2,074 MLB PLAYERS | 14,476 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Create Account
Sign in Create Account
College  | Story  | 3/3/2016

Weekend Preview: Week 3

Patrick Ebert      Jheremy Brown      Andrew Krause      Mike Rooney     
Photo: Vanderbilt Athletics




Perfect Game Top 25 | National Notebook | Perfect Game College Baseball on SiriusXM College Sports

While the third weekend of the 2016 college baseball doesn't doesn't offer a one-on-one series matchup between Top 25 ranked programs there are several intriguing gatherings of talent across the nation. None stands out more than the Dodger Stadium Classic, with hosts No. 18 UCLA and Southern California welcoming No. 22 Mississippi State and Oklahoma to Los Angeles.

But Los Angeles won't be the only hot spot when it comes to a fine collection of college baseball programs. This weekend also offers the Irish Classic in Raleigh and Cary, N.C., the Chanticleer Classic in Conway, S.C., the Keith LeClair Classic in Greenville, N.C. and the Stetson Invitational in Deland, Fla. The details for all of these tournaments are listed below.

The two big series matchups of the weekend will include No. 2 Vanderbilt traveling to Stanford and the battle of South Carolina between the Gamecocks and the Clemson Tigers. Both series will provide excellent early-season tests for all four teams and the results could have significant ramifications in the updated Top 25 rankings come Monday.

Stay tuned to Perfect Game throughout the weekend as Andrew Krause will be in Deland, Fla. to cover the Stetson Invitational that includes host Stetson, Illinois, Central Michigan and Villanova and Mike Rooney will be in Los Angeles to cover the Dodger Stadium Classic between No. 18 UCLA, No. 22 Mississippi State, Southern California and Oklahoma.


Top 25 in Action
Rk. Team Opponent Location
1 Florida home vs. Dartmouth Gainesville, FL
2 Vanderbilt at Stanford Palo Alto, CA
3 Texas A&M home vs. Yale College Station, TX
4 Oregon State at San Diego, vs. William & Mary San Diego, CA
5 Louisville home vs. Princeton Louisville, KY
6 Louisiana State home vs. Fordham Baton Rouge, LA
7 Oregon home vs. UC Santa Barbara Eugene, OR
8 Texas Christian home vs. Gonzaga Fort Worth, TX
9 North Carolina home vs. Fairfield Chapel Hill, NC
10 NC State Irish Classic (Niagara, Alabama, Bucknell) Raleigh/Cary, NC
11 California at Texas Austin, TX
12 Miami home vs. Manhattan Coral Gables, FL
13 Virginia home vs. Monmouth Charlottesville, VA
14 Florida State home vs. St. John's Tallahassee, FL
15 Mississippi Chanticleer Classic (Ball State, No. 20 Coastal Carolina, Cincinnati) San Luis Obispo, CA
16 Arkansas home vs. Eastern Illinois Fayetteville, AR
17 Louisiana home vs. Sacred Heart Lafayette, LA
18 UCLA Dodger Stadium Classic (No. 22 Miss. State, Oklahoma, USC) Chapel Hill, NC
19 Missouri home vs. UIC Columbia, MO
20 Coastal Carolina Chanticleer Classic (Cincinnati, No. 15 Ole Miss, Ball State) Myrtle Beach, SC
21 Houston home vs. Baylor Houston, TX
22 Mississippi State Dodger Stadium Classic (No. 18 UCLA, USC, Oklahoma) Starkville, MS
23 Texas Tech home vs. Cal State Fullerton Lubbock, TX
24 Oklahoma State home vs. Indiana State Stillwater, OK
25 Michigan at UC Davis Davis, CA



Marquee Matchup #1

No. 2 Vanderbilt at Stanford

The Commodores leap-frogged to the No. 2 spot in the most recent iteration of the Perfect Game Top 25 rankings courtesy of their 8-0 start to the 2016 campaign. What’s even more impressive is the fact that they’ve been able to jump out to such a hot start without a few of their top weekend arms, though sophomore righthander Kyle Wright did make a three-inning start last Sunday.
Bryan Reynolds (Vanderbilt Athletics)
On the flip side the Stanford Cardinal have opened the year at 6-3 and are coming off a four-game weekend split with the University of Texas.

Righthander Jordan Sheffield has been a bit of an enigma up to this season, but if last Friday’s start was a sign of things to come then he won’t only solidify himself as a first-round prospect but as a bona fide Friday night arm who can help carry the ‘Dores deep again during the postseason. With a fastball that creeps into the upper-90s, a changeup that will show plus and an above average breaking ball, Sheffield is coming off seven shutout innings in which he struck out a career high 11 strikeouts with just one walk.

Stanford freshman Tristan Beck, a draft-eligible sophomore next June, immediately jumped into the Friday night role for the Cardinal where he’s already logged 9 2/3 innings with a 2.89 ERA and will form quite the Friday night matchup with Sheffield.

Vanderbilt is as deep as they are strong as they’re able to attack opponents in all facets of the game, and it’s scary to think they aren’t quite at full strength yet either. Sophomore outfielder Jeren Kendall is arguably the hottest hitter in the country and the fast-twitch Wisconsin native is showing that he’s a threat to leave the yard at any given moment, yet another weapon in his arsenal. Star junior Bryan Reynolds is off to a hot start as well (.414-2-10) and as a whole the Commodore offense is hitting .352/.461/.540 through the first two weeks of the year.

The pitching has been key for Stanford at the beginning of the season and how they handle the potent Vanderbilt offense will be a heavy dictating factor on the outcome of the three-game set in Palo Alto. Aside from Beck, junior Brett Hanewich has been money in the rotation going 2-0 through his first two starts with a 0.68 ERA over 13 1/3 innings. Perhaps the biggest arm on the staff, righthander Chris Viall, has also made the biggest strides this spring in terms of his command as he’s been able to harness his big fastball velocity and has effectively missed bats during his seven innings of work. 


Marquee Matchup #2

South Carolina vs. Clemson

The Clemson/South Carolina rivalry is among the most heralded in all of college baseball and this weekend the two premier programs lock horns. Set for a three-game series, the Gamecock’s will host Friday’s game, while a neutral site rendezvous at Fluor Field in Greenville is scheduled for Saturday before Clemson plays host Sunday for the conclusion of the series. South Carolina looks to close the gap in the overall series win-loss column as Clemson is currently leading the rivalry with a 172-135-2 record.
John Jones (South Carolina Athletics)
Both Clemson (6-1) and South Carolina (8-0) are firing on all cylinders out of the gate as both programs are receiving quality starts from their rotation and each are scoring a plethora of runs, setting the scene for what should be a highly entertaining and heated weekend.

South Carolina’s John Jones has put together a rather ridiculous stat line thus far hitting .581-3-19, but even more impressive was his streak of 14 straight plate appearances in which he reached base safely, a stretch that ended Tuesday night. Even if the Clemson arms are able to figure out how to pitch around Jones they’ll still have to worry about the rest of the offense which as a whole is hitting .341 and receiving contributions from all over the lineup; from freshman catcher Chris Cullen (.375) to junior college transfer Dom Thompson-Williams (.371, 1 home run, 2 doubles). Coach Chad Holbrook’s squad has also received lights out pitching from their four starters, all of whom have a sub-2.00 ERA and double-digit strikeout totals.

The pitching staff as a whole has been just as solid for Clemson and Coach Monte Lee, who is in his first season at the helm of the Tigers. Senior righthander and former Perfect Game All-American Clate Schmidt (2-0, 3.00 ERA) has anchored the weekend rotation and together the entire Tigers’ pitching has a cumulative 1.86 ERA with opponents hitting just .206 off of them.

In terms of the offense familiar faces are back throughout the lineup and are doing what the coaching staff expected them to do, though freshman Seth Beer (.375-2-9) has shown no hesitation adapting to the collegiate level while sophomore Chase Pinder (.346-3-10) has added a nice boost to the lineup and has also already matched his home run total from a season ago. When you add in Chris Okey’s abilities on both sides of the ball along with Weston Wilson and Reed Rohlman – who are amongst Clemson’s hottest hitters – then you have the makings for an outstanding series full of top prospects which will provide very entertaining matchups throughout the weekend. 



Tournament Spotlight #1

Dodger Stadium Classic
Jack Kruger (Mississippi State Media Relations)
This tournament should be renamed the "High Volatility Invitational." There is a massive range of outcomes for all of the teams involved and the same could be said for several of the key prospects who will be here. The good news is that this event has major juice and it could provide a big-time springboard for its top performers. Remember, USC rode it's impressive 3-0 showing here in 2015 to the Trojans' first Regional bid since 2005.

No. 22 Mississippi State is 7-2 right now but their two home losses to FAU have trumped the seven wins. While FAU is an outstanding and Regional-caliber program, those losses were a jarring reminder of the 2015 Bulldog season that fell off of a cliff, resulting in a complete miss of any postseason opportunities. Having said that, the current Mississippi State lineup has health and depth, keyed by Jack Kruger's 10 hits and 13 RBI. The headliner here is Dakota Hudson whose mid- to upper-90s fastball has led to 17 strikeouts in just 11 innings.

Oklahoma needs this opportunity the most, as the Sooners went 2-5 in their first two weekends versus Northeastern and Sam Houston State. This club has prospect intrigue in spades and the triumvirate of Alec Hansen, Sheldon Neuse, and Cody Thomas, and all three could make big statements here. Hansen showed 1-1 velocity and stuff last weekend but he needs to improve in the performance department, and a good showing in Los Angeles could get him right back on track.

UCLA sustained preseason injuries at shortstop and catcher and that has led to tremendous inconsistency for the Bruins. There is significant talent on this roster but depth is a big issue. UCLA is hitting .228 as a team yet their 5.08 team ERA is the most shocking number. Grant Dyer and Griffin Canning will need to lock down the front of this rotation if the Bruins are going to get back on track.

USC was nearly swept at home by North Dakota in weekend one, having rallied in the ninth to salvage game three of that series. The Trojans then answered the bell by winning their home series versus an up-and-coming Wake Forest club.  This is the most veteran club in the field but the Trojans' sport a weekend rotation ERA of 4.75 and that must change quickly if this team is going to head to the postseason again.   


Best of the Rest

This weekend is full of impactful matchups across the country, both in one-on-one series and in the form of multi-team tournaments. Here is a look at some of the other events that stand out.

UC Santa Barbara at No. 7 Oregon

As noted in previous recaps UC Santa Barbara is off to a hot start (8-1) this season and are on the cusp of the Top 25, especially after taking their mid-week game over UCLA with an 11-6 win. A big series on the road against the seventh-ranked Oregon Ducks could be just what they need to break back in to the rankings after finishing the 2015 season 23rd. This year it’s the offense doing most of the damage as the Gauchos are hitting .341 as a team with three regulars (Austin Bush, Ryan Clark and Dempsey Grove) hitting well over .400. The pitching staff is still plenty strong, led by ace Shane Bieber.

But that unit will face a Ducks pitching staff that has a 2.29 team ERA and has allowed opponents to just a .194 batting average. The lefthanded trio of Cole Irvin, Matt Krook and David Peterson could be especially tough considering four of UCSB’s starters bat lefthanded, while righthanded closer Stephen Nogosek has been as-advertised with a win and three saves in his first four appearances of the season. The staff will need to hold steady as Oregon is currently hitting just .211 as a unit but do have the ability to manufacture runs with small-ball tactics.


Cal State Fullerton at No. 23 Texas Tech

Texas Tech is off to a solid 6-3 start, which includes taking two of their three games against ranked opponents at the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic in Houston last weekend. As expected the Red Raiders offense is performing at a high level, with dangerous hitters one through nine in their lineup, hitting .316 as a team and led by speedy outfielder Tanner Gardner’s .429 mark. Staff ace Ryan Moseley is 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA and Saturday starter Ty Harpenau has been nearly as stout with a 2.70 ERA over his first two starts.

Cal State Fullerton is coming off of a sweep over Indiana at home after losing two of three against Stanford to open the season. Their balance as a team is much more similar to Oregon’s with a potentially dominant staff making up for a not-so-potent offense. Freshman starter Colton Eastman has drawn rave reviews for his early collegiate success, with a 2-0 record and a 2.25 ERA, while flame-throwing closer Chad Hockin anchors a bullpen that has yet to be scored upon in 23 combined innings, which could very well be the x-factor in this series.


No. 11 California at Texas

Texas is off to a 5-3 start this year, playing all but one of their games in the comforts of their own home. Last weekend they split their four-game set with Stanford and their three primary starters – Kyle Johnston, Ty Culbreth and Connor Mayes – have a cumulative ERA under 2.00, and a pair of freshmen, Chase Shugart and Nolan Kingham, have yet to be scored upon while providing significant innings. A series win for the Longhorns could put them in the discussion to be included in the Top 25.

Cal is also off to a 5-3 start but need to take this series to sustain their lofty ranking. Their most significant test so far came to open the season, in which they lost two of three against Duke, and No. 25 Michigan, who they lost to on Monday night. Staff ace Daulton Jefferies has been as advertised, with a 2-0 start and he hasn’t allowed an earned run so far this year with an impressive 17-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio over his first 12 innings of work. Brett Cumberland has shouldered much of the offensive load with three doubles and a pair of home runs over the first seven games.


Irish Classic

This weekend marks the fourth annual USA Baseball Irish Classic with the majority of games being set to be played at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C., and a couple of others being played down the road at North Carolina State’s campus in Raleigh.

After dropping their first series of the 2016 campaign in their travels out west to play Santa Clara, the Irish have rebounded well, going 3-1 last weekend with a pair of walk-off victories against Texas Southern and Gonzaga. Notre Dame’s top 2016 draft prospect, Cavan Biggio, has gotten off to a hot start with a .375/.545/.500 triple-slash line thus far. Freshman Matt Vierling and Ricky Sanchez have also been hitting the ball well in the early going, while starting pitcher Peter Solomon will hope to get things going after struggling in his first two starts this season.

The North Carolina State Wolfpack rebounded nicely from an opening day loss against a quality Old Dominion team to win six of their next seven games, including a series win over Wright State. Preston Palmerio, Andrew Knizner, and Joe Dunand all impressed at the Caravelle Tournament in the season’s opening weekend, and the trio has continued to punish any mistakes opposing pitching staffs have made. Chance Shepard has already mashed four home runs and the Wolfpack’s deep lineup should present a test to Niagara, Alabama, and Bucknell, the three teams they play this weekend.

The Alabama Crimson Tide have gotten off to a strong start, taking the series from Maryland opening weekend (including winning the Friday night contest against Michael Shawaryn) and sweeping last weekend’s set against a North Dakota squad coming in off their own series win against Southern California. Their starting pitching has been strong thus far, with Jake Walters showing off bat-missing stuff (19 strikeouts in 10 2/3 innings), and both Geoffrey Bramblett and Nick Eicholtz keeping baserunners to a minimum. Meanwhile, freshman infielder Cobie Vance has had an immediate impact at the plate.

Bucknell has a core group of productive, veteran bats to keep an eye on in Spencer Stokes, Joe Ogren and Mark Powell. Similarly senior starting pitcher Dan Keller has been stellar for the Bison.

Brown will open their 2016 season this weekend, and outfielders Rob Henry and Jake Levine return to lead the Bears after impressive 2015 campaigns. Niagara will hope to rebound from their 2-6 start to the season, but the team as a whole, and senior Michael Fuhrman in particular (.500, 15-for-30, 1 home run), have hit the ball well thus far.


Chanticleer Classic

Mississippi has surged in the most recent edition of the Perfect Game Top 25, as the Rebels now sit at 15 after their series victory over Louisville. However, their ascent shouldn’t be too much of a surprise as they have plenty of key players remaining from their 2014 run to Omaha. Tate Blackman and J.B. Woodman have been particularly productive in this early junction of the season, and the bullpen has been extremely stingy. The scariest part of it all may be that Errol Robinson and Colby Bortles are still heating up. With another strong showing this weekend they could lay claim to a position in the Top 10 before SEC conference play kicks off.

The tournament’s host, Coastal Carolina, also are ranked within Perfect Game’s Top 25 with the Chanticleers currently slotting in at No. 20. As they’ve consistently done over the years, Coastal Carolina has dominated with their bats, and G.K. Young and Zach Remillard in particular have stood out with both hitting over .400 and slugging at least two home runs. Junior shortstop Michael Paez may rise up draft boards as the spring continues. Tyler Poole has been particularly impressive in the rotation, while freshman Jason Bilous has shown dominant power stuff both out of the bullpen and during a starting assignment, and is one to watch for the future.

Ball State’s long road swing continues. After trips to Arizona and Florida the Cardinals face a tough slate of games in South Carolina this weekend. While the tournament will be a solid test, Ball State boasts talent of their own, starting with Zach Pleasac, who has gotten off to a rough start, but the junior righty has the athleticism, stuff and command to rebound. Outfielder Alex Call was an all-conference selection last season and has gotten off to a hot start, as has Claeb Stayton, who leads the team with 13 hits.

Cincinnati has gone winless in their first two weekends, but to be fair they have drawn some tough opponents, including opening the season against LSU in Baton Rouge. Andrew Zellner has pitched well for the Bearcats, but their offensive production will need to improve, as only three players are hitting over .200.


Keith LeClair Classic

The tournament, in its 13th year, honors former East Carolina manager Keith LeClair who passed away in 2006 after a battle with ALS by raising money and awareness for the disease.

The host team, East Carolina, has enjoyed a very good start to 2016 and was strongly considered for the back end of the most recent Top 25. The Pirates swept Longwood opening weekend then took two of three from the defending champion Virginia Cavaliers in Charlottesville. The pitching has been lights out, with starter Jacob Wolfe throwing 12 scoreless innings and picking up two wins thus far and fellow lefty Evan Kruczynski has also thrown the ball well.

Southeastern Louisiana dropped last weekend’s series to Troy, but the Lions are still 4-3 overall and one of the favorites to win the Southland Conference. The team has hit the ball well so far, with star Jameson Fisher—who missed the 2015 season—looking like he hasn’t missed a beat, as he’s hitting a team-best .481 and two homers. Mac Sceleror and Kyle Cedotal have both missed bats and pitched extremely well with Cedotal, a senior lefty, building upon a strong summer cameo in the Cape Cod League.

Last year was supposed to be Tennessee’s breakout year, but the Volunteers finished a disappointing sixth in the SEC East in 2015. However, Dave Serrano’s club has come out of the gates quickly this year with a series win over in-state rival Memphis and a strong performance at the Grand Canyon Classic, including two games in which they scored over 20 runs. Nick Senzel, an almost certain first-rounder this June, has already driven in 15 runs while senior Vincent Jackson appears to have tapped into his physical tools, smashing out three homers. Sophomore Zach Warren has led the rotation thus far, and with another strong showing this weekend the Volunteers could build momentum into conference play.

Strangely, Maryland’s Mike Shawaryn lost on opening weekend. The junior righthander still pitched well on opening day, and he’s as tough of an opposing pitcher in the country thanks to his arm slot, stuff and impeccable command. The Terrapins bounced back and won Shawaryn’s (now 25-7 in career) next start, but they’ve still only started off 3-4. They’ve had some strong performances on both sides of the ball with Nick Cieri (.308, 2 home runs) and Madison Nickens (.250, 3 home runs) leading the offensive attack, but they’ll hope to put it all together this weekend.


Stetson Invitational

Last season was magical for Illinois, as the Illini raced away with the Big Ten regular season crown and produced a first-round draft pick in lefty Tyler Jay. While losing Jay certainly hurt, Illinois may yet again produce another first-round arm. Cody Sedlock worked predominately out of the bullpen his first two seasons and he’s seemingly made the transition to the rotation without any issue. With a mid-90s fastball and a very good curveball, the junior righty has an arsenal that can match up with almost any other college arm and he gives the Illini a chance to win every time he takes the mound. Senior catcher Jason Goldstein and freshman outfielder Doran Turchin have led the offensive attack. The Illini will hope to build upon their 3-3 start and get rolling this weekend.

Stetson will look to rebound from last weekend when they were swept by a quality Creighton team. Luckily, they’ll be able to turn to Mitchell Jordan on Friday night. The junior righty led the Cape Cod League in ERA last summer but has lost in his first two starts. Still, he’s been solid enough and shown his trademark quality command, walking just three and striking out 13 in 11 1/3 innings. Cory Reid and Vance Vizcaino have been solid offensively, but other members of the Hatters’ lineup will have to pick it up if they are to take the next step.

The defending regular season MAC Champion Central Michigan Chippewas could certainly use some wins this weekend. They’ve started off the season 0-7, but to be fair they’ve faced some tough teams including Arkansas, St. Mary’s, and Tennessee. Nick Deeg is an intriguing lefthanded pitcher with a nice, large frame and he’s pitched well in his first two starts. Other members of the pitching staff have struggled but there is talent there, and on the offensive side of the ball (starting with Zach McKinstry and Dazon Cole) it is just a matter of putting it all together.

After being swept by Houston opening weekend, Villanova rebounded with a 2-2 showing at the Snowbird Baseball Classic last week. The Wildcats’ Todd Czinege and Donovan May have certainly hit the ball well, but starting pitching has been inconsistent thus far. They’ll face a tough challenge against Mitchell Jordan on Friday and most likely Nick Deeg on Saturday, but they’d love to get some more W’s before heading back north for the rest of the spring.



National Notes

• Sophomore lefthander Seth Romero returned to the mound on Tuesday in a midweek relief appearance for No. 21 Houston, and despite the fact that the Cougars lost the game to UTSA 3-2, Romero pitched well. He provided three scoreless innings, allowing two base hits while striking out four, needing just 36 pitches to navigate through his appearance. Houston welcomes Baylor this weekend, and with two starting assignments listed as TBAs after Friday ace Andrew Lantrip it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get the nod in either Saturday’s or Sunday’s contest. If he doesn’t, it would seem likely that at the very least he again sees significant time out of the bullpen.

• Jackson Kowar made his first collegiate start for No. 1 Florida on Wednesday night, a 4-0 shutout over UCF. Kowar, fellow freshman Brady Singer and Shaun Anderson combined on the shutout, with Kowar going the first five and both Singer and Anderson logging two innings each. The trio combined for 13 strikeouts while allowing just five base hits without issuing a free pass. Kowar had eight of those punchouts, using a 93-96 mph fastball with late movement to make quick work of the UCF hitters. Singer also topped out at 96 mph as the two freshman offer considerable promise moving forward and give the Gators a ridiculous amount of depth to turn to as the season progresses.

• Tennessee righthander Kyle Serrano, son of the Volunteers’ Head Coach Dave Serrano, has been shut down for the rest of the year after it was determined he would require Tommy John surgery due to an inured ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow. Serrano, who entered the season as Perfect Game’s 55th overall draft-eligible prospect, made one appearance this season, lasting 3 2/3 innings against Memphis on February 20 before he was removed due to discomfort in his elbow.
PG Special Events
Travel, Lodging, Entertainment
PG Partners
Recommended
About Perfect Game :: Contact us :: Terms of Use :: Privacy Policy :: Testimonials :: Job Opportunities
Copyright 1994-2024 by Perfect Game. All rights reserved. No portion of this information may be reprinted or reproduced without the written consent of Perfect Game.