Image credit:
Rintaro Sasaki (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
A quartet of programs making their 2025 conference-play debuts is on tap for college baseball fans in week four. Here’s our rundown of what to watch for this weekend.
Stanford Makes Its ACC Debut
The Cardinal this weekend travels to Chapel Hill to take on No. 7 North Carolina in what is a massive early-season test. After failing to make the tournament last season, Stanford is off to a fast 10-2 start and has yet to lose a weekend series. Its offense to this point has been led by shortstop Trevor Haskins who, after a down 2024 campaign, is hitting .346/.407/.692, and both his five home runs and 17 RBIs lead the team. Outfielder Brady Reynolds (.378/.472/.756) is also on pace for a career season. and his five long balls are already a new career-best. Freshman Rintaro Sasaki came into this year with as much buzz as any player in the country, and so far he’s lived up to his lofty expectations to the tune of a .360/.448/.420 line with three doubles and 14 RBIs.
On the bump, Stanford is led by potential first-round pick Matt Scott. Scott is a perfect 3-0 with a 1.17 ERA with 19 strikeouts across 17.1 innings, and his already-impressive stuff has ticked up since last spring. It also feels like it’s only a matter of time before star sophomore Joey Volchko puts it all together. Lack of command has been a bugaboo for Volchko since arriving in Palo Alto, but he has the most impressive stuff of any 2026-eligible pitcher in the country.
Coach Scott Forbes’ UNC crew is off to a perfect 13-0 start that’s included sweeps of Texas Tech and East Carolina, as well as notable midweek wins over Kansas State and Coastal Carolina. The Tar Heels’ offense hasn’t put up particularly gaudy numbers as a unit, but they’ve received timely hitting throughout their starting nine. Veterans Hunter Stokely (.438/.517/.750) and Alex Madera (.340/.410/.420) are off to fast starts, while on-base machine and likely top-two round draft pick Kane Kepley’s (.326/.530/.543) seven extra-base hits lead the team. Sophomore Gavin Gallaher (.265/.339/.347) has come on as of late, too, and Luke Stevenson’s (.261/.443/.478) three home runs and 13 RBIs both rank second on the team.
North Carolina’s pitching staff has been excellent, and it’s a unit that’s led by blue chip sophomore Jason DeCaro (3-0, 0.50 ERA). A pair of freshman—Ryan Lynch and Walker McDuffie—have also been outstanding up to this point. Through 10.2 innings, Lynch has collected 19 strikeouts and has a 0.90 ERA, while through 12.1 innings McDuffie also has 19 punch outs and has yet to allow a run.
Stanford certainly has its work cut out for it this weekend, but expect a competitive series that could come down to a decisive game three on Sunday.
How To Watch Stanford at No. 7 North Carolina
All three games this weekend can be streamed on ACC Network Extra.
A West Coast Big Ten Clash
It’s hard to articulate how strange it felt to type words “West Coast” and “Big Ten” in the same sentence, but here we are! The Ducks and Trojans this weekend make their respective Big Ten debuts against one another. Oregon is currently the No. 15 team in the country and is off to an 11-2 start. It has a pair of losses to Toledo and Rhode Island, and this weekend is by far its biggest challenge of the season to this point. The Ducks’ offense has been firing on all cylinders and an impressive eight players have already amassed double-digit RBI totals. Outfielder Mason Neville (.340/.452/.880) came into this season with draft buzz, and he’s flashed advanced added impact to the tune of seven home runs across 12 games.
Dominic Hellman has always had some of the most impressive raw power of any hitter around, and this year he’s finally been able to tap into it on a consistent basis. His five home runs and 19 RBIs are already new career-highs. I could talk at-length about Oregon’s offense, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention star sophomore Maddox Molony. He looks every bit the part of a future first-round pick and is hitting .425/.529/.875 with three doubles, five home runs and 13 RBIs.
Oregon also has impressive depth on the mound, led by sophomore Collin Clarke who has a 1.45 ERA with 20 strikeouts to just four walks across 18.2 innings. Junior Ian Umlandt has been nails in relief to the tune of a 0.64 ERA through 14 innings, while sophomore righthander Cole Stokes (0-0, 0.00 ERA) has the most high-octane stuff on the staff. It’s been a bit of a rocky start for lefthander Grayson Grinsell (1-1, 6.32 ERA), but I fully expect him to come into his own as the season rolls along.
After a win against No. 17 Vanderbilt improved its record to 8-1, Southern California last weekend suffered a pair of losses to UCLA and UC Santa Barbara. A series win this weekend would not only negate last weekend’s negative results, but also put the Trojans on the cusp of the Top 25. Their offense is led by experienced third baseman Ethan Hedges, who is hitting .391/.491/.783 with eight extra-base hits and 16 RBIs. All those marks lead the team, but sophomore outfielder Brayden Dowd is off to a strong start of his own to the tune of a .311/.458/.556 line with seven extra-base hits and eight RBIs.
Where USC stands out is on the mound. Senior pitchability specialist Caden Aoki is one of the more advanced strike-throwers in college baseball, and through 16.2 innings, he has a 20-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio to go along with a 2.70 ERA. After spending the last two seasons at Sierra College, southpaw Caden Hunter has assimilated well to the Division I level. Through three starts (15 IP), Hunter has a 1.80 ERA with 20 strikeouts and eight walks across 15 innings. The Trojans’ bullpen has been nails, and it’s a unit that’s led by sophomore righthander Garren Rizzo (4-0, 0.00 ERA).
Keeping Oregon’s offense in check is easier said than done, but USC’s pitching staff is a potential buzz saw. The Trojans’ arms figure to keep them in each game, but I’m not sure if they’ll be able to hit enough to keep up with the Ducks.
How To Watch No. 15 Oregon At Southern California:
All games this weekend can be streamed on Big Ten Plus (subscription required).
Golden Bears And Blue Devils In Durham… Oh My!
After a fairly slow start that has them sitting at 6-6, the Golden Bears have a chance to right the ship this weekend as they make their ACC debut against Duke. California took three-of-four games from Nevada to start its season, but have gone just 3-5 since with series losses to Houston and Santa Clara. Its offense has struggled, but junior Cade Campbell has been a bright spot. Campbell logged 52 at-bats as a freshman and didn’t play last spring, but so far he’s hitting .388/.400/.816 with 10 extra-base hits and 16 RBIs. Sophomore second baseman Jarren Advincula has some of the best plate skills of any sophomore in the country, and so far he’s compiled a .306/.382/.469 line with six extra-base hits.
Fellow sophomore PJ Moutzouridis (.208/.309/.396) has struggled so far, but he is primed for a breakout weekend. He’s a plus defender at shortstop where he figures to stick long-term and also has advanced bat-to-ball skills. Cal’s pitching has kept it in most of its games, and sophomore Gavin Eddy has been particularly impressive. Through three starts, Eddy has worked a 0.63 ERA and has held opposing hitters to a minuscule .065 average. In the bullpen, veteran David Shaw has pitched his way to a 1.32 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 13.2 innings.
Duke began the season as the No. 10 team in the country, but it has since fallen out of the Top 25 after a series loss to Cincinnati and back-to-back losses to Campbell and Liberty. However, the Blue Devils are a talented bunch and are currently on a four-game winning streak that includes a sweep of Northwestern and an emphatic midweek win over North Carolina A&T.
The Blue Devils are an experienced group on both sides of the baseball, a quality that has served—and will continue to serve—them well. Senior Wallace Clark can pick it at shortstop, but he’s also been the team’s leading hitter and boasts a .409/.587/.614 line with five extra-base hits. Veteran infielder Ben Miller’s eight home runs and 21 RBIs are tops on the team by a wide margin, while fellow graduate transfers Jake Berger (.325/.517/.600) and Jake Hyde (.205/.418/.385) have driven in 12 runs apiece. Likely 2026 first-round pick AJ Gracia has started slow, but it’s an inevitability that he gets hot at some point.
Duke’s rotation has had a rough go through the first few weekends, but its bullpen has stepped up. Head coach Chris Pollard has a bevy of reliable options he can turn to, including Gabe Nard (1-0, 3.38 ERA) and Reid Easterly (1-0, 2.38 ERA). Nard and Easterly lead the team in appearances with seven and six, respectively, while junior lefthander Owen Proksch (0-0, 1.35 ERA) has collected 13 strikeouts through 6.2 innings.
I don’t want to jump the gun, but it appears Duke has begun to find its rhythm. I expect the Blue Devils to open up their conference slate with a series win.
How To Watch California At Duke
All three games this weekend can be streamed on ACC Network Extra.
Is No. 23 Kentucky On Upset Watch?
This series might fly a bit under the radar, but 23rd-ranked Kentucky has a mighty difficult final out-of-conference series this weekend against 11-2 Wofford. The Terriers’ two losses have come by a total of three runs, and they play at a frenetic pace that wreaks havoc on opposing teams. Sophomores Harrison Campi (.405/.509/.643) and Ryan Wynn (.304/.388/.500) have been the team’s two most productive hitters so far. Almost everyone on the roster is a threat to run, and 13 different position players have at least one stolen base. Wofford’s pitching staff has been led by junior fireman Davis Champ, who to this point has a 0.60 ERA with 15 strikeouts to just three walks across 15 innings.
Kentucky split its opening weekend series against Lipscomb, but it’s gone on a nine-game winning streak since its Opening Day loss. The Wildcats’ offense has been a productive unit—led by graduate transfer outfielder Cole Hage (.486/.604/.865)—but their pitching staff has been exceptional. Through 11 games they have a minuscule team ERA of 1.80 and have held opposing hitters to a .164 average. South Dakota State transfer Nic McCay (2-0, 0.59 ERA) has fared well on Fridays, while sophomore southpaw Ben Cleaver has been a revelation. Through a trio of starts, Cleaver has pitched his way to a 1.06 ERA with 19 strikeouts to four walks across 17 innings. In relief, both Scott Rouse (2-0, 0.82 ERA) and Jackson Nove (0-0, 0.00 ERA) have been virtually untouchable.
Wofford will make this a competitive series, though in the end I foresee Kentucky notching a pair of victories.
How To Watch Wofford At No. 23 Kentucky
All three games this weekend can be streamed on SEC Network+.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
