UCLA Baseball Dominates Early Season Rankings
The college baseball season is off to an exciting start, and several teams have already made strong statements. This article will examine the performance of UCLA and other top teams, analyzing their standings, key players, and upcoming schedules.
UCLA's Ascendancy to the Top
The UCLA Bruins have emphatically secured their hold on the No. 1 spot in the nation. The Bruins didn’t waste their opportunity to assert themselves as the nation’s top team, beating Tulane 13-5 in the midweek and sweeping No. 8 TCU at home with 10-1, 5-1 and 15-5 victories. It was a thorough dismantling of a Top 10 opponent. Center fielder Will Gasparino turned in one of the best weeks of his career, going 7-for-13 with a double, five home runs, eight runs scored and 13 RBIs in four games.
Upcoming Games:
- Feb. 24: vs. San Diego State
- Feb. 27: (Neutral site) No. 19 Tennessee
- Feb. 28: (Neutral site) No. 21 Texas A\&M
Other Teams in the Top 25
2. LSU Tigers
The Tigers stayed perfect through a five-game week, notching midweek wins over Kent State and Nicholls before sweeping the Jax College Baseball Classic with victories over Indiana (14-7), Notre Dame (9-4) and UCF (11-0 in seven innings). Outfielder Jake Brown continued his scorching start, going 11-for-25 (.440) with two home runs, a double, eight RBIs and two stolen bases while drawing two walks against one strikeout.
Upcoming Games:
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- Feb. 24: vs. McNeese
- Feb. 27: vs. Dartmouth
- Feb. 28: vs. Northeastern
- March 1: vs.
3. Arkansas Razorbacks
Overall: 6-1 (3-0 vs. The third-ranked Bulldogs cruised through their first full week, dispatching Troy and Alcorn State midweek before sweeping Delaware over the weekend. Starting pitcher Ryan McPherson continued to look sharp at the front of the Bulldogs’ staff, tossing six innings while allowing one earned run on four hits and striking out a career-high 11 against one walk.
Upcoming Games:
- Feb. 24: vs. Austin Peay
- Feb. 27: (Neutral site) Arizona State
- Feb. 28: (Neutral site) Virginia Tech
- March 1: (Neutral site) No.
4. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Georgia Tech stayed white-hot at the plate, rolling to a 25-1 midweek win over Georgia Southern before sweeping Stony Brook 14-5, 10-5, 6-5 and 21-3. Center fielder Drew Burress went 8-for-17 with two doubles, a triple, a home run and four RBIs.
Upcoming Games:
- Feb. 24: vs. Georgia State
- Feb. 27: vs Northwestern
5. Auburn Tigers
Overall: 6-1 (1-0 vs. Auburn stumbled out of the gate in Week 2 with an 8-0 midweek loss to unranked Cincinnati at Plainsman Park but rebounded over the weekend with wins over Kansas State (5-1), then-No. 12 Florida State (8-5) and Louisville (10-6). Tabbed “a catalyst” by head coach Butch Thompson, junior outfielder Bristol Carter went 7-for-12 with a home run, two RBIs and three stolen bases while drawing three walks against one strikeout.
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Upcoming Games:
- Feb. 25: vs. West Georgia
- Feb. 27: vs. Nebraska
- Feb. 28: vs. Nebraska
- March 1: vs.
6. Texas Longhorns
After a 14-4 run-rule midweek win over Lamar, Texas leaned on its pitching staff to secure 8-1, 3-1 and 4-0 victories over Michigan State, which took two ranked wins at Louisville on opening weekend. Sophomore lefthander Dylan Volantis continued to shine in his new role as a starter, striking out a career-best nine over seven scoreless innings on Sunday. He retired 15 of the first 16 batters he faced, threw 63 of a career-high 91 pitches for strikes and allowed just four infield singles.
Upcoming Games:
- Feb. 24: vs. UTRGV
- Feb. 27: (Neutral Site) Coastal Carolina
7. North Carolina Tar Heels
The Tar Heels picked up midweek home wins over Richmond and Longwood before splitting two games with East Carolina, winning 10-0 in eight innings in Greenville on Friday and falling 10-3 in Durham on Saturday. Junior righthander Jason DeCaro opened the weekend with a career outing, tossing eight shutout innings with seven strikeouts, one walk and five hits allowed.
Upcoming Games:
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- Feb. 24: vs. NC A\&T
- Feb. 25: vs. VCU
- Feb. 27: vs. Le Moyne
- Feb. 28: vs. Le Moyne
- March 1: vs.
8. Georgia Bulldogs
Georgia faced little resistance in Week 2, beating USC Upstate 12-6 midweek before sweeping Samford 11-1, 12-4 and 22-0, with the first and last wins coming via seven-inning run rule. Junior Tre Phelps went 7-for-13 with two doubles, a home run, three RBIs and eight runs scored.
Upcoming Games:
- Feb. 25: vs. Troy
- Feb. 27: vs. Oakland
- Feb. 28: vs Oakland
- Feb. 28: vs. Oakland
- March 1: vs.
9. Texas Christian University Horned Frogs
Overall: 6-1 (0-1 vs. Second baseman Cam Kozeal went 8-for-17 with a double, a triple, two home runs and seven RBIs.
Upcoming Games:
- Feb. 24: vs. Arkansas State
- Feb. 25: vs. Arkansas State
- Feb. 27: vs. UT Arlington
- Feb. 28: vs. UT Arlington
- March 1: vs.
10. Oklahoma Sooners
Overall: 7-0 (1-0 vs. Oklahoma followed a perfect opening weekend with a 10-6 midweek win over New Mexico State and a sweep of Coppin State in which it outscored its opponent 57-1. Third baseman Camden Johnson went 3-for-7 with two doubles, 10 runs scored, five walks against one strikeout and nine stolen bases in four games in Week 2.
Upcoming Games:
- Feb. 24: vs. Arizona State
- Feb. 25: vs. Arizona State
- Feb. 27: vs. Gonzaga
- Feb. 28: vs. Gonzaga
- March 1: vs.
11. Ole Miss Rebels
The Rebels added five wins in Week 2 with midweek victories over Arkansas State (7-6) and Jackson State (18-3 in seven innings) before sweeping Missouri State with 11-6, 6-3 and 3-2 wins. It wasn’t the most efficient week, but it was as impactful as any for Ole Miss senior Judd Utermark, who went 6-for-19 with five home runs to push his season total to six.
Upcoming Games:
- Feb. 24: vs. Southeast Missouri State
- Feb. 27: (Neutral Site) Baylor
- Feb. 28: (Neutral site) Ohio State
- March 1: (Neutral site) No.
12. Duke Blue Devils
Though his stat line was boosted by a three-home run game against Monmouth, outfielder AJ Gracia impressed in Week 2, going 7-for-16 with four home runs, five RBIs and eight runs scored.
Upcoming Games:
- Feb. 24: vs. George Washington
- Feb. 27: vs. VCU
- Feb. 28: vs.
13. TCU Horned Frogs
Overall: 2-5 (2-4 vs. After opening the season with two wins over ranked opponents, TCU looked overmatched in Week 2, beginning with an 11-8 midweek loss to UT Arlington and culminating in a road sweep at No. 1 UCLA that ended in a run-rule defeat. It marked the second straight weekend the Horned Frogs closed with a run-rule loss. They were also without ace Tommy LaPour, who missed his Friday start with arm soreness. Outfielder Sawyer Strosnider was a bright spot in an otherwise tough week, going 6-for-13 with two home runs, a triple, three RBIs and six runs scored.
Upcoming Games:
- Feb. 27: vs. New Haven
- Feb. 28: vs. New Haven
- March 1: vs.
14. Clemson Tigers
Clemson went 4-0 and won each game by multiple runs, though an 11-1 run rule victory against Charlotte was their only true blowout. After going 0-for-3 on opening day, Junior first baseman Luke Gaffney has been scorching at the plate. He tallied hits in all four games this week, including a 3-for-3 effort on Friday against BRyant with a home run and a pair of walks.
Upcoming Games:
- Feb. 23: vs. Presbyterian
- Feb. 28: (Neutral site) South Carolina
- March 1: vs.
15. North Carolina State Wolfpack
A 1-0 loss to Princeton in the second game of a Saturday double header was the lone blemish of an otherwise rock solid week for the Wolfpack. They beat Winthrop, 7-3, in a Wednesday midweek game before winning the series against Princeton. Junior righthander Jacob Dudan started game one on Saturday and struck out a career-high 11 batters in seven innings.
Upcoming Games:
- Feb. 24: vs. Richmond
- Feb. 25: vs. Akron
- Feb. 27: vs. Sacred Heart
- Feb. 28: vs. Sacred Heart
- Mar. 1: vs.
16. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
Coastal Carolina had five games on the schedule, but rain canceled a Saturday matchup with Illinois in the team’s Baseball at the Beach tournament that also included VCU. Senior outfielder Dean Mihos has been a steady presence at the top of the lineup all season. He went 6-for-14 (.429) this week with one double, three walks, one stolen base and just one strikeout.
Upcoming Games:
- Feb. 24: vs. Campbell
- Feb. 27: (Neutral site) Texas
17. Florida State Seminoles
Overall: 4-2 (0-1 vs. Florida State run ruled Jacksonville, 13-3, in eight innings in a midweek matchup on the road before heading to Globe Life Field for the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series. Things started nicely with a 6-1 win against Michigan, but the Seminoles dropped their final two games, 8-5 against No. Junior lefthander Wes Mendes threw 5.1 shutout innings against Michigan on Friday. He struck out seven, walked one and allowed just one hit on 89 pitches.
Upcoming Games:
- Feb. 25: vs. North Florida
- Feb. 27: vs. The Citadel
- Feb. 28: vs. The Citadel
- March 1: vs.
18. Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles
Overall: 6-1 (1-0 vs. Southern Miss took care of a midweek matchup against Southeastern Louisiana, 3-1, before heading to Texas for the Round Rock classic where they went 3-0 against Purdue (5-4), No. Senior outfielder Joey Urban was a crucial offensive piece to the team’s win over Oregon State. He went 3-for-4 out of the two-hole, with his first home run and triple of the season.
Upcoming Games:
- Feb. 24: vs. Alabama
19. Tennessee Volunteers
Sophomore righthander Landon Mack got the start on Saturday, and did his part to keep Tennessee in the game.
Upcoming Games:
- Feb. 24: vs. Bellarmine
- Feb. 27: (Neutral site) No. 1 UCLA
20.
Upcoming Games:
- Feb. 25: vs. Ohio
21. Texas A\&M Aggies
The Aggies hosted Penn and swept their series, though it didn’t come easily. They won 1-0 on Friday, then won a 2-1 extra-inning game on Saturday before wrapping things up with a 7-1 Sunday affair. Sophomore righthander Aiden Sims got the start on Sunday. He threw seven innings and allowed one earned run on three hits, but struck out 10 of the 24 batters he faced-without a walk, of course.
Upcoming Games:
- Feb. 24: vs. Lamar
- Feb. 27: (Neutral site) Virginia Tech
- Feb. 28: (Neutral site) No.
22. Miami Hurricanes
Miami had a loaded, six game week which included a pair of midweek games and a four-game series against Lafayette that featured a Saturday double header. Freshman outfielder and righthander Dylan Dubovik played in three games against Lafayette and went 9-for-11 (.818), including a 5-for-6 game on Sunday.
Upcoming Games:
- Feb. 27: vs. No. 23 Florida
- Feb. 28: vs. No. 23 Florida
- March 1: vs. No.
23. Florida Gators
Florida hosted Stetson for a pair of midweek games and won both, with a combined score of 21-5. They then swept a three-game series against Kennesaw State to pick up their seventh straight win after dropping the season opener. Junior righthander Liam Peterson bounced back from a tough week one outing and looked dominant at times during week two. He struck out 12 batters and walked two in 5.1 shutout innings.
Upcoming Games:
- Feb. 24: vs. Florida International
- Feb. 25: vs. Florida International
- Feb. 22 Miami
24. UC Santa Barbara Gauchos
Overall: 4-3 (0-1 vs. Sophomore righthander Dax Whitney tied a program record with 17 strikeouts against Baylor, in the best outing of his college career. He threw seven shutout innings, allowed just two hits and walked one batter.
Upcoming Games:
- Feb. 27: (Neutral site) Houston
25. Vanderbilt Commodores
Overall: 6-2 (0-1 vs. After a tough trip to Texas in week one that saw Vanderbilt slip just outside of the top 25, they blitzed both Eastern Michigan and Marist in a 5-0 week that brought them back into the fold. The Commodores outscored their opponents, 65-11, and won four straight games by the run rule. Sophomore third baseman Brodie Johnston has been red hot since the season began. In this five-game stretch he reached base in every game and went 7-for-19 (.368) with two home runs, two doubles, three walks and just a pair of strikeouts.
Upcoming Games:
- Feb. 24: vs. Evansville
- Feb. 27: (Neutral site) UC Irvine
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