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Kuhio Aloy (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
In what seems to be the case every year, the college baseball season is flying by. It feels like every time I blink another month goes by, and there are now just six regular-season series left on the calendar. I really need to stop blinking.
With the season now in the latter half, every game and series means that much more. Where teams stack up from a tournament standpoint is starting to come into focus, and a series win or loss could ultimately be the difference in hosting and not hosting or—to a greater extent—whether or not a team earns an at-large bid.
None of the teams discussed this week figure to have any trouble earning an at-large bid, though all are squarely in the hosting discussion. Like last week, there’s another trio of top 10 SEC series. Jacob Rudner and I discussed it on this week’s college podcast, but the depth of the conference is remarkable. While the SEC will continue to have marquee matchups, the tone of “What To Watch For” will gradually shift to highlight the series that mean the most as it pertains to teams’ postseason aspirations.
Ole Miss & Tennessee Headline This Weekend’s Action
Heading into last weekend, Tennessee was a near-spotless 27-2 and had dismantled everything in its path. After a 10-0 run-rule win in the series-opener over Texas A&M in which it spun its second combined no-hitter of the season, the Volunteers appeared to be on their way to another emphatic series victory. However, Texas A&M’s offense woke up in a major way and swept Saturday’s doubleheader to earn a desperately-needed series victory. There’s no reason to panic in Knoxville, however, and the Vols will look to get back on track this weekend in Oxford.
That’s a task that’s easier said than done, though, as Swayze Field is one of the toughest road environments in the country, and Ole Miss has had an excellent season of its own. It’s no secret that this year was a big one in Oxford. Since winning their first-ever national title in 2022, the Rebels have not made the tournament in each of the last two seasons. They’re well on their way to snapping that drought this season. On opening weekend, they picked up a pair of impressive victories over Arizona and Clemson, and have since notched a solid midweek win over Southern Miss, as well as two key series wins over Florida and Kentucky.
Ole Miss’ offense is an experienced unit led by infielders Luke Hill (.369/.500/.582) and Judd Utermark (.317/.419/.627), as well as outfielder Isaac Humphrey (.316/.463/.649). The trio has combined to hit 49 extra-base hits and drive in 98 runs. From a productivity standpoint, fellow outfielders Ryan Moerman (.296/.424/.608) and Mitchell Sanford (.313/.416/.633) rank second and fourth on the team with 36 and 31 RBIs, respectively.
The Rebels have a pair of steady options in their rotation in Hunter Elliott (5-0, 3.63 ERA) and Mason Nichols (2-0, 4.83 ERA), though the strength of the pitching staff is the bullpen. There are a bevy of arms in which head coach Mike Bianco can feel comfortable handing the ball to, but especially Mason Morris (3-1, 2.81 ERA) and freshman Walker Hooks (1-0, 2.25 ERA).
While it lost its first series of the season last weekend, my overall thoughts on Tennessee haven’t changed all that much. It’s still one of the most impressive, well-rounded teams in the country and has a wealth of firepower on both sides of the baseball. There isn’t a single “easy” at-bat within its lineup, and the rotation duo of Liam Doyle (5-1, 2.53 ERA) and Marcus Phillips (2-1, 2.45 ERA) is one of the most dangerous in the country. Collectively, the Vols’ bullpen has also thrown the ball well, but especially Dylan Loy (4-0, 0.63 ERA) and Austin Breedlove (2-0, 0.73 ERA), who have combined to allow just two earned runs across 26.2 total innings.
I’m curious to see how Tennessee responds after suffering its first setback of the season. It will be particularly telling if it’s able to quickly flush last weekend’s result and return to its regularly-scheduled programming with an impressive top 10 series win. While I think Ole Miss wins a game, I foresee the Volunteers taking two-of-three to secure a key series victory.
How To Watch No. 4 Tennessee (29-4, 9-3 SEC) At No. 7 Ole Miss (26-7, 8-4 SEC)
Both Friday and Saturday’s games can be streamed via SEC Network+, while Sunday’s game will be broadcast nationally on SEC Network.
A Massive Road Test Awaits Newly-Minted No. 1 Arkansas
Arkansas has assumed the top spot in the Top 25 following a perfect week headlined by an emphatic sweep of Missouri in which the Razorbacks outscored the Tigers by an eye-popping 51-9 margin across just 21 innings. Their 51 runs marked a new program record for most runs scored in an SEC series.
Outside of LSU, Arkansas is the only team in the country that ranks inside the top 10 nationally for both team batting average (.335) and team ERA (3.52). The Razorbacks have two of the hottest hitters in the country right now in Cam Kozeal (.411/.462/.701) and Charles Davalan (.410/.497/.712). Kozeal last weekend drove in 13 runs, while Davalan this season has more home runs (12) than strikeouts (9). Remarkably, neither have the most or second-most RBIs on the team, as Kuhio Aloy (.371/.466/.677) and Brent Iredale (.327/.500/.683) have driven in 45 runs apiece.
The Razorbacks’ rotation is spearheaded by southpaws Landon Beidelschies (3-0, 3.82 ERA) and Zach Root (5-1, 3.48 ERA). They’ve both shown well this spring and have improved their respective draft stocks, but I’ve been blown away by Arkansas’ bullpen. There isn’t a single unreliable option and the trio of Parker Coil (2-0, 0.60 ERA), Aiden Jimenez (4-0, 1.42 ERA) and Dylan Carter (4-0, 2.60 ERA) have combined to allow just nine earned runs across 51.1 innings.
I discussed Georgia at-length last week, and since then, the Bulldogs were swept by red-hot Texas. Despite the disappointing result, the Bulldogs competed in all three games. Their high-powered offense was held in check, but Eric Hammond (0-0, 1.32 ERA) fired 3.1 shutout innings in relief, while exciting righthander Brian Curley (2-0, 3.45 ERA) allowed two runs and struck out nine across five innings. It’s no secret, but Georgia needs its offense to step up if it wants to have a chance to knock off Arkansas. National Player of the Year candidate Ryland Zaborowski (.424/.562/.949) and Robbie Burnett (.339/.532/.821) have both blasted 15 home runs and have 51 RBIs, totals that rank second and fourth in the nation, respectively. The two will look to return to form this weekend, and should Georgia pull off the upset, they’ll likely be a key reason why.
How To Watch No. 1 Arkansas (31-3, 11-1 SEC) At No. 6 Georgia (30-5, 8-4 SEC)
All three games this weekend can be streamed via SEC Network+.
Can Wake Forest Capitalize On Its Newfound Momentum?
Heading into last weekend’s series at then-No. 6 Florida State, Wake Forest had lost consecutive ACC series and was in danger of spiraling further. After a hard-fought series-opening loss, it appeared as if its conference series losing streak would be extended to three. However, the Deacs’ offense over the next two games exploded for 29 runs on as many hits to take the series. With the series victory, they ascended to No. 12 in this week’s top 25 and built some much-needed momentum heading into this weekend’s series at No. 8 North Carolina.
Wake Forest this season has been led by infielder Kade Lewis, who is hitting an impressive .448/.556/.793 with 20 extra-base hits and 45 RBIs. Lewis is a conference player of the year candidate and is cementing himself as one of the premier sophomore hitters in the country. Junior Marek Houston (.358/.461/.657) completely transformed his body since last season and has been equally productive to the tune of 20 extra-base hits—10 doubles and 10 home runs—and 45 RBIs. He put on roughly 20 pounds of muscle, looks more explosive in the box and is driving the baseball on a more consistent basis. Rounding out Wake’s “big three” on the infield is freshman Dalton Wentz, who’s hitting .343/.414/.537 with 16 extra-base hits and 31 RBIs.
On the hill, the Demon Deacons have an impressive one-two punch in the form of righthanders Logan Lunceford (5-2, 3.72 ERA) and Blake Morningstar (4-0, 2.45 ERA). They both turned in quality starts last weekend in Tallahassee and are in the midst of career seasons in which they’ve collected 67 and 52 strikeouts, respectively. Head Coach Tom Walter has a handful of reliable bullpen arms at his disposal, too, led by veteran righthander Griffin Green (0-0, 1.89 ERA). While the team was dealt a tough blow earlier this week when it was announced that star outfielder Ethan Conrad would miss the rest of the season, it has enough depth and firepower to potentially weather the storm.
From a resume standpoint, last weekend gave Wake Forest a statement series win, something it lacked before heading to Tallahassee. It has the opportunity to pick up a similarly impressive series victory this weekend and thrust itself into the regional hosting conversation.
North Carolina last weekend picked up a hard-fought series win of its own over rival Duke, punctuated by a thrilling 8-7 win in 14 innings. The Tar Heels were in a rut of their own in early March and dropped consecutive series to previously-ranked Stanford and Louisville but have since won three-straight conference series to right the ship. Their offense isn’t the most vaunted unit in the country, but it’s led by veterans Hunter Stokely (.341/.405/.612) and Tyson Bass (.308/.400/.469), who have combined for 27 extra-base hits. While sophomores Gavin Gallaher (.262/.336/.429) and Luke Stevenson (.259/.442/.560) haven’t lit it up from a “back of the baseball card” standpoint, their 28 RBIs apiece are tied for the second-highest total on the team.
The strength of this year’s North Carolina team is undoubtedly its pitching. Its 3.44 team ERA ranks eighth nationally and it’s hard to find a weak link on the pitching staff. Veteran righthanders Jake Knapp (6-0, 1.58 ERA) and Aidan Haugh (3-2, 1.91 ERA) have done an excellent job anchoring the rotation, while the dynamic freshmen duo of Ryan Lynch (2-0, 2.76 ERA) and Walker McDuffie (2-1, 3.14 ERA) have done the same in the bullpen. They’ll certainly have their hands full this weekend against a high-powered Wake Forest offense, but they’re sure to be up for the challenge.
If Lunceford and Morningstar can turn in another pair of quality starts, Wake Forest figures to be in a good spot to take the series. Breaking through against Knapp and Haugh is easier said than done, though I think last weekend was the turning point in the Demon Deacons’ season. I anticipate them winning a decisive rubber game on Saturday to secure its second top 10 series win in as many weeks.
How To Watch No. 12 Wake Forest (24-10, 9-6 ACC) At No. 8 North Carolina (25-8, 8-7 ACC)
Tonight’s game will be broadcast nationally on ACC Network, tomorrow’s game can be streamed via ACC Network Extra and Saturday’s finale will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.
I wrote about both No. 3 LSU and No. 9 Auburn last week so this will be fairly brief, but they both picked up impressive ranked series victories over No. 16 Oklahoma and No. 14 Alabama, respectively. In last weekend’s sweep of Oklahoma, LSU’s pitching staff dazzled. Over the course of three games, five arms combined to collect 35 strikeouts and allow no earned runs. Likely first-round pick Kade Anderson led the way and notched 14 strikeouts in his complete-game shutout. A number of LSU hitters made their mark, including Chris Stanfield (.320/.449/.427), whose five RBIs led all hitters.
Auburn last week responded to its midweek upset loss against UAB with a top 10 series win of its own over rival Alabama. The Tigers run-ruled the Tide in the series opener thanks to a seven-inning, complete game shutout by Samuel Dutton and won the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader to take the series. The freshman trio of Bub Terrell (.302/.387/.453), Chris Rembert (.305/.463/.505) and Chase Fralick (.345/.394/.487) accounted for nearly half of the team’s RBIs last weekend. The Tigers on Tuesday picked up a key midweek win over No. 20 Georgia Tech and head into this weekend with plenty of momentum.
For as well as Auburn’s playing, LSU right now is firing on all cylinders, and I think it continues to roll this weekend.
How To Watch No. 3 LSU (31-3, 10-2 SEC) At No. 9 Auburn (23-10, 6-6 SEC)
All three games this weekend can be streamed via SEC Network+.
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