April 5, 2009

Kendall Rogers
Rivals.com College Baseball Editor

ATHENS, Ga. – Another day at Foley Field on the campus of Georgia, another record crowd in attendance to watch the Bulldogs play LSU.

The Tigers got off to a fast start in the series opener and left the Bulldogs in the dust. But Game 2 Saturday afternoon was a different story. The Bulldogs returned the favor by scoring six runs the first three innings on the way to a 10-8 victory.

While Georgia's win over LSU headlined the national action, many eyes also were on Fullerton, Calif., where UC Irvine officially knocked Cal State Fullerton off its perch with an impressive 6-1 series-clinching win.

Ole Miss, Georgia Tech and TCU also had days to remember, while Nebraska, Missouri, Pepperdine, UC Riverside and College of Charleston head back to the drawing board.

The good

UC Irvine: Cal State Fullerton has been the talk of the nation the past few weeks but the Anteaters have completely stolen the show this weekend. Irvine began the week with an impressive win over Loyola Marymount and has played exceptionally well against the Titans this weekend. The 'Eaters won the series opener 2-1 and captured a 6-1 victory in Game 2 Saturday night. Taking a series from the Titans is impressive, but allowing just two runs in two games simply is remarkable.

Mississippi: The Rebels are back in the national discussion. After winning three mid-week games, the Rebels carried a load of confidence into the Kentucky series. It certainly has showed so far this weekend. Ole Miss won the series opener 4-3 and clinched a series win over the Wildcats with a 10-3 triumph Saturday afternoon. The Ole Miss offense has done a nice job of getting clutch hits this weekend, but the pitching has been the brightest spot with only six runs allowed in two games.

Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets showed what they're made of in Game 2 against North Carolina Saturday afternoon. The Jackets dropped the series opener 4-2 and appeared to be in trouble late in Saturday's game. However, the offense finally woke up and was able to take the game to extra innings. That's when veteran catcher Jason Haniger hit a walk-off grand slam to hand the Jackets a 10-6 victory over the Tar Heels. Saturday's win over the Tar Heels was important because it evened the series at 1-1. But even most important is the fact the Jackets responded while on the ropes.

TCU: There's no question the Horned Frogs' stock dropped after losing a home series to San Diego State last weekend. But with what the Aztecs have done lately, that's not looking like too bad of a series loss after all. The Frogs began the week with a win over Texas-Arlington and haven't looked back this weekend against New Mexico. The Frogs won the series opener 7-3 and clinched a series win on Saturday with a 4-2 win over the Lobos. Most impressive is the fact they've shut down New Mexico's offense.

Georgia: After watching LSU jump out to a commanding lead early in Game 1 Friday night, the Bulldogs made it their mission to turn the tables on the Tigers in Game 2 Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs scored six runs the first three innings on the way to an impressive 10-8 triumph over the Tigers. Veterans Rich Poythress and Bryce Massanari had great days at the plate, while freshman Colby May also was very productive. The Bulldogs showed what a national title contender does when their backs are against the wall. Can they finish the deal Sunday afternoon?

The bad

Nebraska: Speaking of teams that are a long shot to make an NCAA regional, Nebraska is near the top of the list. The Huskers actually appeared to be in pretty good shape after the Oklahoma State series win a few weeks ago, but their situation certainly is cloudy after a dismal weekend against Kansas State. The Huskers dropped both games of a doubleheader on Friday and lost the series finale 5-3 to go 0-3 against the Wildcats. The Big Red still has some time to make a statement, but it's running out.

Missouri: The Tigers are one of the nation's biggest disappointments so far this season. The Tigers certainly still have a chance to make an impression and a run at an NCAA regional berth, but their situation isn't looking good. The Tigers dropped the home series opener to Oklahoma by a score of 2-1 and didn't fare any better in Game 2 on Saturday with a 7-4 setback to the Sooners. MU now has a 14-16 record and a 4-7 conference mark. Sunday's game against OU is a must-win situation.

College of Charleston: It would be nice if the Cougars had a resemblance of a pitching staff against Georgia Southern this weekend. The Cougars dropped the series opener by the ridiculous score of 15-14, and Saturday's game wasn't much better as the Cougars suffered a disappointing 16-7 setback to clinch a series. Not only have the Cougars taken a step back in the Southern Conference title race, their RPI is dropping faster than Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's popularity. The Cougars have gone for a good choice for a regional host to a for sure No. 2 seed in a regional.

UC Riverside: After giving Cal State Fullerton all it could handle two of three games last weekend and taking care of San Diego in mid-week action, the Highlanders still appeared to be in good shape. However, they've taken a step back this weekend. Riverside dropped the series opener to Long Beach State and also lost Game 2 Saturday afternoon by a score of 2-1. UCR certainly isn't in danger of becoming a bubble team in the NCAA regional picture, but a loss tomorrow definitely would hurt its RPI a bit. It'll be interesting to see how Doug Smith's team comes out on Sunday.

Pepperdine: Remember when we all thought the Waves would win the WCC and be an Omaha contender? Yeah, I remember those days, too. However, I'd also like to forget even thinking that. The Waves currently are beyond a funk and dropped another contest to Gonzaga Saturday afternoon to clinch another series loss. With the setback, the Waves now have lost seven-straight games and have a 16-12 record and a 0-5 mark in conference play. It's time for Pepperdine to pull out the black magic.

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