Trackin' the Top 25
Take a quick look back at last week's games and a first glance at the upcoming games for the Top 25:
1. Clemson
Last week: 0-0. Overall: 0-0, 0-0 in ACC. (0-0 vs. Top 25).
Upcoming:
Feb. 17-19: James Madison
2. Florida
Last week: 3-0. Overall: 3-0, 0-0 in SEC. (0-0 vs. Top 25).
Notes: Florida hit seven homers in crushing Cincinnati, but none came from junior 1B Matt LaPorta, who was walked six times and hit by a pitch. Junior C Brian Jeroloman and junior LF Gavin Dickey each homered twice, while junior SS Adam Davis led the team with seven hits and seven RBI.
Results:
Feb. 10-12: Cincinnati: W 10-0, W 10-4, W 20-4
This week:
Feb. 15: Mercer
Feb. 17-19: @ Miami
3. Georgia Tech
Last week: 2-0. Overall: 2-0, 0-0 in ACC. (0-0 vs. Top 25).
Notes: It looked a lot like 2005 for Georgia Tech; they scored plenty of runs and got enough pitching to win. Senior RF Jeff Kindel, junior 1B Whit Robbins and junior 3B Wes Hodges totaled 14 hits and each homered once. Tech has won 20 straight games at Georgia Southern since 1997.
Results:
Feb. 11-12: @ Georgia Southern: W 13-9, W 15-7
This week:
Feb. 15: Georgia State
Feb. 17-19: Kennesaw State
4. North Carolina
Last week: 0-0. Overall: 0-0, 0-0 in ACC. (0-0 vs. Top 25).
This week:
Feb. 17-19: Seton Hall
5. Rice
Last week: 3-1. Overall: 4-1, 0-0 in Conference USA. (1-1 vs. Top 25).
Notes: Rice trailed 6-2 Sunday before junior PH/OF Josh Rodriguez stroked a three-run homer and sophomore SS Brian Friday added an RBI single. Rice scored twice in the eighth and once in the ninth Saturday to take a 4-3 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth, but Texas' Kyle Russell hit a two-run, game-ending home run off senior RHP Bryce Cox. Rice has lost seven straight to Texas. Freshman LF/3B Aaron Luna homered Wednesday and Friday to push his streak of homers to three in his first three college games. But the homer-streak ended vs. Texas.
Results:
Feb. 7: McNeese State: W 6-2
Feb. 10-12: @ Houston Astros College Classic:
Texas Tech: W 5-1, (7) Texas: L 5-4, (21) TCU: W 12-6
This week:
Feb. 17-19: Coca-Cola Classic: Oklahoma, No. 19 Long Beach State, Lamar
6. Oregon State
Last week: 2-1. Overall: 2-1, 0-0 in Pac-10. (1-0 vs. Top 25).
Notes: Oregon State looked like it had a perfect week when senior RF Geoff Wagner hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning against Gonzaga, but the Bulldogs scored two in the bottom of the inning against junior LHP Kevin Gunderson to win. Junior LF/1B Cole Gillespie reached base in 11 of his 16 plate appearances and scored nine times in replacing senior Tyler Graham (leg injury) in the leadoff spot. Junior RHP Jonah Nickerson (5 IP, 3 H) and two relievers held Arizona State to five hits.
Results:
Feb. 10-12: @ Spring Training Classic, Surprise, Ariz.:
Nevada: W 12-4, No. 16 Arizona State: W 11-0, Gonzaga: L 6-5
This week:
Feb. 17-19: @ No. 16 Pepperdine
7. Texas
Last week: 3-1. Overall: 3-4, 0-0 in Big 12. (1-1 vs. Top 25).
Notes: Freshman OF Kyle Russell hit a two-out, two-run pinch-hit homer in the ninth inning Saturday to give Texas an exciting win over Rice before 27,134 fans. The bullpen coughed up a Kyle McCulloch (7 IP, 5 H, ER, 9 K) lead in that one. Texas has won seven in a row against Rice. Still, the Longhorns aren't gathering a lot of hits -- just 21 for the weekend (five Friday and six in Sunday's loss).
Results:
Feb. 8: UT-Pan American: W 15-2
Feb. 10-12: @ Houston Astros College Classic:
Houston: W 3-1, No. 5 Rice: W 4-3, No. 12 Tulane: L 4-2
This week:
Feb. 14: UT San Antonio
Feb. 17-19: @ No. 24 Stanford
8. Tennessee
Last week: 2-0. Overall: 4-1, 0-0 in SEC. (0-0 vs. Top 25).
Notes: Bad weather forced a Friday doubleheader and prohibited further action. Sophomore LHP James Adkins (6 IP, H, ER, BB) and freshman RHP Josh Lindblom (5 IP, 3 H, ER, 8 K) handled Eastern Michigan with aplomb.
Results:
Feb. 10: Eastern Michigan: W 3-2, W 3-2
This week:
Feb. 17-19: Morehead State
9. Cal State Fullerton
Last week: 3-0. Overall: 3-3, 0-0 in Big West. (0-0 vs. Top 25).
Notes: It's back to normal for the Titans. Junior 1B Brett Pill went 7-for-11 a week after a 1-for-12 start and hit his first home run. Sophomore RHP Wes Roemer allowed four hits over eight innings Friday, holding UNLV without a hit until one out in the sixth. He struck out nine and has 17 K's and no walks in his first 17 innings.
Results:
Feb. 10-12: UNLV: W 9-1, W 13-4, W 3-1
This week:
Feb. 17-19: @/vs./vs. UC Irvine
10. Tulane
Last week: 2-1. Overall: 2-1, 0-0 in Conference USA. (1-1 vs. Top 25).
Notes: Senior RHP Billy Mohl (7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 0 ER) shut down Texas on Sunday to make it a winning weekend for the Green Wave. The first two games were decided late, with sophomore SS Cat Everett driving in three of the five runs Tulane scored in the game's final three innings vs. Texas Tech.
Results:
Feb. 10-12: @ Houston Astros College Classic:
(21) TCU: L 5-3 (10), Texas Tech: W 6-4, No. 7 Texas: W 4-2
This week:
Feb. 14: McNeese State
Feb. 17-19: Penn State
11. Mississippi State
Last week: 0-0. Overall: 0-0, 0-0 in SEC. (0-0 vs. Top 25).
Upcoming:
Feb. 24-26: Marist
12. Missouri
Last week: 2-2. Overall: 2-2, 0-0 in Big 12. (0-0 vs. Top 25).
Notes: It was not a pretty season-debut for Missouri's offense, which was held to four hits in the opener and needed two eighth-inning runs to edge Kennesaw State. Junior RHP Max Scherzer didn't pitch after cutting his right middle finger when a door slammed on it.
Results:
Feb. 9-12: Buccaneer Baseball Classic, Charleston, S.C.
East Tennessee State: L 3-2, Charleston Southern: W 12-4, Kennesaw State: W 5-3, Washington State: L 9-3
This week:
Feb. 17-19: @ Louisiana-Monroe
13. South Carolina
Last week: 2-1. Overall: 2-1, 0-0 in SEC. (0-0 vs. Top 25).
Notes: South Carolina's creaky 2005 offense looks to have carried over to 2006. The Gamecocks needed a muffed double play ball (and junior OF Cheyne Hurst's five hits) to win the opener. Saturday's loss broke a 26-game February win streak. Freshmen middle infielders Reese Havens and James Darnell each delivered two hits and three RBI Sunday.
Results:
Feb. 10-12: Elon: W 5-4 (11), L 2-1, W 8-3
This week:
Feb. 17-19: Radford
14. Florida State
Last week: 1-1. Overall: 4-1, 0-0 in ACC. (0-0 vs. Top 25).
Notes: Cold temperatures led the coaches to call off Sunday's finale. Junior CF Shane Robinson delivered four hits and two steals Saturday, while junior RHP Tyler Chambliss (6 IP, 7 H, 2 ER) came up with his second strong start. Junior RHP Bryan Henry was just as good in the opener, but Auburn scored three times in the eighth.
Results:
Feb. 10-11: @ Auburn: L 5-2, W 8-3
This week:
Feb. 17-19: UNC Asheville
15. San Diego
Last week: 2-1. Overall: 5-1, 0-0 in West Coast. (3-0 vs. Top 25).
Notes: We think USD would have taken a 5-1 record at this point if offered before the season began. Junior RHP Josh Butler (7 IP, 3 H, 0 R), freshman LHP Brian Matusz (5 IP, 5 H, ER) and sophomore RHP Matt Couch (6 IP, 9 H, 2 ER) all delivered strong starts, but the bullpen and an offense that managed three hits let Couch down on Sunday. Freshman OF/LHP Josh Romanski is batting .391 with the team's only homer. He's also notched two saves.
Results:
Feb. 10-12: @ UC Davis: W 4-2, W 11-4, L 6-2
This week:
Feb. 17-19: @ Public Storage Classic, Los Angeles: Vanderbilt, Kansas, No. 25 USC
16. Pepperdine
Last week: 1-2. Overall: 3-3, 0-0 in West Coast. (0-0 vs. Top 25).
Notes: Sophomore RHPs Barry Enright and Adam Olbrychowski allowed 13 runs (11 earned) in 11 innings during their Saturday and Sunday starts, and teams don't win series with that kind of starting pitching. Sophomore CF Adrian Ortiz collected six hits on the weekend; he and sophomore Donald Brown have a hit in all six games.
Results:
Feb. 10-12: @ Fresno State: W 7-2, L 9-8, L 8-3
This week:
Feb. 14: No. 19 Long Beach State
Feb. 17-19: No. 6 Oregon State
17. Arkansas
Last week: 3-0. Overall: 3-0, 0-0 in SEC. (0-0 vs. Top 25).
Notes: Sophomore LHP Nick Schmidt (6 IP), junior RHP Brian McLelland and senior LHP Devin Collis combined on a no-hitter Saturday against Oklahoma State, which rang up 17 runs and 22 hits in its previous game. It marked the 12th no-no in Arkansas history and the first ever against OSU. Junior LF Jake Dugger led the team with seven hits on the weekend, including two homers and four RBI Sunday.
Results:
Feb. 10-12: @ Jaguar Invitational, Mobile, Ala.:
George Mason: W 4-1, Oklahoma State: W 3-0, South Alabama: W 8-7
This week:
Feb. 17-19: Al Ogletree Classic, Edinburg, Texas:
No. 18 TCU, Stephen F. Austin, UT Pan American
18. TCU
Last week: 2-1. Overall: 2-1, 0-0 in Mountain West. (1-1 vs. Top 25).
Notes: Sophomore DH Matt McGuirk's two-run, 10th-inning homer made TCU a winner Friday when sophomore RHP Sam Demel got a no-decision despite 8 K's in 7 IP. Senior CF Ryan Pack homered twice Sunday as TCU took a 6-2 lead, but the Frogs gave away a chance at a 3-0 weekend with four errors.
Results:
Feb. 10-12: @ Houston Astros College Classic:
No. 12 Tulane: W 5-3 (10), Houston: W 6-4, (5) Rice: L 12-6
This week:
Feb. 14: Texas State
Feb. 17-19: Al Olgetree Classic, Edinburg, Texas:
No. 17 Arkansas, UT Pan American, Stephen F. Austin
19. Long Beach State
Last week: 1-2. Overall: 4-2, 0-0 in Big West. (3-0 vs. Top 25).
Notes: Few hits (13) meant few runs (three) and no wins in the last two games for Long Beach State, which lost a series to Cal for the second straight year. The Dirtbags allowed six homers in the series, including three solo blasts Saturday, when back-to-back ninth-inning jobs by junior OFs Chris Errecart and Brennan Boesch (three bombs on the weekend) ended the game.
Results:
Feb. 10-12: @ California: W 7-6, L 3-2, L 4-1
This week:
Feb. 14: @ No. 16 Pepperdine
Feb. 17-19: Coca-Cola Classic, Houston: Lamar, No. 5 Rice, Oklahoma
20. LSU
Last week: 2-1. Overall: 2-1, 0-0 in SEC. (0-0 vs. Top 25).
Notes: Two new faces led the way for LSU. Freshman CF Jarred Bogany hit like he'd always been a Tiger, going 8-for-11 (two doubles, two RBI) in his debut weekend. Junior RHP Derik Olvey, a Notre Dame transfer, held UNF without a run on four hits over 8.1 innings and 90 pitches in the second game.
Results:
Feb. 10-12: North Florida: W 11-1, W 4-0, L 4-3 (10)
This week:
Feb. 14: Centenary
Feb. 17-19: Tennessee Tech
21. N.C. State
Last week: 3-0. Overall: 6-0, 0-0 in ACC. (0-0 vs. Top 25).
Notes: N.C. State rang up 55 runs on the weekend and has scored 105 times in six games, while batting .460. Sophomore 3B Matt Mangini now has hits in 20 of his 25 at-bats (that's an .800 average, math majors) and normally light-hitting junior SS Jonathan Diaz is batting .588. Sophomore RHP Eryk McConnell has thrown 12 innings over two starts and has allowed three hits and no runs.
Results:
Feb. 10-12: Hofstra: W 19-6, W 13-2, W 23-3
This week:
Feb. 17-19: Homewood Suites Shootout, Charleston, S.C.: Nebraska, Richmond, The Citadel
22. Cal Poly
Last week: 2-1. Overall: 7-2, 0-0 in Big West. (3-0 vs. Top 25).
Notes: Cal Poly has rung up double-digit hits totals in its last four games, highlighted by 19 on Saturday. Junior C Matt Canepa had three hits (two doubles) Sunday, when sophomore RHP Evan Reed threw five scoreless innings. Poly trailed 7-3 Friday before taking an 8-7 lead, but couldn't hold the advantage.
Results:
Feb. 10-12: @ Loyola Marymount: L 10-8, W 16-4, W 5-1
This week:
Feb. 17-19: @ San Diego State
23. Mississippi
Last week: 0-0. Overall: 0-0, 0-0 in SEC. (0-0 vs. Top 25).
Upcoming:
Feb. 17-19: St. Louis
24. Stanford
Last week: 1-2. Overall: 4-2, 0-0 in Pac-10. (3-0 vs. Top 25).
Notes: Stanford avoided its first home series sweep since 1997 with a win Sunday behind three hits from freshman LF Joey August and three RBI from freshman 3B Austin Yount. The Cardinal could have used some of that offense in the first two games when they managed just four hits.
Results:
Feb. 10-12: Kansas: L 8-2, L 5-4, W 8-3
This week:
Feb. 17-19: No. 7 Texas
25. USC
Last week: 4-0. Overall: 4-3, 0-0 in Pac-10. (0-3 vs. Top 25).
Notes: Junior RHP Ian Kennedy (7 IP, 3 H, 10 K's) started USC's first shutout since he helped dominate Arizona last April. Senior C Baron Frost and junior RF Cyle Hankerd hit two homers each Sunday. Frost drove in five runs; Hankerd, four.
Results:
Feb. 7: @ UC Riverside: W 13-10
Feb. 10-12: Florida International: W 12-0, W 5-4, W 13-4
This week:
Feb. 14: @ UC Santa Barbara
Feb. 17-19: Public Storage Classic, Los Angeles: Kansas, Vanderbilt, No. 15 San Diego
Dropped out
16. Arizona State
Last week: 0-3. Overall: 5-4, 0-0 in Pac-10. (0-1 vs. Top 25).
Notes: Yikes. Arizona State failed to pitch or hit, going winless in the Classic for the first time ever, as Pat Murphy's Saturday tirade and ejection served as the club's most exciting play. Sophomore 1B Willy Fox led the club with six hits, but the Devils didn't generate an extra-base hit until Sunday and failed to homer on the weekend.
Results:
Feb. 10-12: @ Spring Training Classic, Surprise, Ariz.:
Gonzaga: L 9-1, No. 6 Oregon State: L 11-0, Nevada: L 12-8
This week:
Feb. 17-19: Houston
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