Off The Bat: Comfortable 'Canes; Georgia Bounces Back — College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects

Miami Comfortable Back On Top

DURHAM—Last week, for the first time since the end of the 2008 regular season, Miami rose to the top of the Top 25. For a school with Miami’s history, which includes four national championships, it is a familiar place.

Miami finished its first week at No. 1 with a 9-0 victory at Duke to clinch a series win, its sixth straight. After beating the Blue Devils, 14-2, Friday in the series opener, the Hurricanes lost, 12-5, Saturday. That loss ended their 12-game winning streak, which was bookended by blowout losses. Before Saturday, Miami’s last loss was a 14-3 setback at Virginia Tech on opening day of Atlantic Coast Conference play.

Coach Jim Morris said Miami (29-5) responded to the loss well.

“Duke’s got a very good program and they’re playing good, they’ve been playing really good lately,” he said. “To win at this place and win two out of three was a huge series for us.”

Catcher Zack Collins, who hit his eighth homer of the season in Sunday’s victory, said because the Hurricanes have been ranked in the top 10 all season, they have become accustomed to playing with a target on their back.

Collins said the No. 1 ranking has only given the Hurricanes more confidence, though they saw the downside of that this weekend.

“I think (Saturday) we kind of took it a little too far and came in with big heads and they proved it to us why we can’t do that,” he said. “We’ve just got to come out and play the game hard every day.”

More than a month of baseball remains before Selection Monday, when every coach hopes his team is peaking. But for Morris, who is in his 23rd season at Miami and won his 1,000th game at the school earlier this year, any week the Hurricanes are No. 1 is a good week.

“I’ve been there for a long time and it’s nice to be ranked No. 1, I can’t say it’s not,” Morris said. “For us to be top five, that’s where we want to be at the end of the year so you get every advantage for a regional and a super regional to get back to Omaha. That’s what it’s about for a program that’s been to Omaha 24 times. Those are the expectations of this program. Otherwise people are not happy.”

Georgia Bounces Back

Georgia charters flights to its road games, so the Bulldogs got back to campus from Texas A&M relatively quickly last weekend. But that doesn’t mean it was a particularly enjoyable flight after the Aggies outscored the Bulldogs 30-3 in a three-game sweep.

“It was a quick flight, but it was pretty quiet,” coach Scott Stricklin said. “Sunday evening into Monday was a tough couple of days. We had to bounce back quickly to play Georgia Tech on the road in a rivalry game Tuesday. I didn’t know how the team was going to respond.”

Georgia answered the challenge Tuesday in Atlanta, defeating Georgia Tech, 3-1. Stricklin said that victory gave the Bulldogs some momentum going into their series against South Carolina, which came into Athens ranked No. 5 in the country.

After dropping the first game of the series, 3-1, Georgia (20-17) won the last two games of the weekend, 13-4 on Saturday and 5-3 on Sunday, to win the series.

In Sunday’s game, the Bulldogs fell behind, 3-2, in the seventh. But they flexed their muscle, hitting three home runs over the next two innings to win the game. Mitchell Webb tied the game in the seventh, and Daniel Nichols and Stephen Wrenn gave Georgia the lead on back-to-back shots in the eighth off South Carolina closer Josh Reagan. The lefthander had allowed just one run in 18 appearances before Sunday, when Georgia dealt him his first loss.

The Bulldogs have hit 29 home runs this season, and 11 different players have homers. Stricklin said the depth of Georgia’s lineup showed this week.

“How we played this past week, that’s the team we thought we could be,” Stricklin said. “We struggled a bit offensively, and the numbers reflect that. Here lately, we’ve swung the bats better.”

With the series win against South Carolina (29-8), Georgia improved to 6-9 in the Southeastern Conference. At the midpoint of the conference slate, the Bulldogs are in position to qualify for the SEC Tournament, which they missed last season. They had also climbed up to No. 33 in the RPI according to WarrenNolan.com as of Sunday night, and, provided they finish the season above .500, should be in the mix for their first NCAA Tournament bid since 2011.

Stricklin is in his third year at Georgia and said he knew he was in for a rebuilding project, which isn’t easy to do in a conference as tough as the SEC. He also knows it isn’t easy to be patient while that process plays out.

“Quite honestly, Georgia should be in the postseason every year,” Stricklin said. “Just like everyone else, you wish it was a bit quicker, but it does take time.”

Cincinnati Continues To Grow Up

Cincinnati was one of the youngest teams in the country in 2015, relying on underclassmen in several key positions. That inexperience showed, as the Bearcats went 15-41, despite having Ian Happ, the ninth overall draft pick, in their lineup.

Having taken its lumps last year, the Bearcats are starting to see some of the payoff. Cincinnati defeated then-No. 24 Tulane, 7-4, on Sunday to win a series in New Orleans, its sixth straight winning weekend. It has started its American Athletic Conference slate with three straight series wins, and is in first place with a 6-3 record.

Cincinnati (18-19) has relied on pitching and defense all season, and did so again against Tulane (22-13). The Bearcats’ starting pitchers, led by righthander Andrew Zellner, held the Green Wave to three runs (two earned) in 17 2/3 innings.

“We’ve got some starting pitching on the weekend that we’re thinking is pretty special,” coach Ty Neal said. “I still to this day think this is one of the best defenses in the country as well. We compete at a pretty high level, manage the running game, things like that, and with the defense they have behind them, that’s why we’re in a position to win any game we play.”

Cincinnati remains young, with many of its regulars still freshmen and sophomores. Neal said when he and Tulane coach David Pierce exchanged lineups Saturday, Pierce joked that he hoped the Bearcats had been out late the night before celebrating their win on Bourbon Street.

“I gave him a touché, ‘Our guys aren’t old enough to drink yet,’” Neal said.

The Bearcats actually visited the French Quarter and Bourbon Street before Friday’s game. They did it during the afternoon and “didn’t do anything silly,” according to Neal. The visit was a part of Cincinnati’s effort to take in the experience of New Orleans. The team also visited the Ninth Ward, which was flooded during Hurricane Katrina. Cincinnati’s bus driver was one of many residents to lose his house in the flooding.

Neal took a similar trip in 2012 when he was an assistant coach at Indiana. He said he felt a responsibility to give his team the experience of seeing New Orleans’ history.

“That’s the experience that you get at UC and that college baseball presents to you,” he said. “That’s what’s unique about college baseball. Unlike any other sport, you’re there for a three-game series, so you can take advantage of the time. We owe it to the young men on the bus.”

Cincinnati has spent a fair amount of time on the road this season. It started the season with 12 games away from home—and took its lumps in those games. The Bearcats lost their first seven games and 11 of their first 12. The early-season schedule was ambitious—six of their first 12 games were against teams ranked in the Preseason Top 25—but Neal believes it prepared his young team for the challenges of AAC play.

The Bearcats have also played much better at home this year. After their 12-game trip to start the year, they reeled off 10 straight wins at Marge Schott Stadium, turning around their season.

It is still early, and more than half of the AAC schedule remains, including a trip to defending champion East Carolina. But Cincinnati last won a conference championship in 1995, when it was a member of the Greater Midwest Conference. It hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament since 1974. So it is understandable that Neal, who is in his third year at Cincinnati, said it “means everything” to be in first place.

“Everything we do program-wise is to winning a championship,” Neal said. “Everything we do on and off the field is to prepare for a championship. The program hasn’t been good for a long time, but every step we take is to prepare the team for a championship. It’s an expectation.”

Back To The Future

On the weekend Creighton honored the 25th anniversary of its 1991 College World Series team, this year’s Bluejays showed a little magic of their own.

Down to its last out Sunday against Butler, Creighton pushed two runs across to send the game into extra innings. It completed the comeback in the 10th, as Kevin Connolly delivered the game-winning RBI single and the Bluejays completed the sweep with a 4-3 victory. It was the third walkoff in a perfect 5-0 week for Creighton (25-7).

Despite the five-win week that included victories against Nebraska and South Dakota State in addition to the sweep of Butler, coach Ed Servais said Creighton did not play up to its level most of the week.

“Our theme and moto has been all year we have to continue to get better,” Servais said. “We didn’t play at level we’re capable of. The good news is we’re still finding ways to win. If we can play a little more like we’re capable of, this team is capable of having a big year.”

Creighton’s impressive play the first two months of the season have it at No. 32 in the RPI according to WarrenNolan.com and in first place in the Big East Conference at 5-1. The Bluejays are attempting to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012 and, while there is a lot of baseball left to be played, Servais said he thinks they are capable of doing so if they stay healthy and keep improving.

With the 1991 team in town to be inducted into the Creighton Athletics’ Hall of Fame, Servais was a little concerned about how his team would handle the pomp of the weekend. But the Bluejays came out with three more wins and a first-hand look at a special team.

Twenty-eight of the 31 members of the 1991 team were in town this weekend, as well as coach Jim Hendry. Servais said that team has a rare closeness that was apparent during the weekend.

“It’s been 25 years since they were together, and you’d never know they weren’t together a week ago,” he said. “They deserve anything that they’ve received. They’ve been very good to me, they’ve been very supportive of what we’re trying to do here, starting with Jim and trickling down to the other guys.”

Eight for Omaha

Florida, Louisville, Miami, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Texas A&M, Texas Christian, Vanderbilt

No changes to the field after all but Mississippi State and South Carolina won their series this weekend. Mississippi State has shown over the past month that it’s capable of beating anyone in the country, taking a series at Florida just a week ago. So, while getting swept at home is never a good look, I’ll keep them here. South Carolina slipped up at Georgia, when two of its best pitchers this year (Braden Webb and Josh Reagan) both proved they were mortal on the same weekend. The Gamecocks should be fine going forward.

Eye-Catchers

Five players or programs who stood out this weekend.

Fans: There were some outstanding crowds around the country, beginning Wednesday when 10,205 fans watched North Carolina beat South Carolina in Charlotte. Over the weekend, a total 33,896 fans attended the Mississippi State series, and Alabama sold out all three of its games against Mississippi.

Greg Kaiser, ss, IPFW: In a sweep at Western Illinois, Kaiser went 9-for-13 with five home runs, two doubles, nine runs and 10 RBIs. The Fort Wayne-native has hit 27 career home runs, moving this weekend into second place in Mastodons history.

Shane McCarthy, rhp, Seton Hall: McCarthy threw a perfect game Friday against Long Island-Brooklyn, requiring only 88 pitches in a 10-0 victory. The sophomore struck out eight batters and improved to 4-3, 2.64 this season. It was the first perfect game in program history and the second in the nation this year.

Matt Reardon, ss, Florida Gulf Coast: The sophomore extended his hitting streak to 28 games, the longest active streak in the country. Reardon went 6-for-13 and scored three runs, as Florida Gulf Coast swept New Jersey Tech. He is now hitting .400/.456/.467 in 29 games this season.

Texas A&M: The Aggies have been red hot the last two weeks, and extended their winning streak to seven games with a sweep at Mississippi State. Texas A&M has scored at least 10 runs in five straight conference games for the first time since 1987, outscoring opponents 55-17 in that stretch.

Looking Ahead

Three weekend series we’re most excited for:

(7) Mississippi State at (5) Louisiana State: For the third weekend in a row, Mississippi State (24-12-1) will face a top-five opponent. After getting swept by Texas A&M, the Bulldogs will be looking to bounce back on the Bayou. After losing their first two SEC series, the Tigers (25-11) have gotten back on track and will be looking for their fourth straight series victory.

(13) Rice at Southern Mississippi: Rice (24-11) and Southern Mississippi (27-10) enter the weekend tied for first place in Conference USA at 12-3. While Southern Miss’ series loss to Alabama-Birmingham this weekend dropped it out of the Top 25, the Golden Eagles will have a chance to prove how good they are the next two weekends, as they face Rice and No. 21 Florida Atlantic.

Army at Navy: At 29-10-1, Navy is the lone Patriot League team above .500 this season, while Army sits at 14-23. But that doesn’t dampen one of college sports’ premier rivalries. Navy leads the all-time series 113-108 and won the season series last year in West Point.

Two weekend series you shouldn’t overlook:

St. Mary’s at Washington: With a series win against Brigham Young, St. Mary’s (20-12) moved into a tie for first place in the West Coast Conference. With an RPI of 35, the Gaels are in position to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, but a series win at Washington (19-12) would only serve to bolster their case. The Huskies, meanwhile, are a half-game out of first in the Pac-12 and could also use a boost to their tournament resume.

Southeast Missouri State at Jacksonville State: The top two teams in the Ohio Valley Conference meet for a showdown this weekend in Alabama. They are even in the loss column, but Southeast Missouri State (25-10) has played one more conference series, which it swept. This weekend will be Jacksonville State’s (24-11) chance to make up the ground, and knock off the preseason conference favorites.

One midweek game to keep an eye on:

(21) Florida Atlantic at (1) Miami (Wednesday, 6 p.m. ET): This will be the first of two meetings between the two teams this season after Miami’s visit to FAU two weeks ago was postponed by rain. The Owls already have two wins at Mississippi State to their credit, and will be hoping to add another big win to their resume.