May 15, 2008

Kendall Rogers
Rivals.com College Baseball Editor

The end of the regular season is finally here for many teams across the country. The SEC and ACC get started Thursday afternoon, while the Big 12 resumes weekend play Friday night.

North Carolina travels to Miami in the series of the week, while N.C. State is at Florida State for another heated ACC series. Georgia Tech is also at Virginia this weekend.

In the SEC, Georgia plays host to red-hot Alabama, while Florida plays host to Vanderbilt.

We breakdown those series and more in this week's Five Series to Watch feature.

FIVE SERIES TO WATCH
All times Eastern
NO. 2 NORTH CAROLINA AT NO. 1 MIAMI
When: Thursday, 7 p.m., Friday, 7 p.m., Saturday, Noon Why you should watch: Just a few weeks ago, Miami traveled to Florida State for a series between No's 1 and 2. The Hurricanes are back at it again this weekend, as they play host to now No. 2 North Carolina in an anticipated three-game set. The buzz: Both the Tar Heels and Hurricanes enter the weekend with balance. North Carolina has a 2.28 team ERA, while Miami enters the weekend with a 3.76 team ERA. The Hurricanes have the edge at the plate. They're hitting .333 as a team, while UNC is hitting .326. There's not much difference between the two teams. Spotlight players: It's like old times for North Carolina first baseman Dustin Ackley. Ackley is now leading the team in hitting, batting .392 with seven homers and 40 RBIs. Kyle Seager is hitting .382 with eight homers and 65 RBIs, while Tim Fedroff is hitting .380 with nine homers and 49 RBIS. While Ackley, Seager and Fedroff spearhead the UNC offense, right-hander Alex White leads the charge on the mound. White is 8-2 with a 2.36 ERA in 61 innings. He has also struck out 69 and walked 27, while opponents are hitting him at a .231 clip. Adam Warren and Matt Harvey round out the weekend rotation, while reliever Rob Wooten has made 30 appearances and has a 0.63 ERA in 43 innings ? Miami has one of the nation's better offenses. The Hurricanes are led at the plate by junior first baseman Yonder Alonso, who's hitting .382 with 16 homers and 53 RBIs. Blake Tekotte is hitting .377 with nine homers and 37 RBIs, while second baseman Jemile Weeks and shortstop Ryan Jackson are each hitting over .362. Also keep an eye on third baseman Mark Sobolewski, who's hitting .344 with six homers and 45 RBIs. On the mound, freshman left-hander Chris Hernandez has been a pleasant addition. Hernandez is 9-0 with a 2.70 ERA in 76 2/3 innings, while Eric Erickson is 7-0 with a 3.31 ERA in 54 1/3 innings. Also keep an eye on reliever Kyle Bellamy, who has made 29 appearances and has a 1.28 ERA in 42 1/2 innings of work.
NO. 18 N.C. STATE AT NO. 3 FLORIDA STATE
When: Thursday, 7 p.m., Friday, 7 p.m., Saturday, 7 p.m. Why you should watch: The Wolfpack aren't aiming for a conference title this weekend, but could nail down a Regional host with a road series win over Florida State. The Seminoles, meanwhile, enter the weekend as a virtual lock for a national seed. Even a series loss to the Wolfpack wouldn't change that. The buzz: If N.C. State hopes to win this weekend's series, it must quell the Florida State offense. The Seminoles enter the weekend hitting .359 as a team, while the Wolfpack are hitting just .302 this season. N.C. State has an edge on the mound with a 3.32 ERA, while FSU has a 3.68 ERA. Spotlight players: The Wolfpack don't have a great lineup, but it's certainly productive. Pat Ferguson leads the team at the plate, hitting .350 with nine homers and 33 RBIs. Matt Payne is hitting .345 with nine homers and 44 RBIs, while Ryan Pond and Marcus Jones are each hitting over .330 with seven homers. On the mound, the Wolfpack are hoping for a strong weekend from Eric Surkamp, who's 4-2 with a 4.81 ERA in 58 innings. He has also struck out 69 and walked 28, while opponents are hitting him at a .288 ERA. Also keep an eye on Clayton Shunick and Jake Buchanan, among others ? FSU has an excellent offense with junior catcher Buster Posey leading the charge. Posey is hitting .469 with 16 homers and 66 RBIs. He's also slugging .851 and has a .571 on-base percentage. Veteran outfielder Jack Rye is hitting .420 with six homers and 41 RBIs, while third baseman Stuart Tapley is hitting .398 with six homers and 28 RBIs. Also keep an eye on Mike McGee, Tony Delmonico and Dennis Guinn, among others. On the mound, the Seminoles are led by sophomore Matt Fairel, who's 9-1 with a 2.84 ERA in 76 innings. He has also struck out 70 and walked 30, while opponents are hitting him at a .239 clip. Also keep an eye on Elih Villanueva, Geoff Parker and hard-throwing reliever Ryan Strauss.
NO. 6 NEBRASKA AT NO. 17 MISSOURI
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m., Saturday, 3 p.m., Sunday, 4:30 p.m. Why you should watch: Before the season started, Missouri was expected to compete for the Big 12 crown, while Nebraska was picked to finish in the middle of the pack. The roles essentially have been reversed, as the Huskers have a shot to win the league title this weekend. While Missouri hopes to build its postseason resume, the Big Red is eyeing an important national seed. The buzz: The Huskers appear to have the edge on the mound, while the Tigers have better offensive numbers. Nebraska enters the weekend with a 3.45 team ERA, while Missouri enters the weekend with a 4.68 ERA. At the plate, the Tigers have a .300 team batting average, while the Huskers enter the weekend hitting .281. Spotlight players: The Huskers lean on veteran catcher Mitch Abeita at the plate. Abeita is hitting .344 with eight homers and 41 RBIs, while Jake Opitz is hitting .323 with six homers and 41 RBIs. Bryce Nimmo is hitting .311 with a home run and 26 RBIs, while Craig Corriston hopes to return from an injury this weekend with a .308 batting average and four homers. Senior Johnny Dorn spearheads the pitching staff. Dorn is 5-1 with a 2.65 ERA in 85 innings. He has also struck out 90 and walked 24, while opponents are hitting him at a .195 clip. Thad Weber and Aaron Pribanic have also had great moments, while redshirt freshman reliever Mike Nesseth was huge against Texas A&M last weekend ? Missouri is led at the plate by outfielder Aaron Senne, who's hitting .356 with 13 homers and 59 RBIs. Jacob Priday is hitting .339 with 15 homers and 56 RBIs, while Ryan Lollis is hitting .3356 with a home run and 36 RBIs. On the mound, junior right-hander Aaron Crow is one to watch. He is 11-0 with a 2.82 ERA in 83 innings. He has also struck out 103 and walked 29. Kyle Gibson is 8-1 with a 3.59 ERA, while Nick Tepesch has recorded four saves in 22 1/3 innings.
NO. 5 RICE AT TULANE
When: Thursday, 7 p.m., Friday, 2 p.m, 8 p.m. Why you should watch: The Green Wave can't catch Rice in the conference standings, but could improve its postseason seeding a home series win over the Owls this weekend. While Tulane hopes to build off last weekend's series win over East Carolina, the Owls are in cruise control following a three-game sweep over rival Houston. The buzz: If you dissect the two teams on paper, Rice definitely has the overall edge. The Owls are hitting .313 as a team this season, while Tulane is hitting .298. The Rice pitching staff enters the weekend with a 3.71 ERA, while the Tulane pitching staffs enters the weekend with a 3.98 ERA. Spotlight players: It was to be expected, but Rice sophomore third baseman Diego Seastrunk has had a great season at the plate. Seastrunk is hitting .391 with four homers and 51 RBIs. J.P. Padron is hitting .355 with four homers and 33 RBIs, while Aaron Luna is hitting .344 with eight homers and 48 RBIs. Also keep an eye on Jared Gayhart and freshman infielder Rick Hague. Gayhart is hitting .339 with six homers and 42 RBIs, while Hague is hitting .332 with seven homers and 45 RBIs. On the mound, Ryan Berry is 6-3 with a 3.17 ERA in 76 2/3 innings, while Chris Kelley is 5-1 with a 2.98 ERA in 60 1/3 innings. Also keep an eye on Cole St. Clair, who has a 3.09 ERA in 46 2/3 innings ? Tulane is led at the plate by Rob Segedin, who is coming off an outstanding weekend at East Carolina. Segedin is hitting .359 with six homers and 56 RBIs. Seth Henry and Anthony Scelfo are each hitting .337 this season, while Jared Dyer is hitting .311 with five homers and 32 RBIs. On the mound, Tulane has one of the nation's best pitchers with Shooter Hunter leading the charge. Hunt is 9-1 with a 1.97 ERA in 77 2/3 innings. He has also struck out 105 and walked 42, while opponents are hitting him at a .144 clip. Also keep an eye on Matt Petiton, who is 6-0 with a 2.68 ERA in 50 1/3 innings of work.
NO. 19 VANDERBILT AT FLORIDA
When: Friday, 6:30 p.m., Saturday, 6:30 p.m., Sunday, 1 p.m. Why you should watch: Vanderbilt had an ample opportunity to nearly lockdown a Regional host last weekend against Georgia, but failed to win the series. While Vandy hopes to better its hosting possibilities this weekend, the Gators hope to join the mix following a tough road series loss to Alabama. The buzz: Looking at the Commodores and Gators on paper, this should be an outstanding series. Vandy enters the weekend with a .308 team batting average, while Florida is hitting .305 as a team. UF leads the charge on the mound, as they enter the weekend with a 4.03 team ERA. Vandy, meanwhile, enters the three-game set with a 4.22 ERA. Spotlight players: Vanderbilt is led at the plate by veteran outfielder David Macias, who's hitting .375 with seven homers and 31 RBIs. Catcher Shea Robin is hitting .323 with three homers and 23 RBIs, while shortstop Ryan Flaherty and second baseman Alex Feinberg are each hitting .320 or better. Also keep an eye on hard-hitting third baseman Pedro Alvarez, who's hitting .322 with six homers and 22 RBIs. On the mound, the 'Dores are led by redshirt freshman Caleb Cotham, who's 7-3 with a 3.28 ERA in 71 1/3 innings. He has also struck out 78 and walked 28, while opponents are hitting him at a .243 clip. Also keep an eye on Mike Minor and Nick Christian in addition to reliever Russ Brewer, who has a 2.50 ERA in 39 2/3 innings ? Florida is led at the plate by Avery Barnes, who's hitting .383 with a pair of homers and 18 RBIs. Josh Adams is hitting .339 with seven homers and 47 RBIs, while first baseman Brandon McArthur is hitting .348 with a home run and 37 RBIs. Also keep an eye on shortstop Cole Figueroa, who's hitting .333 with seven homers and 49 RBIs. On the mound, keep an eye on Stephen Locke, Patrick Keating and Billy Bullock. Locke is 4-2 with a 2.99 ERA in 69 1/3 innings, while Keating is 8-0 with a 3.27 ERA in 71 2/3 innings. Bullock is 4-3 with a 4.11 ERA in 72 1/3 innings. Reliever Josh Edmondson has made 23 appearances and has a 3.27 ERA in 41 1/3 innings of work.
FIVE MORE
No. 7 Texas A&M vs. Texas: The rival Longhorns are the only team standing between the Aggies and a Big 12 title. While the Aggies hope to rebound from a three-game losing streak, the 'Horns hope to build off a series win over Baylor two weekends ago. UT is eyeing a higher postseason seed, while A&M needs a series win over Texas to secure a top-eight national seed.
No. 15 Stanford at No. 21 Arizona: After dropping a tough series to rival California last weekend, Stanford hopes to bounce back on the road against Arizona this weekend. While the Cardinal hope to earn a Regional host in two weeks, Arizona hopes to join the discussion with a series win this weekend. The Wildcats have a chance to make a statement this weekend.
Alabama at No. 14 Georgia: After winning the SEC crown at Vandy last weekend, the Bulldogs return home this weekend to face red-hot Alabama. While the Crimson Tide hope to notch another impressive series victory, the Bulldogs hope to protect their home field with a national seed in their sights. Alabama could punch its ticket to the postseason this weekend, while Georgia is a national seed lock with a series win.
Ole Miss at Kentucky: Once considered to be a series between a pair of potential national title contenders, the Rebels and Wildcats are now just hoping to get into the NCAA Tournament. While the Rebels are coming off a home series win over Auburn, the Wildcats hope to build off a road series sweep over Tennessee. An NCAA Tourney berth could be on the line this weekend.
No. 8 Oklahoma State vs. Oklahoma: There's much at stake when the Cowboys and Sooners meet this weekend. The Cowboys hope to stay in the race for a national seed with a series win over the rival Sooners, while OU hopes to clinch a Big 12 Tournament berth with a series win and some help from Kansas. The Pokes have had a wealth of success against OU in recent years, but the Sooners hope to play the spoiler role this weekend.

Kendall Rogers is the college baseball editor for Rivals.com. He can be reached at rogersk@yahoo-inc.com.