15 Takeaways From College Baseball’s Third Weekend (Off The Bat)
Image credit: Chase Brunson (15) TCU Horned Frogs vs UCLA Bruins in a non-conference NCAA baseball game at Lupton Stadium in Ft. Worth, Texas on Saturday, February 24, 2024 (Photo by Eddie Kelly / ProLook Photos)
College baseball’s third weekend is always jam-packed with action. Between the tournaments and rivalry series annually held on this weekend, there’s no shortage of high-level action every year. This season was no different.
Here are 15 takeaways from around the country on the weekend that was in college baseball.
1. LSU could not have asked for a better trip to Houston. The Tigers went 3-0 in the Astros Foundation Classic at Minute Maid Park, beating Texas (6-3), Louisiana-Lafayette (5-4) and Texas State (10-5). As a bonus, they started their trip with a 16-4 win Wednesday at Rice. After a couple nondescript weekends at home to start the season, LSU (11-1) made the most of the bigger spotlight, tougher competition and its first road trip.
The biggest development of the weekend was the success of the new-look rotation. Righthander Luke Holman moved to the No. 1 spot and was dominant against Texas, striking out 12 batters in 5.2 innings. Lefthander Gage Jump slotted in Saturday against Louisiana and threw five stellar innings, facing just one batter over the minimum. Righthander Thatcher Hurd, the Opening Day starter, threw Sunday against Texas State and was solid for five innings.
Throw in freshman lefthander Kade Anderson’s start Wednesday at Rice (5 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K) and it was quite the week for LSU starting pitching. That quartet combined to go 4-0, 0.87 with 29 strikeouts and three walks in 20.2 innings.
The competition this week was solid but there are tougher weekends ahead in SEC play. Still, it’s hard not to be excited about the Tigers’ upside on the mound.
2. Vanderbilt also went 3-0 at Minute Maid Park, sweeping through Louisiana (7-4), Houston (3-1) and Texas (14-11). The Commodores (10-3) also beat Indiana State (20-4, 7 innings) and Evansville (7-3) in midweek action. After a sluggish start to the season – Vanderbilt was 5-3 through the first two weekends – it was the kind of week the Commodores needed.
There’s been concern about the way Vanderbilt is pitching to this point—it has a 4.74 team ERA —and in some ways that’s justified. Veteran starters Carter Holton (1-0, 6.92) and Devin Futrell (1-0, 6.23) haven’t locked in yet and that’s put additional pressure on the bullpen, which is still trying to settle into its roles.
But Holton and Futrell, two of the SEC’s most experienced starters, aren’t going to struggle all season long. In the meantime, Vanderbilt appears to have found some answers with freshmen relievers. In its first two wins of the weekend, the trio of Miller Green (1 IP, SV), Ethan McElvain (1.1 IP) and Brennan Seiber (2 IP, SV) combined for 4.1 scoreless innings. If they can keep that up during SEC play, it would add some real depth to the Commodores’ bullpen.
3. Texas went 0-3 on the weekend, losing to LSU (6-3), Texas State (11-10) and Vanderbilt (14-11). A week after the Longhorns didn’t give up a run during an entire three-game series against Cal Poly, their pitching staff took it on the chin in Minute Maid Park.
You can find plenty of things to pick apart from the weekend. The Longhorns (7-4) made five errors in the three games. Ace Lebarron Johnson Jr. was knocked out in the fourth inning against LSU. After battling back from an early deficit Saturday, Texas blew leads of 9-8 and 10-9 in the eighth and ninth inning against Texas State. On Sunday, Texas surrendered 11 unanswered runs in the final five innings to lose to Vanderbilt. In short, very little went right all weekend.
I’ve been bullish on the Longhorns this season. And, perhaps stubbornly, I’m not changing my tune now. This was a weekend to forget, absolutely. But Texas is also right on schedule.
The Longhorns have played in a tournament hosted by either the Astros or Rangers in each of the last five years. In those tournaments, they are a combined 3-12. Aside from a 2-1 weekend in Houston in 2022, it’s been a brutal run for Texas in these showpiece events.
But Texas and coach David Pierce have been adept at learning the right lessons from these tournaments. In all other games in the last three full seasons, the Longhorns are 137-54. That’s an average record of 46-18. Two of those seasons ended in Omaha and last year they lost at Stanford in super regionals.
Just because Texas has been adept at bouncing back from poor showings on these big stages doesn’t mean it will do it again this season. The Longhorns don’t have an easy schedule ahead. They on Tuesday host archrival Texas A&M before traveling to Texas Tech—a trip which has been its own house of horrors in recent seasons for the Longhorns. But don’t write Texas off after this weekend.
4. TCU went 5-0 this week and now leads the nation with 12 wins. At 12-0, the Horned Frogs are off to their best start in program history, and they haven’t taken the easy route, either in terms of opposition or game script.
It’s too early to really know how good TCU’s schedule has been, but all seven teams it has played ranked in the top 100 of last season’s RPI. Eight of its 12 games have come against Pac-12 competition. And while TCU has yet to play a road game, it did this weekend play Arizona State and Southern California (twice) at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. That’s a short trip from Fort Worth, but it counts as a neutral site.
The Horned Frogs already have four walk-off wins and have trailed or were tied at the seventh inning stretch five times. That’s not an easy way to make a living, but it speaks to the strength of TCU’s bullpen and its resilience that it has stayed undefeated in those circumstances. TCU faces a new test this weekend, as it hits the road for the first time, traveling to Kansas (7-4) to open Big 12 play.
5. Rain spoiled the start of the rivalry showdown between Clemson and South Carolina, washing out Friday’s game. Because the series moves across the state, a doubleheader to make up that game wasn’t in the cards, and it will be rescheduled later this season (likely in April). The weather cooperated the rest of the weekend, however, and the series produced a pair of outstanding games.
Clemson won both, 5-4, to claim the series win. Saturday’s win took 12 innings at low Class A Columbia’s Segra Park and came on a walk-off home run from shortstop Andrew Ciufo. Sunday’s series-clincher wasn’t quite as dramatic but did require the Tigers to hold off a ninth-inning rally by the Gamecocks.
The end result is Clemson (9-1) grabbed a significant series win and extended its winning streak to five games. The Tigers still probably have another gear to hit, but they’ve proven themselves to be quite dangerous and still have another week to tune up before beginning ACC play.
6. On the flip side, South Carolina (8-3) exits the weekend with two tough losses. This was the Gamecocks’ first big test of the year, and they came up a little short. You can find optimism in the way they pitched, especially considering their biggest question coming into the year was on the mound.
There is, however, angst in the fanbase about the Gamecocks’ situational hitting. They left 12 runners on base Saturday and 10 on Sunday, a day they managed just five hits. After Sunday’s game, Mark Kingston said it’s too early to worry about their performance with runners in scoring position. He’s right, largely because South Carolina’s offense is not going to hit .264/.450/.448 all season. All-American Cole Messina (.179/.313/.436, 3 HR) and veterans Gavin Casas (.192/.432/.423) and Parker Noland (.184/.367/.316) have been slow out of the gate. Get them going and you’re not going to be worried about situational hitting.
7. Florida, yet again, won its rivalry series against Miami. After splitting the first two games of the weekend, the Gators defeated the Hurricanes, 8-4, on Sunday behind a career day from Jac Caglianone. The All-American struck out 11 batters in six scoreless innings and went 3-for-5 with a home run. His was one of five home runs Florida hit on the day, including two from shortstop Colby Shelton.
It feels like Groundhog Day comes to Florida a month later than the rest of the country. Every year now, the Gators take care of business against the Hurricanes. This weekend’s series win marked the ninth time in the last 10 years that Florida (8-3) has won the rivalry series. The lone exception was in 2021, when the series was moved to Opening Weekend to accommodate the ACC’s pandemic-altered schedule and the Hurricanes opened the season by winning the series in Gainesville. Under coach Kevin O’Sullivan, Florida is a remarkable 41-18 against Miami.
8. I don’t want to make too much out of the series for Miami (6-5). As illustrated above, beating the Gators is a longstanding issue for the Hurricanes. This year’s Gators, with legitimate national championship aspirations and the Player of the Year favorite, are not necessarily the right measuring stick.
But that is a significant problem for Miami and first-year head coach J.D. Arteaga. Miami used to control the rivalry. But somewhere over the last 15 years, that flipped in a big way. Florida, under O’Sullivan, has done this to a lot of rivals. It’s now one of the best handful of programs in the country. If you’re not operating at an elite level, keeping up with the Gators is going to be tough. And Miami isn’t there. It’s missed the tournament as many times in the last 15 years as it’s been to the College World Series (twice).
There are a lot of reasons Miami now finds itself in this position and there won’t be any shortcuts in its path back to an elite level. But the Hurricanes will have to make those evaluations and alterations later; right now they have to prepare for the start of ACC play and Virginia and North Carolina coming to Mark Light Field in the next two weeks. If they can’t move on from this weekend’s disappointments quickly, they’ll soon find themselves buried behind the eight ball.
9. Dallas Baptist won the Frisco Classic, taking down Alabama, 7-5 in 12 innings, in the de facto championship game. The Patriots (10-1) went 3-1 on the week, beating Oklahoma State, 14-4 in seven innings, on Tuesday before going 2-1 in Frisco.
Catcher Grant Jay was the hero Sunday, homering twice, including a go-ahead blast in the 12th inning. Both home runs measured more than 450 feet. He is hitting .409/.500/.932 with a team-high six home runs. Jay last season was a Freshman All-American and he’s picked right up where he left off as one of the driving forces of the Patriots’ powerful offense.
10. Indiana had a tough week. The Hoosiers on Tuesday lost at home to Purdue Fort Wayne, which last year went 13-43 and finished No. 276 in RPI. IU then went to the Frisco Classic where it was run-ruled by Alabama and Arizona, with those losses sandwiching a 9-7 victory against DBU. As a result, the Hoosiers (7-4) fell out of the Top 25.
Unless the Mastodons are a lot better this year, that loss will stay with the Hoosiers all season long. But, on its own, it’s not disqualifying from anything. Coastal Carolina last year hosted a regional and it had a loss to a sub-200 RPI team on its resume. Unlike in basketball, a single loss in quadrant four is not going to be held over your head by the selection committee.
What happened in Frisco wasn’t good, but it also isn’t worth panicking over. IU has been away from home for three straight weekends and this weekend faced a tough slate with three potential NCAA Tournament teams.
Coach Jeff Mercer noted that last year, in this same weekend, IU went 1-2 in similar fashion at the Keith LeClair Classic in Greenville, N.C. The Hoosiers went on to win 43 games, finish second in the Big Ten and reach the Lexington Regional final.
“You always want to win, but when you go play really good teams on the road, especially on extended road trips, you know that getting your butt kicked is always an option,” he said. “You’re playing really good teams; you’re playing three postseason teams. You come out with a win, you learn a lot and you pick up and move on.”
IU now has an extended run at home, though it won’t be easy this weekend with Troy (10-3) coming to Kauffman Field.
11. Florida State swept through the First Pitch Invitational in Greenville, S.C., to improve to 10-0. The Seminoles beat Illinois, Michigan State and Western Michigan and this week enter the Top 25.
Florida State is 10-0 for the first time since 2019 and the 13th time in program history. The competition has not been elite—its only opponent with a winning record this season is 6-5 Western Michigan—but it has left little doubt, outscoring its opponents, 113-38. The tougher tests lie ahead but for a team that went 23-31 a year ago, simply building this early season confidence is important.
12. UC Irvine (9-0) stayed undefeated as it swept through the Dodger Stadium Classic, capped a 5-2 victory Sunday against UCLA in Chavez Ravine. The Anteaters are off to their best start to a season in the 21st century.
The key to UCI’s season was always going to be finding the right combination on the mound behind ace Nick Pinto (3-0, 2.08), who on Friday won his 20th career game. The Anteaters have made some progress on that front, with Ricky Tibbett (0-0, 2.35, 3 SV) emerging as their closer and lefthander Ricky Ojeda (1-0, 0.00) and righthander David Utagawa (0-0, 2.16) becoming key relievers. Righthanders Riley Kelly (0-0, 5.68) and Trevor Hansen (1-0, 4.26) have gotten the nod as starters, and they’re finding their way. There’s room for further progress on the mound, but with its deep, veteran lineup, this might be good enough to carry UCI.
13. Of the five remaining undefeated teams, Louisiana Tech (11-0) is the most surprising. It was reasonable to expect a bounce back after the Bulldogs went an uncharacteristic 28-31 in 2023, but this start has been above and beyond. LaTech this weekend swept through the Battle at the Ballpark in Sugar Land, Texas, defeating Army (4-0), Creighton (12-0, seven innings) and Air Force (8-5).
Things get tougher from here for LaTech. It this week hosts Xavier (6-5) for two midweek games before welcoming in Southern Miss (8-4) on the weekend. That should be an especially rowdy weekend at the Love Shack, as the Bulldogs and Golden Eagles were contentious rivals prior to Southern Miss leaving Conference USA for the Sun Belt. The stakes won’t be as high this weekend, but both teams will have plenty of motivation.
14. Texas A&M (11-0) is the fifth undefeated team, and this weekend passed an important test. After playing its first eight games at home against overmatched low-major competition, it this weekend made the trip to Arlington, Texas, to take on Arizona State (twice) and Southern California at Globe Life Field.
The Aggies handled the Pac-12 competition with ease. They never trailed the Sun Devils in 4-0 and 10-5 wins, which sandwiched a 9-3 victory against USC. A&M is simply going about its business and very much looks the part of an Omaha contender.
15. Southern Miss (8-4) won a key series against Indiana State and is building a solid early season resume. The Golden Eagles held the Sycamores to three runs in the first two games of the series (both wins) before a 12-5 loss in the finale. If Southern Miss had swept—or just avoided a 6-5 loss in 10 innings Tuesday against Nicholls State—it might be in the Top 25 this week.
While that probably isn’t what Southern Miss fans want to hear, they can take heart in the way the Golden Eagles are pitching. Niko Mazza (2-0, 1.96) and Billy Oldham (2-0, 3.00) have been excellent in the rotation, while Colby Allen (1-0, 1.42, 1 SV) and JB Middleton (0-0, 0.00, 1 SV) have been just as good in relief. Unsurprisingly, things are looking great on the mound in Christian Ostrander’s first season as head coach.
Eight for Omaha
Arkansas, Florida, LSU, Oregon State, Tennessee, TCU, Virginia, Wake Forest
In each of the last two weeks, I’ve said that Tennessee was just outside my Omaha field. Well, after Texas’ no good, very bad weekend in Houston, the Volunteers are on the outside no more. The competition has not been great since Tennessee returned from Opening Weekend in Arlington, Texas, but it has done what you’d want it to do against overmatched opponents, going 9-0 and outscoring them 105-25.
Looking Ahead
ACC play begins with a showdown between No. 1 Wake Forest and No. 12 Duke. The conference slate opens with a few intriguing series (can I interest you in No. 8 Virginia at Miami or 8-1 Pitt at No. 16 North Carolina?) and a marquee matchup in Winston-Salem. Both the Blue Devils (10-1) and Demon Deacons (10-1) are off to strong starts and bring high-end pitching into this matchup. Friday’s game between Duke lefthander Jonathan Santucci and Wake lefthander Josh Hartle should be a highlight.
No. 23 Texas visits No. 14 Texas Tech to kick off Big 12 play. This is likely to be the final time the Longhorns visit Lubbock for a weekend series—at least for a long time—as Texas will next season leave the Big 12 for the SEC. This has been a fantastic rivalry over the years and this weekend should be no different. Beyond all that off-field intrigue, this should be a very interesting on-field matchup. Texas (7-4) is coming off a weekend to forget at Minute Maid Park and Texas Tech (9-2) hasn’t been tested in the last couple weeks. Both teams have something to prove this weekend.
Cal, UCLA meet to open Pac-12 play. These two in-state foes might also be meeting for a weekend series for the last time for a while, as UCLA will next year join the Big Ten and Cal will head for the ACC. There’s less acrimony in this series, so maybe the two programs will find a way to continue playing a series that dates to 1928 and is nearly even—UCLA holds a 187-185 edge. Regardless, this is an important series this spring. UCLA (5-5) has had mixed results early on, while Cal (7-3) is off to a solid start. These are both teams with legitimate NCAA Tournament aspirations and they could use a quality series win to start conference play.
