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College  | Story  | 4/26/2024

Week 11 Preview Pick 'Em

Vincent Cervino      Craig Cozart     
Photo: Josh Randall (USD Athletics)
No. 10 Florida State at No. 5 Duke

The Blue Devils (29-12) have won four consecutive ACC series and are 2-games behind UNC for the Coastal Division lead. Senior, Ben Miller is putting together an All-American type of season and Jonathan Santucci is still undefeated on the mound as their Friday night ace. They really need this road series to elevate their RPI to a level where they could host come postseason. The Seminoles (32-8) are battling some rotation issues right now but still proved they could compete with a few arms down last weekend. They are still in 2nd place in the ACC Atlantic and are in great shape for the postseason. James Tibbs III and Cam Smith are still batting over .400 and Jamie Arnold is arguably the best starter in the nation. This will be a sensational series, FSU is (23-2) at home and I think they figure a way to win this series, pitching fully healthy or not.

Cozy’s Pick: Florida State



This is the second top ten matchup in a row for the Seminoles as they head to Duke to take on a top 5 Blue Devils club. Their pitching is starting to get healthier as Ben Barrett is expected back this weekend but it’s still going to have to be the offense that carries them. Duke has an excellent bullpen but the one-two punch of Cam Smith and James Tibbs gives the ‘Noles an edge.
 
Vin's Pick: Florida State


Oregon at No. 11 Oregon State

The Ducks (28-12) just keep hanging around the top of the Pac-12 standings and have been a fringe Top-25 team most of the year. They lost their first conference series of the season last weekend but are a well-rounded club. Jacob Walsh has turned into a massive run producer; however, they don’t feature a starting pitcher with an ERA south of 4.00 this year. The Beavers (31-9) have hit their first rough patch of the season in the last week or so as they got swept by Cal. They now find themselves in 4th place in the league, but they still feature one of the best offenses in the nation. Travis Bazzana is a frontrunner for the Golden Spikes Award and the Beavers are an incredible (19-1) at home so far. Rivalry weekends like this are often a coin flip but I still think Oregon State is one of the best teams in the country.

Cozy’s Pick: Oregon State

The Beavers are in the midst of the toughest slate of the year, dropping out of the top ten after losing their second Pac 12 series in four weeks. Oregon is also coming off a series loss to Stanford and both teams will be hoping to wipe the slate clean on a rivalry weekend. The Beavers are getting the meat of their lineup finally healthy as Micah McDowell, Brady Kasper, and Travis Bazzana have all been banged up with Trent Caraway on the way back too. I expect the Beavers to get right this weekend and take care of business.

Vin's Pick: Oregon State


Texas at No. 23 Oklahoma

The Longhorns (25-17) have been on an incredible rollercoaster of a season and since February haven’t put together anything longer than a 3-game win streak. They are tied for 2nd in the Big-12 and but have some major RPI issues when it comes to securing a postseason berth. Their starting rotation has been a toss-up, but they can slug the ball with 96 doubles and 81 HR to this point. The Sooners (25-14) have maintained their 3-game lead atop the standings and are on an 8-game win streak. Since getting swept by Lamar at home they have won 10 of their last 12 and are a fringe host team for the NCAA Tournament. Their bullpen is a real strength, so if their starters get the ball to them with the lead it’s almost a done deal. There is no more unpredictable league than the Big-12 this year but Oklahoma seems to have the knack for winning games.

Cozy’s Pick: Oklahoma

Oklahoma has had an up and down season but they’ve been nails in conference play, standing atop the Big 12 at 14-4. Texas is also over .500 in conference play but I like how Oklahoma’s offense matches up against the Texas arms. Oklahoma can run and disrupt while also hitting for power and think they can outlast the Texas bullpen.

Vin's Pick: Oklahoma


USC Upstate at Presbyterian

The Spartans (27-14) is now the class of the depleted Big South Conference since losing the likes of Coastal Carolina, Liberty, and Campbell in years past. Upstate, however, is a quality club that can go toe-to-toe with any team in the region. Noah Sullivan is one of the best two-way players in the nation and with the new dimensions of the park at home this team uses the longball much more than in the past. The Blue Hose (19-21) had come off sweeping two consecutive conference weekends before getting swept in last and are 2-games out of 1st place in the league. Daniel Eagen is a legit frontline starter, may be the best prospect in the league and combined with Charlie McDaniel make up a tough one-two punch in the rotation. USC Upstate is talented but Presbyterian is a tough place to play, and I think the Blue Hose finishes the weekend tied for the conference lead.

Cozy’s Pick: Presbyterian

This weekend features a matchup in two of the top three teams in the Big South with first place USC Upstate heading to third place Presbyterian. The Blue Hose have a true ace in Daniel Eagen who has 80 punchouts in 46.1 innings along with Joel Dragoo who is likely the best offensive player in the series. Upstate is super deep, however, with six hitters over .300 and all three weekend rotation starters over 49 innings. I think Upstate is a more complete team and will come out on top in a tough road victory.

Vin's Pick: USC Upstate
 

Niagara at Rider

The Purple Eagles (24-11) have only played 7-games at home all season, so they are used to life on the road. They are tied with Rider at the top of the MAAC standings and have the potential conference player of the year in Eric Rataczak leading their potent offense. They have some concerns on the mound and do provide opponents with far too many free bases. The Broncos (20-16) are undefeated at home (8-0) this year and played a brutally challenging schedule early where they started (2-14) on the road. Since then, they have gone (18-2) and are obviously playing their best ball of the season. They are an elite defensive club fielding .983 and this could be a huge factor this weekend. The regular season could be decided here, and I am betting on the offense of Niagara delivering them the series victory.

Cozy’s Pick: Niagara

Both teams enter this weekend tied for first in the MAAC at 11-1 apiece in what looks like a defacto three game set for first place in the conference. I like Rider to come out ahead given how they’re playing as of late, winning seven of their last eight including a three game road sweep at Maine. They’re also fielding at a .983 clip and like their run prevention at home this weekend.

Vin's Pick: Rider


Navy at Army

The Midshipmen (24-17) have played well in head coach Chuck Ristano’s first season at the helm. They are tied with Army atop the Patriot League standings and play an active version of offense with 78 steals on the year. Tyler Grenn has been great in the rotation; they do issue too many free passes, but they do play a blue-collar style of defense fielding .978 so far. The Black Knights (23-17) have a high-powered offense with the ability to leave the yard and they steal bases at a high level. It is a nerve-racking style of offense to deal with and William Parker looks like the front runner for player of the year in the league. This is a beautiful series, with elite young men that will serve our country and make a difference in the world. This is another consequential weekend, most likely deciding the regular season title and I think Army holds the advantage at home.

Cozy’s Pick: Army

The annual Navy-Army matchup always has big stakes in the Patriot League and this year is no different with Army coming into the weekend in first place and Navy in second. I like Army’s offense here as they have nearly double the amount of homers as Navy and have a couple of really interesting weapons including bullpen long man Andrew Berg who can be deployed in a myriad of ways.

Vin's Pick: Army


Gonzaga at San Diego

The Bulldogs (17-20) have played tremendously difficult early seasons over the last two years and that is reflected in their overall record. However, the good news is that they have won 10 of their last 12 games and are currently the leader in the clubhouse in the West Coast Conference. Their offense is rather anemic overall, and they rely heavily on quality starting pitching and a stellar bullpen to deliver wins. The Toreros (27-12) are building significant momentum in their season right now and on the verge of breaking into the Top-25 for the first time this year. They have won 16 of their last 18 games and Jakob Christian is one of the best hitters on the west coast, hitting for both power and average. Their pitching is deep, with the ability to miss barrels at a high level and they field a stellar .980 as a team. San Diego is emerging as an NCAA tournament sleeper who could make a deep run and they should take control of the WCC regular season this weekend.

Cozy’s Pick: San Diego

I think the Gauchos are super underrated as their series loss to Portland two weeks ago was their only major slip up thus far. Josh Randall is a legit Friday night starter and has been into the upper-90s while Jakob Christian looks like a conference POY front runner with nineteen bombs and nine stolen bases. I think this San Diego is very balanced and should be able to take care of business.

Vin's Pick: San Diego
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