April 26, 2009

Kendall Rogers
Rivals.com College Baseball Editor

Georgia entered the weekend atop the conference standings, but had little wiggle room. Ole Miss, meanwhile, entered the weekend hoping to make another statement after taking two of three at Florida last weekend.

The Rebels joined several teams in the SEC title race with an impressive home series win over the Bulldogs. They also solidified their status as a possible regional host.

LSU also had an outstanding week and swept Auburn at home, while elsewhere around the country Oklahoma, Kansas State, Clemson, Arizona State and Florida State had good weeks to remember.

On the negative side, Baylor had a nightmarish week with a 0-5 record, while Stanford and Pepperdine were eliminated from the NCAA postseason picture. Southeastern Louisiana, meanwhile, swept bubble team Sam Houston State on the road.

We unveil the week's winners and losers.

Winners

Mississippi: After taking a small step back against South Carolina two weekends ago, the Rebels took care of Florida on the road last weekend. They also put together another impressive week and took two of three from Georgia this past weekend. The Rebels are officially back in the SEC title race and could get in the mix for a national seed with an incredibly strong finish to the regular season.

Oklahoma: The Sooners were the beneficiaries of much criticism after getting swept last weekend by rival Texas. The criticism was deserved. The Sooners, though, also deserve a wealth of praise for what they accomplished at Baylor over the weekend. OU swept the Bears in impressive fashion and the offense exploded for 27 runs in three games. OU is only a half game out of first with a favorable schedule to end the regular season.

TCU: The Horned Frogs needed a big series win over San Diego State to get back in the hosting mix. They accomplished that goal over the weekend by winning a pair of games over the Aztecs after dropping the series opener with Stephen Strasburg on the mound. With the series win, the Horned Frogs are just a half game out of first place in the Mountain West. What a difference the weekend made for TCU.

Kansas State: The Wildcats caught my eye earlier this spring and enhanced their status on the college baseball landscape a few weekends ago with a home series win over Texas A&M. Well, K-State took its team and resume another step forward this past weekend with a series win over previously red-hot Texas. The Wildcats only are a half game out of first place in the Big 12. What an amazing ride it has been for KSU.

Clemson: The Tigers couldn't have had a better week. They began the week with a pair of mid-week wins over Coastal Carolina and South Carolina before hosting Georgia Tech for a huge three-game set. The Tigers didn't send their fans home on Sunday disappointed as they took two of three from the Yellow Jackets. The Tigers are back in the hosting mix with a 30-15 record and a 14-10 mark in the ACC.

Florida: After suffering a tough home series loss to Ole Miss last weekend, the Gators needed to take care of business against South Carolina to stay in the mix for a regional host. They did just that. After beating Florida Gulf Coast mid-week action, the Gators swept the Gamecocks by scores of 9-4, 8-3 and 9-5. The Gators now must hope for some luck with road trips to Georgia and LSU on the docket the next two weekends.

Florida State: There was a time when Seminoles fans felt their incredible NCAA regional streak would come to an end this season. Now the Seminoles are talking about making another trip to the College World Series. FSU began the week with a pair of wins over UNC Asheville before sweeping Wake Forest at home over the weekend. FSU now has won three-straight ACC series and is leading the ACC Atlantic Division by two games.

Arizona State: It was another week and yet another weekend series win for the red-hot Sun Devils. ASU began the week with a huge mid-week win over a very good Hawaii team. They also took care of business over the weekend with a road series win over California. The Devils have a tough road series against Oregon State coming up this weekend before returning home for the final three weekends of the regular season. ASU is not expected to lose a series the rest of the way.

East Carolina: The Pirates finally had a week to remember. They began the week with a pair of mid-week wins over Elon and North Carolina before rising the occasion again over the weekend against Southern Miss. The Pirates won the first two games of the series before dropping the series finale in close fashion. ECU won't win Conference USA but is putting together a good postseason resume.

LSU: Apparently the Tigers weren't real pleased with the fact they lost a series to a bad Tennessee team last weekend. LSU began the week with a pair of mid-week wins over in-state foes Southeastern Louisiana and Louisiana-Lafayette before sweeping Auburn in another crucial SEC series. The Tigers still have some work to do but they're back in the discussion for a national seed.

Losers

Pepperdine: It's safe to say the Waves postseason hopes essentially are gone. Pepperdine had a chance to keep hope alive over the weekend against San Francisco, but the series was not a success. The Waves dropped two of three to the Dons and had a 1-4 week that also included losses to Cal State Northridge and Cal State Fullerton. It's time for the Waves to head back to the drawing board and prepare for 2010.

Oregon: UO coach George Horton knew his team would struggle in year one, but he probably didn't think the season would be this bad. The Ducks haven't made a statement this season and are coming off a 0-5 week that included a pair of mid-week losses to UC Irvine and a dismal home series against Washington. Horton likely will get the Ducks turned around in the near future, but being the last place team in the Pac-10 still makes this season a huge disappointment.

Auburn: The Tigers may have another year to wait for an NCAA regional berth. Even earlier this week, the Tigers appeared to be in good shape to earn an at-large berth to the NCAA postseason. However, finishing 0-4 and getting swept on the road by LSU derailed their postseason plans? for now. The Tigers still have a good RPI but are now 8-13 in the SEC. That's not going to get you an NCAA bid.

Stanford: Making a regional already was a long shot because of how they've played this spring. However, the Cardinal was eliminated from the postseason discussion by Arizona over the weekend. The Cardinal dropped two of three to the Wildcats and fell to 8-10 in the Pac-10, 18-18 overall. We felt before the season that the Cardinal would struggle without several key players from last year's team. That has happened.

West Virginia: The Mountaineers have compiled one of the nation's best records, but a good schedule is missing from the equation. The Mountaineers, which had Big East regular season title aspirations entering the weekend, took a huge step back by getting swept on the road by South Florida. With three losses to the Bulls, the Mountaineers are now 11-7 in the Big East and four games out of first place.

South Carolina: The Gamecocks made their debut in last week's Rivals Top 25 and will make an exit in the newest rankings. The Gamecocks won series against Ole Miss and Auburn in back-to-back weeks, but took a huge step back over the weekend by getting swept at Florida. The 'Cocks have a good RPI and a respectable record, but could be in trouble for an at-large berth if they don't bounce back. South Carolina now has a 9-12 mark in the SEC. That's not going to impress the NCAA committee.

Louisville: The Cardinals have some work to do to make an NCAA regional. UL entered the week on the bubble and took a huge step back with a mid-week loss to Vanderbilt and a home series loss to Notre Dame over the weekend. The Cardinals are now three games out of first place with the series loss to Notre Dame. UL essentially is in a must-win situation on the weekend the rest of the way.

Oregon State: Whatever funk the Beavers are in, they need to snap out of it sooner rather than later. The Beavers surprised everyone by dropping a home series to USC last weekend. They took another step back at UCLA this weekend, losing two of three to the Bruins to fall to 9-6 in the Pac-10. The Beavers aren't in danger of missing the NCAA postseason just yet but must find a way to get back on track.

Baylor: The Bears had a nightmare scenario play out this past week. After losing a pair of mid-week games to SLC opponents Sam Houston State and Texas State, the Bears didn't fare better against Oklahoma over the weekend. The Bears were swept by the Sooners and dropped to 25-17, 10-10 in the Big 12. The Bears aren't in danger of falling out of the NCAA picture, but hosting is out of the question for now.

Sam Houston State: It's never fun to go from conference contender to a long shot in just one weekend. That's exactly what happened to the Bearkats over the weekend. After winning a trio of mid-week games against Baylor and Houston Baptist, the Bearkats appeared to be in great shape entering the weekend against Southeast Louisiana. The Lions, though, had other plans and swept the Bearkats. The Bearkats are now 14-10 in conference and 4 1/2 games out of first place.

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