College baseball games of the week: Dodgertown Classic headlines loaded week

GREENVILLE, NC - APRIL 29: East Carolina first baseman Alec Burleson (19) is unable to handle a pick off play on Houston pitcher Tyler Bielamowicz (13) during a game between the Houston Cougars and the East Carolina Pirates at Lewis Field at Clark LeClair Stadium in Greenville, NC on April 29, 2018. Houston defeated ECU 6-5.(Photo by Greg Thompson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
GREENVILLE, NC - APRIL 29: East Carolina first baseman Alec Burleson (19) is unable to handle a pick off play on Houston pitcher Tyler Bielamowicz (13) during a game between the Houston Cougars and the East Carolina Pirates at Lewis Field at Clark LeClair Stadium in Greenville, NC on April 29, 2018. Houston defeated ECU 6-5.(Photo by Greg Thompson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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College baseball All-Americans
OMAHA, NE – JUNE 28: Adley Rutschman #35 of the Oregon State Beavers races after a foul ball against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the Division I Men’s Baseball Championship held at TD Ameritrade Park on June 28, 2018 in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) /

No. 14 East Carolina at No. 10 Ole Miss

Mar. 6

Part two of the Pirate’s Mississippi midweek tour ends in Oxford against an outstanding Rebels ball club. Hosting ECU on Wednesday will be the first ranked opponent for Ole Miss, and they look to make a statement. That statement will likely come from the bats, who are averaging nine runs per game (t-23rd), adding a 0.305 team batting average (35th), and a 0.512 slugging percentage (16th). East Carolina is slugging 0.478 themselves (33rd). This matchup should have plenty of extra base hits.

Junior catcher Thomas Dillard has had a hot start to the season, slugging five home runs in the first seven games. Former Freshman All-American Tyler Keenan is also living up to the hype, adding four home runs himself so far in 2019. The duet on Dillard and Kennan will present a challenge to the ECU pitching corps who have proven to be erratic so far, giving up nine, eight, and seven runs in games this season.

In a weekend packed with ranked games, this will be a great warmup. Midweek ranked games are a rarity, and this is the only of its kind on Wednesday. If you miss this one, don’t worry– you’ll likely find it again in June.

No. 22 Texas at No. 11 Stanford

Mar. 7-10

Fresh off a series sweep against No. 2 LSU, Texas looks to continue their 2019 success. The Longhorns have been downright impressive so far, hanging 23 runs on the Tigers in their series. They have been able to capitalize on fast starts and huge scoring innings but struggled in late-game stalls like against UTSA on Feb. 27.

Stanford has been off to its own hot start, starting 9-2, and beating No. 24 Cal State Fullerton on the road. The defense has been the highlight thus far, posting a 2.43 ERA (t-29th) and never allowing more than six runs in a game. The Cardinal are also posting a balmy 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings (t-41st).  However, the offense is only batting 0.243 on the season (176th).

This series will be a classic example of offense versus defense, and one will have to crack. Will the Stanford pitching corps have the Longhorns whiffing 10 times a game? Will Texas continue its dominance against ranked opponents? Either way, this four-game series will be a fun one with plenty of talent for an extended weekend.

No. 20 Coastal Carolina at No. 6 Oregon State

Mar. 10

Following a miraculous run in the 2016 College World Series, Coastal Carolina has been a tough competitor and contender every season. So far, they beat up on Michigan State with an average score of 13-3 and beat No. 25 Illinois 11-3. Their only losses so far come from an extra-inning thriller against No. 21 NC State and a hiccup the following game at Charleston. The Chanticleers look to make a firm statement against an impressive Oregon State squad.

The defending champions have yet to lose a game, dating back to June where they made a stunning series comeback against Arkansas. In the last 12 games, the Beavers have run over opponents; they have an average win margin of 6.2 runs per game. It’s not the lack of competition, however– they have rolled Nebraska (who upended Texas Tech this past weekend) and Minnesota (lost to Oregon State in last year’s Super Regionals). It seems that the champs are back for another title run.

No matter the outcome of this game, it will be worth being glued to a TV for. If Oregon State continues its dominance, it would be an unprecedented start to the season and catapult them to the top spot. If Coastal can upset Oregon State, though, it will be a high scoring affair with a lot of extra base hits; each team is slugging 0.549 (11th) and 0.474 (37th), respectively. Expect a great action-packed game here.