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How To Watch NCAA Baseball Top 25 Teams, Best Matchups & More This Weekend: Week 8

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Image credit: Vance Honeycutt (Brian Westerholt/Four Seam Images)

At this point last season, LSU and Wake Forest had established themselves as the clear-cut teams to beat in college baseball. This year, no team has really separated itself from the pack as the team to beat. Yes, Arkansas and its vaunted pitching staff have been the No. 1 team in the country for a few weeks now but—as we’ve seen week in and week out—any team could hand another a series loss. That type of volatility is reflected in our weekly Top 25, as each week there is plenty of movement.

Looking at this weekend, it isn’t the most loaded slate, but there are still—as always—a few series that stand out among the rest.

Additionally, here are some helpful links to aid your college baseball consumption this weekend…

No. 23 UC Santa Barbara (15-8, 4-2) at No. 14 UC Irvine (22-3, 8-1)

Even though there are a few ranked series in the ACC and SEC, this is the series that I’m most excited for this weekend. UC Irvine—who is off to its best start in program history—hosts newly-ranked UC Santa Barbara in what will be their biggest test of the season. The series not only has massive implications when it comes to the Big West standings, but also as it pertains to the Anteaters’ hosting aspirations. In looking at their schedule, this is their last chance to add a marquee series win to their resume, and it’s hard to envision them hosting without a series win this weekend. Additionally, UCI will more or less run away with the Big West should it take at least two of three games.

UCI is a deep, well-rounded club with weapons on both sides of the baseball. The offense is led by Anthony Martinez (.368/.469/.557)—who is one of the best pure hitters in the 2025 draft class—veteran outfielder and 2023 10th-round draft pick Caden Kendle (.452/.538/.679) and smooth shortstop Woody Hadeen (.380/.492/.440). It is a lineup that consistently strings together quality at-bats and wears out opposing pitching staffs over the course of the game.

On the mound, proven lefthander Nick Pinto (5-1, 1.91 ERA) has been a steady presence on Friday nights, while freshman Trevor Hansen (3-0, 4.45 ERA) has turned in a handful of strong starts. Head coach Ben Orloff has a bevy of weapons at his disposal in the bullpen as well, and the Anteaters have been able to put a stranglehold on close games to this point because of it. 

While the Gauchos have a few weapons on offense—like Aaron Parker (27-for-59), Brendan Durfee (.350/.444/.540) and Jessada Brown (.341/.415/.512)—their pitching staff is without a doubt the team’s biggest strength. On top of a deep rotation that features the likes of potential day one pick Matt Ager (2-2, 4.67 ERA), 2022 Big West freshman pitcher of the year Ryan Gallagher (2-0, 2.02 ERA) and lefty strike-thrower Mike Guttierez (4-0, 3.55 ERA). All three make for a difficult and unique look for opposing hitters.

Blue chip sophomore righthander Tyler Bremner (5-0, 2.76 ERA) and prized freshman Jackson Flora (0-1, 4.30 ERA) make for quite the one-two punch in relief, while a handful of other arms have also shown the ability to turn in a quality appearance when called upon.

I think this weekend that Santa Barbara will certainly win one game, but UCI’s depth will lead it to a series victory. If it can burn through Bremner and/or Flora early on, it will leave the Gauchos a little short-handed in the bullpen and its lineup will be able to take advantage. Should UCSB come away with a massive series win, it will likely be due in large part to its pitching staff.

How To Stream

Friday and Sunday’s games can each be streamed via ESPN+, while Saturday night’s game will be televised nationally on ESPN2.

No. 13 North Carolina (25-4, 10-2) at No. 12 Virginia (21-6, 7-5)

The best series in the ACC this weekend features a big-time matchup between the Tar Heels and Cavaliers. North Carolina is fresh off a statement sweep on the road of Wake Forest, while Virginia is looking to bounce back from last weekend’s series loss at Duke. I went in-depth last week on Virginia, and really nothing has changed. It is still a team whose high-powered offense—its .345 team average ranks second nationally—is by far its biggest strength, while there are plenty of questions still to be answered on the mound.

One point I did bring up last week that has become a bit more clear is what UVA was going to do as it pertained to its Sunday starter. It had trotted out a handful of faces to this point, but nobody was able to provide an iota of stability. However, sophomore righthander Kevin Jaxel in his last two starts—each of which have spanned five innings—has allowed just three earned runs to Pittsburgh and Duke, respectively. He won’t overwhelm you with velocity or stuff, but he is consistently around the strike zone and has recently shown a knack for staying off the barrel of opposing hitters.

Sidewinder Chase Hungate (2-0, 1.80 ERA) and Angelo Tonas (0-0, 2.93 ERA) have both been reliable options in the bullpen to this point, while sophomore righthander Jack O’Connor (0-1, 7.50 ERA) has continued to throw well since transitioning out of the rotation and into the bullpen. Should the pitching staff continue to iron itself out, it will only increase the team’s already-high ceiling.

For a team that is 25-4, North Carolina has flown pretty far under the radar to this point. That is partially because of its series loss at Miami a few weeks ago, but it has since won nine straight games. Last weekend’s sweep of Wake Forest—in which the offense scored 30 runs and walloped 14 home runs—was an emphatic statement. The Tar Heels became the first team to beat Chase Burns, hammering four home runs off of him in the process, and came back from multiple deficits on Easter Sunday.

The Heels were dealt a serious blow before the season, as it was announced veteran righthander Jake Knapp would be out for the season. Their rotation was already a question mark, but it became even more murky as it was looking like they would need to rely heavily on a pair of true freshmen. However, the duo of 17-year-old Jason DeCaro (1-0, 3.63 ERA) and Folger Boaz (3-1, 4.67 ERA) have risen to the occasion. On Sundays, veteran lefthander Shea Sprague (1-1, 4.55 ERA) has been a steady performer who can pitch deep into games.

UNC’s bullpen, for lack of better phrasing, has been nails. Matthew Matthijs (11-1, 2.60 ERA) has a nation-leading 11 wins, while the trio of Connor Bovair (0-0, 2.51 ERA), Dalton Pence (2-0, 1.25 ERA) and Kyle Percival (4-0, 1.38 ERA) make for a three-headed monster in the back end.

The area in which Carolina is particularly relentless is on offense. Its lineup is a melting pot of guys who can drive the baseball and spray line drives to all parts of the field. Freshman Gavin Gallaher (.400/.463/.631) has raked his way into an everyday role, junior outfielder Casey Cook (.375/.458/.667)—whose 43 RBIs lead the team—is on pace for a career year and Georgia transfer Parks Harber (.330/.414/.700)—who last weekend hit three home runs in one game—has established himself as a big-time middle-of-the-order bat. 

The fact that I have not even mentioned the absolute tool shed that is Vance Honeycutt (.288/.420/.577) is a testament to just how deep the lineup is. The star center fielder’s back of the baseball card won’t blow anyone away, but he will routinely flash his big-time hand speed and elite-level athleticism. The key for Honeycutt—as it has been all along—is finding a happy medium between cutting down on his swing-and-miss while not entirely sacrificing his power.

This weekend projects to be a heavyweight slugfest between two of the best lineups in the conference. The Cavaliers are 14-2 at home, but the Tar Heels have shown they have no problem going on the road and taking it to a team in their own yard. There will be haymakers thrown by both teams, and I fully expect this series to be decided on Saturday in a decisive game three.

How To Stream

Tonight’s game will be televised nationally on ACC Network, while both Friday and Saturday’s games can be streamed via ACC Network Extra.

Oklahoma (16-12, 7-2) at Oklahoma State (19-10, 5-4)

The Sooners travel to Stillwater this weekend for the last installment of Bedlam, where both teams are members of the Big 12. Oklahoma currently sits in first place in the conference with a record of 7-2, though its last two weekends have consisted of a series loss to West Virginia and being swept by Lamar. It is a talented team on paper, but its inconsistency has hurt it. Its lineup has five-to-six quality bats, led by outfielder John Spikerman (.394/.446/.535) and infielder Jackson Nicklaus (.385/.521/.582). In typical Oklahoma fashion, it is a lineup that won’t bombard you with home runs, but they really push the pace on opposing teams.

Friday starter Braden Davis (2-2, 5.56 ERA) is better than his numbers suggest, and he features a low-90s fastball with a plus changeup. Sophomore Kyson Witherspoon has been outstanding to the tune of a 1.41 ERA with 37 strikeouts across 32 innings. After logging most of his innings out of the bullpen, he figures to make the jump into the rotation at some point this season. The Sooners also boast a deep bullpen, which has helped them win a number of tight games.

In what is somewhat unique for Oklahoma State, it is a team that is heavily reliant on its pitching. Righthander Brian Holiday (2-1, 1.75 ERA) has been outstanding and has racked up 56 strikeouts against only eight walks across 51.1 innings. Lefthander Sam Garcia (3-3, 3.11 ERA) has also had plenty of success. Unlike in years past, the Cowboys have a plethora of reliable bullpen arms who can turn in a handful of quality innings at a time.

Their lineup, which has not been overwhelmingly impressive to this point, still has multiple big bats. The recent return of Nolan Schubart is not only a big (literally) addition in the impact department, but it also adds depth and length. Zach Ehrhard (.348/.441/.518) is a spark plug atop the lineup, who can impact the game in a myriad of ways, while star outfielder Carson Benge has an extremely exciting toolset.

This weekend comes down to which Oklahoma team shows up. Will it be the Top 25 team that swept TCU on the road? Or will it be the same team that last weekend got swept by Lamar? Regardless, this series has big implications both as it pertains to the hierarchy of the Big 12 and the tournament. If the Cowboys can come away with a series win, they all of a sudden will be on the cusp of the Top 25 and near—or at—the top of the conference standings.

How To Stream

The series gets underway tomorrow night at 7 p.m. ET and all three games can be streamed via ESPN+.

No. 11 Alabama (22-7, 4-5) at No. 18 Kentucky (24-4, 8-1)

Perhaps the most exciting SEC series this weekend will take place in Lexington, Ky., as No. 18 Kentucky hosts No. 11 Alabama. The Crimson Tide last weekend bounced back from a disappointing series sweep at Georgia with a key ranked series win over South Carolina, while the Wildcats picked up an emphatic road sweep over previously-ranked Mississippi. Kentucky’s 8-1 conference record—even though it has played a rather favorable schedule to this point—has it positioned atop the SEC East standings.

The Wildcats have a balanced lineup and each hitter one-through-nine can hurt you. Nick Lopez (.412/.459/.639) and Emilien Pitre (.333/.440/.556)—whose four home runs and 31 RBIs lead the team—are their two leading hitters, while Ryan Waldschmidt (.303/.491/.461), Ryan Nicholson (.266/.389/.494) and veteran Mitchell Daly (.260/.413/.425) have all been productive as well. Their pitching staff is deep, and as a unit, they are consistently around the strike zone and seldom hand out free bases to opposing teams. 

Mason Moore (6-0, 2.87 ERA) and Dominic Niman (5-2, 4.42 ERA) are a quality one-two punch in the rotation, while Johnny Hummel (2-0, 0.69 ERA), Robert Hogan (0-0, 2.19 ERA) and Cameron O’Brien (1-0, 2.92 ERA) are all reliable bullpen weapons. This is undoubtedly the “Bat Cats’” biggest test yet, but they have the personnel to rise to the occasion and potentially notch a big-time series win.

I talked about the Crimson Tide last week at-length, but they have since picked up a much-needed series win over South Carolina. Their lineup is a deep, extremely productive unit, and they also have a talented rotation that features likely day one draft choice Ben Hess (3-0, 5.59 ERA), well-traveled southpaw Greg Farone (3-0, 2.93 ERA) and Zane Adams (2-1, 4.12 ERA). Hess has been a bit inconsistent this spring, but if he can return to form and set the tone with a quality start on Friday night, it is hard to envision Alabama not coming away with a series win.

For as well as Kentucky has played up to this point, I give a slight edge this weekend to Alabama. Its lineup will by far be the best the Wildcats’ pitching staff has seen, and it is a unit that has performed well against high-level pitching. This projects to be a crisp, well-played series that I think will come down to an all-important rubber game on Sunday.

How To Stream

Both Friday and Saturday’s games can be found on SEC Network+, while Sunday’s finale will be broadcast nationally on SEC Network.

Other Notable Matchups
  • No. 3 Texas A&M (26-3, 6-3) at No. 15 South Carolina (21-8, 5-4)
  • No. 6 Vanderbilt (23-6, 6-3) at No. 25 LSU (20-10, 2-7): series begins tonight
  • No. 10 Dallas Baptist (24-4, 5-1) at Western Kentucky (19-10, 4-2)
  • Wake Forest (18-10, 4-8) at No. 17 Virginia Tech (21-5, 10-2)
  • Georgia (23-6, 4-5) at No. 19 Mississippi State (19-11, 4-5)
  • Kansas State (19-8, 6-3) at Central Florida (19-7, 6-6)
Prospect Watch: Where To Watch Baseball America’s Top 10 College Prospects (listed alphabetically)

1. Travis Bazzana, Oregon State

2. Chase Burns, Wake Forest (pitching on Saturday)

3. Jac Caglianone, Florida (pitching on Sunday)

4. Charlie Condon, Georgia

5. Vance Honeycutt, North Carolina (series begins tonight)

6. Seaver King, Wake Forest

7. Nick Kurtz, Wake Forest

8. Braden Montgomery, Texas A&M

9. Hagen Smith, Arkansas (pitching tonight at 7 p.m. ET on SEC Network)

10. JJ Wetherholt, West Virginia

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