April 17, 2009

Kendall Rogers
Rivals.com College Baseball Editor

There's a good chance Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops and Texas football coach Mack Brown won't be in attendance when the Sooners and Longhorns meet on the baseball diamond this weekend, but the intensity and importance will be the same.

The Sooners have compiled one of the nation's most impressive resumes so far this season, but would love to garner a marquee road series win over the rival Longhorns. Texas, meanwhile, has played exceptionally well as of late and would be in fantastic shape to earn a national seed with a series win over OU this weekend.

In the ACC, Miami hopes to bounce back from a tough road series loss at Clemson, while North Carolina is ultra motivated after blowing a series at Florida State last weekend.

In the SEC, Ole Miss desperately needs a series win at Florida to stay in the mix for a regional host spot, while the Gators could become a strong candidate for a host spot with a series win over the Rebels. Arkansas, meanwhile, travels to Georgia for a very important series for both teams. The Hogs hope to bounce back from a home series loss to Vanderbilt, while Georgia could become a near lock for a national seed with a series win over the Razorbacks.

We breakdown the nation's five most important series.

Rivals.com Weekend Series Breakdown
No. 9 Oklahoma at No. 6 Texas
	When: Saturday, 2 p.m. (DH), Sunday, 2 p.m. (ET) Why the series is important: This series never really needs an introduction, and it certainly doesn't need one this weekend as both the Sooners and Longhorns enter the series in the top 10. The Sooners have displayed balance throughout the season and have an outstanding record, while the Longhorns finally have gotten things going offensively the past few weeks. This will be a fantastic series. The buzz: The Sooners have one of the nation's best offenses and enters the weekend with an impressive .336 batting average. On the mound, the Sooners carry a less than stellar 4.69 earned run average, while defense has been excellent with OU carrying a .973 clip into the series. Texas, meanwhile, started the season slow at the plate, but since has heated up. The 'Horns are hitting .282 and have a 2.12 earned run average. They also are fielding at an outstanding .978 clip. Spotlight players: The Sooners have a potent offense with veteran infielder Bryant Hernandez leading the charge. Hernandez enters the weekend hitting .397 with eight doubles, six homers and 42 RBIs. He also is slugging .616 and has a .439 on-base percentage. Garrett Buechele is hitting .393 with four homers and 30 RBIs while J.T. Wise has risen to the occasion and is hitting .375 with 12 homers and 36 RBIs. Also keep an eye on Jamie Johnson, who's hitting .331 with nine homers and 28 RBIs. Andrew Doyle and Stephen Porlier are pitchers to watch. Doyle is 5-2 with a 3.67 ERA in 54 innings. He also has struck out 41 and walked 11, while opponents are hitting him at a .262. Porlier, meanwhile, has been masterful since returning from an injury. Porlier has not allowed a run in 10 1/3 innings and opponents are hitting him at a .139 clip. Also keep an eye on Ryan Duke, who has recorded eight saves and has a 2.89 ERA in 18 2/3 innings ? The Longhorns have heated up at the plate with first baseman Brandon Belt leading the way. Belt is hitting .352 with 11 doubles, three homers and 15 RBIs. He also is slugging .574 and has a .443 on-base percentage. Travis Tucker is hitting .315 with a home run and 14 RBIs, while Kevin Keyes is hitting .309 with four homers and 20 RBIs. Also keep an eye on Michael Torres, who's hitting .284 with a home run and 12 RBIs. There are several pitchers to watch this weekend, but Chance Ruffin, Cole Green and Brandon Workman lead the way. Ruffin is 5-2 with a 2.55 ERA in 60 innings, Green is 3-0 with a 2.42 ERA in 48 1/3 innings and Workman is 3-3 with a 2.76 ERA in 49 innings. Also remember relievers Austin Wood, Austin Dicharry and Taylor Jungmann. Wood has recorded eight saves in 35 2/3 innings, while Dicharry has a 1.24 ERA in 10 appearances and Jungmann has a 1.23 ERA in 12 appearances. What to watch for: The Longhorns were one of the worst hitting teams early in the season, but really have come on the past few weeks. UT has been hitting around .350 the past two weeks and they need to continue that success against the Sooners this weekend. Also interesting will be to watch how the Oklahoma lineup fares against a very stout Texas pitching staff. Kendall's take: There's no question the Sooners have put together an impressive resume this season, but they begin the toughest part of their schedule against the Longhorns . That may or may not be a good thing. Though I think the Sooners will score some runs against the Longhorns, I'm not so sure the OU pitching staff will be able to shutdown UT's offense throughout the weekend. For that reason, we're taking the Longhorns over the Sooners.
No. 7 Arkansas at No. 3 Georgia
	When: Friday, 8 p.m., Saturday, 2 p.m., Sunday, 3 p.m. (ET) Why the series is important: After dropping a home series to LSU a couple weekends ago, the Bulldogs went on the road and swept Kentucky in what likely was a must-win series to keep their national seed hopes alive. Arkansas, meanwhile, was in fantastic shape after taking a pair of mid-week games against Arizona State, but then stumbled over the weekend against Vanderbilt. Arkansas hopes to record a marquee road series win while the Bulldogs need a series win against a marquee team. The buzz: The Bulldogs certainly have the advantage on paper, but that doesn't always materialize into a series win. Arkansas enters the weekend hitting .282 with a 4.37 earned run average. They also are fielding .966. Georgia, meanwhile, is hitting .320 and has a 3.80 earned run average. They are fielding .962. Spotlight players: Arkansas has several offensive cogs to watch this weekend, starting with outfielder Chase Leavitt. Leavitt is hitting .355 with 10 doubles, a home run and 19 RBIs. He also has a .504 on-base percentage. Ben Tschepikow is hitting .333 with seven homers and 29 RBIs, while Andy Wilkins is hitting .328 with 10 homers and 29 RBIs. Also keep an eye on Scott Lyons, who is hitting .323 with three homers and 28 RBIs. On the mound, keep an eye on Dallas Keuchel, Stephen Richards and Mike Bolsinger. Keuchel has a 4.53 ERA in 47 2/3 innings and has struck out 37 and walked seven. Richards, meanwhile, has made 17 appearances and has a 1.16 ERA in 23 1/3 innings, while Bolsinger has made 13 appearances and has a 2.89 ERA in 28 innings ? Georgia's offense is led by hard-hitting first baseman Rich Poythress, who's batting .420 with nine doubles, 16 homers and 60 RBIs. He also is slugging .833 and has a .524 on-base percentage. Colby May is hitting .375 with nine homers and 34 RBIs, while Bryce Massanari is hitting .362 with 11 homers and 37 RBIs. Also keep an eye on Joey Lewis and Levi Hyams. Lewis is hitting .343 with 12 homers and 38 RBIs, while Hyams is hitting .283 with four homers and 21 RBIs. On the mound, Trevor Holder, Alex McRee and Justin Grimm are the main arms to watch. Holder has a 3.86 ERA in 46 2/3 innings and opponents are hitting him at a .259 clip. McRee has a 2.30 ERA in 31 1/3 innings and teams are hitting him at a .239 clip, while Grimm has a 4.61 ERA in 41 innings. Also keep an eye on reliever Dean Weaver, who has a 0.79 ERA in 18 appearances. What to watch for: The Razorbacks could be in the midst of their first rut of the season, but we'll see how the weekend transpires. After dropping a pair of games to Vanderbilt over the weekend, the Hogs didn't play particularly well in the mid-week, but did win Wednesday's game against Louisiana-Monroe in dramatic fashion. The key to the weekend is Arkansas's confidence against a very good Georgia team. Kendall's take: The Hogs are a tough team to pick against because they always seem to get things done in SEC play, excluding the Vanderbilt series of course. Though the Hogs certainly are a good team, the Bulldogs will be too much at home. Georgia has the edge both at the plate and on the mound and is at home. That usually leads to a series victory.
No. 13 Miami (FL) at #10 North Carolina
	When: Friday, 7 p.m., Saturday, 4 p.m., Sunday, 1 p.m. (ET) Why the series is important: If either team has national seed aspirations at the end of the season, this basically is a must-win series. Miami hopes to bounce back from a road series loss at Clemson last weekend, while North Carolina hopes to do the same after giving up the Florida State series on the road last weekend. Much is at stake when the Hurricanes and Tar Heels take the field this weekend. The buzz: The Hurricanes enter the weekend hitting .297 with a 4.51 earned run average. They also are fielding at a .962 clip. North Carolina, meanwhile, is hitting .309 and has a solid 3.88 earned run average. They are fielding .970. Also worth noting is that Miami and North Carolina have on-base percentages around .400. Spotlight players: The Hurricanes don't have too many offensive cogs to watch this weekend, but keep a close eye on Scott Lawson and Jason Hagerty. Lawson is hitting .341 with 13 doubles, two homers and 25 RBIs. He also is slugging .504 and has a .464 on-base percentage. Hagerty, meanwhile, is hitting .333 with 12 doubles, eight homers and 37 RBIs. He is slugging .684 and has a .480 on-base percentage. Also watch Harold Martinez and Yasmani Grandal. Martinez is hitting .307 with five homers and 35 RBIs while Grandal is hitting .296 with 10 homers and 27 RBIs. On the mound, reliever Kyle Bellamy is the best UM has to offer. Bellamy has recorded 10 saves in 18 appearances and has a 1.40 ERA in 25 2/3 innings. He also has struck out 43 and walked 14, while opponents are hitting him at a .167 clip. Also keep an eye on Chris Hernandez, David Gutierrez and Iden Nazario. Hernandez has a 5.89 ERA in 47 1/3 innings, Gutierrez has a 3.63 ERA in 39 2/3 innings and Nazario has a 6.45 ERA in 37 2/3 innings ? North Carolina's offense isn't particularly explosive, but they do have some hitters to watch starting with third baseman Kyle Seager and first baseman Dustin Ackley. Seager is hitting .393 with 19 doubles, two homers and 35 RBIs, while Ackley is hitting .388 with eight doubles, 11 homers and 33 RBIs. Ben Bunting, Mark Fleury and Levi Michael also are having productive campaigns. Bunting is hitting .346 with two homers and 28 RBIs, Fleury is hitting .316 with seven homers and 40 RBIs and Michael is hitting .289 with 10 homers and 35 RBIs. On the mound, keep an eye on weekend starters Alex White, Adam Warren and Matt Harvey. White has a 3.67 ERA in 54 innings and opponents are hitting him at a .238 clip, while Warren has a 3.19 ERA in 48 innings and opponents are hitting him at a .224 clip. Harvey, meanwhile, has a dismal 6.75 ERA in 36 innings. What to watch for: Miami's pitching staff didn't perform well at Clemson last weekend and must improve if they want to beat the Tar Heels this weekend. On the flip side, keep an eye on North Carolina's bullpen. The UNC bullpen blew two games at Florida State last weekend and can't afford to do the same this weekend. Both pitching staffs are on the chopping block in this series. Kendall's take: We'll go right out and say it, the Tar Heels had no business losing last weekend's series at Florida State. The bullpen let them down and there's a feeling that unit will rise to the occasion this weekend against Miami. The Tar Heels will have too much offense and pitching for the Hurricanes.
No. 19 Mississippi at No. 23 Florida
	When: Friday, 6:30 p.m., Saturday, 4 p.m., Sunday, 12:30 p.m. (ET) Why the series is important: The Gators have taken a step forward in the last week with a huge road series win over Auburn and a dominating mid-week win over Florida State. But all that would be washed away if they drop a home series against Ole Miss this weekend. The Rebels, meanwhile, desperately need a series win over Florida to keep their regional hosting chances alive going down the stretch. The buzz: Both teams have displayed balance this season but Florida appears to have a slight edge statistically speaking. Ole Miss enters the weekend hitting .307 with a 4.22 earned run average. They also are fielding at a .970 clip. UF, meanwhile, is hitting .306 and has a 3.66 earned run average. They are fielding .962. Spotlight players: The Rebels have several players to watch at the plate but outfielders Jordan Henry and Logan Power stand above the rest. Henry is hitting .381 with eight doubles and 22 RBIs. He also has a .494 on-base percentage and is 22-for-27 in stolen bases. Power, meanwhile, is hitting .323 with nine doubles, four homers and 32 RBIs. He also has a .443 on-base percentage and is second on the team with 62 total bases. Matt Smith is hitting .349 with four homers and 30 RBIs while Zach Miller is hitting .321 with a pair of homers and 19 RBIs. On the mound, keep an eye on Drew Pomeranz, Phillip Irwin and Scott Bittle. Pomeranz has a 4.01 ERA in 33 2/3 innings and teams are hitting him at a .260 clip. Irwin has a 3.44 ERA in 49 2/3 innings and teams are hitting .266 off him, while Bittle has a 1.93 ERA in 32 2/3 innings and teams are hitting .159 off him. Also keep an eye on reliever Jake Morgan, who has appeared in 15 games and has a 2.31 ERA in 23 1/3 innings ? The Gators have a productive lineup with Preston Tucker, Avery Barnes, Josh Adams and Matt den Dekker leading the way. Tucker, a freshman, is hitting .357 with six doubles, eight homers and 49 RBIs, while Barnes is hitting .348 with six homers and 33 RBIs. Adams, meanwhile, is hitting .346 with five homers and 27 RBIs while den Dekker is hitting .341 with five homers and 20 RBIs. He also has an impressive .475 on-base percentage. On the mound, watch weekend starters Jeff Barfield and Stephen Locke. Barfield has a 2.78 ERA in 35 2/3 innings and teams are hitting him at a .248 clip. Locke, meanwhile, who returned from suspension a few weeks ago, has a 2.60 ERA in 17 1/3 innings. Teams are hitting .282 off him. Also keep an eye on solid relievers Greg Larson, Billy Bullock and Tony Davis. What to watch for: It'll be interesting to see just how motivated Ole Miss is this weekend. The Rebels could be in good shape to earn a regional host entering this series, but dropped the ball at home against South Carolina last weekend. There's no question the Rebels should have a sense of urgency. UF, meanwhile, will get in the regional hosting picture with a series win over the Rebels. Both teams have a lot to play for this weekend and it will show in their styles of play. Kendall's take: The Rebels have the better weekend rotation and Florida has the better offense. Naturally, something must give in Gainesville, Fla., this weekend. We're going with the Gators pitching a little bit better than expected while the offense takes care of business. Give us Florida with the series win.
No. 17 Virginia at Boston College
	When: Friday, 2:30 p.m., Saturday, 1:30 p.m., Sunday, 12 p.m. ET Why the series is important: The Cavaliers have compiled good numbers and a gaudy record this season, but let's be honest with ourselves. They do not have an impressive postseason resume. Virginia and Boston College have similar conference records, so a road series win over the Eagles would increase their hosting chances. On the other hand, a series loss to the Eagles would greatly damage their chances. BC, meanwhile, would be in very good postseason shape with a home series win over the Cavaliers. The buzz: Looking at Virginia's overall numbers requires a double take. The Cavaliers have been outstanding both at the plate and on the mound this season. They enter the weekend hitting .355 with a 3.12 earned run average. They also are fielding .968 as a team. Boston College, meanwhile, is hitting .319 and has a 4.71 earned run average. They are fielding at an impressive .973 clip. Spotlight players: The Cavaliers have several hitters to watch this weekend, but Jarrett Parker, Dan Grovatt, Phil Gosselin and Steven Proscia stand out. Parker is hitting .409 with 15 doubles, 11 homers and 43 RBIs. He also is slugging .818 and has a .517 on-base percentage. Grovatt is hitting .399 with five homers and 36 RBIs, Gosselin is hitting .375 with four homers and 48 RBIs and Proscia is hitting .375 with four homers and 35 RBIs. Also watch Tyler Cannon, who enters the series hitting .366 with 26 RBIs. On the mound, Danny Hultzen and Andrew Carraway are the main arms to watch. Hultzen is having a fabulous freshman campaign and has a 2.39 ERA in 49 innings. He also has struck out 63 and walked 18, while opponents are hitting him at a .243 clip. Carraway has a 2.98 ERA in 48 1/3 innings and opponents are hitting him at a .186 clip. No. 3 starter Robert Morey will be making his second start this weekend. He has a 3.63 ERA in 22 1/3 innings ? Boston College has the nation's best catcher in Tony Sanchez. Sanchez is having a fantastic campaign at the plate and is hitting .387 with 11 doubles, 12 homers and 36 RBIs. He also is slugging .730 and has a .479 on-base percentage. Robbie Anston is hitting .381 with 14 doubles, a home run and 20 RBIs, while Mickey Wiswall is hitting .329 with 12 doubles, six homers and 38 RBIs. Also keep an eye in Mike Belfiore, who's hitting .326 with nine homers and 47 RBIs. On the mound, weekend starters JB MacDonald, Pat Dean and John Leonard are the arms to watch. MacDonald has a 2.70 ERA in 56 2/3 innings and teams are hitting .204 off him. Dean, meanwhile, has a 3.67 ERA in 49 innings and teams are hitting him at a .274 clip. Leonard has a 6.88 ERA in 35 1/3 innings and teams are hitting him at a high .347 clip. Relievers Mike Belfiore and Nate Bayuk are guys to watch as well. What to watch for: Boston College has played with much swagger this season and won't be the least bit intimidated by a Virginia team that essentially is on the same level. Boston College's weekend rotation, specifically Leonard, must rise to the occasion, while the offense is in good shape. Virginia, meanwhile, has a lot of pressure entering the weekend. The Cavaliers need an impressive series win over the Eagles, and it will be interesting to see how they approach the series. Kendall's take: The Cavaliers have a substantial statistical advantage this weekend, but statistics often aren't everything. That will be the case this weekend. BC has played well most of the season and we expect the consistency to continue against the Cavaliers. BC will do just enough offensively to get past the Cavaliers.

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