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College baseball games of the week: UCLA-Stanford showdown on tap

By Brett Gibbons

ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 25: Georgia relief pitcher Zac Kristofak throws to the plate during a baseball game on April 25, 2017 at Russ Chandler Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. The Georgia Bulldogs beat the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets by a score of 7 5. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 25: Georgia relief pitcher Zac Kristofak throws to the plate during a baseball game on April 25, 2017 at Russ Chandler Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. The Georgia Bulldogs beat the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets by a score of 7 5. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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The college baseball rankings are an ever-moving carousel with SEC, PAC-12, and ACC giants all vying for the top spot in the nation. Can this week’s No. 1 ranked UCLA Bruins squad steal a series victory at No. 3 Stanford?

Conference play means no breaks for college baseball’s best, including top SEC teams like No. 23 Florida and No. 24 Ole Miss, whose series didn’t even make the list. Halfway through regular season play, some teams are emerging as series contenders for Omaha, like No. 10 Texas A&M and No. 22 Oklahoma. These two teams are put to the test this week – will they hold up and prove they belong deep into June?

No. 1 UCLA at No. 3 Stanford – April 5 – 7

UCLA has played flawless baseball and sits atop a top-heavy Pac-12 (No. 3 Stanford, No. 7 Oregon State, No. 9 Arizona State). The Bruins already took care of business against Oregon State earlier this season and sit 3-2 against ranked opponents. The pitching has been lights out and the team sits fourth nationally in ERA (2.46). Nobody on the pitching staff has an ERA over 3.60, making it one of the deepest rotations in the country.

Stanford has been a brick wall this season, stopping a hot No. 12 Texas team with a 3-1 series win and a 2-1 series victory at No. 24 Cal State Fullerton earlier this year. The Cardinal rank third in ERA (2.43) and have yet to surrender more than six runs in a single game. The defense is tight and the pitching staff is dominant for Stanford. This series will truly be a pitcher’s duel.

Two of the top three teams duking out in some mid-afternoon Pac-12 action, what could beat that? Fortunately, you won’t have to miss much sleep for this series, as Saturday and Sunday begin at 5:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. EDT. We could be getting a World Series Final preview here.

No. 6 Vanderbilt at No. 4 Georgia – April 5 – 7

There might be an SEC top 10 matchup every weekend for the remainder of the season. This time around, the No. 6 Commodores visit Athens and a hot Georgia team that has yet to lose a series. Vanderbilt usually dominates the pitching mound but ranks outside the top 50 in 2019 in ERA. Though far from a poor pitching staff, they have continued success by batting their way to victories. The team is averaging 8.7 runs per game (8th).

Georgia is the perfect team to cool hot bats, though, as they rank fifth in team ERA (2.54). The Bulldogs are led by tandem pitchers Tim Elliot and Emerson Hancock, who are posting 0.66 and 0.69 ERA, respectively. Hancock has pitched in 39 innings, fourth-most among pitchers under a 1.00 ERA. Expect both men to be prominently featured in this series.

The Bulldogs are 15-2 at home and are coming off a 2-1 series win against Kentucky. Vanderbilt has only played one series on the road so far, a losing effort at No. 19 Texas A&M. Though Georgia should have this series won on paper, Vanderbilt is everything but out in this series. Expect another great series from titans of the SEC.

No. 12 Coastal Carolina at No. 25 Illinois – April 2 – 3

Coastal was able to win the first matchup in the CCU Baseball Tournament at the beginning of March; that win dealt the 6-0 Fighting Illini their first loss of the year. The Chanticleers have yet to establish their feet on the season and have scrapped their way to a 20-8-1 record thus far. However, they dropped their home series against Arkansas State and fell to 6-3 in the Sun Belt.

Illinois started the year off hot and flirted with the top 25 all season long. The Fighting Illini were in last week, but are victims of a four-game losing streak, including a sweep on the road by Iowa. Last week, their bats fell silent, only scoring seven runs in four games. When the bats are hot, Illinois wins. Look for them to take advantage of a spotty Coastal pitching staff that is giving up 4.38 runs per game (113th).

These are two teams that are primed to make a statement in the 2019 season. Another series loss might have the Chanticleers fighting for a ranking while Illinois might lose their credibility if they can’t pull off a series win at home. With a perfect 6-0 record at home, Illinois might just be in the perfect position to do that.

No. 10 Texas A&M at No. 17 LSU – April 5 – 7

Texas A&M has taken care of business this season, surpassing expectations and becoming one of the more formidable teams in the country. The Aggies stand 4-1 against ranked opponents, including an impressive home series win against No. 2 Vanderbilt. They are averaging 7.0 runs per game (t-44th) and have a 2.61 team ERA (7th). A&M is getting it done on both sides, leading them to an impressive 23-6-1 record so far.

LSU’s season has been one of the high peaks and low valleys so far; the Tigers managed to win two of three in Starkville against No. 2 Mississippi State but dropped a home game to McNeese the week before. They have eight and six-game winning streaks but were swept by Texas in Austin. The Tigers rank 37th in scoring with 7.1 runs per game, but overall they have failed to meet lofty expectations set for them when LSU began the season ranked second after finishing unranked last year.

LSU can be a dangerous ball club, demonstrated early in the season and against Mississippi State. When they’re good, they’re great; but the Tigers can also fall victim to silent bats. With Texas A&M’s dominant pitching staff, that can be an issue. But if both teams are firing, expect high scoring affairs that won’t ever deviate from a run or two’s difference.

No. 19 TCU at No. 22 Oklahoma – April 5 – 7

After dropping two of three at home against Oklahoma State team, TCU is looking to bounce back. Two runs separated a TCU sweep from a series loss this past weekend. However, the Horned Frogs have fared well against ranked opponents, sitting at 3-3 so far. Their winning can be attributed to their offense that is averaging 7.7 runs per game this season (20th).

The perfect counter for a high scoring team is excellent pitching, which is exactly what the Oklahoma Sooners bring to the table in 2019. They have a team ERA of 2.42, second best in the country. The rotation is led by sophomore left-hander Levi Prater, who is 23rd in the country with a 0.98 ERA. As a freshman, Prater held opposing batters to just a 0.169 batting average and punched 64 strikeouts in 50.2 innings.

Expect Prater to make an appearance this series and look to slow down the TCU offense which is batting 0.309 as a team (10th). In a strong Big 12 conference that is wide open, both teams are vying for a top spot. This pivotal series could start to show a disparity in record and separate the contenders from the pretenders.