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Team of the day
Indiana
The Hoosiers had been solid so far this season before this weekend's series against the Gators, but they made a national statement by hitting the road and taking two of three from Kevin O'Sullivan's Florida squad. IU captured the series win Sunday afternoon with a 7-4 triumph, as catcher Kyle Schwarber led the charge with a four-hit day that included a home run, double, two runs scored and two RBIs. Meanwhile, designated hitter Scott Donley went 3-for-4 with two RBIs to help lead the Hoosiers charge.
Upset of the Day
Central Arkansas takes series from Mississippi State
UCA junior right-handed pitcher Bryce Biggerstaff made a statement a few weeks ago by tossing a no-hitter. Well, he was back at it again Sunday afternoon as the Bears shocked the Dudy Noble Field Crowd of 6,403 with a 7-3 victory to take the important road series. Biggerstaff struck out three, walked one and allowed just three runs on eight hits in a complete game performance. Meanwhile, catcher Michael Marietta led the charge at the plate with three hits and an RBI.
Player of the Day
Frankie Vanderka, RHP, Jr., Stony Brook
After reaching the College World Series last season, the Seawolves certainly have gotten off to a slow start this spring. However, perhaps they're starting to heat up as the talented right-handed pitcher tossed a no-hitter in a 2-0 win over Fordham. Vanderka struck out six batters and walked three in a complete game performance. He also threw 102 pitches, 71 for strikes.
Teams feeling good
Florida State: There doesn't seen to be a such thing as a rebuilding campaign in Tallahassee, Fla. The Seminoles finished off a flawless weekend against Boston College with a 9-1 triumph in the series finale. Miller struck out seven batters, walked two and allowed just six hits in 5 2/3 shutout innings of work. Meanwhile, third baseman Jose Brizuela had an afternoon to remember at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a triple, a run scored and four RBIs.
North Carolina: Even if the Tar Heels get a less than stellar performance from one of their starting pitchers, it seems like someone is always waiting in the wings. UNC starting pitcher Hobbs Johnson struck out six and allowed two runs in four innings of work, while the bullpen rose to the occasion with Chris McCue allowing just three hits in 3 1/3 shutout innings of work. Trevor Kelley also threw well in relief in the 6-2 win over Wake Forest, tossing 1 2/3 scoreless frames to finish things.
Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish hit the road this weekend hoping to make yet another statement on the national stage. That goal was accomplished Sunday afternoon as the Irish captured a 2-1 weekend out in California, beating Oklahoma 6-5 on Sunday on Kyle DeFilippis' walk-off RBI single. Irish shortstop Lane Richards led the charge at the plate on the day with a hit and two RBIs.
Oklahoma State: The Josh Holliday train just keeps rolling along for the Cowboys. OSU sophomore left-handed pitcher Tyler Nurdin struck out eight batters, walked two and allowed just two runs on five hits in five innings of work as the Pokes captured an important series win over Loyola Marymount with a 4-3 triumph. While Nurdin led the charge, much credit also should go to relievers Vince Wheeland and Brendan McCurry, who combined for three shutout innings of work to close out the game.
UNLV: What a weekend the Rebels put together on the road against the Cardinal, sweeping the series Sunday afternoon with a 5-1 triumph. UNLV starting pitcher John Richy, who has taken a big step forward this season, struck out four batters and allowed just one run on two hits in a complete game performance. Meanwhile, Rebels leadoff hitter Joey Swanner led the charge at the plate with a hit and two RBIs.
Arizona State: The Sun Devils are playing an excellent brand of baseball these days, and they finished off the weekend with an impressive 11-2 win over Long Beach State. ASU second baseman James McDonald led the charge on Sunday, going 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored and two RBIs. Meanwhile, the bullpen performed at a very high level, with Alex Blackford, Matt Dunbar and Ryan Burr throwing up a combined 4 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball.
College of Charleston: The Cougars hit the road this past weekend and captured an impressive series win over Elon, winning the series finale 7-4 on Sunday. Charleston starting pitcher Nathan Helvey was lifted after just 2 2/3 innings of work, while the offense more than took care of business in the triumph. Outfielder Brandon Murray hit a home run and finished the afternoon with a pair of hits, while designated hitter Ben Boykin had two hits, one a triple, and two RBIs.
Louisville: Cardinals third baseman Ty Young smacked a walk-off RBI single in the 10th inning as his team captured a thrilling 8-7 win over Alabama, and most importantly, a huge series sweep. Young finished the afternoon 2-for-4 with a run scored and two RBIs, while leadoff hitter Adam Engel also had a huge day at the plate, going 2-for-5 with a run scored and two RBIs.
UNC Wilmington: The Seahawks captured a huge home series win over the Rams with a 3-2 win Sunday afternoon. UNCW starting pitcher Christian MacDonald was fantastic in the winning cause, allowing just two runs on four hits in 7 1/3 innings of work, while the bullpen also did a tremendous job. At the plate, leadoff hitter Michael Bass went 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI.
South Alabama: The Jaguars hit the road over the weekend and captured a big series win over a solid North Florida club. USA starting pitcher Jarron Cito was lifted from the contest after allowing five runs on six hits in 2 2/3 innings of work, but the Jaguars took care of business at the plate. Hard-hitting outfielder Nolan Earley went 2-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored and three RBIs, while first baseman Dustin Dalken went 4-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI.
UCLA: It was another day and yet another triumph for the UCLA Bruins over heated rivals USC, this time to the tune of 6-1. UCLA sophomore left-handed pitcher Grant Watson struck out three and allowed just one run on three hits in seven innings of work, while the bullpen performed at a high level with Zack Weiss and David Berg each throwing well. Also worth noting, third baseman Kevin Kramer hit a double in the contest and finished the afternoon with three RBIs.
Teams wanting a do-over
Fresno State: No one expected the Bulldogs to get off to this slow of a start this season. Fresno dropped all three games to California over the weekend, losing the series finale on Sunday 8-4. Fresno starting pitcher Derick Velazquez allowed four runs on five hits in two innings of work, while only Trent Garrison and Louie Payetta finished the afternoon with multi-hit performances. Fresno is now 3-12 overall.
Southern Mississippi: The Golden Eagles are having a tough time putting anything together right now, dropping the series to Louisiana-Lafayette on Sunday with a 9-1 setback. USM starting pitcher Conor Fisk allowed three runs on four hits in three innings of work, while the bullpen didn't do much better. Meanwhile, USM's offense was relatively silenced by ULL starting pitcher Austin Robichaux, who allowed just a run on three hits in five innings of work.
Washington State: The Cougars struggled to establish any kind of consistency over the weekend against Texas-San Antonio, dropping the series finale 4-3 and the series overall. WSU starting pitcher Kyle Swannack allowed two runs on seven hits in 3 2/3 innings, while the offense was unable to do much, particularly against UTSA's bullpen, with only Brett Jacobs chipping in a three-hit performance.
UC Santa Barbara: The Gauchos hit the road to Austin this weekend hoping to make a significant statement on the national stage. Instead, they headed home with a trio of tough losses. UCSB starting pitcher Andrew Vasquez didn't make it past the second inning against the Longhorns, allowing two runs in 1 1/3 innings of work, with the bullpen not doing much better.
Pepperdine: Talented junior left-handed pitcher Aaron Brown, who missed the last two weekends because of a hamate bone injury, return to the mound against Seton Hall, but it didn't end well in a 9-3 setback. Brown allowed four runs on seven hits in 3 2/3 innings of work, while the bullpen also struggled. Surprisingly, the Waves dropped all three games to the previously winless Pirates.
Best individual performances
Corey Littrell, LHP, Jr., Kentucky: The Wildcats captured an important series win over Michigan State with Littrell leading the charge. The talented left-handed pitcher struck out nine, walked one, and allowed a run on four hits in seven innings of work. He also threw 100 pitches, 68 for strikes.
David Lucroy, RHP, Fr., East Carolina: The Pirates needed a boost against Monmouth and got exactly what they needed from the talented right-handed pitcher. He struck out 12 batters and allowed just two hits in a complete game shutout. Lucroy threw 106 pitches, 79 for strikes.
Paul Schaak, LHP, Jr., Eastern Michigan: The Eagles got an outstanding performance from the talented veteran left-handed hurler. Schaak struck out five batters, walked two and just allowed six hits in six shutout frames in a 3-0 win over Cincinnati.
Nolan Belcher, LHP, Sr., South Carolina: The outstanding senior pitcher continues to add to his legacy so far this season. Belcher was terrific in a 1-0 win over Rider. The lefty struck out seven batters and allowed just eight hits in seven shutout innings.
Devin Burke, RHP, Jr., Virginia Tech: Georgia Tech entered Sunday's series finale against the Hokies on an absolute roll offensively, but Burke cooled them down with a great start in a victory. Burke, who was up to 91 in the contest, allowed just two runs on six hits in eight innings of work.
Kerry Doane, RHP, Sr., East Tennessee State: Doane has been on an impressive roll the past couple of weeks. He continued the successful stint in a win over Rhode Island, striking out five, walking three and allowing just four hits in a complete game shutout.
Shane McCain, LHP, Jr., Troy: The Trojans finished off a solid weekend with a 3-1 win over Southeastern Louisiana. McCain put together a great start Sunday afternoon, striking out nine, allowing just one run on three hits in seven innings of work.
Justin Wall, DH/OF, Fr., Dallas Baptist: The Patriots still have a ways to go, but have bounced back a bit from such a slow start. Wall put together a great performance in a 13-6 win over Oral Roberts. He went 4-for-6 with a double, home run, three runs scored and three RBIs.
Phillip Ervin, OF, Jr., Samford: The Bulldogs picked up an important win over The Citadel on Sunday with Ervin leading the charge at the plate. He went 3-for-4 with a triple, home run, four runs scored and four RBIs. He also walked twice in the game.
Bryson Hough, RHP, So., Bucknell: The talented right-hander tossed a gem as the Bison captured a 3-0 win over North Dakota State. Hough struck out three, walked one and allowed just six hits in a complete game shutout.
Craig Schlitter, RHP, So., Bryant: Just a couple of days ago Peter Kelich made a statement for the Bulldogs, Schlitter also took care of business in a win over Wright State. The righty struck out nine batters, walked one, and allowed just five hits in six shutout frames.
David Andriese, OF, So., UC Riverside: The Highlanders finished of the weekend in style with an impressive showing against New Mexico. Andriese had a huge day at the plate, too, going 4-for-6 with three doubles, a run scored and four RBIs.
Zach Adkins, LHP, Sr., Delaware State: Adkins put together an excellent start as the Hornets defeated St. Peter's 4-0. Adkins struck out four, walked three and allowed just one hit in a complete game shutout. He also threw 132 pitches, 77 for strikes.
Mark Leiter, RHP, Jr., New Jersey Tech: Leiter had a fantastic afternoon in an outing against Presbyterian. The talented right-hander struck out six, walked three and allowed just one run on two hits in six innings of work.
Richard Carthon, OF, Fr., Tulane: The talented freshman had a fantastic offensive performance as the Green Wave took care of High Point in the latter innings, 11-10. Carthon went 5-for-6 with a double, a run scored and three RBIs.
Ben Johnson, OF, Fr., Texas: Johnson was known for his athleticism out of high school, but showed some serious pop for the Longhorns in the series finale against UC Santa Barbara. Johnson went 4-for-4 in the leadoff role with two doubles, a home run (to right field), two runs scored and two RBIs.
Ben Smith, LHP, So., Coastal Carolina: Heard some really nice things about Smith's performance in a 3-1 win over Ohio State. Smith was 89-91 with his fastball, up to 93 at times, and displayed a legitimate three-pitch mix. Smith struck out nine, walked two and allowed just four hits in 6 1/3 shutout innings of work.
How the PG Top 25 fared
1 North Carolina: Went 4-0 last week with a road series sweep over Wake Forest
2 Vanderbilt: Went 3-1 last week with an impressive road series win over Oregon
3 LSU: The Tigers went 5-0 last week, including a home series sweep over Washington
4 UCLA: Went 3-1 last week, earning weekend wins over Notre Dame and USC
5 Stanford: Had a rough week, that included an 0-3 record vs. UNLV
6 Oregon State: Another sensational week that included a home sweep over Texas State.
7 South Carolina: In business-like fashion, Gamecocks earned a series sweep over Rider.
8 North Carolina State: Had a rough weekend with a home series loss to Clemson, also lost shortstop Trea Turner for at least 4-6 weeks with ankle injury.
9 Georgia Tech: Another fantastic week in the books with road series win over Virginia Tech.
10 Mississippi State: In surprising fashion, dropped a home series to red-hot Central Arkansas.
11 Cal State Fullerton: Had another great weekend that included a series win over Texas A&M.
12 Ole Miss: The Rebels went 5-0 last week with a home series sweep over Lipscomb.
13 Kentucky: Went 3-1 last week with a home weekend series win over Michigan State.
14 Louisville: Had a huge weekend that included a home series sweep over Alabama.
15 Florida State: The Seminoles continue to roll, sweeping Boston College this weekend.
16 Arkansas: Though some pitchers are still scuffling, the Razorbacks had a great weekend that included a series sweep over San Diego State.
17 Oregon: The Ducks went 3-2 last week with a home series loss to Vanderbilt.
18 Oklahoma: Went 1-3 last week with losses to Notre Dame and USC over weekend.
19 Arizona State: The Sun Devils continue to shine, doing a clean sweep of Long Beach State.
20 Rice: The Owls hit the road last week and recorded a nice series win over FIU.
21 UC Irvine: In surprising fashion, the Anteaters dropped a road series to BYU.
22 Arizona: The Wildcats had an OK week on the diamond, earning a home series win over Columbia this weekend.
23 Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish had a successful weekend at the Dodgertown Classic with wins over Oklahoma and USC.
24 Virginia: To no surprise at all, the Cavaliers took care of Maryland at home over the weekend.
25 Virginia Tech: The Hokies had a setback over the weekend with a home series loss to sizzling Georgia Tech.