Weekend Preview: Feb. 26-28

Baseball America’s Weekend Preview highlights some of the most important weekend story lines from around the country each week.

Gators, Hurricanes Renew Rivalry In Miami

Florida and Miami, two of college baseball’s premier programs, have been playing an early-season series for decades. In recent years, it has become a fixture of the second weekend of the season, providing fans with February treat and the teams with an opportunity to test themselves.

TOP 25 SERIES

(1) Florida at (6) Miami

(2) Louisville at (21) Mississippi

(3) Texas A&M at Pepperdine

East Carolina at (4) Virginia

Illinois-Chicago at (7) Vanderbilt

Sacramento State at (8) Louisiana State

Purdue at (11) California

Illinois State at (12) Oregon

(13) Oklahoma State at (20) North Carolina

(15) UCLA at Cal Poly

College of Charleston at (16) Florida State

Wright State at (18) North Carolina State

Maryland-Baltimore County at (23) Georgia Tech

(25) Oklahoma at Sam Houston State

TOP 25 TOURNAMENTS

Surprise (Ariz.) Tournament

(5) Oregon State, Kansas, Kansas State

Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic, Houston

(9) Houston, (10) Louisiana-Lafayette, (17) Texas Christian, Arkansas, Rice, Texas Tech

Jack Gifford Memorial Tournament, Santa Clara, Calif.

(14) Michigan, Santa Clara, St. Joseph’s, UC Davis, Utah Valley

17th Annual Caravelle Resort’s Baseball at the Beach, Myrtle Beach, S.C.

(19) Coastal Carolina, Duke, Liberty, Marshall, Ohio State

Tony Gwynn Classic, San Diego

(22) Kentucky, Arizona, Bryant, Nebraska, San Diego, San Diego State, Tulane, UC Santa Barbara

Mississippi State Tournament, Starkville, Miss.

(24) Mississippi State, Nicholls State, Massachusetts-Lowell

“It’s a good weekend because it gives you a barometer of where you’re at,” Gators coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “It gives you some insight of where you need to work and improve before the start of conference play.”

This year’s three-game series, hosted by Miami beginning Friday, has the added juice of pitting two top-10 teams against each other. The Gators enter as the top-ranked team in the country, while the Hurricanes are No. 6.

Both teams enter the weekend undefeated. Florida is 5-0 after sweeping Florida Gulf Coast on opening weekend and a two-game midweek series against Eastern Michigan. Miami is 4-0 after sweeping Rutgers on opening weekend and defeating NAIA-member St. Thomas (Fla.) on Wednesday.

Florida has had the upper hand in the series since O’Sullivan took over the program for the 2008 season. He is 22-10 against Miami, including an 8-0 mark in the NCAA Tournament.

Florida won the series last year, taking two games in Gainesville. The Gators also twice beat the Hurricanes in the College World Series, outscoring them 25-5 and ending their season. Miami coach Jim Morris said his team hasn’t forgotten last season’s results, but doesn’t need any added motivation for a series against one of their in-state rivals.

“The fact they eliminated us in Omaha is something the guys remember,” Morris said. “Anytime we play Florida or Florida State, it’s always a great series with high energy and great crowds.”

Loaded Field In Houston

The Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic (formerly the Houston College Classic), returns to Minute Maid Park this weekend with another strong field. Houston (9), Louisiana-Lafayette (10) and Texas Christian (17) all enter the weekend ranked in the Top 25, and Arkansas, Rice and Texas Tech round out the field.

Five of the six teams in the tournament made the NCAA Tournament last year, and Arkansas and TCU advanced to the College World Series. All six teams have high expectations again this season, and should provide a competitive weekend for each other early in the season.

“I enjoy a weekend like this,” Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said. “Our players are looking forward to playing in big league ballpark, as well as playing three different quality teams from three different leagues.”

MLB Network will show the final seven games of the tournament live, beginning with Friday’s primetime matchup between Arkansas and Rice. The first two games of the tournament will be shown on tape delay. Among the key players to watch are Arkansas junior righthander Zach Jackson, TCU freshman righthander/DH Luken Baker and Louisiana-Lafayette senior first baseman Stefan Trosclair.

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Tony Gwynn Classic Expected To Have Regional Atmosphere

The inaugural Tony Gwynn Classic, co-hosted by San Diego State and San Diego, kicks off on Friday. It’s a unique event on the early-season college baseball calendar—a true eight-team, single-elimination tournament, though consolation rounds will ensure all teams get to play three games. No. 22 Kentucky is the lone, currently-ranked team among the eight participants, but regional-caliber teams abound. USD, SDSU and Bryant were all tabbed the preseason favorites in their respective conferences, while Tulane has been in the running for the Top 25 and figures to be a regional team out of the American Athletic Conference.

Tulane opens the tournament against Arizona, which is coming off an impressive road series win at Rice on opening weekend under new coach Jay Johnson. That game should attract plenty of scouting interest with Arizona third baseman Bobby Dalbec on one side and Tulane catcher Jake Rogers and shortstop Stephen Alemais on the other. In all, eight players from the preseason College Top 100 prospects list will play in the tournament.

The other first-round matchups feature Nebraska visiting San Diego, with the winner facing the Arizona-Tulane winner in a semifinal. On the other side of the bracket, San Diego State—looking to bounce back from getting swept by Oregon—hosts Bryant and Kentucky faces UC Santa Barbara, which began the post-Dillon Tate era with a four-game sweep of San Francisco on opening weekend.

“It’s pretty exciting to get a chance to go down there,” UCSB coach Andrew Checketts said. “It sounds like it’s got a chance to have a regional feel to it. I think that’ll be a good experience for our guys. A good learning experience for them.”

— Jim Shonerd

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McDonnell, Louisville Return To Ole Miss

This weekend’s trip to Oxford, Miss., will be somewhat of a homecoming for Louisville head coach Dan McDonnell.

The No. 2 Cardinals (4-0) will take on No. 21 Mississippi (4-0), where McDonnell was the top assistant coach and recruiting coordinator under Mike Bianco for six years.

The teams split a two-game midweek series at Louisville last season and have faced each other in seven games since McDonnell took over as Louisville’s head coach in 2007. The Cardinals hold a 4-3 series edge in that span.

“It’s fun,” McDonnell told reporters after this week’s win against Eastern Kentucky. “One of my sons was born there; he’s a huge Eli Manning fan. He’s a huge Ole Miss fan. Great memories there. I mean, that was such a huge boost to my career, being able to coach with Mike Bianco.

“I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for those six years I spent at Ole Miss. And so it’s special all the way around.”

The series also represents the first real test of the season for both teams, who each breezed through the first week of play.

Junior outfielder Corey Ray won ACC player of the week and is off to a torrid 11-for-15 start for Louisville, with three home runs and six stolen bases. He, along with senior righthander Kyle Funkhouser, is among the top college prospects for the upcoming draft. For Ole Miss, sophomore infielder Tate Blackman has gotten off to a similarly hot start, going 8-for-12 with a homer. Like Louisville, the Rebels are a veteran club, led by junior shortstop Errol Robinson and junior outfielder J.B. Woodman.

Sentimentality aside, the series should be an entertaining one.

“When they say ‘play ball,’ it’s a beautiful ballpark, it’s going to be 10,000 fans, and the competitive juices will be flowing,” McDonnell said. “It’s going to be a fun weekend.”

— Mike Lananna

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Tar Heels, Oklahoma State Tangle In Chapel Hill

North Carolina’s opening day lineup featured three freshmen, three sophomores, a juco transfer and a host of questions. Yet the Tar Heels went out on the road against then-No. 10 UCLA and took two out of three games—convincingly.

It was a stiff early season test, but UNC’s young lineup proved ready for the challenge, led by sophomores Logan Warmoth (5-for-11) and Brian Miller (6-for-14) and lone returning middle-of-the-order bat Tyler Ramirez (5-for-12, HR).

“Going on the road against a good team, a good program, you put the young guys out there, there’s no time like the present to see what they’ll do,” coach Mike Fox said. “Our sophomores all played well. They were freshmen who played for us last year, and they were going to be better. I thought all three of them played well this past weekend. I think it’s good.”

With the series win, the Tar Heels joined the College Top 25 at No. 20, and they’ll have the chance to move up a few pegs when they open at home against No. 13 Oklahoma State.

It’s a significant series for both teams, as the Cowboys are looking to improve on a 2-2 showing against Texas-Arlington and Stephen F. Austin last weekend. Buoyed by the return of senior shortstop Donnie Walton—drafted by the Brewers in the 23rd—the Cowboys are an experienced club with a balanced lineup.

Both teams are deep on the mound. UNC junior righthander Zac Gallen won ACC pitcher of the week for his 7 2/3 scoreless inning, 11-strikeout outing against UCLA, and fellow starters J.B. Bukauskas and Jason Morgan are both high-upside sophomore arms. The Cowboys are shaking up their rotation somewhat, as hard-throwing junior righthander Michael Mertz enters the mix on Saturday after pitching out of the bullpen opening weekend. Sophomore Thomas Hatch (7 IP, 2 ER) and freshman Jensen Elliot (5 IP, 0 ER) will start Friday and Sunday, respectively, after strong season debuts.

“We felt like we got a lot done in our first weekend,” Oklahoma State coach Josh Holliday said. “We’re ready for another weekend, for sure. We took away from the four-game series last weekend some good things. Certainly had some guys throw the ball really well on the mound, played good defense over a four game span, and we were very close to putting some good innings together on offense. But we’ll improve a little bit in the situational hitting department as we go, and we’ll be ready for a great challenge this weekend.”

 

— Mike Lananna