What To Watch For This Weekend In College Baseball (3/25)

Image credit: Tennessee catcher Evan Russell (Photo courtesy of Tennessee Athletics Communications)

Top 25 Schedule

Rank	Team	Opponents (Fri., Sat., Sun.)	TV
1	Mississippi	(7) Tennessee	SEC Network+ (Fri., Sun.), SEC Network (Sat.)
2	Oregon State	at California	Pac-12 Network Plus
3	Texas	at (23) Texas Tech	ESPN+
4	Virginia	at Wake Forest	ACC Network Extra
5	Vanderbilt	at South Carolina (Thurs.-Sat.)	SEC Network+ (Fri., Sat.)
6	Arkansas	at Missouri	SEC Network+ (Fri., Sun.), SEC Network (Sat.)
7	Tennessee	at (1) Mississippi	SEC Network+ (Fri., Sun.), SEC Network (Sat.)
8	Florida State	Duke	ACC Network (Fri.), ACC Network Extra (Sat., Sun.)
9	Florida	Louisiana State	SEC Network (Fri.), SEC Network+ (Sat., Sun.)
10	Oklahoma State	Kansas	ESPN+ (Fri.), OkState.com (Sat., Sun.)
11	Notre Dame	Virginia Tech	ACC Network Extra (Fri., Sat.), ACC Network (Sun.)
12	Arizona	UCLA	Pac-12 Network+
13	Liberty	Stetson	ESPN+
14	North Carolina	at (24) Miami	ACC Network Extra
15	Louisville	at Boston College	ACC Network Extra
16	Georgia Tech	at North Carolina State	ACC Network Extra (Fri., Sun.), ACC Network (Sat.)
17	Georgia	at Kentucky	SEC Network+ (Fri., Sat.), SEC Network (Sun.)
18	Stanford	Washington State	Pac-12 Network+
19	Gonzaga	at Brigham Young	BYUtv
20	Clemson	at Pittsburgh	ACC Network Extra
21	Maryland	at Dallas Baptist	PatriotBroadcastingNetwork.com
22	Texas State	Coastal Carolina	ESPN+
23	Texas Tech	(3) Texas	ESPN+
24	Miami	(14) North Carolina	ACC Network Extra
25	Old Dominion	Charlotte	CUSA.TV

What To Watch

(7) Tennessee at (1) Mississippi
Stream on SEC Network+ on Friday and Sunday, watch on SEC Network on Saturday.

This is the first series this season to pit top-10 teams against each other. Tennessee (20-1, 3-0) enters the weekend on a 12-game winning streak, the second-longest in the nation. Ole Miss (16-4, 2-1) this week climbed to No. 1 for the first time this season and just the second time in program history. This weekend features two of the best offenses in the country. The Volunteers lead the nation in home runs (59) and rank second in scoring (11.4 runs per game), while the Rebels rank eighth in scoring (9.8 runs per game) and 20th in home runs (32). Third baseman Trey Lipscomb (.390/.451/.870, 9 HR) has paced the Tennessee offense this season, while shortstop Jacob Gonzalez (.323/.523/.694, 5 HR) has gotten red hot for Ole Miss. Tennessee’s power has grabbed the early headlines, but the Vols’ pitching staff has been excellent as well, with the new-look rotation of righthanders Chase Burns (4-0, 0.67), Chase Dollander (3-0, 3.38) and Drew Beam (4-0, 1.09) leading the way. This weekend will be a big test for that trio—which is made up of two freshmen and a sophomore—as it not only will face the best offense it’s seen so far this season, but also face an SEC road series for the first time. Ole Miss has not been as strong on the mound and last weekend gave up 27 runs at Auburn. This series figures to hinge on which team’s pitching staff is better able to contain the opposition’s powerful offense.

(2) Texas at (23) Texas Tech
Stream on ESPN+.

After a soft opening with just one conference series on last weekend’s slate, Big 12 conference play begins in earnest this weekend and serves up a blockbuster. Texas (18-5) and Texas Tech (18-4) have combined to win the last five Big 12 titles and this weekend’s winner will have an early edge in that race. This series promises an exciting matchup between the Texas Tech offense, which averages 9.5 runs per game and is led by All-American second baseman Jace Jung (.388/.538/.650, 4 HR), and the Texas pitching staff, which ranks seventh in the nation with a 2.63 team ERA and has impressive depth from the starters to the bullpen. It’s still just late March, but there’s a lot at stake in Lubbock this weekend.

(4) Virginia at Wake Forest
Stream on ACC Network Extra.

Two of the best offenses in the country will this weekend converge in Winston-Salem, N.C. Virginia (20-1, 5-1) is off to the best start in program history thanks in part to its powerful lineup, which leads the nation in scoring (12 runs per game). First baseman Jake Gelof (.472/.548/.1.194, 13 HR) leads the nation in home runs and has been one of the biggest breakout stars of the season. Wake Forest (17-4, 3-3) is back to its Rake Forest identity, as it ranks fifth in the country in scoring (10.5 runs per game). These teams are more than just big boppers, however. Friday night’s pitching matchup of Cavaliers lefthander Nate Savino (3-0, 1.88) and Demon Deacons righthander Rhett Lowder (5-0, 2.22) could well spoil the offensive fireworks.

(14) North Carolina at (24) Miami
Stream on ACC Network Extra.

This is an ACC Coastal Division showdown, as the Tar Heels (18-3, 5-1) head south to take on the Hurricanes (14-6, 4-2). UNC has raced out to an impressive start to the season thanks in large part to its pitching staff, which ranks second nationally in team ERA (2.07). While the Tar Heels’ starters have been solid, their bullpen work really stands out, led by closer Caden O’Brien (1-0, 0.00, 4 SV). Miami is coming off a series win at Clemson, but it faces a tough test back home this weekend. The Hurricanes will look for another strong weekend from their rotation, led by lefthander Carson Palmquist (4-1, 3.91).

(21) Maryland at Dallas Baptist
Stream on PatriotBroadcastingNetwork.com.

While most teams are done with non-conference series, this weekend produces a premium matchup as Maryland (17-3) travels to DBU (13-7). The Terrapins have emerged as the Big Ten favorites, while the Patriots are again the Missouri Valley Conference favorites—and enter the weekend ranked No. 1 in RPI. It’s early, but if both teams live up to their early season promise this series could have a big impact on the hosting race. For now, however, it should be a good matchup on the mound. The Terrapins (3.68) and the Patriots (3.69) rank No. 38 and No. 39 nationally in ERA. A Friday night showdown between Maryland righthander Nick Dean (2-0, 3.09) and DBU righthander Jacob Meador (4-0, 1.35) figures to be excellent.