There’s clarity that comes in April and the college baseball season. Identities start to set in, postseason conversations gain momentum and teams have a good idea of what their everyday ‘starting nine’ looks like.
Plus, it’s the thick of conference play.
With the season in the thick of things, here’s six college baseball series to keep an eye on in April:
Oregon State vs. UC Irvine: Apr. 4-6
If this question was poised in the preseason, Tennessee and Texas A&M’s matchup, a rematch of last year’s Men’s College World Series final, would’ve been the top box office seller this weekend.
But since the Aggies’ shortcomings this year, Oregon State and UC Irvine slid into the top spot. Both teams aren’t just good, they are eyeing deep postseason runs.
The Anteaters are riding an 11-game win streak that includes a series sweep over UC Santa Barbara — arguably UC Irvine’s biggest threat to a Big West championship. The team’s top two hitters in junior infielders Colin Yeaman (.431) and sophomore outfielder Jacob McCombs (.407) rank first and third in conference batting averages.
Even though two of the Beavers’ six losses on the season came in late March to Nebraska, they haven’t lost a game at home yet. Oregon State’s pitching staff has a 1.37 ERA at Goss Stadium, and the offense has hit 19 home runs in their past seven games.
The last time the two teams met was in the 2024 Corvallis Regional, where the Beavers ended UC Irvine’s season. Expect a good one.
Alabama vs. Auburn: Apr. 4-6
What a time to believe for the state of Alabama and its sports fans.
Alabama and Auburn men’s basketball programs experienced great highs in March, with the Crimson Tide reaching the NCAA tournament’s Elite Eight round and the Tigers reaching their second-ever Final Four.
That success has translated to the baseball diamond, as both teams went from unranked in the preseason to D1Baseball’s Top 25 and multiple ranked wins.
The matchup features two of the best players in the country in Alabama sophomore shortstop Justin Lebron and Auburn junior catcher Ike Irish, and the supporting casts are electric. Even though the Tigers hold a four-game losing streak, three of those came against a red-hot Georgia team — can anyone blame them?
The matchup we all wanted: Liam Doyle vs. Justin Lebron. The latter clears the bases with a three-run double! @AlabamaBSB pic.twitter.com/wCS4MFwWpo
— EVERYTHING COLLEGE BASEBALL (@Team_ECB) March 21, 2025
Plainsman Park in Auburn, AL, might be missing some Auburn fans during the series due to the basketball team’s trip to San Antonio, but still, the in-state rivalry will be exciting.
Arkansas vs. Georgia: Apr. 11-13
Foley Field will turn into a fireworks show throughout the second weekend of April, but not in the way one might envision.
Two of college baseball’s hottest offenses in Arkansas and Georgia will meet in Athens, GA, for one of the most electrifying series of the season. The matchup is the definition of a must-see.
The Bulldogs and Razorbacks have a combined 54 wins and five losses entering April, and boast the second and third-best batting averages in the conference. Two-thirds of Arkansas’ starting lineup is batting over .300, while junior shortstop Wehiwa Aloy is one of two players in the SEC that have double-digit home runs (10) and doubles (11).
There’s a Gold Glove in Wehiwa’s future pic.twitter.com/x9ERJmqvPb
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) March 29, 2025
And Georgia is just as much of a tank. Big flies have been the Bulldogs’ bread and butter, leading the nation in home runs (84) as of Apr. 1 — 12 more than the second-place team. They’ve scored 10 or more runs in 15 games this season, scoring 21 against Queens.
If one’s interested in what two wrecking balls smashing into each other will look like, head down to Athens.
WEEK 7 POWER RANKINGS: Georgia moves up and Ole Miss enters in latest rankings
Oregon vs. UCLA: Apr. 18-20
Oregon and UCLA entered the 2025 season on different sides of the spectrum.
After a 2024 super regional appearance, the Ducks stepped into the Big Ten with eyes on a bigger prize than just a conference championship. The Bruins, who experienced their first season under .500 since 2016, looked to the new conference as a fresh start.
Now both teams are ranked, sit atop the Big Ten’s overall standings and will matchup in April.
Both teams have five players hitting at least .300 and feature a Golden Spikes Midseason Award Watch List nominee in UCLA sophomore shortstop Roch Cholowsky and Oregon junior centerfielder Mason Neville. And it isn’t just offense, the Ducks and Bruins’ starting rotations have given opposing lineups fits.
There’s a good chance one of these two teams will reach, if not win, the Big Ten tournament.
Kansas vs. Kansas State: Apr. 18-20
The Big 12 has looked like a crapshoot so far — no team has set itself apart from the pack.
That said, conference fans will have the third weekend of the month circled on their calendars with Kansas and Kansas State set to matchup. And this go-around, it’s bigger than in-state rivals battling for bragging rights, it’s two of the Big 12’s hottest teams that are having record seasons entering April.
Expect a lot of firepower from both offenses that lead the conference in total home runs. The Jayhawks are ranked in the top 10 nationally in five hitting categories, headlined by the second-most walks in the nation (210) and sixth-most home runs (63). They’ve found multiple ways to win, securing four victories off of walk-offs so far.
ROCK CHALK WALK OFF!!!!!@sawyer_smith8 hits a 3-run home run in the 11th to give the Jayhawks their fourth walk-off win this season!#RockChalk pic.twitter.com/4PhUdT4890
— Kansas Baseball (@KUBaseball) March 29, 2025
The Wildcats sit right behind KU in numerous offensive categories, but there hasn’t been a better team in conference play than them, holding an 8-1 record. Also, Kansas State has six players hitting over .300, including Golden Spikes Midseason Award Watch List nominee in junior shortstop Maximus Martin, who’s hitting a team-high of .411.
Pitching has been neither team’s strong suit, allowing seven or more runs in 12 of their combined 14 losses. Yet, because of the strength of both offenses, expect this rivalry to be renewed in a major way.
MAKING HISTORY: Kansas blasts five-straight home runs, ties NCAA DI record
Tennessee vs. LSU: Apr. 25-27
If someone thought Arkansas-Georgia was the best preview of the MCWS level of competition, Tennessee-LSU would like to have a word.
The Volunteers and Tigers field two of the best batting lineups and pitching rotations top to bottom in the sport. Don’t get it twisted, Tennessee and LSU were ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the country for weeks before Texas handed the Tigers consecutive losses in late March.
The Vols haven’t shown a sign of weakness yet, and their two losses felt like a blip in time — back-to-back and by only one run each game. Nine players are batting over .300 and their top two starters have ERAs under 3.00.
LSU’s overall and conference records through 30 games is the program’s best since the 2013 season. They rank nationally in hitting and pitching categories thanks to players like the rookie-vet duo in junior first baseman Jared Jones and freshman outfielder Derek Curiel, and starting pitchers sophomore Kade Anderson and junior Anthony Eyanson.
Many of Tennessee’s opponents haven’t held a candle to the Volunteers. But when they head down to Baton Rouge at the end of the month, they will get the pay-per-view fight they’ve been waiting for.
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