red Raiders even stepped to the plate. The huge first inning was punctuated on a two-run home run to right center field off the bat of TCU’s Phillip Sikes, who entered the series hitting .340. Sikes showed tremendous poise after Texas Tech starter Micah Dallas registered strikes on the first two pitches of the at-bat, and with a 1-2 count, proceeded to foul off three straight pitches. He then took a ball and swatted the homer off the following pitch. Another example of TCU’s well-prepared approach came in the previous at-bat as Gray Rodgers faced a 2-2 count but did not shorten up and laced a triple down the right field line, scoring two. Texas Tech failed to overcome the first-inning outburst, as TCU starter Russell Smith moved to 6-1 and held the Red Raiders scoreless for the first three innings of play. He struck out the first two batters he faced, and tallied 12 strikeouts in total in the seven-inning outing. Game two was a slightly different story, though perhaps the most competitive game of the series, as Texas Tech rallied and won 6-5 in 10 innings to even the series at 1-1. The Red Raiders, reeling from their second home loss of the season, struck first, and went up 1-0 in the first inning on a RBI groundout from Braxton Fulford. It did not take long for TCU to issue a response, as Hunter Wolfe connected on the first pitch of the at-bat and drove it well over the left-field wall for a momentum-shifting grand slam. The Horned Frogs took a 4-1 lead, and it seemed that TCU had its sights set on the series victory. Texas Tech stepped to the plate in the bottom of the frame ready to counter, and did so by sending nine batters to the plate. With two outs and the bases loaded, Jace Jung, the Red Raiders’ top hitter statistically, faced TCU reliever Charles King, and worked the count to 2-2 before driving a single up the middle that scored two, and put Texas Tech in front 5-4. TCU tied the score at five in the top of the sixth, which sent the contest into extra innings, and put the pressure on. TCU was aiming for a critical series victory, while Texas Tech was trying to keep its hopes of securing the series win alive. With the home crowd on its feet, Cal Conley, Texas Tech’s first batter in the 10th, swatted a solo home run to left field, ending the game. In game three, Conley’s walk-off may have crept into the minds of TCU’s hurlers, who gave up runs in every inning except the fifth. The contest went just seven innings, as Texas Tech led 17-7 and a run-rule was invoked. Jung began things on the right foot for Texas Tech in a contest that the Red Raiders dominated from start to finish, hitting the first of his three home runs on the day. “Feels awesome, you just have to stay humble, and keep working everyday, and keep trying to do the same thing everyday to help the team win,” Jung told the media on Sunday. Though Jung’s power took center stage in the series finale, Tadlock also took time to note the consistency of his eight, nine, one and two hitters. “[Jung’s] hitting third, so I think you’d have to go down there to some of those guys at the bottom of the order,” Tadlock said. “Dylan Carter, Parker Kelly, Easton Murrell, Braxton Fulford. Braxton had really good at-bats the whole weekend there in the two hole, really tough out. Baseball is one of those games that sometimes a guy that might get out sets it up for the other guy. There’s definitely some of that going on.” One low point for Texas Tech was an injury sustained to regular Friday night starter Brandon Birdsell that forced Birdsell to throw just 2.2 innings in a start on Sunday. Tadlock had little to say about Birdsell’s status or his future in the postgame press conference on Sunday. Tadlock did note that Birdsell first felt an issue in his shoulder in his start at Kansas State. “It’s a shoulder, that’s all I can go into,” Tadlock said. “You can figure out why he didn’t pitch on Friday. He needed a couple extra days, and I thought he was really in a good spot, but it reared its head, so we’ll give him some time to get better.” Though beaten by 10, TCU did extend its streak of games with a home run to seven, after pinch hitter Austin Henry hit a two-run homer to center field for TCU’s seventh run of the contest. Texas Tech now sets its sights on a two-game home series against Stephen F. Austin before continuing Big 12 play at West Virginia next weekend. TCU will play Tarleton State on Tuesday in Stephenville, Texas, before hosting Oklahoma State next weekend. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

by Matt Sefcovic (@MattSefcovic) Over the years, Swayze field has hosted numerous marquee matchups, but there has not been a weekend series that has welcomed more fans than the matchup between Arkansas and Ole Miss this weekend. Over 33,000 fans came to the ballpark this weekend to watch these top five teams battle it out for first place in the SEC West. The game on Friday night was postponed due to weather, but the double header on Saturday and finale on Sunday provided plenty of fireworks to get the attention of college baseball fans across the country. For the Rebels, the first game on Saturday was all about timely hitting, or lack thereof. Ole Miss managed 14 hits and 4 walks, but were only able to string together 3 runs on their way to a 7-3 loss. The Rebels were leading 3-0 heading into the sixth inning, but Arkansas would put together three consecutive crooked numbers in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings. Patrick Wicklander started on the mound for the Razorback, tossing the first four innings, giving up three runs before turning things over to a bullpen. From there, the Rebels were unable to manage another run, striking out 16 times for the game. Ryan Costeiu (W, 5-0) picked up the win after recording just one out in the bottom of the sixth. At the plate, the Rebels were led by Hayden Dunhurst who had a monster day at the plate going 5-5 with 2 RBI. Justin Bench, Jacob Gonzalez, and Kevin Graham each had two hits apiece. Matt Goodheart set the pace for the Hogs, scoring three runs with three hits, while Cayden Wallace and Christian Franklin each had 2 RBI. In game two, Arkansas skipper Dave Van Horn made a change in the weekend rotation, starting Peyton Pallette in place of Zeb Vermillion. The move did not go as planned as Pallette gave up seven runs on four hits in four innings on the way to a 13-6 loss. Doug Nikhazy (W, 3-1) picked up the win for the Rebels after throwing 5.1 innings and giving up just two earned runs, and Taylor Broadway (S, 8) finished out the game to force the rubber match on Sunday. The Razorbacks tallied 12 hits on the day, but could not string anything together, though Robert Moore and Jalen Battles each had multi-hit games. Franklin homered in the seventh inning to bring Arkansas within two runs but Ole Miss responded and won the game. The Rebels put together 18 hits on the day with six starters recording a multi-hit game. Dunhurst and Hayden Leatherwood both had 3 RBI as Leatherwood hit the lone home run for the home team. In a rubber match that saw the two teams combine for 27 hits and 32 runs, it took nearly 4 ½ hours for the Razorbacks to secure the series win in Oxford. Arkansas jumped out in front 11-0 after the top half of the third inning, but the Rebels were not going to go down without a fight. Coach Bianco’s club battled all the way back to tie the game in the seventh inning, but Arkansas proved to be too much, winning the game and taking over the top spot in the SEC West. Cayden Wallace, Cullen Smith, and Braydon Webb all homered for the Hogs, with Smith and Wallace each adding 3 RBI. Peyton Chatagnier and Justin Bench each added three hits for the Rebels, with Graham and Bench both hitting home runs. For the game, 14 pitchers were used, 12 of them gave up at least one run, and of the two that did not give up a run, one did not record an out. Kevin Kopps (W, 5-0) picked up the win for Arkansas after halting the Rebels comeback, allowing just one run over the final three innings. If you love offense, it does not get any better than this as both teams delivered blow after blow until the final inning. The Razorbacks got the best of the Rebels this weekend, but Ole Miss proved they belong even without their star hitter, Tim Elko, scoring 30 runs in three games against the best team in the country. After going 5-1 against Ole Miss and Mississippi State, the Razorbacks have set themselves up as the leader of the pack in the SEC West. They will be able to sit back and watch Ole Miss and Mississippi State beat up on each other this weekend as Arkansas hosts a struggling Texas A&M team that was just swept by Alabama. The SEC West is arguably the best division in baseball and Dave Van Horn has his team in a position to pull away from the pack. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

John and Kyle recap Arkansas's rise back to number one, pick conference winners at the midseason point, and look ahead to big series in the SEC, ACC, Big East, CUSA, and more. 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!

Editor's Note: The College Baseball Nation Top 50 is brought to you by Press Sports. Over 1,000 college coaches from all levels are finding and connecting with prospects on Press Sports for FREE during COVID and it’s not too late to hop on the first wave! Every athlete should be posting all their top achievements together in one place and Press Sports is the #1 platform that is empowering athletes, engaging fans, and helping scouts discover talent. We’re getting ready to roll out a rankings filter for every level of college baseball as well as the option for college players to enter the transfer portal so coaches can easily find and watch all their highlights while they are trying to find a new program to play in. Join Press Sports today and follow us on Twitter! Arkansas is once again ranked atop the College Baseball Nation Top 50 after taking two out of three games on the road at Ole Miss. The Razorbacks have now held the top spot for six weeks this season. They replace Vanderbilt, who drops to number two after losing two out of three games to Georgia at home. ECU remains at number three after a 4-0 weekend, and likewise, Mississippi State holds firm at number four after a weekend sweep. Texas moves up to number five after sweeping Kansas State over the weekend. #6 Texas Tech, #7 Louisville, #8 Oklahoma State, #9 Tennessee, and #10 Ole Miss comprise the remainder of the top ten. #16 Louisiana Tech, from Conference USA, is the highest ranked mid-major program. The Bulldogs swept Rice on the road in a four-game series. New to this week's top 25 are #21 Southern Miss, #22 UC Santa Barbara, #23 Indiana State, and #25 Old Dominion. Conference USA has three teams ranked in the top 25, the most in poll history for the conference. #32 Georgia returned to the top 50 after a one-week hiatus. The road series win at Vanderbilt propelled the Bulldogs to a 20-11 (5-7 SEC) record. #36 Wichita State joins the top 50 for the first time this season. The Shockers have won seven of their last eight games, all against Houston. #47 NC State returns to the rankings after sweeping Boston College on the road. 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!

Every week on the podcast, John and I choose five series and try to predict the outcome of each one, down to the game score. We are not always right, but I know that I am right more often than John so far. After looking through the top series available each weekend, one person will pick the series and then the other gets to say their prediction first, and we alternate from there. The arbitrary rule we have set is that we cannot pick the same series score. Then, after the series are complete, the winner is who has perfectly predicted the most series; however in the case where neither predicted a series perfectly, but we chose different winners, whomever picked the correct winner gets the point. Unnecessarily confusing? Yes. But “them’s the rules.” I picked first this week, and we alternated from there. #12 TCU @ #8 Texas Tech This is a huge Big 12 series that will help to determine the conference regular season champion. Texas Tech is coming off of a disappointing roadtrip in the midwest, losing two out of three in Manhattan against Kansas State. The Red Raiders did that in a strange way, though, after roughing up one of the better pitching prospects in the Big 12, Jordan Wicks, on Friday night and then losing the next two. TCU is on a bit of a roll lately. After losing the Friday night game at Louisiana on March 19, they have won 10 straight games, including a home sweep of rival Baylor and a road sweep of Oklahoma. The Horned Frogs dominated OU last weekend, outscoring the Sooners 35-16, and shutting down a red-hot OU offense. This weekend features two of the best Big 12 teams, causing John and I to have split opinions about the winner. John got to pick the winner first and feels confident with Tech’s ability to keep winning in Lubbock. I felt that TCU’s deep and talented pitching staff would help them steal two on the road, but I also felt more confident in that than I did Tech sweeping TCU. John’s pick: Texas Tech wins series 2-1 Kyle’s pick: TCU wins series 2-1 For a more detailed look at this series, check out this piece on our site. #2 Arkansas @ #5 Ole Miss This is the best series of the weekend. Arkansas does not mind going into the Magnolia State and continuing to win, and they proved it after sweeping Mississippi State on the road a few weeks ago. The Razorbacks are one of the nation’s best teams and will likely vie for the #1 ranking all season long with Vanderbilt. Ole Miss is coming off of a slightly disappointing, but understandable, series loss on the road against Florida. I picked Ole Miss to win two out of three first because I am confident in Ole Miss’ ability to bounce back at home. They played pretty well last weekend against Florida and were competitive in all three games in a tough venue. John mentioned that he would have picked Arkansas to win independent of our rules because Arkansas is on fire lately. Even though the Razorbacks struggled a bit with Auburn at home last weekend, close wins are still wins and John values those late game heroics. Kyle’s pick: Ole Miss wins series 2-1 John’s pick: Arkansas wins series 2-1 For a more detailed look at this series, check out this piece on our site. #44 Ohio State @ #32 Michigan These two teams and fan bases really do not like each other, and rivalries are fun in any sport, so buckle up for this one. Michigan and Ohio State are two of the top teams in the Big Ten and both look like they could make the tournament this year. Ohio State is fresh off of a four-game home sweep of Indiana, who was widely considered one of the other top Big Ten teams. It is really hard to win four games in a row against one team, no matter who the other team is, and in this case it was one of the best, so needless to say we were really impressed with Ohio State last weekend. Michigan did not start off 2020 in a good way after their Omaha run the year before, but they are still a talented team and have done admirably so far in 2021. So far, they have yet to play Indiana and (obviously) Ohio State, but they still played well against two of the other tough Big Ten teams, Iowa and Illinois. Neither of us felt confident in our picks for this series, but John got to pick first so he picked what I would have picked independently. Road series wins in conference are hard and I might regret not taking Ohio State to win two out of three, but Ohio State will have to prove me wrong. John’s pick: Michigan wins series 2-1 Kyle’s pick: Michigan sweeps series #36 UCLA @ #23 Stanford Stanford and UCLA are two teams headed in opposite directions lately. Stanford started 2020 in a rough way, going 5-11 before the season was cancelled, but they have been electric offensively this year. Their pitching has left something to be desired, but it is still keeping them in games because it is still Stanford after all. Those two sentences are the opposite of what we have come to expect out of the Cardinal, but I welcome this new direction. UCLA is somewhat confusing. The Bruins started this year ranked very highly by most outlets given the talent they have accrued over the years and Coach John Savage’s ability to get the most out of his team. However, they have lost three out of their seven series to start the year, coming off of a home series loss to Washington. I picked first and went with Stanford to only win two out of three, while John picked Stanford to sweep. We both still like UCLA as a team on the season, and while a sweep seems unlikely for Stanford, John thought that that was more likely than UCLA surprising everyone with a road series win. Kyle’s pick: Stanford wins series 2-1 John’s pick: Stanford sweeps series #16 Georgia Tech @ #11 Notre Dame The ACC is a confusing tangle of teams that have all beaten up on each other. It has proven to be a really deep league so far this season, with the bottom teams getting some surprising series victories. Notre Dame was not necessarily one of the bottom teams, but going into the season, they were on the bubble and leaning out of the tournament in our opinion. They have done nothing but prove us wrong so far this season and continue to win series (or tie them). After COVID caused them to miss their first weekend of the year (a tournament at LSU), they went 7-2 on the road at Wake Forest, Clemson, and Virginia, winning all three series. Georgia Tech, on the other hand, is a team that came into the seasons with relatively high expectations and has done pretty well outside of two home series losses to Pittsburgh and Virginia. We still expect them to contend for the ACC crown, and they are tied for first in the Coastal Division with Virginia Tech, so their goals are still achievable for them- no need to panic. John felt confident in the Yellow Jackets enough to take them winning the series on the road, and I felt much better about a Notre Dame home series win than a Georgia Tech road sweep. Notre Dame is an experienced team and well-coached, so much so that they lead the country in fielding percentage as of today. John’s pick: Georgia Tech wins series 2-1 Kyle’s pick: Notre Dame wins series 2-1 Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

On the surface, there is no telling what will happen this weekend in Lubbock. Two evenly matched opponents will meet for a critical Big 12 series from Friday-Sunday as #12 TCU gets set to face #8 Texas Tech. Both teams opened the season the same way, at the Globe Life Field Showdown where TCU dropped two games and Texas Tech lost all three. But the tide quickly turned as they each went on a tear through the remainder of non-conference play. Texas Tech was unbeatable for the remainder of its non-conference slate following the rough weekend in Arlington, as the Red Raiders won 14 straight against mid-major programs such as Gonzaga, UConn, and Houston Baptist. They also defeated in-state rivals Texas State, Texas A&M Corpus-Christi, and Sam Houston State at the Shriners Classic in Houston. Big 12 play has been a different story as of late for head coach Tim Tadlock’s squad, as it captured a 2-1 series victory over Oklahoma State, but was stunned by unranked Kansas State last weekend, losing the series 2-1 after thumping the Wildcats 17-1 in the series opener. TCU has had far fewer struggles with zero losses in conference play as it enters the weekend, having swept both Oklahoma and Baylor to open the Big 12 schedule. With a perfect 6-0 record, the Horned Frogs lead the Big 12 standings, but Texas, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech are in pursuit. The Horned Frogs rebounded from that weekend in Arlington, but unlike Texas Tech, failed to go undefeated in the remainder of its non-conference slate. In fact, TCU looked rather inconsistent as it lost a series to Gonzaga 2-1, and fell in back-to-back games at the hands of Sam Houston State and Texas State. Yet, the Horned Frogs began clicking at the right time, following a 2-1 series win against Louisiana. Hitting is an obvious strength for both squads, and could produce a few high-scoring affairs, as they are tied for third in the Big 12 with a team batting average of .294. Texas Tech’s lethal offense, which leads the Big 12 in home runs with 26, is paced by a duo of infielders in second baseman Jace Jung, and shortstop Cal Conley, as well as a duo of outfielders, with Dru Baker and Dylan Neuse. Jung, the younger brother of former Red Raider infielder Josh Jung, has flashed just as much power as his older brother this season, with a league-leading 11 homers and 35 RBI. Conley is eighth in the league in hits (36) and is one of three Red Raiders, including Jung (.388) to have a batting average above .300 (.336). Rounding out what might be the best trio of sluggers in the Big 12 this season is Baker. The right fielder may have only hit two homers this season but has made up for it with a team-best 44 hits and 33 runs scored, both of which rank third in the league. His batting average has been perhaps Baker’s most surprising statistic, as opposing pitchers have struggled to find ways to beat him, and the sophomore has posted a .427 batting average. Neuse is an ideal leadoff hitter, consistently finding a way on the basepaths. He enters the weekend with a .444 on-base percentage. That is not to say the Red Raiders will overmatch TCU at the plate. The Horned Frogs have a core group that has been just as consistent this season, led by fifth-year senior Gene Wood. Known across the league for his poise and leadership, Wood is in his second year in Fort Worth after spending four years at Alabama. Though his stats do not jump off the page, with a .278 batting average, six home runs, and 28 RBI, Wood has plenty of power, and will make opposing pitchers pay if he gets a good pitch in the zone. One benefit to TCU having an experienced utility man such as Wood is that the sixth-year senior has an excellent eye at the plate, and along with it, plenty of plate discipline. Another Horned Frog with the ability to work the count is outfielder Elijah Nunez, who leads the Big 12 in walks with 25. Nunez is just a freshman, but plays like a senior, with a balanced approach and ability to make contact. TCU, ranked second behind Texas Tech in team on-base percentage (.415), has plenty of hitters who can make contact and put the ball in play. Also notable in the TCU lineup is outfielder Phillip Sikes, who has flashed his power throughout the first half of the season, with a team-high batting average of .340. He has hit just two home runs, but drives the ball into the gap, and has 12 doubles on the season. With both teams having demonstrated an equal ability to make contact and put runs on the board, the pitching staffs will be in for a challenge. Friday’s night’s pitching showdown is set to pit Texas Tech right-hander Brandon Birdsell against TCU left-hander Russell Smith. Each has posted a 4-1 record this season, and won the last four starts in which he earned the decision. Birdsell comes off a phenomenal outing against Kansas State, in which the sophomore allowed two hits and one earned run through five innings of work. He only walked one batter and struck out four. Smith had slightly more trouble than Birdsell in his start last Thursday at Oklahoma, but still earned the win, after giving up four hits and three earned runs in a seven-inning appearance. He stuck out eight and only walked two. Considering the offensive firepower from both sides, it is likely that we will see more of the bullpens, as the starters may be sent to the showers earlier than in a typical series. TCU’s bullpen has been anchored by freshman River Giddings, who has yet to allow an earned run in 11.2 innings of work and nine appearances. Haylen Green is also a consistent force on the hill for the Horned Frogs, and has fired 31 innings in 14 outings with an ERA of 2.01. The Red Raider bullpen has also closed out games well, and used a variety of arms to get the job done. One intriguing reliever is Ryan Sublette. His ERA (3.63) is higher than head coach Tim Tadlock would like, but the right-hander hits the strike zone with an arsenal of pitches, and has 24 strikeouts through 17.1 innings. Riley's Prediction: This is a series I could see going either way. Records can go out the window, because as competitive as the Big 12 is, there is no telling who has the advantage. With both squads hitting as well as they have, pitching will be critical, especially from the relievers. I do think home field advantage is pivotal in a series as evenly matched as this one appears to be, so I will take Texas Tech winning the series 2-1. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!