Top 25 Showdowns

• No. 6 Arizona beat No. 8 Rice, 8-5, to split the two-game midweek series in Houston. Joey Rickard and Seth Mejias-Brean had three hits and two runs apiece to lead the Wildcats, who overcame an early 3-0 deficit in the middle innings and stormed ahead with five runs in the last two innings. Arizona got seven innings of two-hit relief from Konner Wade, Stephen Manthei and Mathew Troupe. Troupe gave up two runs in the ninth but struck out Michael Fuda with the bases loaded to end the game.

• No. 14 Miami won a road game at No. 19 Central Florida, 3-2. Steven Ewing (6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER) was solid in a no-decision, and the Hurricanes broke a 2-2 tie with an unearned run in the eighth. Ray Hanson (5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K) pitched well in a no-decision for the Knights, who fell to 0-4 in midweek games against Sunshine State powers Florida, Florida State and Miami.

Top 25 Upsets

• Brad Collins (3-for-4, 5 RBI) fell a single short of the cycle, leading Gardner-Webb's 14-hit assault in a 7-4 upset at No. 5 North Carolina. The Tar Heels rapped out 11 hits and drew nine walks but left a season-high 17 men on base, as their winning streak ended at six games.

• Texas-Pan American knocked off No. 10 Texas A&M, 5-2, in College Station. Chris Torres (2-for-4, 3 RBI, 2B) an 11-hit attack for the Broncs, while Colby McCasland (4.2 IP, 1 ER) and Jonathan Sa (4.1 IP, 1 ER) held the Aggies to just five hits. UTPA improved to 9-1, though five of its wins have come outside Division I play, and three others came against 2-13 Southern Utah. So it's fair to say this is a major upset. It was UTPA's first win against Texas A&M since 2002, breaking a string of nine consecutive losses.

• We ranked Utah Valley center fielder Jordy Hart as the top newcomer in the Great West Conference in our College Preview, and Arizona State fans can tell you why. Hart went 3-for-4 with three runs, five RBIs and a pair of triples in Utah Valley's 9-6 upset at No. 11 ASU. The Wolverines threw their ace, preseason Great West pitcher of the year Jeremy Gendlek (5.1 IP, 7 H, 6 ER), but they got great relief work from Josh Swenson (3.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R).

• Southeastern Louisiana completed a two-game midweek sweep of Mississippi State with a 5-1 win. Kaleb Manuel (4.1 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K) earned the win in relief for the Lions, who improved to 13-5 on the season.

Other Highlights

• No. 12 Mississippi out-slugged Louisville, 18-8, to split the two-game midweek series. Tanner Mathis (5-for-7, 3 R, RBI), Matt Snyder (3-for-4, 3 R, 5 RBI), Zach Kirksey (2-for-5, 3 R, 5 RBI) and Will Allen (4-for-4, 3 RBI) led the Rebels' 22-hit onslaught.

• Appalachian State jumped on No. 3 South Carolina for four runs in the first inning, but Gamecock pitching retired the next 23 ASU hitters en route to a 6-4 comeback win. Evan Marzilli's three-run double in the seventh put South Carolina ahead for good. Marzilli ended the game with a spectacular catch running into the wall in left-center field.

• No. 4 Arkansas completed a two-game midweek sweep of Gonzaga with a 5-3 win.

• Western Carolina knocked off Clemson, 8-4, in Cullowhee. The Catamounts out-hit the Tigers 14-7, as Jon Nadale (4 IP, 2 H, 0 R) picked up the win with strong relief work. WCU improved to 13-4, while Clemson fell to 6-8. The Tigers have lost four straight and six of their last eight.

• Kentucky beat Murray State, 2-1, to improve to 18-0 heading into its big showdown series against South Carolina. Freshman Chandler Shepherd (5.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R) was strong in a no-decision for the Wildcats, who did all their scoring on Cameron Flynn's two-run homer in the sixth.

• Indiana cooled off San Diego with a 7-6 win in 11 innings. The Toreros committed three errors, including one in the 11th that led to an unearned (and decisive) run. The Hoosiers mustered a split of the two-game midweek series to improve to 5-11, while USD fell to 14-5.

• Four Coastal Carolina pitchers held College of Charleston to four hits in a 5-1 win in Conway.

• Nick Hoover (7.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 K) shined in his first start since 2010, leading UC Irvine to a 6-0 win against Washington State.