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  • Perfection for Duke's Jarvis

    It took just two hours and eight minutes for Bryce Jarvis and the Duke Blue Devils to make history. With 15 strikeouts and only two flyouts, the Duke ace dominated Cornell's lineup en route to a Perfect Game. Jarvis flummoxed Cornell, working through nine innings on just 94 pitches. Only one Cornell batter managed to work a full count before Jarvis struck him out looking (one of seven times in the game that Cornell batters were caught looking). Twice Jarvis struck out the side, including in the ninth inning to clinch the Perfect Game. After starting the season on the Golden Spikes Watch List, Jarvis has lived up to expectations so far. He has allowed only one earned run in his 13 innings pitched, good for a 0.69 ERA. Jarvis's next start will likely be in U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis when Duke competes in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The win puts Duke at 4-1 on the season, while Cornell moves to 0-1. The two teams resume action at 1 PM ET on Saturday. Head over to our forums to discuss these teams and more! Read all of our 2020 team previews here! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content! If you like what you are seeing from us and want to support us, consider becoming a Patron. We depend upon the support of our amazing fans!

  • Round Rock Classic Round Up

    The inaugural Round Rock Classic is this weekend, February 21st-23rd at Dell Diamond in Round Rock, Texas! For how this tournament will shake out, this post has all you need. For ticketing and more, visit their website: www.roundrockclassic.net. The Games Friday Stanford vs Houston, 3pm #1 Texas Tech vs Tennessee, 7pm Saturday Tennessee vs Houston, 2pm Stanford vs #1 Texas Tech, 6pm Sunday Tennessee vs Stanford, 11am Houston vs #1 Texas Tech, 3pm *home team listed second The Teams Houston (1-2) - The Cougars have a short trip up Highway 290 to get to Round Rock for this tournament. While they started off the season on not the best of footing, they have a lot to prove this weekend if they are going to be a tough out in the AAC like some expected. Houston tripped up twice in three games at home against the Youngstown State Penguins, both losses in extras. One or two bounces here and there going their way and their story could be a lot different so far this season. Stanford (1-3) - The Cardinal comes into this series needing an offensive spark. They have scored a total of six runs in four games and struggled to find power at the plate in a weekend series where they hosted Cal State Fullerton. Luckily, their pitching is one of their strong suits, so expect them to turn it around in 2020. Tennessee (4-0) - As one of the more unpredictable teams coming into 2020, the Volunteers have started off the season with a bang. They've allowed only six runs in four games and they started the season on a 22 inning shutout streak. Their offense has exploded for 19, 23, and 8 runs in their last three games. Tennessee has a lot to prove this weekend if they hope to show that they can stay afloat in the ever-competitive SEC. #1 Texas Tech (4-0) - The best team in the country, according to College Baseball Nation, will have its work cut out for them this weekend if they hope to keep that title. This past weekend in Lubbock, Texas Tech outscored their opponents, Houston Baptist and Northern Colorado, 65-11 in four games. We expect Tech to be one of the top teams in the Big 12 this season and they have a good chance to show us why this weekend in Round Rock. The Tournament Texas Tech is our only ranked team in this tournament, but that doesn't mean there won't be great games and upsets still. This tournament will have great pitching all weekend long and any game Texas Tech is in will have a lot of offense. Personally, I could see any of these teams beating any of the others. Stanford and Houston might not have gotten off to great starts, but there's a reason a lot of people, including us, were high on them. Texas Tech vs Tennessee Friday night will be one of the better games this weekend in college baseball. The way those two offenses are playing right now, anything is possible. Tennessee's pitching is really good this season, as it was last season, but I think Texas Tech pulls this one out behind red-hot freshman, Nate Rombach, who has five home runs and 15 RBI so far this season. Kyle's (@kylemckelv) prediction: Texas Tech 3-0, Tennessee 2-1, Stanford 1-2, Houston 0-3 John's (@johnny_omaha_) prediction: Texas Tech 3-0, Tennessee 2-1, Stanford 1-2, Houston 0-3 Thanks for reading! The Round Rock Classic is the #BestOutsideOfOmaha. Follow along on Twitter (@RRockClassic) all weekend for updates about the games. If you're in the area, try to make it out to these games! Tag us in your pictures because Dell Diamond is a beautiful ballpark and we'd love to see more of it. Head over to our forums to discuss this tournament and more! Read all of our 2020 team previews here! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content! If you like what you are seeing from us and want to support us, consider becoming a Patron. We depend upon the support of our amazing fans!

  • What to Watch in College Baseball: Week 2

    College Baseball is coming up on its second weekend! Here are the series that you need to keep an eye on. #12 Florida at #8 Miami The key matchup of the week is #12 Florida at #8 Miami. Florida entered the season with high expectations for their pitching, even after the staff experienced growing pains a season ago. The Gators took care of business against an outclassed Marshall team last week and will look to continue their recent dominance over Miami. The Hurricanes also swept their first weekend foe, Rutgers. The biggest early season news for the Canes is the loss of SS Freddy Zamora who is out for the season with an ACL injury. Miami should have enough offensive power to fill his place in the lineup, but the Canes will be tested against the Gator pitching staff John's (@johnny_omaha_) Prediction: Miami wins two out of three Kyle’s (@kylemckelv) Prediction: Miami wins two out of three Tulane at #22 Cal State Fullerton Tulane is off to a 4-0 start and will hope to continue their hot streak as they travel across the country to southern California. They will face the #22 Cal State Fullerton Titans who just took two out of three games on the road at Stanford last weekend. The Titans looked markedly improved in the pitching department from a season ago. However, the Tulane offense features some of the most lethal bats in the country, including Golden Spikes hopeful, Hudson Haskin. John's Prediction: Fullerton wins two out of three Kyle’s Prediction: Fullerton wins two out of three UConn vs #9 Michigan In a scheduling oddity, UConn and #9 Michigan will play each other in Florida after meeting just last weekend in Arizona for a single game at the MLB4 Tournament where UConn bested Michigan, 7-1. However, that result may not be representative as it was Michigan's fourth game of the weekend (and only the third for UConn) and the Michigan bullpen was depleted. It will be interesting to see how these teams compete in a full weekend series. John's Prediction: Michigan wins two out of three Kyle’s Prediction: Michigan wins two out of three Oregon State at #4 Mississippi State Oregon State comes in with a chip on their shoulder in something of a rebuilding year for the Beavers. They have started off the year at 2-2 and could make a statement by taking down one of the best teams in the SEC on the road. The #4 Bulldogs will have to show their mettle as they will be without their ace. JT Ginn was just scratched from this weekend series which changes the dynamic of this matchup completely. The big question of the weekend will be: how deep is Mississippi State's pitching staff? John's Prediction: Mississippi State wins two out of three Kyle’s Prediction: Mississippi State sweeps Dallas Baptist at #16 North Carolina After sweeping an outmatched South Dakota State team, Dallas Baptist notched a quality win over UT Arlington in midweek action. #16 North Carolina will be a stiff challenge for DBU. At 5-0, the Tar Heels have outscored their opponents 43-9 so far this season. If Dallas Baptist wants to establish itself as a legitimate contender to host a Regional, this series may prove crucial. North Carolina has spent the season sneaking up the rankings and could earn another jump with a series win this weekend. John's Prediction: UNC wins two out of three Kyle’s Prediction: Dallas Baptist wins two out of three Other Series Predictions Wake Forest at Long Beach State John's Prediction: LBSU wins two out of three Kyle’s Prediction: Wake Forest wins two out of three UCF at #7 Auburn John's Prediction: Auburn sweeps Kyle’s Prediction: Auburn sweeps Head over to our forums to discuss these teams and more! Read all of our 2020 team previews here! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content! If you like what you are seeing from us and want to support us, consider becoming a Patron. We depend upon the support of our amazing fans!

  • Tips on College Baseball Recruiting from Jack Kruger

    Editor's note: We are joined by guest writer, Jack Kruger, former Mississippi State player currently in the Los Angeles Angels organization. The college baseball recruiting process is many things: complex, frustrating, difficult, heartbreaking, full of promise, and exciting. I get it. I’ve actually been through it twice. My name is Jack Kruger. I currently play minor league baseball in the Los Angeles Angels organization, but I had quite the route through college baseball. I recently started a site called Baller Builder that is geared toward helping high school and junior college players navigate the recruiting process and play Division 1 baseball. Here’s the cliff notes version of my story. I committed to the United States Military Academy at West Point in high school. Arrived on campus and was immediately medically disqualified in 2013. Landed at the University of Oregon. Lost my scholarship before my sophomore year. Went to Junior College. Won a State Championship. Earned a scholarship to Mississippi State. Won an SEC championship. And got drafted to play professional baseball after my junior year. The recruiting process can be very frustrating. I get it. But the truth is that it can be much more straightforward than you think. Mainstream thinking leads people to believe that you have to spend a ton of money traveling every weekend, and you have to sign up with a big organization to do your video and marketing for you. This is not true. You can navigate your own recruiting process, and do it well. Do you want to know the truth that no one ever talks about? College coaches need you as much as you need them. The recruiting process is not one-sided. Coaches don’t own it. Many players desperately paw at schools hoping that they give them a chance…when in reality, if you’re a good player, you’re doing that school a favor! By providing value and marketing yourself properly, you’re making the college coach’s job easier. This means that you own the process…not the coach. Instead of ranting about this for 45 minutes (which I could do), I’m going to leave you with the 3 most important rules when sending coaches your initial recruitment video. The 30 Second Rule Your recruitment video shouldn’t be longer than 30 seconds. A college coach isn’t going to watch more than 30 seconds of a video. If you want to send a hitting video and a defense video, make each one of them 30 seconds long (or shorter if you don’t think you need the full 30 seconds). I had some videos that were 10 or 15 seconds long. There are more advanced techniques to video that allow you to send longer videos (like full at-bats), but I’m not going to dive into that now. This tip is specifically about the first video you send to colleges to see if they have interest in you. And this video shouldn’t be longer than 30 seconds. No music/creative editing This one is self-explanatory. Don’t put music over your video. Don’t put creative editing or colors on top of your video. Send the most plain, easily visible video you possibly can. Keep it barebones. Provide value That sounds scammy and vague, but it’s the truth. Your video should showcase the value you have as a player. Every part of your video should emphasize your strengths. Send the best swings you took that day. Send your best defensive play. Show the college coach how you can provide value to his program. That’s what recruiting is. He has a job to do, a position to fill. He wants to know if you can fill that role. Show him you can with your video. Look, I played JV baseball my freshman year of high school. I hit .172 as a sophomore. I had my scholarship pulled after my freshman year at Oregon. I played Junior College baseball. But just now, I drove back from our Spring Training complex here in Phoenix, AZ after stretching alongside Trout and Pujols. You don’t know what you’re capable of. No one does. There’s not a person on this earth that has a crystal ball. Stop putting limitations on yourself, and start giving it everything you have. You may surprise yourself. If you want to learn more about emailing schools, sending video, gaining attention, and attending showcases, check out my site: ballerbuilder.com. You can also follow me on twitter: jack_kruger_ We appreciate you stopping by. Thanks for reading Jack Kruger's break down of College Baseball Recruiting! Want to chat college baseball and our College Baseball Top 25? Head over to our forum. Follow College Baseball Nation on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content! If you like what you are seeing from us and want to support us, consider becoming a Patreon supporter. We depend upon the support of our amazing fans!

  • Pair of Peach State foes open up their seasons in the South

    Editor's note: We're joined by guest writer, Jackson Fryburger from Southern Slams, for a breakdown of Georgia and Georgia Tech Baseball. After a long offseason, #3 Georgia and Georgia Tech began the 2020 college baseball season Friday with a pair of wins in the Peach State. The Bulldogs and Yellow Jackets will look to build off top seeds in the NCAA Tournament last season, hoping to advance all the way to Omaha this time around. Georgia, winner of 46 games last season, rallied to victory against the Spiders of Richmond on Opening Day. The Bulldogs trailed the Spiders 6-2 halfway through the game, before battling back to get the score to 6-5 entering the Bottom of the 9th. That goes without mentioning the success of relief pitcher Ryan Webb, who tossed 5 scoreless innings with 3 hits and 11 strikeouts to keep the Dawgs alive. Georgia then used a late-game rally led by Garrett Blaylock to tie the game in the 9th, before the always clutch Cole Tate hit the game-winning single to give the Bulldogs the victory. Saturday was a lot less eventful in Athens, as Georgia managed to cruise past Richmond this time around. The Bulldogs defeated the Spiders 9-3 in Game 2, clinching their first series win of the season. Ben Anderson and Cam Shepherd got the bats going early before Tucker Bradley blasted a two-run shot off the scoreboard to put the Dawgs up 3-0. It was all smooth sailing from there, as Georgia never looked back. Richmond was able to pull within four runs when the Spiders made it 7-3, with a plethora of runners left on base. However, that was as close as the team from Virginia would get in Game 2. After clinching the series victory, Georgia found itself in some trouble on Sunday, trailing 3-0 early on in the game. Not to worry, the Bulldogs again rallied to take the lead, this time needing only 2 innings to fix their problems later on. With Richmond leading 4-1 heading into the Bottom of the 5th, the Dawgs scored a pair of runs in both the 5th and 6th. From there, Georgia held on to escape with a 5-4 victory and a series sweep. The Bulldogs will continue their season at 6:00 ET Wednesday, with a road game against an undefeated Kennesaw State team. After returning from the midweek matchup, Georgia will play host to a red-hot Santa Clara squad in Athens this weekend in a four-game series. The Dawgs will likely return to junior Emerson Hancock, sophomore Cole Wilcox, and junior C.J. Smith against the Broncos, though a fourth starter is unknown at this time. Meanwhile, freshman Garrett Brown will get the start on the mound in Kennesaw, hoping to keep the Bulldogs’ perfect record in tact. Now, on to The Flats. Georgia Tech started its season off with a lot less drama than Georgia, winning its first two games of the year in rather easy fashion. Tech played host to 3 teams over the weekend in the Atlanta Challenge. The tournament featured a trio of hometown teams in Tech, Georgia State and Kennesaw State hosting St. Peter’s, St. John’s and Cincinnati. The Yellow Jackets pounded the Peacocks of St. Peter’s on Friday, en-route to a 7-0 win. Four freshman pitchers helped the White and Gold shut out their opponent, all while holding St. Peter’s to just 3 hits in the victory. On Saturday, the Jackets would take on the Bearcats, coming back from an early 1-0 deficit to outlast the Southern Ohio squad. Tech trailed 1-0 heading into the 5th inning, before piling on 4 runs to take a 4-1 lead. The Jackets would tack on 2 more in the 7th to make it 6-1, before the Bearcats closed the gap in the 8th. Cincinnati cut the lead to 6-4, but was unable to complete the comeback on The Flats, as Georgia Tech grabbed yet another win. Unfortunately for the Jackets, Sunday was not too kind, delivering an 11-1 beatdown at the hands of St. John’s. Tech was unable to get the scoring going on the final day of the Atlanta Challenge, plating just 1 run on 5 hits. After a disappointing loss to end the Atlanta Challenge, Tech traveled South to Statesboro for a midweek game against a talented Georgia Southern team Tuesday. Grabbing an early 1-0 lead, the Jackets quickly found themselves down 3-1, but epicly rallied to defeat the Eagles 4-3. The Yellow Jackets trailed 3-2 entering the 9th, before Jackson Webb drew a leadoff walk to start the comeback. Webb scored on a fielder’s choice, which could have ended the game for Georgia Southern. However, a two-out Michael Guldberg single scored Austin Wilhite to give the Jackets the lead for good, before Sam Crawford sent down three Georgia Southern batters to close the game. Tech improves to 3-1 on the season with three big games against Ohio State in Atlanta coming up. At 3-0 and 3-1 overall, the pair of Peach State foes look to be right on track heading into their monster clash in a couple weekends. The Bulldogs will play host to the Jackets on Friday, the 28th before Tech hosts Game 2 on Saturday. Meanwhile, the finale of Clean Old-Fashioned Hate will take place on Sunday at Coolray Field in Lawrenceville, the home of the AAA Gwinnett Stripers. We appreciate you stopping by. Thanks for reading Jackson Fryburger's break down of Georgia and Georgia Tech Baseball! Want to chat college baseball and our College Baseball Top 25? Head over to our forum. Follow College Baseball Nation on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content! If you like what you are seeing from us and want to support us, consider becoming a Patreon supporter. We depend upon the support of our amazing fans!

  • Big Weekend for the Big West

    At 21-11, the Big West has started the 2020 season at an impressive pace. Once a perennial multi-bid league, the Big West has sent only one team to the NCAA Tournament each of the last two years. That looks to change this season as several Big West teams are off to a hot start. #21 UCSB leads the way in the Big West. The Gauchos traveled to Sacramento State in the Opening Weekend where they took two out of three games against the preseason favorite in the WAC. UCSB followed up the series win with a Monday night victory over Cal, a team expected to finish in the top half of the Pac-12. #22 Cal State Fullerton also impressed as the Titans traveled to Stanford for a three-game set. Fullerton won the first two games of the weekend to clinch the series against a Stanford team that should be in the top tier in the Pac-12. The Titans won in dominating fashion, allowing only four runs all weekend. #23 Cal Poly had the most surprising result of Opening Weekend. Not only did the Mustangs blank UConn to begin their stay at the MLB4 Tournament, but they also defeated then #2 Vanderbilt in a wild 9-8 game. Their 2-1 start propelled the Mustangs into the top 25. Long Beach State started the season off against Cal with a series victory under first year head coach Eric Valenzuela. The Dirtbags will play Washington, Wake Forest, San Diego, Mississippi State, and San Diego State over their next nine games and will have several opportunities to prove their mettle. Other notable results include Cal State Northridge's sweep of San Francisco and UC Davis's series victory over Pac-12 foe, Utah. Though the season is young and there are plenty of games to be played, all early signs point to a banner year for the Big West. Head over to our forums to discuss these teams and more! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content! If you like what you are seeing from us and want to support us, consider becoming a Patron. We depend upon the support of our amazing fans!

  • Big 12 Roundup with Nick Cooper

    Opening Weekend in college baseball has officially come to a close. What started out as a slow Day One transpired into a productive start for the Big 12. Seven out of nine teams took their opening series, two by way of the sweep and one by way of a four game two-way split. Here is how opening weekend treated all nine Big 12 programs, in order of record. Before we get into things, many people reading this may not know me. My name is Nick Cooper, and I write about all things Big 12 baseball over on my blog big12roundup.wordpress.com and post anything and everything on my Twitter @NickCooperCBSB. Game recaps, frequent updates, stats, standings, and everything in-between. Make sure to follow me to stay informed on everything happening within the Big 12 and on Big 12 Roundup! #1 Texas Tech (4-0)- There’s one word to describe how Texas Tech started the season: hot. Tech outscored opponents Houston Baptist and Northern Colorado 65-11 over the three day stretch and were led by a mix of veteran returners and impressive freshmen. One name that stands out in particular is Nate Rombach. The true freshman DH/Catcher is hitting .500 (7-14) with 5HR and 15RBI to lead the conference throughout the first series. As a team, the Red Raiders hit .438 and slugged .792 with 12 long balls. Needless to say, you’ll need to throw everything you have their way to have a chance to catch them. Also, all four starting pitchers earned a W to boost their confidence heading into a profound period in their schedule at the Round Rock Classic. Tech has lived up to the hype so far, but did they use it all up in the first weekend? Time will only tell. #25 TCU (3-0)- TCU was an unpredictable team heading into the new year. Many people had their doubts that the Horned Frogs wouldn’t show out and that they would have a fluke season. The exact opposite occurred. Three strong victories (the sweep) over SEC contender Kentucky proved to silence critics and put an even bigger chip on their shoulder. Junior Gray Rodgers led the way on offense, totaling a .543 average and slugging 1.000. Senior Gene Wood hit two clutch long balls as well to power TCU past the Wildcats. Although not one starting pitcher recorded a W, Charles King and Johnny Ray looked solid in their first two starts respectively. An upcoming road series at Minnesota will have a lot to say about this sneaky hot TCU team moving forward. Texas (3-0)- Out of all of the teams I thought would sweep opening weekend, Texas certainly wasn’t one of them. The sweep of the C-USA’s Rice Owls made a statement for Texas baseball. Led by a silent attack of Duke Ellis and Zach Zubia at the plate. Bryce Elder and Ty Madden were shutout on the mound, along with Donny Diaz’ two saves completely locked up Rice’s hitters. As well as being on the road, this opening series sweep looks even more impressive. After this weekend, Texas has drawn me in and has left me wanting to watch more. Wanting to really figure out the true identity of this team. In a little under two weeks, Texas will travel to Minute Maid Park in Houston to compete in the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic alongside OU and Baylor to face LSU, Arkansas, and Missouri. I will 110% be paying attention to those three games, as should you. If they can make it out of that weekend with a positive record, look for Texas to stand out. Baylor (2-1)- It’s a brand new year to prove yourself. Big 12 Preseason POTY on your side, leading you against a challenging Power 5 opponent. In the first inning Friday, Baylor surrendered 11 runs to Nebraska in what would be a 19-9 defeat. The Bears settled down and took control of the series, behind some clutch offense. Other than that first inning, Baylor would use hits from Nick Loftin and Jared McKenzie to carry themselves over a valiant Nebraska squad two games to one. Pitching has been subpar so far, so the Bears need to find someone to rely on in the bullpen going forward. With a team ERA average of 10.42, Baylor has some work to do before they can distinguish from themselves. The Shriners Hospitals for Children for College Classic looms in the distance for Baylor, giving them a big stage to prove how good they really are. Kansas (2-1)- The Jayhawks opened up the season with a series win at Belmont. There is more to the story, however, as KU is only hitting .161 as a team. Ryan Cyr struggled on opening day behind only three hits from the offense… Kansas had a lot of work to do. Winning games two and three (5-1 and 7-6) surely picked up what could’ve been a rough series opener against a Belmont team who was 27-30 in the OVC a year ago. Brenden Sems hasn’t quite caught a break yet either, stunting Kansas’ production. Without a true home game until March 4th, Kansas might be in for a little slower start than the opening series showed. #24 Oklahoma (2-1)- Oklahoma fell victim to yet another opening day loss for the Big 12. And, like many others, stepped up and won two straight for the series. For the Sooners, it was Virginia. Cade Cavalli fell short in his first start of the season, but still put up some good numbers. Other than that day one, the Sooners offense thrived behind Brady Lindsly, Peyton Graham, and Tyler Hardman. Dane Acker had one of the more impressive opening weekend lines, only allowing 1H, 1ER, 0BB, and 6K over just 5.0IP. Oklahoma marches onward to two straight home series before representing the Big 12 alongside Baylor and Texas in the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic. After that is no joke either, as series against San Diego State and Cal Poly also leaves a lot of room for OU to impress. West Virginia (2-1)- Other than giving up a late game go-ahead HR to Jacksonville on Saturday, WVU controlled their opening series. Not much else to say for the Mountaineers, as their starting pitching gave Jacksonville all they could handle. Braden Zarbnisky is seemingly doing it all for the Mountaineers, holding a .462 batting average and recording the lone two saves. True Freshman LHP Jake Carr was the workhorse of the weekend, only allowing 3H and 1ER over 5.0IP in his college pitching debut. Still a lot more to come for Randy Mazey’s young and talented group. Looking ahead, WVU has a great opportunity to gain traction in the standings, with a spot in the Brittain Resorts Invitational against Kennesaw State, Saint Joseph’s, Illinois, and Coastal Carolina. Kansas State (1-2)- Not the start to the year that K-State envisioned. The Wildcats dropped two out of three games (still one to play) to UT-Rio Grande Valley. UTRGV is coming off an impressive 34-21 record from a year ago, so K-State definitely didn’t have it easy. The one thing that has really plagued them has been their lack of offense. Hitting a sparse .132 as a team, The Wildcats need leaders like Caleb Littlejim and Cameron Thompson to step up. On a positive note, Jordan Wicks looked remarkable as always in his Sunday start, only allowing 4H and fanning 7 over 7.0IP, allowing 0ER. The Cats will close out the four-game road set today, with a chance to even the score. A few key upcoming games against Wichita State and Stanford could get K-State back on their feet, but it’s going to take some heart and grit. Oklahoma State (1-2)- I think I speak for everyone when I say I was shocked to see Oklahoma State drop their opening series to Grand Canyon. Like UTRGV for K-State, Grand Canyon is a solid team coming out of the WAC. They posted a 36-24 record last season and appeared in the WAC Championship game. The Pokes’ pitching staff had a rough weekend, but starter Parker Scott and reliever Brett Standlee posted some solid numbers. Offense was active, posting a .260 average and tallying 11 runs on 27 hits. Everybody doesn’t have to start out 30-0 to be a national champion. Selections aren’t being made tomorrow, so there’s way more than enough time for Oklahoma State to shake off the opening series and keep grinding it out; it's the first series! People will be critical, but the sky's the limit for a deep and seasoned Cowboys roster. Make sure to follow me on Twitter @NickCooperCBSB and my blog big12roundup.wordpress.com for everything Big 12 baseball! We appreciate you stopping by. Thanks for reading Nick Cooper's break down of Big 12 Baseball! Want to chat college baseball and our College Baseball Top 25? Head over to our forum. Follow College Baseball Nation on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content! If you like what you are seeing from us and want to support us, consider becoming a Patreon supporter. We depend upon the support of our amazing fans!

  • 2020 Week 1 College Baseball Power Rankings

    The first games of the year are in the books, and it is time to rethink the top 25. Our College Baseball Power Rankings are results focused and give credit to teams who have won games. Texas Tech takes over the number one spot after scoring 65 runs in four games. Their totally reworked rotation clicked throughout the weekend as the Red Raiders only allowed a total of 11 runs. Arkansas starts a run of four straight SEC teams, followed by Georgia, Mississippi State, and Ole Miss. The Rebels upset Louisville in Oxford, winning two out of three. The Cardinals fall from the top spot to number six. Auburn, Miami, Michigan, and UCLA round out the top ten of the College Baseball Top 25. LSU, Florida, and Vanderbilt fill spots 11-13. The Commodores fall from the second spot after a 1-2 finish in the MLB4 Tournament. Duke lands at number 14, followed by fellow North Carolina schools, ECU and UNC. Florida State checks in at number 17. Arizona State slips to number 18 from the fifth spot. The Sun Devils struggled on offense, scoring only 11 runs in a 2-2 start to the season. NC State and Texas A&M fill the 19th and 20th spots. Three Big West teams take spots 21-23, including UCSB, Cal State Fullerton, and Cal Poly. UCSB and Cal State Fullerton both won road series. The Gauchos took down Sacramento State, and the Titans defeated Stanford. Cal Poly scored a marquee win over Vanderbilt in the MLB4 Tournament. Oklahoma and TCU join the top 25 as the Sooners defeated Virginia on the road, and the Horned Frogs swept Kentucky in Forth Worth. Thanks for checking out our College Baseball Rankings! We appreciate you stopping by. Want to chat college baseball and our College Baseball Top 25? Head over to our forum. Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content! If you like what you are seeing from us and want to support us, consider becoming a Patreon supporter. We depend upon the support of our amazing fans! #rankings #collegebaseball

  • What to Watch: Opening Weekend

    College Baseball is upon us! Here are the series that you need to keep an eye on this weekend. #1 Louisville at #12 Ole Miss The highlight of the weekend is top-ranked Louisville's trip to Oxford to take on #12 Ole Miss. The Rebels will try to set the tone early for their 2020 campaign. In particular, be on the lookout for the young guys in the Rebel lineup. There is a lot of talent but not much experience, and it will be interesting to see how that plays out. Louisville will try to cement their role as the preseason favorite to win the National Championship. The rotation should be one of the most feared in the country with Detmers leading the way. A series loss would not be disastrous for the Cardinals, but they will expect to win this series. John's (@johnny_omaha_) Prediction: Louisville wins two out of three Kyle’s (@kylemckelv) Prediction: Louisville sweeps Oklahoma at Virginia Oklahoma versus Virginia is a series between two teams that just missed our preseason top 25. A win in this series may be enough to propel one of them into the rankings. Oklahoma returns both an experienced rotation and lineup and hopes to be in the conversation to win the Big 12. After winning the National Championship in 2015, Virginia has not been back to Omaha since and has not even made a Regional the past two seasons. 2020 looks to be the year where Virginia will turn things around, and Opening Weekend will be an early litmus test. John's Prediction: Oklahoma wins two out of three Kyle’s Prediction: Virginia wins two out of three #23 UCSB at Sacramento State #23 UCSB versus Sacramento State is a sneaky good match up between two teams who won 40 games a season ago. These schools are two of the most consistent on the West Coast in recent years, and there's a little bit of bad blood between them as Sacramento State eliminated UCSB from the Stanford Regional last year. Sacramento State returns several excellent arms, including RHP Scott Randall who threw 93.2 innings and put up a 2.59 ERA in 2019. The Gauchos of UCSB will be hard-pressed to beat Sacramento State on the road. John's Prediction: Sacramento State wins two out of three Kyle’s Prediction: UCSB wins two out of three Indiana at #13 LSU This is also a sneaky good matchup at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge, as the 2019 Big Ten Regular Season winner takes on the balanced Bayou Bengals. LSU will have an excellent rotation, returning Cole Henry and Landon Marceaux from last year. Paul Maineri’s club will be ready for a battle against Indiana. The 2019 Big Ten Coach of the Year, Jeff Mercer, led the Hoosiers to a Big Ten Regular Season title in his first year and he looks to continue his hot streak in a deeper-than-usual Big Ten. The offense might not have as heavy of bats as last year, but Junior 3B Cole Barr should have another good year at the plate. John's Prediction: LSU wins two out of three Kyle’s Prediction: LSU sweeps #20 Oklahoma State at Grand Canyon Oklahoma State’s offense in 2019 was as electric as they come, finishing fourth in the country in HR%. Their pitching should be improved after underperforming last year, as the Cowboys bring in the eighth-ranked recruiting class that features some powerful arms. This series is in Phoenix at GCU’s home field, so the ball should fly all weekend, led by GCU 1B, Cuba Bess. The Antelopes were the coaches’ pick to win the WAC and the fact that they return their whole starting rotation from last year gives them a good chance in this series and on the season as a whole. John's Prediction: Oklahoma State wins two out of three Kyle’s Prediction: Oklahoma State wins two out of three Cal State Fullerton at #16 Stanford Cal State Fullerton finished 2019 at a disappointing 27-26 but should be better than they were a season ago after replacing members of their coaching staff. The Titans will face off against a familiar foe in Stanford, a team that made it to a Super Regional in 2019. Pitching will be the theme of the weekend as two of the best teams on the West Coast duke it out. John's Prediction: Stanford sweeps Kyle’s Prediction: Stanford wins two out of three Kentucky at TCU Despite having a losing record in 2019, Kentucky was still 51 in RPI and finished four spots ahead of TCU (55). That likely says more about the RPI algorithm than it does the quality of these teams, but regardless, Kentucky will be a challenge for the Horned Frogs. RHP Charles King will anchor the rotation for TCU, but the biggest wildcards will be LHP Russell Smith and RHP Caleb Sloan who both return from Tommy John surgery. John's Prediction: TCU sweeps Kyle’s Prediction: TCU sweeps MLB4 Tournament #2 Vanderbilt, #15 Michigan, UConn, and Cal Poly will all battle it out in Scottsdale to start the season. The marquee game will be when Vanderbilt and Michigan faceoff on Friday night in a rematch of last year’s National Championship series. Vanderbilt will be the favorite to win all of their games and the tournament. Winning this tournament would keep Michigan in the national conversation, and UConn and Cal Poly will not be easy outs either. Expect to see competitive games all weekend in this tournament! John's Prediction: Vanderbilt wins the tournament at 3-0 Kyle’s Prediction: Vanderbilt goes 3-0 and Michigan goes 2-1 Head over to our forums to discuss these teams and more! Read all of our 2020 team previews here! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content! If you like what you are seeing from us and want to support us, consider becoming a Patron. We depend upon the support of our amazing fans!

  • Conference Predictions

    We're making our best guesses at who will come out on top in each of the Power 5 Conferences plus the American! The ACC is poised to be particularly strong in 2020. Louisville should lead the way in the Atlantic, but Florida State, NC State, Wake Forest, and Clemson will likely all be Regional teams. In the ACC Coastal, Miami will look to build upon their 2019 season. The Hurricanes are our preseason favorite, but Duke will bring back most of a team that almost eliminated Vanderbilt in the Nashville Super Region last season. While we are picking ECU to win the America, we don't expect the Pirates to run away with the conference like they did in 2019. Houston should be improved from a year ago, and Tulane, UConn, and UCF are positioned to compete for Regional berths. The Big Ten should again be led by Michigan who brings back a talented team. Minnesota (with a much more manageable schedule than last year) will compete at the top of the conference, along with Ohio State, Indiana, and Illinois. The Big XII will likely be one of the most balanced conferences in 2020. Texas Tech, an Omaha staple as of late, is the preseason favorite. Teams two through six in the Big XII could finish in any order, but we like the Oklahoma schools at second and third. Will we see a return of Arizona State in 2020? That is what we are predicting. The Sun Devils' offense should be prolific and their pitching will be improved. Arizona is our dark horse pick as the Wildcats should feature one of the most lethal offenses in the country. The SEC East could feature three Regional (or even Super Regional) hosts in 2020. It's hard to pick against Vanderbilt, but both Georgia and Florida should have rotations that can get them to Omaha. The SEC West is the deepest division in College Baseball. Arkansas is the early favorite, but the division likely has six Regional teams that could all compete for a division title. It is anyone's guess who will come out on top of this blood bath. Head over to our forums to discuss these teams and more! Read all of our 2020 team previews here! Thanks for reading! Want to submit a fan perspective for your team? Message us on Twitter (@CollegeBallNat) or email us at collegeballnat@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content! If you like what you are seeing from us and want to support us, consider becoming a Patron. We depend upon the support of our amazing fans!

  • Oklahoma State 2020 Season Preview

    We're taking a look back and a look ahead at college baseball teams from around the country. Next up: the Oklahoma State Cowboys! Two stats that could tell the story of the 2019 offense for Oklahoma State are: 1st in the country in K% and 4th in the country in HR%. This team was electric at the plate, hitting highlight home run after highlight home run; however, they also suffered from the strikeout bug causing them to strike out at a higher rate than any other team. A Look Back at 2019 Oklahoma State finished 40-21 (14-9 in the Big 12), which was good enough to host a regional. However, 12 inches of rain forced the series to be hosted at the site of the Big 12 Championship, where just five days prior, the Cowboys won the Big 12 Tournament. The visiting teams- Harvard, Nebraska, and Connecticut- did not make it easy for the Pokes. Harvard held the vaunted Cowboys offense to two runs and Nebraska made it a close game in their second game. UConn made some Cowboy fans sweat by forcing a game seven, but their pitching would prevail and send Oklahoma State to their third Super Regional in six years and fifth overall. Oklahoma State had the offensive firepower to go to Omaha this year, had they not run into a juggernaut in Texas Tech. Both of these teams had powerful offenses, and the Cowboys pushed the Red Raiders to the brink in Lubbock, but a wild (and very windy) Game Three ended with Tech on top. The Cowboys' offense in 2019 was led by Juniors Trevor Boone and Andrew Navigato and Seniors Colin Simpson and Christian Funk. They all finished with wOBA values in the top 35 in the P5+AAC, helping their draft stock for the MLB Draft. OSU ended the draft with eight players taken, including righthanders Logan Gragg in the 8th round and Petyon Battenfield in the 9th round. A Look Ahead at 2020 To open the season, OSU will travel to GCU for a series and Arizona State for a fun midweek matchup between offensive powers. The Cowboys will make the short 3.5 hour drive down to Frisco, Texas for the Frisco College Baseball Classic. This will be their second time in the Frisco Classic; in 2017, the Cowboys beat Arkansas and Nebraska and lost to Arizona. This year, OSU will play UCLA, Illinois, and former conference foe Texas A&M. Later in the season, in the middle of Big 12 play, Oregon State comes to Stillwater after Oklahoma State went to Corvallis, Oregon and swept the Beavers. Returning for the Cowboys' pitching staff includes some experienced players, even after losing its number one pitcher, Jenson Elliott, an innings-eater in Joe Lienhard, and key bullpen pitcher Peyton Battenfield. The weekend rotation figures to have two spots filled by lefthander Parker Scott and possibly righthander Brett Standlee. As a freshman, Standlee made 12 starts and ended with a 4.46 ERA. There will be some competition for the third spot, however. Josh Holliday and his staff will have to figure out how to handle life after those four aforementioned power bats, but with Carson McCluster, Alix Garcia, and a top three recruiting class, they should get along just fine. (See the top ten recruiting classes here.) Kyle's (@kylemckelv) 2020 Prediction: Oklahoma State will host a Regional I believe Oklahoma State has the offensive firepower and great recruits to help fill in any gaps from players lost to the draft or graduation. Obviously, their big four bats left huge shoes to fill, but I think they'll be able to get it done. Some pitching depth will help them tremendously, so if their staff can produce that, there's a chance they could make some noise in the Tournament and maybe Omaha. Head over to our forums to discuss Oklahoma State and more! Thanks for reading! Want to submit a fan perspective for your team? Message us on Twitter (@CollegeBallNat) or email us at collegeballnat@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content! If you like what you are seeing from us and want to support us, consider becoming a Patron. We depend upon the support of our amazing fans!

  • 2020 Preseason Power Rankings

    The 2020 season is less than a month away, so it is time for the preseason power rankings! Louisville starts the season at number one, followed by defending champion, Vanderbilt, at number two. Fellow 2019 College World Series participants, Texas Tech and Arkansas, fill the three and four spots, and Arizona State rounds out the top five. Our 2020 rankings feature nine SEC teams, seven teams from the ACC, three from the Pac-12, two from the Big XII, and one each from the American, Big Ten, Big West, and Sun Belt. Thanks for reading! We appreciate you stopping by. Want to chat college baseball? Head over to our forum. Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content! If you like what you are seeing from us and want to support us, consider becoming a Patreon supporter. We depend upon the support of our amazing fans! #rankings

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