Image credit:
Cam Cannarella (Photo by Eddie Kelly / ProLook Photos)
The early college baseball season rolls onward with a slew on interesting events and matchups to keep an eye on this weekend, including a renewal of one of the best rivalries in the game. Here’s our rundown of what to watch for this weekend.
Astros Foundation College Classic
Of all the multi-team events scattered across the first few weeks of the season, the Astros Foundation College Classic has the most stacked field. It features the two top teams in the country in No. 1 Texas A&M and No. 2 Tennessee, as well as No. 15 Mississippi State, No. 16 Oklahoma State, Arizona and Rice. While everyone would have loved a matchup between the Aggies and Volunteers, there are a number of big-time matchups this weekend.
Changing Of The Guard?
Texas A&M came into this season as the clear-cut No. 1 team in the country. However, the Aggies have not gotten off to as fast a start as expected and currently sit at 5-2 with losses to Cal Poly and Texas State. To make matters worse, they’ve been hit hard with injuries to key players. Before the season began, it was announced that Shane Sdao would be out for the year, and on Monday it was announced that 2024 SEC Freshman of the Year Gavin Grahovac would also be out for the season. On top of season-ending injuries to Grahovac and Sdao, star sophomore Caden Sorrell is expected to miss at least a few more weeks as he continues to nurse a hamstring injury.
The Aggies rotation of Ryan Prager (1-0, 0.00 ERA), Myles Patton (1-0, 0.75 ERA) and Justin Lamkin (0-0, 2.70 ERA) has undoubtedly been the team’s biggest strength to this point. Across 32 total innings, the trio has allowed just four earned runs. They figure to keep A&M in each of its three games this weekend, but at some point the offense will need to step up. Wyatt Henseler (.370/.438/.593) and Kaeden Kent (.292/.393/.542) are off to strong starts, while Terrence Kiel II (6-for-15) has also stepped up. The rest of the unit—including potential No. 1 overall pick Jace LaViolette (.217/.438/.652)—has been unimpressive to this point. I’m not overly worried about the Aggies right now, but this is a big weekend for them.
On the other hand, Tennessee is off to a dominant 8-0 start in which it has steamrolled its opponents. It’s been a well-rounded effort on both sides of the baseball for the Volunteers, who, as a team, are hitting a ridiculous .356/.519/.680 with 13 doubles and 21 home runs. Their production on the mound has been equally as impressive, as they boast a 1.89 team ERA with 99 strikeouts to just 19 walks across 62 innings. This past Tuesday, prized righthander AJ Russell made his season debut—and struck out the side—after it was initially announced he would not be making his return to the mound until the second-half of the season. Southpaw Liam Doyle (2-0, 0.87 ERA) has been a revelation. Through 10 innings, he has collected 25 strikeouts, and his mid-90s fastball has a video game-like 72% miss rate.
This weekend is the first real test for the Volunteers, who square off with No. 16 Oklahoma State before matchups against Rice and Arizona. This portion of the piece is not suggesting that there will be a new team atop the Top 25 come Monday, but this is the first time this season where there’s a realistic chance of that being the case.
Watch Out For Red-Hot Arizona
Arizona came into this season as the No. 22 team in the country but quickly fell out of the Top 25 after an 0-3 showing on Opening Weekend. Since then, the Wildcats are on a five-game winning streak and are fresh off a sweep of a San Diego team that is far better than its record might indicate. Arizona by far has the toughest schedule of any team this weekend, as it takes on No. 1 Texas A&M, No. 15 Mississippi State and No. 2 Tennessee. A brutal slate, but it’s also a golden opportunity for coach Chip Hale’s group to make some serious noise.
Potential first-round pick Brendan Summerhill (.353/.500/.833) has paced the offense with five extra-base hits and 11 RBIs, though juniors Aaron Walton (.417/.611/.625) and Adonys Guzman (.389/.500/.833) are off to strong starts of their own. Guzman has been known for his defense dating back to his high school days—particularly his comfortably-plus arm—but him putting together a productive season with the bat would be a big development. It was a struggle on the mound in week one, but it’s evident that a number of arms on the pitching staff have since settled into their ideal roles. Freshman Smith Bailey (0-0, 0.00 ERA) has racked up eight strikeouts across nine scoreless innings, sidewinder Casey Hintz (1-0, 1.17 ERA) has been nails in relief and Owen Kramkowski—who generated plenty of buzz this fall but struggled on opening weekend—bounced back last weekend with five innings of one-run baseball.
Arizona certainly has its work cut out for it this weekend, but a pair of wins would arguably be the loudest statement of any team in the field.
Don’t Forget About Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State has the same gauntlet of a weekend as Arizona, albeit in a different order. The Cowboys open up with games against No. 1 Tennessee and No. 2 Texas A&M before Sunday’s finale against No. 15 Mississippi State. Oklahoma State currently sits at a modest 4-3 with a pair of Top 25 losses on opening weekend to Clemson and Texas and a midweek hiccup against Texas State. Even though there will be plenty of opportunities to do so as the season progresses, the Cowboys lack a signature win up to this point.
This year’s iteration of Oklahoma State has quality pieces on both sides of the baseball. Freshman Garrett Shull (.500/.600/.688) has hit the ground running, while likely top-two round pick Nolan Schubart (.440/.588/.520) and Colin Brueggemann (.355/.394/.613) are also off to fast starts. Arkansas transfer Jayson Jones (.321/.394/.607) has brought some thump to the middle of the order, and his two home runs are tied for the team lead. The Cowboys’ bullpen—led by fireballer Sean Youngerman (0-0, 1.29 ERA)—has been the strength of the pitching staff up to this point, but funky lefthander Harrison Bodendorf (2-0, 5.40 ERA) and his plus changeup provide a difficult look for opposing hitters.
It’s far easier said than done, but a couple of wins this weekend would go a long way for the Cowboys.
How To Watch The Astros Foundation College Classic
All of this weekend’s games can be streamed live on Astros.com and the Houston Astros YouTube channel.
Southern California College Baseball Classic
This year’s Southern California College Baseball Classic features a four-team field of No. 13 Vanderbilt, Connecticut, Southern California and UCLA. There are a handful of quality matchups, but none is bigger than Friday night’s contest between No. 13 Vanderbilt and UCLA.
Bruins and Commodores Headline The Event
The Commodores are 8-1 to start the season with their lone blemish coming at the hands of Nebraska on the second day of the season. Potential top-two round pick RJ Austin (.455/.591/.788) has been the straw that’s stirred the drink thus far for Vanderbilt, and he leads the team in a handful of offensive categories. Speedy spark plug Jacob Humphrey (.440/.517/.640) has found success in an everyday role, while transfer first baseman Riley Nelson (.406/.524/.531)—who leads the team with 12 RBIs—and freshman Rustan Rigdon (.360/.564/.440) have also made an immediate impact.
The rotation features the formidable duo of JD Thompson (0-0, 3.12 ERA) and Cody Bowker (1-0, 0.00 ERA), both of whom have thrown the ball well thus far. Thompson is the more notable prospect of the two, but Bowker continues to climb steadily up draft boards. He attacks hitters from an uncomfortable angle, and nothing he throws is straight. Righthander Sawyer Hawks (2-0, 0.00 ERA) looks far more like the 2023 version of himself, which has been a key development. Through six innings, Hawks has struck out 10, allowed just two hits and has yet to allow a run. In addition to Hawks, the rest of Vanderbilt’s bullpen—for the most part—has been outstanding.
It’s been a disappointing couple years in Westwood, as UCLA has failed to make a regional in each of the last two seasons. The Bruins have the talent to break their dry spell this season, and so far they’re off to a strong 7-2 start. Following a sweep of Cal Poly, UCLA last weekend won a pair of games at the Kleberg Bank Classic and are fresh off a midweek split against Arizona State. This weekend is far from the end-all-be-all for head coach John Savage’s club, but it is a good litmus test to see how it stacks up against a trio of quality opponents.
Prized sophomore and likely 2026 first-round pick Roch Cholowsky (.387/.578/.742) is off to an excellent start and leads the team in almost every major statistical category. What’s been most notable about Cholowsky’s start is his uptick in power, as last year he didn’t hit his third home run of the season until April 23. Cashel Dugger has collected six hits across 17 at-bats (.353) and Mulivai Levu (.306/.381/.500) has a pair of long balls and 10 RBIs to his name. Sophomore righthander Luke Rodriguez likely won’t throw this weekend after starting Wednesday’s midweek game against Arizona State, but through 11.1 innings he has notched nine strikeouts and has yet to allow a run. California transfer Ian May (1-0, 2.00 ERA) is a soft-tossing lefthander who attacks hitters from a low slot, and he has found success through two starts.
How To Watch The Southern California College Baseball Classic
The majority of this weekend’s action can be streamed via Big Ten Plus (subscription required).
Clemson Vs. South Carolina: One Of The Best Rivalries In College Baseball
Not only is Clemson-South Carolina one of the best rivalries in college baseball, but it’s one of the best rivalries across all of college sports. Both teams are off to excellent starts this season. No. 7 Clemson currently sits at 7-1 with its lone loss coming against Ole Miss, while South Carolina is a perfect 9-0. Indiana State transfer Dominic Listi (.462/.615/.538) has been the Tigers’ catalyst so far and his 13 RBIs lead the team. Fellow transfers Josh Paino (.370/.486/.519) and Collin Priest (.368/.538/.684) are also off to productive starts, while sophomore Tryston McCladdie (.400/.480/.650) has seen success in an elevated role. Likely first-round pick Cam Cannarella (.269/.406/.462) is off to a somewhat slow start, but it feels like it’s a matter of “when” and not “if” he gets going.
On the mound, sophomore righthander Aidan Knaak (1-0, 6.00 ERA) is armed with a plus changeup and has collected 15 strikeouts in nine innings. Behind Knaak, junior lefthander Ethan Darden (1-0, 1.80 ERA) has enjoyed a pair of strong starts to the tune of nine strikeouts across 10 innings. Clemson’s bullpen for the most part has been excellent, led by sidearmer Lucas Mahlstedt (0-0, 0.00 ERA), Joe Allen (1-0, 0.00 ERA) and B.J. Bailey (0-0, 1.35 ERA).
The Paul Mainieri era is off to a perfect start at South Carolina, as his Gamecocks own a 9-0 record. They haven’t exactly had the most difficult schedule up to this point, but they’ve taken care of business. Following an eye-opening summer on the Cape, Clemson transfer Nathan Hall (.433/.513/.733) has assumed the leadoff spot and is tied for the team lead with 10 RBIs. Slugger Ethan Petry—who has also driven in 10 runs—boasts an impressive .452/.564/.806 line with three doubles, a triple and two home runs. Hall isn’t the only Clemson transfer who’s made an immediate impact in Columbia. Infielder Nolan Nawrocki is hitting .350/.370/.600 with a trio of extra-base hits and six RBIs.
South Carolina was dealt a significant blow on the mound when it was announced that Eli Jerzembeck would be out for the season, but virtually every arm on the pitching staff has thrown the ball well up to this point. Veteran righthander Matthew Becker (2-0, 1.59 ERA) is off to a fantastic start and has compiled 17 strikeouts to just a pair of walks across 11.1 innings. Getting Dylan Eskew back was a huge bonus, and he has also turned in a pair of strong starts. The Gamecocks’ bullpen has been just as impressive, and it’s a unit that’s headlined by the quartet of Ryder Garino (1-0, 0.00 ERA) Parker Marlatt (1-0, 0.00 ERA), Brandon Stone (1-0, 1.42 ERA) and Brendan Sweeney (0-0, 0.00 ERA).
The format of this weekend’s series is unique. Friday’s game is at Clemson, Saturday’s game is at a neutral site and the series finale is at South Carolina. This is without a doubt South Carolina’s toughest matchup to this point and is a good barometer to see how it compares to one of the best teams in the country.
How To Watch Clemson Vs. South Carolina
Every game this weekend can be streamed on Watch ESPN.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
