College baseball games of the week: Blue bloods on display

The best college baseball games of the week include a big series in the ACC between Louisville and NC State and in the Pac-12 between UCLA and Arizona State.

While the top three teams in the country reside in the Pac-12 and ACC, the usual suspects are close to follow. Every team in the top 25 has an NCAA Tournament win in their program history. In the top 25, there are 24 College World Series championships. This experienced field makes for a difficult time trying to rise in the rankings. The following teams will try to make their case this coming weekend.

No. 10 Louisville at No. 3 NC State

• Apr. 12-14

Louisville has played a bear of a schedule so far and fared quite well, starting 7-4 against ranked teams. In a tough ACC conference, the Cards are 10-5 including a sweep at No. 24 Duke. The pitching has been fantastic, as they rank in the top 15 in both ERA (2.79) and WHIP (1.07). Sophomore Reid Detmers is leading the rotation with a 0.92 ERA (11th); to add to the impressive number, Detmers has pitched the most innings of any pitcher in the top 80 ranked players in ERA (48.2).

NC State made it until St. Patrick’s Day before they faced their first loss of the season and the Wolfpack has picked up an impressive 29-4 record so far. Their offense is on fire, averaging 8.7 runs per game (7th) and hold a 0.491 slugging percentage (11th). On the defensive side, they are almost as impressive, ranking 27th in ERA (3.22) and 45th in WHIP (1.28). NC State not only beats teams, but they win convincingly.

This matchup might be a preview of what is to come in the ACC Championship next month, as neither team is showing signs of slowing down. The Wolfpack will need to bring their best hitters to win this series at home and continue the chase to 50 wins. Louisville, on the other hand, needs this series victory and make an argument for the top 5.

No. 11 East Carolina at No. 1 UCLA

• Apr. 12-13

The Pirates are making quite the trip across the continent to play this two-game series. In fact, this is just the second time ECU has played on the west coast in the past five seasons (last: at Washington in 2018, winning the series 2-1). While not being particularly outstanding in any one category, the Pirates are playing sound baseball and closing out games, standing at 5-2 in games decided by one run this season.

UCLA took ahold of No. 1 in D1Baseball.com’s Top 25 four weeks ago and have not looked back since. The Bruins have made an excellent case for being the nation’s top team, winning series at home versus No. 6 Oregon State and on the road at No. 4 Stanford. Defensively, UCLA is flat-out dominant, ranking in the top five in: ERA (4th), WHIP (4th), hits allowed per nine innings (1st), and shutouts (1st). The Bruins also rank 11th in strikeouts per nine innings (10.3) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.07).

This UCLA team could go down as one of the best defensive teams ever if they keep this hot season up. They have also been nearly unbeatable at home, standing 13-3. The Pirates, while pretty good on the road (9-4) have a lot of work to do to take down the Bruins in Los Angeles. Either way, this will be a well-played and competitive series from two disciplined teams.

No. 14 Arkansas at No. 5 Vanderbilt

• Apr. 12-14

Arkansas was able to fight back after dropping two of three at home against No. 21 Ole Miss with a 2-1 series victory at Auburn. The Razorbacks averaged 6 runs per game against the Tigers, who lead the NCAA in strikeouts. Arkansas’ offense, while not breaking records, has been held under five runs just nine times this season in 32 played games. One of the few blemishes on their resume for 2019 is a 4-4 record against ranked opponents – something that will have to change against a brutal SEC schedule.

Vanderbilt, a frequent resident on this list, has already played 14 games against ranked opponents, where they have posted a respectable 8-6 record. The Commodores are coming off a rough weekend in Athens where they only averaged 2.3 runs per game against Georgia. For the 8th ranked scoring offense, Vanderbilt will be looking to turn that around this weekend.

You can always count on the SEC to provide the most elite matchup each weekend, and this is no exception. Both of these teams are vying for the top spot in their respective divisions in the SEC. There is no reason not to watch this titanic matchup between college baseball’s bluebloods.

No. 6 Oregon State at No. 7 Arizona State

• Apr. 12-14

Outside of a rough six-game stretch where Oregon State went 2-3-1, the Beavers have played at the highest level in the country. They are led by junior pitcher Brendon Eisert who has given up just one run through his first 30 innings pitched, posting a 0.30 ERA (2nd). Eisert has been brilliant his entire time in Corvallis, posting a 19-3 record and amassing 153 strikeouts to just 99 hits given up.

Arizona State has been the biggest surprise of 2019, winning their first 21 games. However, the Sun Devils fell flat at USC, dropping two of three following a tough home loss versus Long Beach State. Arizona State’s best win of the season came early in the year at Cal State Fullerton and have yet to play another notable opponent. This weekend should prove their credibility moving forward in the season.

Oregon State is prepared to welcome Arizona State to the big leagues and prove to be their toughest matchup yet. These teams have a combined 0.813 winning percentage in 2019 and should give us an evenly played, tough-nosed series. The winner of this one will be making quite an example moving forward.

No. 15 Auburn at No. 9 Texas A&M

• Apr. 12-14

Auburn ranks first in shutouts this season with six, and have posted a 3.34 ERA (34th) so far in 2019. The team is led by sophomores Jack Owen and Tanner Burns, who rank 3rd and 33rd respectively in ERA this season. Burns has 59 strikeouts to add (t-15th) and a 0.76 WHIP (16th) and Owen leads the country in WHIP (0.62). As dynamic a duo as Owen and Burns have proven to be, Auburn is just 5-4 against ranked opponents and is tied for second to last in the SEC West.

Coming off a tough fought 2-1 series loss in Baton Rouge, Texas A&M is looking to get back on track – a track that includes a 6-3 record against ranked opponents. The Aggies are pitching exceptionally well, posting a 2.61 ERA (7th) and four shutouts (t-15th). Starting pitcher Asa Lacy has posted a 1.48 ERA this season (39th) and 68 strikeouts (6th) and is making a case for the National Pitcher of the Year award.

Both Auburn and A&M are coming off tough ranked conference losses and are looking to jump back on their winning tracks. In this conference, there is no room for error and a single series loss could spell the difference between playing in June or watching from the couch. You can expect a scrappy series with two teams fighting hard to move up the standings.