College Top 25 Rankings: 3/8

Baseball America Poll

1. Virginia (1)

Wright State ace Alex Kaminsky threw a gem to beat the Cavaliers on Friday, but they rebounded to finish the week 3-1. Virginia's pitching is steady, but its offense is really doing the heavy lifting (.381/.461/.559). Keith Werman and Phil Gosselin (.451/.473/.667 on the year) had great weeks. The upcoming UVa./Florida State weekend matchup will be enthralling.

2. LSU (2)

The undefeated Tigers continued to tear the cover off the ball this week. LSU will need ace Anthony Ranaudo back soon, but Micah Gibbs (.436/.500/.667), Trey Watkins (.366/.519/.561 with 6 SB), Matt Gaudet (.359/.457/.769 with 5 HR) and others are doing a fine job carrying the team on their back.

3. Texas (3)

Questions linger about the Longhorns' bats, but they managed to go 2-1 at the Houston College Classic over the weekend. Once Kevin Keyes, Connor Rowe, Cameron Rupp, and Russell Moldenhauer get going I don't think Texas will have as many struggles scoring runs. RHPs Taylor Jungmann (7.2 IP, 1 R, 8 K) and Brandon Workman (8 IP, 1 R, 7 K) were stellar on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

4. Florida State (5)

The Seminoles can make a case for being the most impressive team in the country over the season's first three weeks. FSU decimated Georgia this weekend and is now 10-0. The 'Noles unbelievably have a .511 team OBP and 5 batters with slash stats of .400/.500/.600 or above. LHPs Sean Gilmartin and John Gast are forming a nice duo atop the rotation.

5. Georgia Tech (4)

Georgia Tech pounded Rutgers by a combined score of 33-9 in 3 games. Deck McGuire dazzled once again (8 IP, 0 R, 9 K) and lefty Jed Bradley regained form (6 scoreless with 9 K) to lead the pitching staff. C Cole Leonida (.474/.545/.789) and OF Chase Burnette (.465/.489/.791) are blistering the ball this year and the Yellow Jackets have cracked 21 home runs already.

6. Arizona State (6)

The Sun Devils still haven't been tested much this season. They did stay undefeated on the year and scored 38 runs in 4 games on the week. A variety of hitters including Drew Maggi, Kole Calhoun, and Zach Wilson had strong weeks at the dish. I'm excited to catch some of the ASU/Auburn series this weekend (and hopefully ASU ace Josh Spence will be healthy by then).

7. Florida (7)

Florida had a solid week and won a series at rival Miami. The Gators still stand out for their deep roster, but they are still figuring out who will fill what roles.

8. Rice (8)

The Owls went 4-1 on the week, only losing a one-run game to Texas at the Houston College Classic. The best sign is that they had solid pitching from weekend starters Taylor Wall (7.1, 2 R, 8 K), Tony Cingrani (6.2, 2 R), and Boogie Anagnostou (7 IP, 1 R).

9. Coastal Carolina (9)

Coastal had a perfect week and has to be pleased with the efforts of aces Cody Wheeler (6.1, 3 R) and Anthony Meo (6 IP, 2 R). The Chanticleers' offense has been ignited by Rico Noel (.381/.552/.667 with 15 SB on the year).

10. Louisville (10)

The Cardinals continued to play like an Omaha team, playing well offensively and defensively despite being without 1B Andrew Clark and OF Josh Richmond. Louisville's trip to Oxford to take on #18 Mississippi will be a marquee matchup this weekend.

11. TCU (12)

The Horned Frogs lost a close one to Rice at the Houston College Classic, but won the rest of their games on the week. TCU is in fantastic shape in all phases of the game, and received strong weekend starts from Steven Maxwell (6 IP, 2 R), Matt Purke (5.1 IP, 1 R, 7 K), and Kyle Winkler (6.1 IP, 3 R).

12. East Carolina (11)

LHP Kevin Brandt moved up to Friday and continued to throw well (6 IP, 1 R, 8 K). ECU also got strong pitching from RHPs Seth Maness and Zach Woods (who relieved Brad Mincey on Saturday after he went down with an injury). The Pirates had a perfect week.

13. Clemson (13)

Clemson posted an impressive series victory over South Carolina over the weekend. The Tigers have to like that OF Chris Epps's bat is starting to heat up.

14. UCLA (16)

UCLA remained undefeated largely on the strength of its elite pitching. Gerrit Cole, Trevor Bauer, and Rob Rasmussen each surrendered just one run in their starts. The Bruins' offense (Tyler Rahmatulla, Dean Espy, and Cody Regis especially) have been doing their part as well, perhaps due to the influence of Assistant Coach Rick Vanderhook.

15. Arkansas (17)

Righty Mike Bolsinger pitched well on Friday (7 IP, 3 R) to help the Razorbacks take a series from Cal. Zack Cox, Andy Wilkins, and Tim Carver had nice weeks at the dish. Arkansas is now 8-2 overall.

16. North Carolina (18)

The Tar Heels swept Michigan to improve to 10-1. Junior RHP Matt Harvey was brilliant on Friday (8 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 11 K) to set the tone for the remainder of the weekend. 1B Dillon Hazlett (.395/.490/.579) has been the club's top hitter so far, and OF Ben Bunting (.464 OBP) has been very solid.

17. UC Irvine (14)

Irvine didn't play great this week, but did manage to win a weekend series versus St. Mary's. Eric Pettis was fantastic for the 'Eaters, throwing 8 innings on Saturday after finishing a game on Friday. LHP Daniel Bibona (7 IP, 2 R, 11 K) was also sharp, and I have little long-term concern for UCI. Its line drive-oriented offense will come around soon.

18. Ole Miss (19)

The Rebels won a good series at Tulane. Drew Pomeranz (6 IP, 1 R, 6 K) and Aaron Barrett (6.1 IP, 1 R, 7 K) performed well, but Trent Rothlin was tripped up (3.2 IP, 6 R) in a loss on Sunday.

19. Oregon State (21)

OSU lost to Arizona State but beat two weaker opponents at a tournament in Arizona. Lefties Tanner Robles (7.2 IP, 9 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 K) and Matt Boyd (6.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 7 K) stole the show in the two victories.

20. Miami (20)

Miami had a fairly uninspiring weekend, losing to Florida. The 'Canes will look to turn it around against Central Florida and Boston College in the upcoming week.

21. Ohio State (24)

Ohio State scored 12 runs per game this week and looks impressive (though it has not faced elite competition thus far). OF Michael Stephens (.481/.531/.889) and Zach Hurley (.409/.480/.705) are both seeing the ball well.

22. Vanderbilt (23)

Vandy didn't play its best, but did sweep three games in the Music City Classic. Sonny Gray (7 IP, 1 R, 10 K) and Taylor Hill (7.1 IP, 2 R) pitched well again. 1B Curt Casali tore it up at the plate and is now hitting .486/.592/.811, but will miss about two weeks with a hamstring injury. Bryan Johns continues to swing a hot stick and freshman SS Anthony Gomez has played terrifically when he has gotten the opportunity. The Commodores could use more consistency out of Sunday starter Jack Armstrong.

23. Stanford (NR)

Stanford beat UC Davis in a mid-week game then won a series against UC Santa Barbara this week. Youth still abounds in Stanford, as a bevy of underclassmen is getting its chance. OF Jake Stewart (.570 OPS) is struggling, but fellow super-frosh Kenny Diekroeger (.382/.447/.559) is still hot. The Trees have a nice matchup against Pepperdine coming up.

24. Cal State Fullerton (15)

What's up with the Big West superpowers? UC Irvine is just 6-5 while preseason #3 Fullerton has dropped two of three weekend series. Talented juniors Christian Colon (.225/.326/.325) and Gary Brown (478/.489/.826 with 7 SB) are trending in opposite directions. RHPs Noe Ramirez and Tyler Pill pitched well this week and I think the TItans will be turn everything around soon, but can't afford for ace Daniel Renken to miss much time (he left Friday's game with back stiffness).

25. Kentucky (25)

Alex Meyer was hit hard in a loss to San Diego State, and Taylor Rogers (2.1 IP, 10 R) flopped versus Monmouth, but the Wildcats won the three of four games on the week. LHP Logan Darnell tossed a complete-game shutout and 3B Andy Burns had a good week offensively.

Out

San Diego (22)

Next Tier

Oklahoma

South Carolina

Texas A&M

New Mexico

Kansas

DeRosa Set for His Giants Debut

One of the Giants new additions from this winter, Mark DeRosa, hasn't gotten a chance to get into any Cactus League action yet, as the Giants are bringing him along slowly after offseason wrist surgery. However, the Giants' projected #5 hitter did take a big step towards readying himself for live action as he took live batting practice of actual pitchers for the first time this spring.

DeRosa had been getting himself in shape with the rest of his teammates throughout the last few weeks and the only area of his game that was handicapped a bit was his hitting. No that he's gone through some sessions without any set-backs, it appears plausible that he'll probably make his Cactus League debut sometime this week. DeRosa thinks he'll be ready to go by Tuesday, though Bruce Bochy thinks it could be closer to Thursday or Friday. Either way, it looks like DeRosa will be in the Giants lineup at some point this week, and we could start getting glimpses as to what the opening day lineup could look like. Remember, Freddy Sanchez is expected to start the year on the DL, so the Giants won't be counting on him to be their opening day 2nd basemen, but every other spot is filled and everybody looks healthy. I'm looking forward to seeing how DeRosa has recovered from his wrist work. That bum wrist was supposedly a large part of the reason why DeRosa hit just .228 after moving over to St. Louis in the second half of the season. I think everybody is not only hoping, but really expecting DeRosa to perform more along the lines of his first half showing in 2009, or I'm sure they'd settle for a repeat of his 2008 season with Chicago (.287, 21, 87, .857).

The Giants' offense, though, hasn't really been missing either DeRosa or Freddy Sanchez's bats though yet. The Giants have started the exhibition season 4-1, and offense hasn't been a problem whatsoever. The latest offensive outburst came Saturday in one of their split-squad games vs. the D-Backs. John Bowker continued his solid spring by launching a 3-run bomb off of Kyler Newby. The Giants top shortstop prospect, 23 year-old Brandon Crawford also hit an impressive homer, going the other way off of Blaine Boyer. Aubrey Huff continued his hot start as well by going 2-3 with an RBI and a run scored. Pablo Sandoval and Edgar Renteria each knocked in a pair of runs, and Eugenio Velez had 2 hits, 2 runs and a stolen base in the 12-6 rout of Arizona. Jonathon Sanchez got the start and threw pretty well. He didn't have his greatest command, but that's common for early spring, and did allow 6 baserunners in his 2 innings of work, but his 3 strikeouts helped him get out of it un-harmed. In relief, Dan Runzler, Sergio Romo and Jeremy Affeldt all had scoreless outings. Besides the solid offensive showing by the Giants early, they've also had their relievers all start off pretty well too.

Giants Start Exhibition Season 3-0

Despite general consensus on Spring Training, like not take the numbers too seriously, and the fact that wins and losses rarely translate over into the regular season, it's still good to see the Giants get off to a strong start in the Cactus League.

Surprisingly, it's been the Giants' bats that have started off ahead of their pitchers, as the offense has carried the team through the first couple of games. In the Cactus League opener, Tim Lincecum was touched up by the Mariners a bit, allowing 3 earned runs in his 1 inning of work while throwing in the low-90's. I mentioned in the last few posts that there would be some focus on Timmy's velocity, as it came down at the end of last year. The same can be said for Madison Bumgarner, who followed Lincecum on Wednesday with 2 shutout innings. Bumgarner's fastball was in the upper 80's for most of his 2 innings, but he said in an interview on the Giants hot stove league show that he's not too worried about it and he plans on building his velocity throughout the spring. Barry Zito started Thursday's game and was pretty mediocre, allowing a run and a couple of hits over 1 2/3 innings. He did nail Prince Fielder in the hip with a fastball as retaliation for Fielder's choreographed home run celebration vs. the Giants last September. Matt Cain got the nod in Friday afternoon's game and provided the best start for the Giants so far this spring, going 3 strong innings, allowing 1 run on 5 hits with 2 strikeouts.

Helping support Cain's solid outing Friday were Bengie Molina and Juan Uribe, who both hit towering home runs. Uribe hit a 3-run jack in the 2nd inning off Colorado's Jeff Francis, and Molina's 2-run job came in the fifth inning off a young Rockies' hurler. Molina didn't stop with just the home run either. He went 3-3 all together, amd scored one more run after that. The only other Giant to homer so far this spring, has been newcomer, Aubrey Huff, who hit a bomb out to right field on the very first pitch he saw this spring on Wednesday. Not a bad way to start endearing himself to his new fans. Fred Lewis, Aaron Rowand and Kevin Frandsen are a few other guys who have helped carry the Giants offense early and both Frandsen and Lewis need to be outstanding this spring for the Giants to consider carrying them on the major league roster. Frandsen could have an opening with Freddy Sanchez's injury likely keeping him on the DL to start the year, but like I said, he'd have to really make a case for himself over the next month, as the Giants do have other options like Juan Uribe and Mark DeRosa for 2nd base. If DeRosa gets some time there, it could open up a spot for Fred Lewis in left. Lewis is out of options, so he'll need to make the team out of spring, or else other teams will have the opportunity to swoop him up. I'd say Lewis may have the edge on Frandsen because of options, and because Lewis posses the speed that the Giants projected lineup really lacks. However, there are about 4 outfielders (Andres Torres, Eugenio Velez, John Bowker, Fred Lewis) vying for 2 bench spots, so Lewis is going to really have to outplay all of those guys if he wants to guarantee himself a spot!

Prospect Watch: None of the Giants prospects have done a whole lot yet. As I said at the top of the post, Madison Bumgarner had a solid 2-inning outing. The Giants top-2 hitting prospects haven't done anything yet though, as Buster Posey's gone 0-4, and Thomas Neal has flied out in his only at-bat thus far. The youngster who's stuck out the most is a name that's pretty familiar to Giants fans and it's Emmanuel Burriss. The 25 year-old infielder went 2-3 with 2 RBI and a steal in the Giants opener vs. Seattle.... Steve Edelfsen and Henry Sosa, 2 top-30 prospects, each have had outings of 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

4,000 and still going.....

Wow....I have surpassed 4,000 hits. I am really amazed at that cause I figured by now I'd have like 20 or 30 views at the most. So in honor of this achievement here is a picture of something with 4000 on it (and no I don't endorse DW products cause I am a TAMA lover...besides iron cobras are much better...and yes I'll stir up the bee's nest with that comment).

Ok.... "Enough Already" of the cheap laughs so let's get down to business shall we! So who's ready for some contests? Who's ready to win some cards? Who's ready to not get BIPPED? Who is that guy and what is that in his pocket? Who's ready to win some autos of players that are not scrubs and not forever lost first round draft picks? Who's ready to win a game used jock cup card? More details to come.....

Giants Set to Begin Cactus League

The long, baseball-less winter will finally come to an end Wednesday when the Giants face the Seattle Mariners in the first game of their 2010 Cactus League schedule.

The Giants got in some scrimmage time on Monday, as they held a 3-inning intrasquad game that was highlighted by a long John Bowker home run down the right field line and Darren Ford putting on a show with his legs. There weren't any regulars who played in the scrimmage, so Ford got the nod to leadoff for one of the teams and hit a stand-up triple to the left-center field gap, a place in which you rarely see someone get to third on a ball hit, especially standing up and not making it even close. Ford also ran down a gapper in right-center field that took extra bases away from another bright young prospect, Francisco Peguero. Both of these guys have a big spring ahead of them, as Bowker tries to find a role on the big league squad for good and Ford's goal will be to show that he may be worth a look in the leadoff spot with the big club and sooner rather than later. Bowker's year he put up in Fresno in '09 was certainly a showing that got the Giants attention, but he really hasn't been given much of an opportunity at the big league level since his rookie year in '08 when he actually collected 300 at-bats and hit 10 homers for the Giants. Bowker's so intriguing because he does have the power to hit 30 homers a year at this level, but in 2008 and his brief showing last year, he had some holes in his swing that teams had figured out. If he can prove he's fixed his approach, he very well could be the surprise player of the spring and enter the regular season with a prominent role. He's certainly a guy who I will be paying close attention to this spring.

In Wednesday's Cactus League opener, the Giants will trot out their ace Tim Lincecum and probably have him on a pitch count of around 25-30 pitches or 2 innings and then will be followed up by Madison Bumgarner. I'm definitely looking forward to watching how those two do, but I'm more so curious as to how the Giants will play defensively. It's no secret that they don't have the best defense in baseball, and are missing one of their best in Freddy Sanchez. The Giants did improve their lineup this winter, but it did cost them some on the defensive side in exchange. Aubrey Huff is the guy I'm most worried about. The Giants have always kind of had a defensive whiz over at first base over the last 10-15 seasons but now have a guy there more known for his bat than and not so much for his glove. The other guy I'm going to have my eyes on this spring following closely is Edgar Renteria. He was such a disappointment, both offensively and defensively, in 2009 and I'm just hoping it was because of his health and not because he's declining at a ridiculously fast pace. His 2009 season made his '08 campaign (which was supposedly his worst season of his career at that point) look like a career year. He came up with a few clutch hits here and there, but provided no pop or run production and hit a measly .250. He also looked slow and weighed down in the field. The Giants are going to have Renteria start the year at short, but with him in the final year of his deal, I expect them to have a short leash with him if he's not performing. This is why the Juan Uribe signing was so key.

Chicken Scratch "Crosby Style"

Sidney Crosby took the time to sign his name so that it's presentable, legible, and even added his jersey number which looks crisp and clean. It is truly a wonderful and clear signature and so far he has maintained the same signature throughout his career thus far. This Gold Medal/Stanley Cup winner gets the "5 SHARPIES" award.

2005-06 UD The Cup Rookie Sidney Crosby Patch autograph card #180

College Top 25 Rankings: 3/1

Baseball America Poll

1. Virginia (1)

The Cavs had a great week, pounding their opponents by a combined score of 48-7. All-world sophomore LHP Danny Hultzen was magnificent on Friday (7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 12 K). Undersized 2B Keith Werman had a great week again, and he seems to have cemented a spot in the starting lineup. The rest of Virginia's offense continues to look strong.

2. LSU (2)

LSU's potent offense was fine this week, and C Micah Gibbs is on fire. The Tigers barely squeaked by in a few games this week, though, and they could use injured ace Anthony Ranaudo back to give their pitching a lift. (Closer Matty Ott is still doing his thing, of course.)

3. Texas (3)

The world returned to normalcy as the preseason #1 team went 4-0 on the week (and swept a dangerous Stanford squad). Hurlers Taylor Jungmann (7 IP, 0 R, 10 K), Chance Ruffin (3.2 IP, 0 R), and Cole Green (5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 6 K) were excellent, and the Horns' first-week struggles look like nothing more than a blip on the radar.

4. Georgia Tech (4)

GT's bash unit showed up in customary form this week, though Jed Bradley's poor start on Sunday against Xavier did hand the Yellow Jackets their first loss. Two of the most encouraging signs I see are Saturday starter Brandon Cumpton (who threw 7 shutout innings this week) and OF Chase Burnette, who is hitting a cool .531/.559/.844 after 34 PAs.

5. Florida State (5)

FSU put a beat-down on an inferior early-season opponent, shaming Hofstra by a combined 40-5 count. OF Tyler Holt and 2B Sherman Johnson were the primary instigators offensively. The Seminoles' vanilla rotation simply needs to keep them in ballgames, and LHPs Sean Gilmartin (6 scoreless, 7 K) and John Gast (5 scoreless, 6 K) were up to the task this weekend.

6. Arizona State (7)

Aussie ace Josh Spence is still out, but ASU didn't need him versus lowly Towson this weekend. The Sun Devils used their balanced offensive attack to put up 10 runs per game on the Tigers, and Riccio Torrez in particular had a strong weekend. Provided Spence can return soon, his absence could be a blessing in disguise, as the Devils have been forced to develop some pitching depth. RHPs Seth Blair, Jake Borup, Brady Rodgers, Merrill Kelly, and Jordan Swagerty (as well as LHP Mitchell Lambson) all showed flashes this week. ASU will finally have some real competition coming up this week.

7. Florida (9)

Florida's weekend series with La Salle was cancelled, but the Gators did pick up two mid-week victories. The upcoming week is huge, with ranked rivals Florida State and Miami on the schedule.

8. Rice (10)

Rice somewhat righted the ship, going 3-1 after a winless first week. The Owls' pitching situation is in flux, as coach Wayne Graham looks for arms to give him some quality innings. Boogie Anagnostou, Taylor Wall, Jared Rogers, and Tony Cingrani figure to handle the bulk of Rice's pitching load. The Owls' high-flying offense still has some room for improvement, but looks fine. Anthony Rendon is understandably being pitched around, and the sophomore third baseman has 11 walks already this season.

9. Coastal Carolina (11)

CCU had a superb week, going 5-0 against quality opponents including UC Irvine. LHP Cody Wheeler and RHP Anthony Meo were adequate, but I was really impressed with #3 starter Jim Birmingham and reliever Austin Fleet. C Jose Iglesias and OFs Chance Gilmore and Rico Noel led the Chants on offense.

10. Louisville (12)

Louisville continues to show why it will be a legitimate Omaha contender this season, beating two quality Big 10 foes en route to a 4-0 week. The Cardinals have ample solid arms (Thomas Royse, Dean Kiekhefer, Tony Zych, Neil Holland) and a tough lineup (including big-time threats Stewart Ijames, Andrew Clark, Phil Wunderlich, and Ryan Wright).

11. East Carolina (14)

As with Coastal Carolina, ECU had a great weekend and showed who the class of the Carolinas is this year. The Pirates lost Friday, but came back to take the series from South Carolina. They have to be thrilled with the bounce-back start on Sunday from Brad Mincey (7 IP, 1 R). ECU could use a boost from slumping but talented OF Devin Harris.

12. TCU (15)

The dangerous Horned Frogs showed again that they have Cal State Fullerton's number, beating the Titans in Fullerton for the second year in a row. Steven Maxwell (6.1 IP, 1 R) pitched well on Friday, as did Kyle Winkler (6 IP, 1 R) on Sunday. Top freshman Matt Purke, who struggled on Saturday, is still looking to get in a groove on the mound. OF Jason Coats and C Bryan Holaday had good weeks at the plate.

13. Clemson (13)

Clemson enjoyed another perfect weekend and moved to 6-0. OFs Jeff Schaus and Kyle Parker had good weeks at the dish. The Tigers have a monster series against South Carolina on tap. Give the slight edge to Clemson, but that will be a battle with both bitter rivals looking to make a statement.

14. UC Irvine (6)

Irvine had a tough week, losing to N.C. State and twice to Coastal Carolina. Daniel Bibona didn't throw Bibona-esque, and the Anteaters primarily relied on a Johnny Wholestaff approach. Many 'Eater bats went cold, but middle-of-the-order threat Brian Hernandez is back and UCI should be fine long-term.

15. Cal State Fullerton (8)

The Titans disappointed again, dropping two of three to (admittedly lethal) TCU. Daniel Renken, Noe Ramirez, and Tyler Pill were not able to produce any dominant outings, and CSF simply hasn't played vintage Titan ball over the season's first six games. Fullerton will undoubtedly rebound soon.

16. UCLA (19)

The Bruins' pitching might (opponents mustered 4 runs over 3 games) carried them to a perfect week again. There are louder offenses than UCLA's, but pitchers like Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer look poised to help their program shake the underachiever tag.

17. Arkansas (17)

Arkansas swept a decent Troy team over the weekend and holds steady. The Hogs received brief, effective outings from Mike Bolsinger (4 IP, 1 R), Brett Eibner (3 IP, 1 R), and T.J. Forrest (4 scoreless), and were carried offensively by stalwarts Andy Wilkins and Zack Cox.

18. North Carolina (18)

UNC's depleted offense only scraped together five hits in a loss against Maine on Saturday, but the Tar Heels won the rest of their games on the week. The big question is if ace RHP Matt Harvey's Friday night start (6.1, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 9 K) was an aberration or a sign that he's harnessing his big-time stuff.

19. Ole Miss (21)

Granted it was against a weak Oakland team, but the Rebels had three very encouraging pitching performances over the weekend. If Drew Pomeranz (7 IP, 1 R, 0 BB, 15 K), Aaron Barrett (6 IP, 1 R, 2 BB, 7 K), and Trent Rothlin (5 IP, 0 R) can maintain this, Ole Miss will be in fantastic shape.

20. Miami (20)

Lefties Chris Hernandez (7 IP, 1 R) and Eric Erickson (6 IP, 3 ER) both pitched well again this weekend. Jason Santana's struggles on Sunday, however, have to be a concern for the Hurricanes. The most intriguing matchup of the week (Wednesday vs. Florida Gulf Coast and Chris Sale) was wiped out. The week to come offers a good gauge of the Miami's talent, as the U welcomes the Florida Gators for a three-game set.

21. Oregon State (22)

The big storyline surrounding OSU's 3-1 week has to be Greg Peavey's sensational start on Sunday. The junior righty is one of many ballyhooed members of the Beavers' arms corps, but his CG shutout was the first time he truly dominated. Tyler Waldron also had a great showing (7.2 IP, 1 R) on Friday.

22. San Diego (16)

The Toreros lost a series to San Diego State and are now just 4-4 overall. They will need to reawaken their bats after pushing across just 8 runs in 4 games on the week. USD pitchers piled up the Ks, but only LHP Sammy Solis (6 scoreless on Saturday) completely held the Aztec offense in check.

23. Vanderbilt (24)

Vandy lost to UCLA on Friday (as ace Sonny Gray allowed 6 runs in 4.1 IP), but rebounded with wins over USC and Oklahoma State to make their cross-country trek worthwhile. Righty Taylor Hill threw well again Saturday (6 IP, 1 R) and was backed up by Bryan Johns (4-for-5) and Jason Esposito (2-for-4 with a homer). LHP Richie Goodenow bailed starter Jack Armstrong out with a sterling relief effort and the Commodores outlasted the Cowboys on Sunday. Esposito and Johns have torn the cover off the ball, but Vanderbilt would like to get the bats of 2B Riley Reynolds and OF Mike Yastrzemski going.

24. Ohio State (NR)

The Buckeyes toppled South Florida and Notre Dame in the Big East/Big Ten Challenge, before losing to Cincinnati on Sunday. OSU's Alex Wimmers, one of the top hurlers in the country, pitched 8 innings of 1-run ball on Friday.

25. Kentucky (NR)

Even without James Paxton, the Wildcats appear confident and ready to compete with anyone. UK has built an imposing rotation of Alex Meyer, Taylor Rogers, and Logan Darnell, and the trio has helped the 'Cats to their 6-0 start. Chris Bisson is getting the job done at second base to the tune of .414/.514/.759.

Out

Stanford (25)

Southern Miss (23)

Next Tier

South Carolina

Georgia

Kansas

Oklahoma

Texas A&M