Off The Bat: Auburn, Maryland Score Key Road Series Wins

The final weekend of April brought some surprises and also several key road series wins. Auburn upset South Carolina in Columbia. Duke knocked off Virginia in Charlottesville. Maryland swept past Indiana in Bloomington. All those series and more brought a new shape to conference races around the country as the calendar flips to May.

Here are 14 takeaways from the weekend that was around college baseball.

1. Auburn this weekend snagged one of the season’s most impressive series wins by going into Founders Park and beating South Carolina twice. Going into the weekend, the Gamecocks were 24-1 at home, with the lone loss coming against LSU. They were unbeaten in six home series (LSU was a rain-shortened split) and had just swept away Florida.

Auburn powered through the inhospitable environment and powerful South Carolina pitching staff (its 3.23 team ERA ranked second nationally coming into the weekend) to win the first two games of the series, beating the Gamecocks 8-3 on Friday and 9-5 on Saturday. The Tigers had a chance to complete the sweep, as they took an early lead Sunday before the Gamecocks came back for an 8-7 victory.

The weekend gave Auburn (25-18-1, 9-12) a big resume boost as the calendar flips to May. The Tigers are up to No. 34 in RPI and now can likely afford to go about .500 over the final three weekends of conference play (LSU, at Ole Miss, Missouri) to get an NCAA Tournament bid. They’re no shoo-in, but their path today looks much more reasonable than if they had taken a series loss.

Big-picture impact aside, Auburn’s success against South Carolina’s starters was what stood out most on the weekend. The Tigers scored eight runs in six innings Friday against righthander Will Sanders, then chased Jack Mahoney on Saturday with six runs (five earned) in 3.1 innings and scored five runs in five innings Sunday against righthander Matthew Becker. Totaling 19 runs in 14.1 innings against a trio that just a week before had tamed the powerful Florida offense (seven runs in 16 innings) was a testament to Auburn’s approach at the plate and a tone-setter for the weekend.

Auburn’s performance on the mound can’t be overlooked, however. The Tigers came into the weekend with a 6.47 team ERA, last in the SEC. They held South Carolina to 16 runs on the weekend—not world-beating stuff, but the Gamecocks came into the weekend averaging 9.4 runs per game (fourth most in the country) and their 16 runs this weekend was their lowest total for a series since Pennsylvania held them to 14 runs in February.

2. South Carolina did well to avoid the sweep, but it’s now 1.5 games behind Vanderbilt in the SEC East standings and it faces two tricky road weekends (Kentucky and Arkansas) before finishing the regular season at home against Tennessee. The Gamecocks will need to get back on track quickly to maintain their positioning as a top-eight seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The bigger concern coming out of the weekend for South Carolina is its health. Shortstop Braylen Wimmer left Friday’s loss with a hamstring injury and coach Mark Kingston expects him to miss two weeks. Wimmer joined second baseman Will McGillis (broken forearm) and third baseman Talmadge LeCroy (hamstring) on the injured list.

Obviously, missing three starters has thinned South Carolina’s lineup. At full strength, the Gamecocks have one of the most formidable offenses in the country. They have the pitching staff to help ease the losses, but to hit their ceiling, they’ll need to get healthy and that’s going to take a couple more weeks.

3. Vanderbilt, which was soundly swept last week at Tennessee, bounced back in a big way and finished the weekend in first place in the SEC after sweeping Kentucky. After winning the first two games of the series, the Commodores completed the sweep in comeback fashion, scoring two runs in the bottom of the ninth. Alan Espinal delivered the walkoff hit in the 3-2 victory.

That Vanderbilt (32-11, 16-5) bounced back isn’t particularly surprising—the Commodores are a good team that had a bad weekend against a team they’re a poor matchup for—but it was still an important result.

The most significant development of the weekend was the return of lefthander Hunter Owen, who had missed his last two starts. He held Kentucky to two runs on five hits and two walks in four innings, striking out six.

Owen was just getting back in the swing of things and lefthander Carter Holton wasn’t at his best on Friday (3.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 3 K), but any weekend Vanderbilt is rolling out Holton (4-0, 3.51), Owen (3-0, 3.42) and lefthander Devin Futrell (6-2, 2.50), it’s going to be difficult to beat. That’s especially true when its bullpen holds opponents to two runs in 13.1 innings.

After such a difficult weekend on the mound in Knoxville, the Commodores should be feeling much better one week later.

4. Kentucky (30-13, 11-10) had a week to forget. It went 0-4, as it also lost 7-0 against Louisville on Tuesday. The Wildcats will especially rue Sunday’s loss, as they held a 2-1 lead going into the bottom of the ninth but couldn’t get an out in the inning.

Kentucky started conference play 9-1 but is just 2-9 since winning the opener of its series at Georgia on April 7. The schedule has been tough—three series have been on the road (Georgia, LSU and Vanderbilt)—and the Wildcats still have a winning conference record. But the early hopes they had of hosting a regional for the first time since 2017 now look to be gone.

Kentucky finishes the season with a difficult stretch of South Carolina, at Tennessee and home against Florida. The Wildcats can limp into the NCAA Tournament with just two or three wins in that stretch, but if they want to host, they’ll have to win at least two of the series. Kentucky has the week off ahead of South Carolina and it’ll look to reset in the same way Vanderbilt did this week.

5. The focus was largely on the Hoosiers going into the weekend’s first-place showdown between Indiana and Maryland, but the Terrapins turned the series into a statement. They swept the series in Bloomington, outscoring the Hoosiers 43-12.

With the sweep, Maryland (30-15, 11-4) moved into first place in the Big Ten, a game ahead of Michigan State (28-13, 10-5) and two games ahead of Indiana, Michigan and Nebraska. The Terrapins are trying to become the first team to repeat as Big Ten regular-season champions since the Hoosiers did so in 2013-14. They finish the season with series at home against Nebraska and Minnesota before traveling to Penn State on the final weekend. Incredibly, Maryland hasn’t lost a Big Ten series since Nebraska beat it twice in Lincoln in April 2021, so knocking it out of first place won’t be easy.

Shortstop Matt Shaw went 8-for-12 with three home runs on the weekend and is now hitting .359/.482/.751 with 18 home runs and 14 stolen bases. Maryland also got big weekends from Nick Lorusso (6-for-16), Eddie Hacopian (7-for-12) and Kevin Keister (7-for-14). The Terrapins’ offense coming up big hardly counts as a surprise—they average 9.33 runs per game—but it is notable that so many of their top hitters have been in big games like this before. Six of their regulars were also regulars on last year’s championship team, including Keister, Lorusso and Shaw. That kind of experience is part of why Maryland is going to be so tough not only down the stretch in the Big Ten, but also in the postseason.

6. For Indiana, this weekend hurts. The Hoosiers came into the series on an eight-game winning streak, in first place in the conference and being projected to host regionals. They were 22-1 at Bart Kauffman Field and while a series win wouldn’t have locked up either the conference title or a hosting spot, it would have been a strong step in that direction.

Instead, the Hoosiers were swept at home for the first time in more than a decade. They didn’t hold a lead in the series until the fifth inning of the finale and that was erased in the top of the sixth by the Terrapins. Just about nothing went right—the high-powered Indiana offense that came into the weekend averaging 7.9 runs per game couldn’t keep up with Maryland, and its pitching staff, which ranked third in the Big Ten in team ERA (4.64) coming into the weekend, was rocked for 50 hits in three games.

Now, the challenge for Indiana (31-14, 9-6) is moving on from a brutal weekend that likely dashed both its conference title and hosting ambitions. That starts this weekend at Northwestern.

“I’m humble enough to say, like, ‘We got beat this weekend,’ but I’m very confident that we still have a very good team,” coach Jeff Mercer said. “We just didn’t have a good weekend, and you pick up and move on.”

7. After Duke on Friday beat Virginia, 17-5, in Charlottesville, I wrote that another win this weekend would push the Blue Devils ever closer to a top-eight seed in the NCAA Tournament. Well, after the Cavaliers evened the series Saturday, the Blue Devils got that series-clinching win with a 7-3 victory in the finale.

With that win, Duke (31-13, 14-9) moved into first place in the ACC Coastal Division, a half-game ahead of Miami (28-16, 14-10) and 1.5 games ahead of Virginia (35-11, 13-11). The Blue Devils have climbed to No. 8 in RPI and have won 11 of their last 13 games.

Duke got a huge weekend out of catcher Alex Stone, who went 7-for-13 with three homers (one in each game) and scored seven runs. He’s riding an 18-game hitting streak that perhaps not coincidentally coincides with the Blue Devils’ sensational run in April, as they went 15-3 for the month. He’s hitting .302/.373/.570 with 12 home runs this season.

Duke has never hosted a regional, but it’s closing in on earning the right to do so this year. It’s off this week for finals before taking on Georgia Tech and then visiting Miami on the final weekend of the regular season. The series in Coral Gables could be a de facto division championship series, possibly with a top-eight seed on the line. As the calendar flips to May, Duke has everything to play for.

8. While Duke was one of the best teams in the country in April, Virginia went the other way. After starting 24-2 this season, the Cavaliers went 11-9 in April and just 5-9 in ACC play. They’ve lost three straight series and while their RPI remains strong (11), they’ve slipped to fourth in the conference standings.

Virginia, like Duke, is coming to its finals break. After a pair of midweek games, it’ll be off for a week, a break that might do it some good. The Cavaliers end the season with a series against Louisville (28-15, 9-12) and at Georgia Tech (26-18, 8-13), and they can flip this poor run of form in May.

The Cavaliers will need to do that, however, if they are to host regionals for the first time since 2016.

9. Like Duke, Clemson surged through April and finished off the month with another strong series win, taking down Boston College on the road. The Tigers and Eagles split a Friday doubleheader and Clemson claimed the series with a 6-3 victory in Saturday’s finale.

Clemson (28-17, 11-10) lost its first three ACC series and was 17-14 after losing the opening game of its series at Florida State on April 6. Since then, however, the Tigers are 11-3 and have won four straight series.

That surge has come in part thanks to Clemson taking a step forward on the mound. Two-way star Caden Grice has settled into his spot in the rotation and this Saturday at BC delivered the best pitching performance of his career. In the finale, he held the Eagles to two runs (one earned) on two hits and two walks in eight innings while striking out nine. Grice is now 4-1, 3.50 with 57 strikeouts in 43.2 innings, while also hitting .312/.414/.617 with 11 home runs. His emergence as an All-American candidate, combined with Ethan Darden (3-1, 5.13) and Austin Gordon (1-4, 4.99) in the rotation and a solid bullpen behind them, has helped the Tigers turn the season around.

In last week’s Projected Field of 64, I had them as the first team out of the NCAA Tournament due in part to the difficulty of their remaining schedule. This week, expect to see them included in the field. Clemson is up to No. 12 in RPI and No. 3 in strength of schedule. Finishing .500 in the ACC should earn the Tigers an at-large bid and with series against Louisville, at Virginia Tech and home against North Carolina remaining, they’re firmly on track to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019.

10. Going the wrong way is Louisville (28-15, 9-12). The Cardinals this weekend lost their third straight ACC series, falling at home to Miami. The teams split the first two games before the Hurricanes claimed the series with a 10-7 victory in Saturday’s finale, a game the Cardinals will be eager to forget. They made five errors (leading to three unearned runs), walked six batters, hit two more and threw three wild pitches.

Louisville has been without shortstop Christian Knapczyk (.333/.445/.430, 16 SB) the last two weeks due to injury and that’s a tough loss for the Cardinals. But they’ve also struggled on the mound. After last weekend seeing Duke take the lead in the eighth or ninth innings in all three games, Louisville again had trouble against Miami. Its starters didn’t get deep into games—none made it out of the fifth—and then the bullpen couldn’t shut down the Hurricanes in a pair of close games.

While Louisville has lost three straight series, Wake, Duke and Miami are the three best teams in the conference standings. The bad news is that the schedule doesn’t let up much over the next three weeks. Louisville has trips to Clemson and Virginia on tap before concluding the regular season against last-place Florida State. To feel secure on Selection Monday, Louisville needs to go 6-3 in those three series. Anything less means it will finish conference play under .500 and no ACC team has gotten into the NCAA Tournament with a losing conference record since 2016. Most of the Cardinals’ metrics look good now (RPI 28, SOS 19), but that might not be good enough if they can’t pull out of this skid.

11. It wasn’t easy, but Stanford knocked off UCLA in a fun Pac-12 showdown. The Cardinal won Friday’s opener, 6-5, behind a strong start from lefthander Quinn Mathews. The Bruins fired back for a 9-6 win Saturday and held a four-run lead in Sunday’s finale midway through the fifth inning. But Stanford scored seven unanswered runs and got a 10-7, series-clinching victory.

Stanford remains most dangerous at the plate, where it’s averaging 7.83 runs per game (second in the conference), but it’s started to round into form on the mound. Lefthanders Drew Dowd and Ryan Bruno form a strong duo out of the bullpen and this weekend combined to hold UCLA to one run in 6.1 innings. Bruno (2-0, 5.32, 4 SV) has made seven straight scoreless appearances, totaling 12 scoreless innings. Dowd (5-2, 5.31, 2 SV) has held opponents to two runs in his last six appearances, spanning 12.1 innings. Righthander Brandt Pancer (1-0, 4.28, 4 SV) gives the Cardinal another strong option out of the bullpen.

Is that trio, plus starters Mathews (5-3, 2.70), Matt Scott (5-3, 3.97) and Joey Dixon (3-0, 5.19) enough on the mound for Stanford? With its offense, quite possibly—at least to get the Cardinal to Omaha for the third straight season. While a little more depth would undoubtably be welcomed on The Farm, the Cardinal have proven this formula works.

Stanford’s series win, combined with Arizona State’s series loss at Oregon, pushed the Cardinal (28-13, 15-6) into first place in the Pac-12. The Cardinal and Sun Devils are set for a first-place showdown this weekend in Phoenix, but it’s Stanford that goes into the series with the edge in the standings. That edge, combined with their respective finishes (Stanford is home against Arizona and at Washington State, while ASU is at Southern California and then home to UCLA), makes the Cardinal the favorites, but this coming weekend will be a massive one.

12. Oregon (30-13, 13-8) is a dark horse in the Pac-12 title race. The Ducks won their series against Stanford two weeks ago and then this weekend took down ASU. They’re two games behind the Cardinal and 1.5 games behind the Sun Devils, but if the leaders stumble, the Ducks could steal the title late.

Oregon got another quality start out of righthander Jace Stoffal (6.2 IP, 2 R, 1 ER) in Friday’s opener, as it rolled to an 11-5 victory. The Ducks’ ace is now 6-2, 2.83 on the season and has posted a quality start in five of the last six weeks. Righthander Logan Mercado (6 IP, 4 R) was solid the next day in a more offensive, 16-10 victory. Oregon jumped out to a 5-0 lead after five innings in the finale, but Arizona State scored nine runs in the final four innings to come back for a 9-6 victory.

While Oregon missed out on what would have been a massive sweep, it’s still in a strong position. The Ducks are No. 18 in RPI and have a very real chance to host regionals for the second time in three years. They’ve got a big week ahead, as they travel Tuesday to Oregon State for a rivalry showdown and then head to USC for the weekend.

13. Arizona State (29-15, 14-6) endured a tough week. It split a midweek series with Cal State Fullerton, losing the second game in 11 innings, and then hit the road for a tough Pac-12 series. There’s no shame in losing a series at Eugene—Stanford did it, too—and this was the Sun Devils’ first series loss since early March.

ASU, however, must quickly bounce back with Stanford coming to town this weekend. It’s a must-win series for the Sun Devils if they’re going to stay in the conference title race and have any chance to host regionals.

The Sun Devils have been boosted of late by outfielder Nick McLain, who missed the first two months of the season due to injury. He this weekend homered three times and is hitting .380/.475/.800 with six home runs in his first 12 games back. His return has only further lengthened an already impressive lineup.

14. Kansas State (28-17, 11-7) scored a huge series win, taking down Texas Tech in Manhattan. The teams split the first two games and the Red Raiders held a two-run lead at the seventh inning stretch Sunday. But the Wildcats scored four runs over the next two innings, including a go-ahead, two-run triple in the eighth inning from Brendan Jones and went on to a 10-8, series-clinching victory.

K-State hasn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 2013, but as the calendar flips to May, it’s put itself in the discussion. The Wildcats have won eight of their last 11 games, including back-to-back Big 12 series. Their RPI is up to 57, probably not good enough yet for an at-large bid, but within striking distance.

The path ahead isn’t easy. After this week stepping out of Big 12 play for a game against Wichita State and a series against Southeast Missouri State, K-State still must travel to Oklahoma State and then hosts TCU. At minimum, the Wildcats probably need to split their remaining conference games and this week post a winning record.

Regardless of whether this season ends with a regional bid or not, K-State has already shown significant progress in coach Pete Hughes’ fifth season. Their 11 Big 12 wins are already their most since 2013 and they’re just one victory away from matching last season’s overall win total. They’re also all but assured a winning record overall, which would be their second in three seasons, something that hasn’t happened for the Wildcats since they had four winning seasons from 2009-13.

Eight for Omaha

Arkansas, Duke, Florida, LSU, South Carolina, Stanford, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest

Just one change to the field this week, as I flip Duke and Virginia. I’m not totally sold on the Blue Devils as an Omaha team—they lack postseason experience, and their pitching plan is so non-traditional it’s hard to envision how it will fare in the postseason—but there’s no questioning how well they’re playing right now and the depth of the lineup. So, I’m going to roll with Duke ahead of West Virginia and Coastal Carolina.

Looking Ahead

A first-place, Pac-12 showdown as No. 8 Stanford visits No. 18 Arizona State. The Cardinal (28-13, 15-6) hold a half-game lead on the Sun Devils (29-15, 14-6) going into the biggest Pac-12 series of the year. ASU is 20-5 at Phoenix Municipal Stadium, however, and hasn’t lost a home series since March. Expect a high-scoring series, as these are two of the conference’s highest-scoring offenses. Stanford averages 7.83 runs per game (second in the Pac-12) and ASU is just behind at 7.45 (third).

Oklahoma travels to No. 11 West Virginia for critical series. The Mountaineers (33-11, 11-4) are in first place in the Big 12 and are in position to earn a spot as regional hosts. But they need to keep winning to maintain their standing in both races. The Sooners (24-20, 9-9), meanwhile, have gotten hot after a slow start. They’ve won five of their last six games and back-to-back series, putting themselves back in the NCAA Tournament picture. A couple of wins this weekend in Morgantown might put their resume over the top.

Houston hosts Wichita State in first-place battle in the American. While No. 13 East Carolina (31-13, 9-6) is lurking just off the pace in the conference standings, it’s Houston (25-19, 10-5) and Wichita State (26-17, 10-5) that sit atop the American Athletic Conference. They’ll meet this weekend in Houston with first place on the line. The Shockers won the first series between the two teams, taking two games at Frank Eck Stadium, but now the Cougars will have home-field advantage. Neither team has the RPI for an at-large bid, but both are playing solid baseball coming into the weekend.