Top 25 Tracker (April 3)
SEE ALSO: Top 25
Top 25 Tracker, powered by Louisville Slugger, recaps last week’s action and looks ahead to this week.
1. Oregon State
Last Week: 4-0
Overall: 24-1, 9-0 in Pac-12 (6-0 vs. Top 25)
Weekend Series: 5-0
No team in the country is hotter than the Beavers, who have won 19 straight games and went undefeated in the month of March. With a sweep at Stanford, Oregon State became the first team to open Pac-12 play 9-0 since the conference eliminated its division format in 1999. The Beavers now have back-to-back sweeps against opponents ranked in the Top 15, after sweeping then-No. 9 Arizona the weekend before.
Results:
March 28: @ Saint Mary’s: W 4-3
March 31-April 2: @ (15) Stanford: W 3-1, W 15-7, W 7-0
Upcoming:
April 4: @Portland
April 7-9: Utah
2. Louisville
Last Week: 3-1
Overall: 24-3, 10-2 in ACC (3-1 vs. Top 25)
Weekend Series: 6-0
The Cardinals have opened ACC play with three straight series wins, with their toughest test coming this past weekend at Virginia. The Cavaliers very nearly won the series before Louisville rallied for two runs in the eighth inning against closer Tommy Doyle. Junior Brendan McKay again starred for the Cardinals, throwing six strong innings and hitting the go-ahead home run in Friday’s opener.
Results:
March 28: Western Kentucky: W 11-1
March 31-April 2: @ (19) Virginia: W 5-2, L 11-2, W 4-3
Upcoming:
April 4: (13) Kentucky
April 7-9: (17) Wake Forest
3. Texas Christian
Last Week: 5-0
Overall: 22-5, 8-1 in Big 12 (6-0 vs. Top 25)
Weekend Series: 5-1
Kansas State gave the No. 3 team in the country a stiff challenge this weekend, as the Wildcats and Horned Frogs tangled into extras in the first two games of the series. The Horned Frogs’ bats came alive in the series finale, however, with second baseman Cam Warner hitting a grand slam. TCU has won eight in a row.
Results:
March 28-29: Texas-Rio Grande Valley: W 10-2, W 18-2 (7)
March 31-April 2: @ Kansas State: W 5-0 (11), W 1-0 (10), W 12-4
Upcoming:
April 4: @ Texas-Arlington
April 7-9: Murray State
4. North Carolina
Last Week: 4-0
Overall: 22-6, 9-3 in ACC (6-1 vs. Top 25)
Weekend Series: 6-1
The Tar Heels swept then-No. 12 Florida State for the first time ever in Tallahassee, rallying late in both Saturday’s and Sunday’s games to finish it off. UNC has been on a tear, fueled by its one-two punch of J.B. Bukauskas and Luca Dalatri at the top of the rotation. The Tar Heels are still trying to settle on a Sunday starter, but that hasn’t inhibited them to this point.
Results:
March 28: Coastal Carolina: W 7-6
March 31-April 2: @ (12) Florida State: W 3-1, W 5-2 (11), W 9-7
Upcoming:
April 4: East Carolina
April 7-9: @ Boston College
5. Clemson
Last Week: 4-1
Overall: 24-5, 10-2 in ACC (4-2 vs. Top 25)
Weekend Series: 6-1
The Tigers haven’t blinked since losing their season-opening series to Wright State in February. Clemson has lost only three games since then, winning every weekend series. In an ACC matchup of two high-powered offenses, the Tigers out-muscled the Yellow Jackets, taking two of three in a high-scoring series.
Results:
March 28: Furman: W 8-0
March 29: Winthrop: W 6-5 (11)
March 31-April 2: @ Georgia Tech: W 11-6, L 5-1, W 13-6
Upcoming:
April 4: @ Georgia
April 7-9: Virginia Tech
6. Texas Tech
Last Week: 3-2
Overall: 25-6, 4-2 in Big 12 (4-3 vs. Top 25)
Weekend Series: 4-1
The Red Raiders were putting together nearly a flawless season before this weekend, heading to Norman, Okla., on the heels of 10 straight wins. Texas Tech stumbled for the first time, dropping the series to the Sooners—although it’s worth noting the Red Raiders were without ace Davis Martin. The Raiders will try to get back on track when they host Baylor.
Results:
March 28-29: Texas Southern: W 8-4, W 14-7
March 31-April 2: @ (17) Oklahoma: L 6-2, W 9-4, L 5-4
Upcoming:
April 4: @ New Mexico State
April 7-9: Baylor
7. Auburn
Last Week: 3-1
Overall: 23-7, 7-2 in SEC (5-1 vs. Top 25)
Weekend Series: 7-0
Down to its last out Sunday, Auburn stunned South Carolina with freshman Conor Davis’ walk-off, three-run home run to win the series. It was the Tigers’ first home series win against the Gamecocks since 1996. Auburn has already matched its win total from last season and is tied for first place in the SEC West after three weeks of conference play.
Results:
March 28: vs. Alabama @ Montgomery, Ala.: W 4-3
March 31-April 2: (6) South Carolina: W 5-4, L 7-0, W 6-5
Upcoming:
April 4: Georgia Tech
April 7-9: @ Texas A&M
8. Florida
Last Week: 4-0
Overall: 20-9, 5-4 in SEC (3-2 vs. Top 25)
Weekend Series: 6-1
After opening SEC play with a sweep at the hands of Auburn, the Gators have seemingly righted the ship, putting together consecutive series wins against Louisiana State and Missouri. The Gators are still having a difficult time stringing together runs, but their talented pitching staff fronted by Alex Faedo has been enough to power the Gators to victory.
Results:
March 28: (12) Florida State @ Jacksonville: W 4-1
March 31-April 2: @ Missouri: W 4-3, W 2-1, W 2-1
Upcoming:
April 4: Stetson
April 7-9: Tennessee
9. Oklahoma
Last Week: 2-1
Overall: 25-6, 4-2 in Big 12 (6-4 vs. Top 25)
Weekend Series: 6-0
Oklahoma continued its strong start to the season with its biggest series win yet. Kyle Mendenhall led off the ninth inning of Sunday’s series finale against Texas Tech with a walk-off home run to clinch the series. The Sooners became the first team this season to win a series against the Red Raiders and have opened Big 12 play with back-to-back series wins against ranked opponents. Oklahoma will try to extend that streak this weekend against rival Texas.
Results:
March 31-April 2: (4) Texas Tech: W 6-2, L 9-4, W 5-4
Upcoming:
April 4: Oral Roberts
April 7-9: @ Texas
10. Arizona
Last Week: 4-0
Overall: 20-7, 5-4 in Pac-12 (1-5 vs. Top 25)
Weekend Series: 5-1
After running into the buzzsaw that is No. 1 Oregon State, the Wildcats quickly picked themselves back up, going 4-0 against Grand Canyon and Southern California and showcasing the potency of their offense. Freshman Nick Quintana continued to impress, hitting an inside-the-park home run Friday.
Results:
March 29: Grand Canyon: W 3-2
March 31-April 2: Southern California: W 9-4, W 5-1, W 8-1
Upcoming:
April 4: Arizona State
April 7-9: @ Washington State
11. South Carolina
Last Week: 2-2
Overall: 19-8, 6-3 in SEC (4-5 vs. Top 25)
Weekend Series: 5-2
The Gamecocks very nearly came away with a series win against Auburn and could have conceivably swept. They rallied late in Friday’s game to pull within one run, and they were leading with two outs in the ninth inning Sunday before Auburn’s Conor Davis hit a pinch-hit, three-run, walk-off bomb off of Josh Reagan.
Results:
March 28: @ The Citadel: W 15-1
March 31-April 2: @ (18) Auburn: L 5-4, W 7-0, L 6-5
Upcoming:
April 4: Furman
April 6-8: Vanderbilt
12. Cal State Fullerton
Last Week: 2-2
Overall: 17-10, 2-1 in Big West (3-1 vs. Top 25)
Weekend Series: 5-1-1
The Titans have been a tad streaky over the last couple of weeks, winning eight games in a row followed by a five-game losing streak. They snapped that losing streak in their first Big West series this weekend, beating UC Riverside in the final two games of the series and exploding for 15 runs on Sunday—their highest run total in a game this season.
Results:
March 28: @ UCLA: L 9-7
March 31-April 2: @ UC Riverside: L 3-2, W 6-1, W 15-2
Upcoming:
April 4: San Diego
April 7-9: UC Davis
13. Kentucky
Last Week: 3-1
Overall: 21-8, 7-2 in SEC (8-4 vs. Top 25)
Weekend Series: 5-1
Kentucky won its first two games of the weekend against Vanderbilt to claim the series for the first time since 2009. After three weeks of SEC play, the Wildcats are 7-2 and in first place in the East Division. Kentucky has another tough week on tap, starting Tuesday when it visits in-state rival Louisville.
Results:
March 28: Cincinnati: W 13-7
March 31-April 2: Vanderbilt: W 10-3, W 7-4, L 6-4
Upcoming:
April 4: @ (2) Louisville
April 7-9: @ (22) Mississippi State
14. St. John’s
Last Week: 3-0
Overall: 21-2, 0-0 in Big East (2-1 vs. Top 25)
Weekend Series: 3-0
Northeast weather has consistently interrupted the Red Storm this season, but St. John’s has taken care of business in the games that haven’t been washed away. That continued to be the case this week, as the Red Storm swept an abbreviated two-game series against Hofstra.
Results:
March 29: Wagner: W 6-2
April 1-2: @/vs. Hofstra: W 4-1, W 14-3
Upcoming:
April 4: Saint Peter’s
April 5: Columbia
April 7-9: @ Creighton
15. Louisiana State
Last Week: 1-3
Overall: 19-10, 5-4 in SEC (1-4 vs. Top 25)
Weekend Series: 3-2
The Tigers have begun SEC play off on the wrong foot, as they’ve dropped two of their three conference series, and it won’t get easier when they travel to Arkansas this weekend. LSU couldn’t take advantage of a dominant 12-strikeout outing from ace Alex Lange on Friday and allowed four runs in the ninth Sunday, blowing a three-run lead.
Results:
March 28: Tulane: L 7-6
March 30-April 1: Texas A&M: L 4-0, W 7-4, L 4-3
Upcoming:
April 4: Grambling State
April 7-9: @ (16) Arkansas
16. Arkansas
Last Week: 2-1
Overall: 22-6, 7-2 in SEC (2-3 vs. Top 25)
Weekend Series: 6-0
Arkansas has won its first three SEC series of the season for the first time since 2009 and is tied for first in the West Division. The Razorbacks continue to produce at the plate and are averaging 5.44 runs per game in conference play. Arkansas will face another tough test this weekend when Louisiana State visits Baum Stadium for a key SEC West series.
Results:
March 31-April 2: @ Alabama: W 7-1, L 7-1, W 8-5
Upcoming:
April 4-5: Grand Canyon
April 7-9: (15) Louisiana State
17. Wake Forest
Last Week: 3-1
Overall: 21-8, 8-4 in ACC (3-1 vs. Top 25)
Weekend Series: 5-0
Wake Forest continued its solid start in the ACC with a series win at Miami, its fourth straight to open conference play. The series win was just the Demon Deacons’ second ever against the Hurricanes, and was their first in Coral Gables. Wake Forest is off to its best start in the ACC since 2002, and will look to keep that going when it visits Louisville this weekend.
Results:
March 28: @ Appalachian State: W 5-4
March 31-April 2: @ Miami: W 2-1, L 5-1, W 9-0
Upcoming:
April 4-5: vs./@ Elon
April 7-9: @ (2) Louisville
18. Florida Gulf Coast
Last Week: 2-2
Overall: 24-5, 1-2 in A-Sun (3-0 vs. Top 25)
Weekend Series: 6-1
The Eagles struggled for the first time this season, losing two of three in a high-intensity series against Jacksonville. However, Florida Gulf Coast did win a midweek game against Miami and have gone 4-0 against traditional powers Florida, Florida State and Miami this season, with two more games against the Seminoles coming this week.
Results:
March 29: Miami: W 3-0
March 31-April 2: Jacksonville: W 4-0, L 10-5, L 5-2 (11)
Upcoming:
April 4-5: @ (24) Florida State
April 7-9: @ Stetson
19. Long Beach State
Last Week: 3-2
Overall: 16-11, 2-1 in Big West (6-2 vs. Top 25)
Weekend Series: 4-2
Beach bounced back from a loss at UC Santa Barbara on Friday to win the next two games and claim the series to open Big West play this season. The Dirtbags have won 10 of their last 13 games, only five of which have been played in the friendly confines of Blair Field. Beach returns home this week to face Southern California and UC Riverside.
Results:
March 27: @ California: W 3-1
March 28: @ (15) Stanford: L 7-3
March 31-April 2: @ UC Santa Barbara: L 3-2, W 9-3, W 5-2
Upcoming:
April 4: Southern California
April 7-9: UC Riverside
20. Stanford
Last Week: 1-3
Overall: 14-9, 2-4 in Pac-12 (1-5 vs. Top 25)
Weekend Series: 3-2-1
The Cardinal, like every other team that has faced Oregon State in the past month, was unable to find a way to beat the Beavers this weekend and were swept at home. However, Stanford did pick up a quality midweek win against Long Beach State, a team that is on the rise.
Results:
March 28: Long Beach State: W 7-3
March 31-April 2: (1) Oregon State:L 3-1, L 15-7, L 7-0
Upcoming
April 4: California
April 6-8: @ Southern California
21. Southern Miss
Last Week: 5-0
Overall: 24-5, 8-1 in CUSA (1-2 vs. Top 25)
Weekend Series: 5-1
Southern Miss put together a perfect week and has now won six straight games and 17 of its last 19. The Golden Eagles have won their first three Conference USA series and sit atop the league standings. Southern Miss continues to pound the baseball, and has 113 extra-base hits, including 44 home runs, in 29 games this season.
Results:
March 28: South Alabama: W 4-2
March 29: New Orleans: W 8-4
March 31-April 2: @ Western Kentucky: W 6-1, W 5-0, W 13-1
Upcoming:
April 4: vs. Mississippi @ Pearl, Miss.
April 7-9: Florida International
22. Mississippi State
Last Week: 4-0
Overall: 19-10, 6-3 in SEC (4-1 vs. Top 25)
Weekend Series: 2-2
Mississippi State has bounced back from an up-and-down first month of the season to win seven straight games, including a sweep at Mississippi last weekend. It was the Bulldogs first sweep of the Rebels in Oxford since 2003. Mississippi State has been led by first baseman Brent Rooker, who is hitting .422/.511/.890 and leads the SEC in all three categories.
Results:
March 28: @ Memphis: W 8-3
March 31-April 2: @ (20) Mississippi: W 4-3, W 5-3, W 2-1
Upcoming:
April 4-5: Florida International
April 7-9: (13) Kentucky
23. Virginia
Last Week: 2-2
Overall: 21-8, 5-7 in ACC (3-6 vs. Top 25)
Weekend Series: 2-3
Virginia has endured a brutal start to ACC play, facing North Carolina, Clemson and Louisville in the first four weeks of conference action. The Cavaliers won a game in each of those series, but were unable to claim any series wins. They came up just short this weekend against the Cardinals, losing a one-run game in Sunday’s series finale. Virginia will try to get back on track this weekend with five home games, including a series against PIttsburgh.
Results:
March 28: @ Virginia Commonwealth: W 4-2
March 31-April 2: (2) Louisville: L 5-2, W 11-2, L 4-3
Upcoming:
April 4: Old Dominion
April 5: George Washington
April 7-9: Pittsburgh
24. Florida State
Last Week: 0-4
Overall: 18-11, 6-6 in ACC (0-6 vs. Top 25)
Weekend Series: 5-2
First, the good news: freshman Drew Mendoza, one of the top hitters in his class, made his season debut Friday from a broken thumb. Now, the bad news: Florida State lost a midweek game to rival Florida, suffered its first-ever home sweep against the Tar Heels and lost its second ACC series. The Seminoles have been sliding down the Top 25 since opening the season at No. 2 and will look to rebound at North Carolina State this weekend.
Results:
March 28: (8) Florida @ Jacksonville, Fla.: L 4-1
March 31-April 2: (7) North Carolina: L 3-1, L 5-2 (11), L 9-7
Upcoming:
April 4-5: (18) Florida Gulf Coast
April 7-9: @ North Carolina State
25. Maryland
Last Week: 3-0
Overall: 18-8, 5-1 in Big Ten (3-6 vs. Top 25)
Weekend Series: 4-1
Maryland swept Rutgers, its fifth straight winning weekend, as it continued its impressive turnaround following a 1-5 start to the season. The Terrapins outscored the Scarlet Knights, 20-3, in the series. Maryland, which already has a series win against Michigan, will now face another team expected to contend for the Big Ten title as it travels to Nebraska this weekend.
Results:
April 1-2: @ Rutgers: W 5-1, W 6-1, W 9-1
Upcoming:
April 4: Richmond
April 7-9: @ Nebraska
DROPPED OUT
Mississippi
Last Week: 1-3
Overall: 16-12, 3-6 in SEC (3-2 vs. Top 25)
Weekend Series: 4-2
After a strong start to the season, Ole Miss has now lost back-to-back weekend series, including this weekend’s sweep at the hands of archrival Mississippi State. It was the first time the Bulldogs had swept the Rebels in Oxford since 2003. Ole Miss will look to get back on track this weekend when it hosts Alabama.
Results:
March 28: Arkansas-Little Rock: W 5-4 (10)
March 30-April 1: Mississippi State: L 4-3, L 5-3, L 2-1
Upcoming:
April 4: vs. (21) Southern Mississippi @ Pearl, Miss.
April 7-9: Alabama
Baylor
Last Week: 1-3
Overall: 19-9, 2-4 in Big 12 (3-3 vs. Top 25)
Weekend Series: 3-3
After starting the season 15-2, Baylor is just 4-7 in the last three weeks, including three straight series losses. The Bears had a tough trip to Washington last weekend, but won the series finale to snap a four-game losing streak. The schedule doesn’t let up this week, with a trip to Texas Tech on tap this weekend.
Results:
March 28: Texas-San Antonio: L 15-9
March 31-April 2: @ Washington: L 5-4, L 6-0, W 6-3
Upcoming:
April 5: Lamar
April 7-9: @ (6) Texas Tech
Houston
Last Week: 2-2
Overall: 20-7, 1-2 in American (3-3 vs. Top 25)
Weekend Series: 2-2-1
Houston carried an 11-game winning streak into the start of American Athletic Conference play, but was cooled off at Central Florida. The Cougars’ winning streak was snapped Friday, and they lost Sunday’s series finale to drop the first conference series of the year. Houston returns home for a big week, with a game against crosstown rival Rice on Tuesday, followed by a series against East Carolina, the preseason conference favorite.
Results:
March 28: Incarnate Word: W 8-1
March 31-April 2: @ Central Florida: L 5-2, W 3-1, L 6-1
Upcoming:
April 4: Rice
April 7-9: East Carolina
East Carolina
Last Week: 1-3
Overall: 18-11, 0-3 in American (0-0 vs. Top 25)
Weekend Series: 3-3
East Carolina stumbled out of the gate in conference play, as it was swept at home by Connecticut. The Pirates have now been swept three times in seven weekends this season, including twice at Clark-LeClair Stadium. ECU will have to bounce back quickly, as it hits the road to take on North Carolina on Tuesday and Houston for a critical conference series.
Results:
March 28: Liberty: W 8-6
March 31-April 2: Connecticut: L 3-2, L 3-2 (10), L 5-1
Upcoming:
April 4: @ (4) North Carolina
April 7-9: @ Houston
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