What To Watch For This Weekend In College Baseball (4/8)

Image credit: Virginia OF Chris Newell celebrates (Photo courtesy of Virginia)

Top 25 Schedule

Rank	Team	Opponents (Fri., Sat., Sun.)	TV
1	Tennessee	Missouri	SEC Network+ (Fri.,Sun.), SEC Network (Sat.)
2	Virginia	at (9) Miami	ACC Network (Fri.), ACC Network Extra (Sat., Sun.)
3	Arkansas	at Florida (Thurs.-Sat.)	SEC Network+ (Fri., Sat.)
4	Oklahoma State	Oklahoma	ESPN+ (Fri., Sun.), ESPNU (Sat.)
5	Texas Tech	Kansas State	ESPN+
6	Oregon State	at Southern California	Pac-12 Network+
7	Mississippi	Alabama	SEC Network+ (Fri., Sat.), SEC Network (Sun.)
8	Texas	Texas Christian	Longhorn Network (Fri.), ESPNU (Sat., Sun.)
9	Miami	(2) Virginia	ACC Network (Fri.), ACC Network Extra (Sat., Sun.)
10	Arizona	Washington State	Pac-12 Network+
11	Louisville	(20) North Carolina	ACC Network Extra
12	Notre Dame	Clemson	ACC Network Extra
13	Florida State	at Georgia Tech	ACC Network Extra (Fri., Sat.), ACC Network (Sun.)
14	Stanford	Arizona State	Pac-12 Network+
15	Gonzaga	at San Francisco	WCC Network
16	Texas State	Georgia Southern	ESPN+
17	Georgia	at South Carolina	SEC Network+ (Fri., Sat.), SEC Network (Sun.)
18	UCLA	at Utah	Pac-12 Network+
19	Vanderbilt	at (25) Auburn	SEC Network+
20	North Carolina	at (11) Louisville	ACC Network Extra
21	Dallas Baptist	Missouri State	PatriotBroadcastingNetwork.com
22	Southern Mississippi	at Charlotte	ESPN+
23	Oregon	Ball State	Pac-12 Network+
24	Maryland	at Minnesota	Big Ten Network+ (Fri., Sat.), Big Ten Network (Sun.)
25	Auburn	(19) Vanderbilt	SEC Network+

What To Watch

(2) Virginia at (9) Miami
Watch on ACC Network on Friday. Stream on ACC Network Extra on Saturday and Sunday.

Virginia and Miami are set for a top-10 showdown this weekend at Mark Light Field that will also have weighty implications on the ACC title race. The Hurricanes (23-6, 10-2) hold a one-game edge on the Cavaliers (26-3, 9-3) in the ACC Coastal standings and has a 10-game winning streak. Virginia has been one of the best teams in the country all season long and leads the nation in scoring (11.0 runs per game). Virginia’s lineup is led by Jake Gelof (.437/.534/.981, 14 HR), who leads the nation in home runs and slugging percentage, but the Cavaliers are not a one-dimensional team. They also have impressed on the mound and rank fourth national in team ERA (2.84). Slowing down them down will be no easy task for the Hurricanes, though they have star power of their own. Starters Carson Palmquist (5-1, 3.22) and Karson Ligon (4-1, 1.45) and closer Andrew Walters (0-0, 0.00, 9 SV) have been excellent, and Miami will need another big weekend from them against Virginia. Both teams are playing with confidence and should put on a thrilling series.

Oklahoma at (4) Oklahoma State
Stream on ESPN+ on Friday and Sunday. Watch on ESPNU on Saturday.

One of college baseball’s best rivalries will be renewed this weekend in Stillwater. This is the first time since 1989 that the series will be played all in one on-campus stadium. For the last 30 years, the series has moved around the state, mostly between the minor league stadiums in Tulsa and Oklahoma City, but now resumes a normal series format. The two teams played last Tuesday in Tulsa, with Oklahoma coming away with a walk-off, 7-6 victory. If that game is any indication of what to expect this weekend, fans could be in for a real treat. The Cowboys (21-8, 5-1) have won their first two Big 12 series, but the Sooners (17-10, 3-3) will be their biggest challenge in perhaps a month. The Sooners are coming off a tough series loss against Texas in Arlington, Texas, which saw them blow a six-run lead in the final three innings of Sunday’s rubber game. Oklahoma will be eager not to lose a rivalry series for the second straight week. The matchup Friday night between Sooners lefthander Jake Bennett (2-1, 2.09) and Cowboys righthander Justin Campbell (4-1, 3.05) promises to be one of the best of the day.

Texas Christian at (8) Texas
Watch on Longhorn Network on Friday, ESPNU on Saturday and Sunday.

In another premium Big 12 matchup, TCU (20-9, 6-3) makes the quick trip down I-35 to Disch-Falk Field to take on Texas (22-9. 3-3). The Horned Frogs won their first two Big 12 series before dropping a tough one last weekend against West Virginia. This, however, is their first crack at one of the other teams that are expected to challenge for the conference title and their toughest test so far this season. The Longhorns are coming off a hard-fought series win in Arlington against Oklahoma. This is their first home Big 12 series and just their second weekend at home since February. Texas has been led offensively this season by the veteran duo of Ivan Melendez (.400/.533/.852, 13 HR) and Murphy Stehly (.456/.496/.792, 9 HR) and slowing them down will be critical for TCU. The Horned Frogs will look for righthander Riley Cornelio (3-1, 3.10) to get them off to a strong start to the weekend Friday night.

(20) North Carolina at (11) Louisville
Stream on ACC Network Extra.

This series might have had nearly as much anticipation as Virginia’s showdown at Miami had both North Carolina (20-9, 6-6) and Louisville (21-7. 7-2) not lost series last weekend. As it is, it is still a Top 25 matchup and one that figures to have plenty of implications for the ACC race. After racing out to a 16-2 start, the Tar Heels have lost seven of their last 11 games and are just 1-5 in their last two ACC series (at Miami, vs. Virginia Tech). Now, they face a trip to Jim Patterson Stadium, where Louisville is 15-3 this season. The Cardinals are coming off a series loss at Pittsburgh but remain atop the ACC Atlantic Division. UNC will be eager to break out of their mid-season swoon and Louisville will want to avoid back-to-back ACC series losses, adding a little extra juice to the weekend.

(19) Vanderbilt at (25) Auburn
Stream on SEC Network+.

This is one of the most intriguing matchups of the weekend. Vanderbilt (21-7, 4-5) heads to The Plains after losing five straight SEC games, while Auburn (20-9, 5-4) returns home after winning back-to-back SEC series on the road. The Commodores began SEC play with a sweep of Missouri but lost the following series at South Carolina and then were swept last weekend by No. 1 Tennessee, suffering back-to-back SEC series losses for the first time since 2018. All of that has raised the stakes for this weekend, as Vanderbilt look to end the skid. Auburn is coming off series wins at Texas A&M and Louisiana State and only No. 1 Tennessee and No. 3 Arkansas have more SEC wins through three weeks of conference plan than the Tigers. Slugger Sonny DiChiara (.457/.607/.901, 8 HR) has been one of the best hitters in the country this season, and he’ll lead the Tigers into this weekend. This series will be an important measuring stick for both teams – Vanderbilt as it tries to get back on track after a couple tough weekends and Auburn as it looks to prove itself after a tough 2021 that saw it finish 25-27, 10-20.