The Weekend Set: Week 2

Recap

Wrapping up another great weekend of college baseball we saw more ridiculous scores, late game heroics, bullpen meltdowns, and everything in between that makes us love the greatest show on dirt. Losses finally caught up to some of the best teams in the country after Cal Poly took down #1 Texas A&M on Sunday, held the Aggies to 12 runs over the weekend, and probably should’ve walked away with the series while LSU dropped their first game of the season to Nebraska Omaha on Sunday.

We discussed last week about how we weren’t concerned in the likes of Arizona and Duke despite their first weekend woes, and they proved us right. Arizona picked up a big time sweep over San Diego who’s 0-6 record isn’t remotely indicative of how talented that group is, and despite dropping Friday, Duke dominated Saturday and Sunday to salvage a series victory.

Where do the Wolverines Stand?: I wrote on Friday about how this could be a big weekend for the Michigan Wolverines and potential set their tone for the rest of the season, and potentially be the spark for a postseason run. Going 0-3 was not what Tracey Smith’s ballclub had in mind, dropping games to TCU, Kansas State, and Arkansas, no thanks to their defensive issues costing them countless unearned runs.

Let’s talk about Texas State: Despite being a friend of the program, the Bobcats had a monster week taking down Oklahoma State in their midweek showdown with #19 Oklahoma State, and while they dropped their series to Illinois, they’re dealing with some injuries across the board. With 27 new guys on the roster, this is an entirely different team than the last few years, and at full strength will be very fun.

Oregon State red flags: The #5 Beavers dominated #7 Virginia on Friday getting great performances on the bump from Nelson Keljo and Eric Segura, but dropping games on Saturday and Sunday to Oklahoma (8-4), and Minnesota (10-4), there were some chinks in the armor for a team that I was all-in on after Friday.

Kansas State takes over Arlington: Matt Frost put together one of the most gutsy performances on the bump we saw this weekend in a 3-2 victory over #2 Arkansas holding down the Hogs offense all night. They’d follow it up with a win over #24 Michigan in dominant fashion, finishing their weekend 3-0 with a big win over #17 TCU. In a Big-12 conference where I still don’t know what to make heads or tails of, Kansas State could certainly be a sleeper.

Sooners Impress in the Round Rock Classic: Oklahoma showed out this weekend starting on Friday when Kyson Witherspoon set a career high in strikeouts (12) in a 3-2 win over Minnesota. While this isn’t a resume building win, the Gophers were extremely feisty all weekend and took a game from Oregon State. They’d follow it up with a loss to the Beavers, but closing out the weekend with a walkoff win over #7 Virginia put their stamp on the weekend.

North Carolina keeps rolling: The Tar Heels continue to be the most impressive team in the country in every facet of the game. Timely hits, elite pitching, and all-around an extremely well coached ball club by Scott Forbes. I’m all in on the Tar Heels and after a series win against rival East Carolina, the Heels stay hot.

Cats are back: Feels good to get Arizona back in here after a disappointing start to the season in Arlington. That plane ride back to Tucson must’ve done wonders for Chip Hale’s group as they take down a very solid San Diego Ball Club. This is statement week for the Cats as they’ll take on Rice, #2 Texas A&M, #15 Mississippi State, and #1 Tennessee this week.

Backside Breakouts

Top-25:

Climbing the Ladder

Southern Miss: After taking down #16 Mississippi State in their midweek, the Golden Eagles followed it up with a series win in Hattiesburg against Louisiana Tech. With an experienced rotation with a loaded offense, Dan’s pick to win the Sun Belt is looking really dangerous early on. They’ll face off with Ole Miss on Tuesday and have a three game set with #21 TCU next weekend.

Kansas State: The Wildcats swept Arlington over #2 Arkansas, #24 Michigan, and #17 TCU. Don’t let the 4-4 record fool you, this team has a lot of momentum and could be a dark horse in the Big 12. They’ll take on #5 LSU, Sam Houston State, Nebraska, and Creighton next week.

Alabama: The Crimson Tide is one of 17 undefeated teams left in the nation, racking up three more wins in Jacksonville this weekend over Coastal Carolina, #14 North Carolina State, and a wild comeback win over Ohio State which may be the game of the year to this point. At 8-0, the Tide shot up our rankings, and look to stay undefeated. They’ll face off with Jacksonville State and North Dakota State this week.

Slump Alert

North Carolina State: After dropping their midweek game to Liberty in dramatic fashion, the Wolfpack would get swept at the Jax Classic by Ohio State, Alabama, and Coastal Carolina. A brutal week for the pack as they drop out of our Top-25 and will look to get back on track against Richmond and Canisius this week.

Virginia: The Cavs just haven’t found their stride in 2025 despite the pieces all being there. Ranked losses are one thing, and Oregon State dominated them in their 9-2 loss to the Beavers. But dropping their finale to Oklahoma isn’t how the Cavs wanted to get back on track at the Round Rock Classic. We still have a lot of confidence in this group, but how much longer can we wait for them to put it all together? They’ll take on VMI and Dartmouth this week and look to start firing on all cylinders.

Michigan: Now, this goes against everything that I wrote on Friday about this group. This doesn’t discount what I said, and I stand by the fact they can be very dangerous in Big 10 play. Getting swept in Arlington is not what Tracey Smith had in mind, but it’s how they lost that stuck with me the most. Free bases and defensive mistakes across the board killed them all weekend and led to some ugly losses. The Wolverines will look to bounce back next weekend against Long Beach State.

Merch

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