by Matt Sefcovic (@MattSefcovic) After starting the season 1-3 against unranked opponents, Central Florida bounced back in impressive fashion to win the series against the #1 team in the country, taking two of three games from the Rebels. The Knights were giving up over 11 runs per game in their first four outings of the season after losing their opening series to Florida Atlantic and getting blanked by Stetson in a midweek game. Ole Miss could not have started the season on a higher note, notching three wins against top 12 teams (TCU, Texas Tech, and Texas) in the State Farm College Baseball Showdown in Arlington last weekend. Unfortunately for Rebels fans, the same team did not show up against Central Florida. Colton Gordon started things off Friday night with 7 strong innings for the Knights, allowing just one run on the way to a 3-2 victory over the Rebels. It appeared that the Knights were going to clinch the series, leading 5-3 going into the bottom of the 9th inning of game two, but the Rebels had other plans. Tim Elko singled down the right field line to score Kevin Graham in walk-off fashion to force the rubber match. Although he did not get the win, Gunnar Hoglund threw 7 strong innings for the Rebels, allowing just two runs with 10 strikeouts in game two. Momentum seemed to be in favor of Ole Miss going into game three, but it was all Central Florida, putting up at least one run in five of the first seven innings of the game, sealing the series with a 7-2 victory. After giving up 38 runs in the series against Florida Atlantic, the Knights pitching staff was much improved this weekend, only allowing 10 runs against the Rebels in the entire series, one of which was unearned. The starting rotation for Central Florida set the tone for the weekend, keeping the Rebels bats at bay during the majority of the three game series. The starting pitchers for the Knights combined for 18 innings, recorded 23 K’s, 16 hits, and allowed just 5 earned runs. It was a heck of a weekend for Coach Lovelady’s staff considering how the season started for the Knights. At the dish, UCF was led by Ben McCabe and Freshman All-American Alex Freeland. McCabe was 4 for 12 on the weekend, with two home runs and led the way with 5 RBI. Freeland was 6 for 11, raising his season average to .500 and continued to flash the leather up the middle. This is a name you need to put a star next to; he is going to be stud for the next few years for the Knights. The Rebels combined for 24 hits during the series, but never could string anything together to gain any momentum against the Knights pitching staff. They only had two innings all weekend in which they scored more than one run, one of which came during the three-run ninth inning walk-off in game two. If you take that inning away, the Rebels would have been on the wrong end of a series sweep. Sophomore catcher Hayden Dunhurst led the way for Ole Miss, batting 5 for 11 with a HR. Trey LaFleur, Hayden Leatherwood, and Justin Bench also homered for the Rebels, but it just was not enough to overcome the Knights upset bid. This was the first series we have seen Cael Baker this year as he missed the State Farm College Baseball Showdown due to COVID. Baker, one of the most intriguing players in the SEC, was 2 for 8 with 6 strikeouts. This has always been Baker’s achilles heel, which he must get corrected in order to stay in the lineup for Coach Bianco. As we head into the third weekend of the college baseball season, we have a new #1 team yet again. Florida opened the season with a series loss against Miami followed by the Knights upset of Ole Miss. How will the new #1 fair atop the rankings? We will soon find out. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

John and Kyle recap week two in college baseball, including ACC chaos and Arkansas rising to number one in the rankings. UCF Head Coach Greg Lovelady joins the podcast, coming off the Knights' series win at former number one, Ole Miss. John and Kyle pick week three's most interesting series. 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: 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. This weekend Coastal Carolina hosted a four-team round-robin tournament at Springs Brooks Stadium. The Bryant Bulldogs, Kennesaw State Owls, and the West Virginia Mountaineers all took the trip to the Myrtle Beach area. The headliner of this tournament was the Saturday meeting between WVU and the host team, Coastal Carolina. West Virginia was coming off a Friday 13-3 victory vs KSU, while the Chanticleers got an 8-1 win of their own against Bryant later that day The much-anticipated matchup featured two coaches with an old-school mentality going up against each other on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. It wasn’t what you would call a fundamentally-sound baseball game but it sure was a fun one, nonetheless. Randy Mazey sent Mountaineer LHP Adam Tulloch to the mound against RHP Nick Parker, the most established starting pitcher on Gary Gilmore’s Coastal pitching staff. Tulloch is a deceptive lefty with a good fastball that jumps on top of hitters, especially same-handed hitters. He had plenty of success missing bats as evidenced by the 10 strikeouts on his line, but when he didn’t miss bats, the Chants were making solid contact. Three of Tulloch’s five hits allowed were home runs. Two of those came on back-to-back shots by Coastal Carolina. Designated hitter Alex Gattinelli hit a shot to left field followed by catcher BT Riopelle’s rope over the tall center field wall. Both figure to be key parts of the Chants’ potent offense in 2021. These homers made it 3-1 Chants in the 4th before the two teams handed the lead back and forth in the 5th inning, when West Virginia was finally able to get to Nick Parker. Parker is a pitchability righty who the Chants hope will be the much-needed veteran presence on the staff. In this game he was 88-90 with his fastball, relying heavily on his changeup, his best secondary pitch which he used to get some big outs against left-handed hitters. He threw four innings of one-run ball, before the Mountaineers were able to knock him out in the 5th. First baseman Matt McCormick took an 1-2 89 mph fastball down the left field line for an RBI double. He scored on a single by the next batter catcher Vince Ippoliti, to tie the game. WVU has plenty of strength in their two and three holes with those two sluggers. Ippoliti would score on a single by CF Victor Scott, giving the Mountaineers a 4-3 lead. Talented freshman arm Luke Barrow came in to clean up the mess for the Chanticleers, with a live arm, low 90’s fastball, and an above average gyro slider. Coastal took the lead back on a line-drive, two-run home run by SS Eric Brown. Brown’s homer scored LF Nick Lucky, who showed off his advanced feel for the barrel in Saturday’s game with 3 hits of his own. Coastal gave this one run lead to RHP Shaddon Peavyhouse who fought through mild control issues early on in his outing, turning it into 3.2 innings of no-hit ball out of the pen. 2B Dale Thomas gave Coastal a cushion in the bottom of the 8th with a homer featuring an epic stop-and-stare/bat flip moment. Coastal Carolina went on to win 10-5. It was a somewhat messy game, with five errors in total, and some other baseball oddities including a batted ball hitting a runner for Coastal in the 7th. Coastal flexed their offensive muscle in this game which most assumed would be their strength heading into the season. On the Mountaineers side, they really tried to make things happen on the basepaths, WVU stole four bases in this ballgame with four different baserunners. Losing their most talented pitcher Ryan Bergert to a preseason injury has to be difficult to adjust to and West Virginia had some troubles in this game getting outs when they needed them. It remains to be seen if the Mountaineers will be able to string together solid innings, especially when they go up against Big 12 competition. Both teams proceeded to win their Sunday games. Coastal defeated Kennesaw State, 13-11, and West Virginia defeated Bryant 9-7. West Virginia will host Coastal Carolina in a three-game series March 19-21. Coastal Carolina exited the weekend ranked #37 in College Baseball Nation’s Top 50. 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! The second weekend of college baseball once again brought turmoil to the top of the rankings. Moving to 7-0, Arkansas takes the top spot. After a perfect Opening Weekend, the Razorbacks followed it up with a four-game sweep of Southeast Missouri and clinched the number one ranking. Vanderbilt (6-1) follows at number two after a tidy 4-1 week. Louisville, missing 11 players over the weekend, managed to win a series against Western Illinois and moved up to number three. The Cardinals lost the series opener before bouncing back to win two straight. Back-t0-back walk-offs against Tulane propelled Mississippi State (5-2) to a series win and the number four ranking. LSU (6-1), a model of consistency in the early season, scored an impressive midweek win over Louisiana and rounds out the top five. After a perfect performance at the College Baseball Showdown, Ole Miss (5-2) slipped up and lost two out of three at home to UCF. Ole Miss avoided the sweep by walking off the Knights in the second game of the series. The Rebels dropped from the top spot in the poll to number six. Georgia Tech (6-1) rocketed up the rankings to number seven after a series sweep at NC State. Fellow ACC team, Miami fell to number eight after a home series loss against Virginia Tech. #9 Florida (6-2) and #10 TCU (5-2) finish off the top ten. #11 ECU (6-1) is the highest ranked team from the American, and just behind them, #12 UCLA (4-3) is the top team from the Pac-12. The Bruins are followed by #13 Texas Tech (3-3-), #14 UCSB (6-1), and #15 Virginia (4-3). Arizona (6-2) and rival, Arizona State (4-2) are once again back-to-back in the rankings at #16 and #17. #18 Oklahoma State (6-0) is still perfect on the year. #19 Boston College (5-1) moves up 17 spots after taking two of three games from Duke in their ACC opener. South #20 Carolina (6-0) also made a 17-spot jump after knocking off rival, Clemson, twice over the weekend. The third game in the series was delayed until later in the season due to weather. #21 Georgia (7-1), #22 Duke (3-4), #23 UCF (3-4), #24 Louisiana (6-2), and #25 San Diego State (5-2) complete the top 25. UCF re-enters the top 25 after a one week hiatus. Louisiana and San Diego State enter the top 25 for the first time in poll history. San Diego State is the first Mountain West Conferences member to be ranked in the top 25 in poll history. Other notable jumps include Oregon State (7-1) rising 16 spots to #29 after a four-game road sweep of Grand Canyon and #33 Pitt (6-1) entering the rankings after a road sweep of Florida State. The ACC leads all conferences with 13 teams ranked, followed by the SEC with 12 teams. This is the first time in poll history that the ACC has led all conferences in number of teams ranked. Six of the nine Big 12 teams are ranked in the top 50. Other conferences with multiple teams ranked include the Pac-12 (4), American (3), Big West (2), Sun Belt (2), and Conference USA (2). 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!

On Saturday, Lehigh (1-0) began its 2021 season with a dominating 9-0 victory over Coppin State (0-3). Led by preseason all-American, junior right-hander Mason Black, three Mountain Hawk pitchers threw a combined 1-hitter. Mason pitched 5.0 innings on an efficient 73 pitches and struck out 11 of the 16 batters he faced. Sophomore righty Ryan Deom entered for three innings of relief adding 7 strikeouts for the Mountain Hawks before senior right-hander Yash Rane closed out the ninth with three straight strikeouts looking. In sum, Lehigh pitcher struck out 21 of the 29 batters they faced and walked nobody. Offensively, the Mountain Hawks were led by senior right fielder Eric Cichocki who reached base six times. Cichocki was 4 for 6 and reached on an error twice. Once on base, the senior was a disruptive presence as he notched four stolen bases. The Mountain Hawks offered a balanced and continuous offensive onslaught. Every hitter in the lineup earned at least one hit, and five separate Lehigh players had at least one RBI. The win marked Head Coach Sean Leary's 500th in his career. He is the winningest coach in Mountain Hawk program history. Entering the season, league coaches selected Lehigh to finish third in the Patriot League. However, College Baseball Nation has the Mountain Hawks as Patriot League favorites and Lehigh was selected for the Preseason Field of 64. Lehigh and Coppin State are set to play the second game of a doubleheader later on Saturday. Lehigh will play four non-conference games against George Washington before starting Patriot League play on March 13 at Holy Cross. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

by Kyle McKelvey (@kylemckelv) The Tournament Auburn, Baylor, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M meet in the 2nd Annual Round Rock Classic, which will be at Dell Diamond in Round Rock, Texas, the home of the Round Rock Express. For more information about the tournament, go to www.roundrockclassic.net. The Games Friday, 2/25/2021 #28 Auburn vs Oklahoma, 12:00pm Texas A&M vs Baylor, 6:00pm Saturday, 2/26/2021 Baylor vs #28 Auburn, 12:00pm Oklahoma vs Texas A&M, 6:00pm Sunday, 2/27/2021 #28 Auburn vs Texas A&M, 11:00am Oklahoma vs Baylor, 5:00pm The Teams #28 Auburn (5-0): Auburn is the only Top 50 team in this tournament and they are on the hottest streak of all the teams coming in to this weekend. After sweeping Presbyterian on opening weekend and only allowing five runs in three games, the Tigers demolished Alabama A&M in two games, 18-2 and 33-0, in the midweek. Auburn was a team we really liked headed into the 2020 season until they were unexpectedly swept at home at the hands of UCF. Coach Butch Thompson’s team has high expectations on the year like every SEC West team and is on pace to build off of this hot start and make the NCAA Tournament. Baylor (1-2): Baylor has been a very confusing team lately. The Bears may not recruit the best in the Big 12 and their facilities may not be as highly regarded as those of other teams in the state, but they regularly outperform expectations. In the COVID-shortened 2020 season, they started off the year losing a surprising home series to Oral Roberts. They then followed that up by sweeping the Shriners College Classic, beating Arkansas, LSU, and Missouri. How is that possible? One hypothesis is that sixth-year coach Steve Rodriguez has his ways of getting the most out of his players. Even after losing Nick Loftin to the MLB Draft, and again losing a shocking early season series, this time to UT Rio Grande Valley, do not be surprised if Baylor exceeds expectations again. Oklahoma (2-2): Even with the shortened MLB Draft in 2020, the Sooners still lost their entire weekend rotation, which goes to show how talented that rotation was in 2020, possibly the best in the Big 12. Sunday starter, Dane Acker threw a no-hitter in a 1-0 victory over LSU in the Shriners College Classic, a tournament in which OU also beat Arkansas. Going into 2021, their rotation is considered a question mark, but their bullpen and offense still should be quite strong, as they returned a bevy of arms and bats. During the rough winter storm that ravaged most of Texas and surrounding states, the Sooners had to reschedule several different series for opening weekend. OU tried to schedule a series against each of Southern, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, and Wichita State, and all were cancelled until they eventually got the chance to play Omaha. So far in 2021, they have split the series with Omaha, lost a midweek game to Stephen F. Austin, and beat UT Arlington. Texas A&M (2-3): Entering this season, Texas A&M was a team with a few unknowns, one of them being how they can replace weekend starters, Asa Lacy and Christian Roa. So far into this short season, the Aggies pitching staff has struggled mightily against Xavier, Abilene Christian, and Tarleton State. Even though the college baseball world’s expectations for A&M were lower than in previous years, that is not the kind of competition Aggie fans want to be struggling to compete against. After the opening week A&M has had, they will need to really turn it around against these power conference teams, ones to which A&M fans expect to be similar. Kyle’s Prediction: On this week’s podcast, I picked A&M to be the winner of this tournament. I am not a huge fan of that pick after what the Aggies have done in their midweek games and what Auburn has done in theirs. I picked them because John picked Auburn and I just could not bring myself to pick the same team as him. Since John is not here to steal Auburn from me, I am picking them to be the big winner of this tournament, but I highly doubt that they will score as many runs as they did in their first five games. I will also predict that one of the other teams will steal one from Auburn, so they do not 3-0 in Round Rock, but I could see any of the other teams doing that. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

College baseball is back! Miami took down #1 Florida. The SEC dominated the Big 12 in the College Baseball Showdown. John and Kyle recap the best games from Opening Weekend and look ahead to next week's games. 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!

by Matt Sefcovic (@MattSefcovic) After one weekend of the much anticipated 2021 college baseball season, you will be hard pressed to find a team that has built a resume as strong as Ole Miss. Sure, Miami looked the part, ruining the Gators first series in their shiny, new ballpark in Gainesville, but the Rebels dominated the Big 12 in the State Farm College Baseball Showdown. Ole Miss, winners of 20 straight, beat three top 12 teams (TCU, Texas Tech, and Texas) during Opening Weekend by a combined score of 20-8. Their performance elevated them to the new #1 team in the country. Mike Bianco’s pitching staff put up a few ridiculous numbers, especially against the level competition they were playing, striking out 42(!) batters while allowing just 19 hits in 27 innings. Not only did the pitchers look the part, the Rebels defense only made one error in three games, led by rising superstar SS Jacob Gonzalez. Gonzalez, just a freshman, made a household name for himself this weekend with multiple highlight reel plays up the middle. He also had an impressive debut at the plate, batting .364 with a home run, 4 RBI, and 3 runs scored. Unfortunately for the Rebels, leadoff hitter Peyton Chatagnier, pulled a hamstring in the final game against Texas and will likely be out for a few weeks. The reigning SEC co-player of the week was off to a hot start with 5 hits in his first 11 at bats for the season. Coach Bianco noted that Cael Baker will be available after sitting out opening weekend due to COVID protocols. On the mound, Derek Diamond was lights out against Texas on Monday, tossing 6 innings, allowing just 1 run on 4 hits, while striking out 8. Doug Nikhazy did not have his best stuff against TCU, but the Rebels bullpen combined for 14 innings during the three-game span, giving up just one single run. It’s going to be difficult to beat this team in a series if the bullpen can consistently put up numbers like that. Do not look for Nikhazy to struggle again this weekend against the Knights; he will be back to doing Nikhazy things in no time. On the flip side, UCF opened the season with high hopes after ending 2020 with a 15-3 record before college baseball came to a halt. The Knights, ranked 25th in the preseason, opened 2021 with a three-game series against Florida Atlantic, one at home and two on the road. Things did not go quite as planned for the #25 team in the country, allowing 38 runs on 38 hits in the three-game series, losing two of them. The Knights pitching struggled to find the zone this weekend, allowing 19 free passes, hitting an additional 7 batters, and giving up 7 home runs. This will have to be cleaned up prior to heading to Oxford this weekend or the Knights could be on the wrong end of another series. In dropping two games to FAU, Central Florida fell to #38 in the poll. Although the scores were lopsided, the Knights had quite a few bright spots at the plate, batting over .300 as a team in the series. Alex Freeland, a College Baseball Nation Preseason Freshman All-American, led the charge, batting .545 with a home run. Four other Knights were above the .300 mark, but something to keep an eye on is the power displayed in the lineup. After the opening weekend, they are ranked second in the country in home runs with 8. The only team ranked ahead of them is Troy, but the Trojans have played four games compared to three for the Knights. Matt's Prediction: The Rebels will take care of business this weekend in Oxford. The lineup that UCF will be facing is much more potent than Florida Atlantic, which the Knights gave up 38 runs to in three games. Not to mention, the Ole Miss pitching staff is one of the best in the country. Rebels win at least 2 games, but a sweep would not surprise me one bit. 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! College baseball is back, and Opening Weekend did not disappoint. Highlighted by Miami taking down Florida (for the first time since 2014) and the State Farm College Baseball Showdown, Opening Weekend was full of marquee matchups and shuffling in the rankings. Ole Miss (3-0) takes over the top spot in the top 50 after a 3-0 finish in the College Baseball Showdown. Second-ranked Arkansas (3-0) also finished with a perfect performance at the College Baseball Showdown. Both teams defeated TCU, Texas Tech, and Texas (all of which were previously ranked in the top 12). #3 Vanderbilt (2-0) knocked off Wright State in a Monday doubleheader to start the year. Aces Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter dominated in their outings. #4 Louisville (3-0) and #5 Miami (2-1) round out the top five. Miami traveled to Florida and defeated then-#1 Florida. Miami is up 17 spots from the preseason poll. #6 Mississippi State (2-1) won two out of three games at the College Baseball Showdown, helping the SEC finish 8-1 overall at the tournament. Florida (1-2) drops from #1 to #7 after their series loss to Miami. Virginia (2-1) took two out of three games from UConn, and #9 LSU (2-1) knocked off Air Force and Louisiana Tech. The top nine teams are all from the ACC or SEC. TCU (1-2), the first team from the Big 12, rounds out the top ten. #11 UCLA (1-2) falls nine spots after losing a home series to San Francisco. The Bruins were without ace Zach Pettway who is out for a week or two due to a non-disclosed injury. #12 Texas Tech (0-3) struggled defensively at the College Baseball Showdown and dropped nine spots from their preseason ranking. ECU (3-0) started the year off perfectly with a sweep of Rhode Island and moved up three spots. #14 Duke (2-1) had one of the most impressive series wins of Opening Weekend, going on the road and taking down Coastal Carolina. Florida State (2-1) finishes off the top 15 after an Opening Weekend series win against North Florida. #16 Georgia Tech (2-1) marks the third straight ACC team in the poll. UCSB (2-1), at #17, is the highest ranked mid-major team. The Gauchos are followed by #18 Arizona (2-2) and #19 Arizona State (2-1), with NC State (2-0) completing the top 20. #21 Oklahoma State (2-0) moves into the top 25 after taking two road games at Wichita State. #22 Wake Forest (2-1), #23 Georgia (3-1), #24 (2-1) San Francisco, and #25 Tennessee finish the top 25. San Francisco enters the poll after defeating UCLA on the road. This marks the first time San Francisco has been ranked in College Baseball Nation's 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!

It’s finally here! After 11 months of excruciating waiting, college baseball fans will get to hear the two most magical words the English language has to offer: “Play Ball!” But it’s not just baseball fans who have been waiting with bated breath for College Baseball Opening Day (yes, at CBN we use all caps) to arrive. Pro scouts and other MLB executives have been anxiously biding their time since last June’s draft, hoping to finally get a look at all of this year’s draft eligible players, most of whom haven’t participated in an official game since mid-March of last year. As these scouts and execs settle into their box seats at the various stadiums throughout the country (or, due to COVID-19 restrictions that prohibit or limit their in-person attendance, squint at the streamed games on their computer screens), they’ll all be looking to answer the following questions in an effort to solve year’s MLB Draft riddle. 1) What will Vanderbilt RHP Jack Leiter do over a full season? On the eve of the 2021 campaign, Leiter’s draft stock is slightly ahead of that of Vanderbilt teammate and fellow mound stud Kumar Rocker because of Leiter’s strong abbreviated 2020 season and an impressive fall, which saw him hit 97 MPH with his fastball. However, at least one prominent American League executive has cited the fact that Leiter’s entire college career has amounted to exactly 15.2 IP (due to his 21st birthday falling within 45 days of the July draft date, Leiter will be draft eligible this July after just two collegiate seasons). Thus, the eyes of the scouting community will be focused on the 6-00/190 righthander to see if he can sustain his excellence for the entire spring. 2) Will Florida CF Jud Fabian iron out his swing-and-miss issues? Fabian is currently regarded as the most complete college position player, with his power and ability to stay in center field as a pro putting him in the running to go 1-01 in the draft. That said, some teams fear Fabian’s propensity to swing and miss may adversely affect his hit tool once he makes it to the bigs. Throughout his college career, Fabian has posted a K-rate of nearly 22%. His K-rate in the Cape Cod League during the summer of 2019 was 26.3%, while last summer he whiffed in 21.8% of his 64 PAs in the Florida Collegiate Summer League. 3) Can LSU RHP Jaden Hill remain healthy for the entire season? Hill’s stuff is so potent that he’s a popular sleeper pick to go 1-01. Yet, like Leiter, scouts currently have a small sample size to work from. Hill was limited to just 10 IP as a true freshman in 2019 as he battled elbow discomfort, which was followed by collarbone surgery. In sum, Hill has thrown 21.2 innings as a Tiger. 4) Can UCLA IF Matt McLain stick at SS? Between his work on the Cape during the summer of 2019 (.274/.394/.425 in 139 PAs) and during the shortened 2020 campaign (.397/.422/.621), McLain did enough to atone for his offensive struggles as a freshman. But the question remains whether he’ll be able to stick at SS as a pro. If McLain demonstrates the necessary defensive chops to stay at “the Six,” he would be a near sure bet to be off the board within the first five picks come July. 5) Can Miami C Adrian Del Castillo stick behind the plate? There’s a strong consensus among scouts that Del Castillo is the most complete hitter in the college draft class, yet the same scouts are also in agreement that the chances of Del Castillo remaining a backstop at the next level are less than 50-50. That’s said, Del Castillo has demonstrated marked improvement since arriving in Coral Cables two years ago and spent most of last spring and early summer working out with 5-time Gold Glove winner Salvador Perez. If clubs believe Del Castillo can stick behind the dish he could be selected within the top five picks; if not, he may not hear his name called until the mid-teens. 6) Was Louisville C Henry Davis’ 14-game offensive outburst in 2020 the real thing or just a mirage? Davis was always known as a defense-first catcher with a decent bat, but that all changed thanks to one month’s worth of games last year. In 52 PAs, Davis raked to the tune of .372/.481/.698 with an even more impressive 8/4 BB/K ratio. Simply put, if Davis is really as good a hitter as his 2020 numbers attest, he won’t last an hour on draft night. 7) How good will Louisville 3B Alex Binelas be at the hot corner? The track record of third sackers taken in the top 10 is impressive, and Binelas will join that hallowed fraternity if he shows improved range and footwork. Binelas certainly has the bat to warrant a top-of-the-first-round selection—according to former Baseball365 scribe Mason McRae, Binelas boasts launch angles typically in the 12-16 degree range and an average exit velocity of over 95 MPH. 8) How much will not getting any weekend ABs against top tier pitching hurt Southern Alabama OF Ethan Wilson? Wilson will be an interesting follow this spring. His power rivals that of any other hitter in this year’s draft class and the rest of his game is well-rounded. However, by playing in the mid-major Sun Belt Conference, Wilson will not be facing the best arms the college game has to offer. This is exacerbated by the fact that Wilson has never played high-profile summer ball. Will this lack of experience against prime competition cause Wilson to slip or will a club picking high in the draft rely mostly on Wilson’s tools and take a chance on the 6-02/205 slugger. 9) Will Miami (OH) RHP Sam Bachman translate his tremendous pitch metrics to elite results? As Lookout Landing’s Joe Doyle succinctly highlights here, the hard work Bachman put in last year following the onset of the pandemic allowed him to remold his body and finetune his power repertoire. Now armed with a heater he can run up to 99 MPH and first-class secondaries (all with elite characteristics), Bachman will be under increased scrutiny from scouts who’ll want to see whether his improved pitch data will carry over from workouts to games. If they’re satisfied, Bachman will be off the board no later than the middle of the first round. 10) Will losing weight boost FSU OF Robby Martin’s draft fortunes? Since the day he arrived in Tallahassee, Martin has been known for his projected plus hit tool; however, after dropping about 15 pounds since last summer Martin appears to have rounded out his game. He’s reported to have increased range in the outfield, while the decrease in body mass has enhanced his bat speed and brought about more power. If Martin proves to be more than just a guy with a nice hit tool he could sneak into the first round. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

Outside of the numerous Big 12 schools and other traditional athletic powers in the state of Texas, many smaller university make Texas one of the deepest states in the country in terms of college baseball depth. Tarleton State After a 26 year stint as a strong division two program, Tarleton State is moving up, ready to take on the challenge of division one college baseball and the Western Athletic Conference. The jump from division two to division one is sure to be a challenge, and success is oftentimes not immediate, especially when you consider two of the last three programs to make the move posted a losing record in their first season of division one play. Tarleton State will not be alone in its new quest at the highest level of college baseball as three other programs—Dixie State (WAC), Bellarmine (ASUN), UC San Diego (Big West)—will also play their first year of division one competition in 2021. Like most first-year D1 programs, the Texans will be road warriors, playing 33 of their 56 games on the road. They will be thrown right into the fire, with a non-conference schedule that features midweek matchups at Texas A&M (Feb 24), at TCU (March 23), and a four-game set at Dallas Baptist (March 18-21). TCU also comes to Stephenvillle on April 6. To open the program’s division one era, Tarleton will travel to nearby Abilene, and battle Abilene Christian for two games before the two teams will make the short trip back to Stephenville and play the final game of the series. Winter weather in Texas has forced the start date of the series back to Saturday when the two teams will play a doubleheader. Despite all the challenges that naturally come with such an undertaking, it would not be far off to say that this year’s squad from Stephenville will surprise people in a conference with plenty of parity. It will not be until 2024 that Tarleton will be eligible to make the NCAA tournament, but as early as this spring, the Texans will have an opportunity to claim a WAC championship. While it may be a stretch to say that Tarleton will be vying at the top of the standings with established programs such as Grand Canyon, Sacramento State and New Mexico State so early, the fact that the Texans have a possible WAC Player of the Year in 1B Blake Burns, a hard-hitting outfielder in London Green and New Mexico State transfer Alex Pinedo makes them a team no opposing coach should overlook. Playing solid D2 competition in a shortened 2020 season, Burns hit .452 with seven homers and drove in 31 runs. All signs point towards that success continuing, even against slightly better arms this season. Pinedo, a lefty, is a versatile hurler who can be used by the Tarleton coaching staff as either a starter or releiver. In his sixth season of college ball, having spent two years at New Mexico JC before spending three at New Mexico State, Pinedo has proven he can do it all, whether that is throwing a complete game like he did in the 2018 WAC Tournament Semifinal, or compiling several shutout relief appearances. Dallas Baptist It is rare, especially in the state of Texas where football is king, for a university’s number one sport to be baseball. But that is the case at #34 Dallas Baptist, where baseball is the school’s only division one athletic program, and a very competitive one at that. The Patriots moved up to division one in 2004, but it was the 2008 season in which things really started going up for DBU, as current head coach Dan Heefner took over. Since that point, the program has made the NCAA tournament nine times, including in all six seasons as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference, finishing either first or second in the conference each season. Heading into this 2021 season, the expectations and anticipation is one again high for the Patriots, who are a No. 3 seed in the Austin Regional according to College Baseball Nation’s Field of 64 projection. Known for playing a grueling non-conference schedule, DBU is often times one of the highest ranked mid-majors when it comes to RPI and strength of schedule. For lack of a better term, the Patriots are a “power team” from a non-power conference. Set to compete at the Frisco Classic against Oklahoma, Missouri, and Arizona in early March, DBU comes from the smallest conference, but is far from playing the role of the underdog, especially with the returning talent the Patriots will take advantage of. The formula for success begins on the mound, as all four of last year’s starters return. The four starters versus the traditional three is due to the fact that the MVC will play four-game series for the 2021 season, rather than the traditional three. Ray Gaither was the Patriots Friday night starter a year ago, posting 26 strikeouts in 20.1 innings of work. An intriguing newcomer that should come out of the bullpen is Houston transfer Jared Pettite, who looked much improved in the Texas Collegiate League after coming back from a shoulder injury. Of all that DBU has accomplished in a short amount of time as a division one program, the one thing the Patriots have not achieved is a trip to Omaha. That could change by the end of this season, however, with the entire starting rotation and starting lineup back. The combination is there, now the Patriots just have to let it work its magic. Sam Houston State When looking at future first round picks in the MLB Draft, we often first set our sights towards the power conferences. However, plenty of scouts’ eyes will be on Huntsville, as the Bearkats have a special player out in centerfield. Colton Cowser looked good in a shortened season last year, flashing signs of stardom in the outfield just as much as at the plate. He hit .255 in 14 games, and led the team in stolen bases with five, and he could be in for an even bigger year in 2021. As College Baseball Nation’s Harris Frommer wrote in December, Cowser is a ‘throwback’ type of player, who, unlike many of today’s college prospects, hits very few home runs, and hits for average over power. Likely SHSU’s leadoff hitter this spring, he tears up the base paths with his speed, and is the kind of player that the Bearkats need in the lineup to have a chance at claiming the program’s conference title. Cowser will have a chance to demonstrate his abilities against superb pitching in non-conference play, as the Bearkats will be tested early and often. A three-game set at home against No. 27 Oklahoma State to kick off the season was just cancelled due to weather; however, midweek matchups against No. 44 Texas State (Feb. 24) and No. 43 Baylor (March 2) will boost SHSU’s strength of schedule, which will come in handy on Selection Monday. There is also the Shriners College Classic, featuring No. 3 Texas Tech and No. 9 TCU, which will give fans a chance to see Cowser perform in a big-league ballpark at Houston’s Minute Mark Park. A road trip to Austin against No. 12 Texas will add to the grueling schedule. We will know plenty more about Cowser and the Bearkats by March 12 when conference play opens, but as head coach Jay Sirianni and his team enter the season, things are looking good in Huntsville. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!

Editor's note: This article has been updated to include recent information on Miami's starting rotation. Nothing brings out the passion and emotion of college baseball like an in-state rivalry, especially one on opening weekend. Played every year since 1965 (even including the shortened 2020 season), the upcoming duel between Florida and Miami (FL) is set for February 19-21. This in-state rivalry series promises to be a must-see matchup. Entering the season, Florida is ranked number one in College Baseball Nation’s Preseason Top 50 and figures to be the leading candidate to win the SEC title. Head coach Kevin O’Sullivan recently said, “I think our expectations are the same every year. That’s to get back to Omaha and put ourselves into position to win a national championship, SEC Championship. That’s our goal every year.” Miami also heads into this season with big expectations, ranked No. 22 by College Baseball Nation. The Hurricanes finished 2020 with a 12-4 record, ranked eighth in College Baseball Nation’s rankings. Though Miami lost its weekend rotation from a year ago, several young standouts have stepped into leadership roles, including Junior LHP Spencer Bodanza, who was named the pitching MVP at Miami’s Fall World Series. DiMare has high expectations for several of his hurlers, including junior Daniel Federman, Bodanza, Alex McFarland and Jake Garland. However, starting pitching is the big question mark for Miami, as the head coach noted in a recent press conference that the weekend rotation would be a work in progress. “It’s a number of guys,” said DiMare. “I think we got eight guys, which is the most we’ve ever had, competing for four spots. Federman certainly would be a leading candidate because he’s a veteran guy and has done a little bit of everything. He’s going to be a starter this year. “I think the other guys in terms of returning guys that are high on the list would be Alex McFarland and Jake Garland,” continued DiMare. “Of course you have some new guys that have come in. Transfer guys like Jake Smith and Jordan Dubberly and some freshmen like Alejandro Rosario, Victor Mederos. They are all competing for four spots. I think probably on the outside looking in, that’s going to be the biggest question mark for our team.” DiMare recently shared that the starting rotation will be comprised of Federman, Rosario, and Mederos. With that “question mark” surrounding the pitching staff early in this season, DiMare will be forced to rely on his hitters to guide Miami against a very good Florida team, especially considering eight of the lineup’s nine starters are back this spring. DiMare has reason to be confident in what his position players bring to the plate, as the entire starting lineup, with the exception of shortstop Freddy Zamora, has returned. One particular player that can improve the Hurricanes chances of winning the series with his bat is sophomore catcher Adrian Del Castillo. With a quick compact swing, he will be a challenge for Florida’s pitching staff, especially considering he found success against the Gators in last season’s three game series, going four-for-nine at the plate. Speaking of Florida’s pitching staff, the Gators boast one of the best weekend rotations in the country with the one-two punch of Tommy Mace and Jack Leftwich. Always reliable on the mound, Mace went 3-0 with a 1.67 ERA in the spring, while Leftwich was just as solid, throwing six innings in a 7-4 victory over then-No. 1 Miami, allowing just four hits and a run. The Friday night duel on the mound is certain to be the difference in game one as Mace will take the ball for Florida. He has a tendency to throw a high number of pitches in the zone, and generate quick outs with precise ball placement. With DiMare unsure of his starting rotation, it is hard to make a prediction as to who will start the first game of the series for the Canes, though Federman seems like a strong possibility, due to his recent experience and surefire status as a starter this season, according to DiMare. While Florida will have the best chance to win this series behind its starters, Miami’s strengths are in the bullpen, where there is more experience. RHP Ben Wanger, who looks to play both ways as a DH, transferred in from Southern California, where he tallied an impressive three saves and an ERA of 0.00 in 2020. As a graduate transfer he is likely to be the Canes’ go-to closer, and will likely see plenty of action against Florida. The Miami pitching staff will have perhaps its toughest non-conference test of the season, as the Gators are led offensively by outfielder Jud Fabian, who was named a College Baseball Nation’s Preseason All-American. With superb bat speed, he will likely be the difference maker in Florida’s ability to score. Playing against then-number one Miami, Florida went on the road and swept the Hurricanes a year ago. This year, the roles are reversed as Florida will be the top-ranked team hosting the underdog Hurricanes. Miami has years of history to overcome as the Hurricanes have lost 14 of their last 18 games against the Gators and haven’t won a series since 2014. Riley Zayas’ (@ZayasRiley) Prediction: This has all the makings of a closely-contested three-game set, but I would lean towards Florida’s starting pitching being the difference. The Gators have a clear advantage on the mound, and so often, especially early in the season, the way a team starts sets the tone for the rest of the game. With Florida bringing back the entire weekend rotation from last spring, the Gators have to feel pretty good about their chances to begin the season with a series victory. Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!