Baseball Games of the Week (3/22 – 3/25)
#19 Georgia Tech at #2 Florida State (3/22 6 PM, 3/23 6 PM, 3/24 1 PM. All games on ESPN 3)
This is a matchup between the top team in the Atlantic Division (Florida State) and Georgia Tech, tied for the lead in the Coastal Division of the ACC.
Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets have been an offensive juggernaut this year, scoring double digit runs in 13 of their 20 games. That includes a stretch of nine in a row and 11 of 12.
Six of Georgia Tech's eight regulars are hitting .329 or above, including two who are hitting .449 or better. Brandon Thomas is hitting a ridiculous .479 this season. While Thomas isn't much of a power hitter, he does lead the team in many categories. Other than his team-high average, he also leads the squad in runs (29), hits (35), doubles (eight), walks (14) and a team-low 11 strikeouts. Zane Evans is the teams' power hitter, knocking eight balls out of the park so far, while also having a team-high 30 RBI.
As great as the offense has been, the pitching has been amazing as well. If there are pitchers having a better year than Buck Farmer, they must be phenomenal because Farmer has a 4-0 record in his five starts and a 1.64 ERA. Farmer has an outstanding 44 strikeouts to seven walks in 33 innings. And only four of his 25 hits given up have gone for extra base hits, all doubles.
Florida State: The Seminoles suffered their first loss of the season last weekend, when they dropped the first game of the series, 5-3. They recovered to win the next two, however, and have two mid-week games against Stetson before the series with the Yellow Jackets.
Jose Brizuela leads the team in average with a .373 clip and has a team-leading 21 RBI. Stephen McGee, Marcus Davis and John Nogowski each had seven doubles for the 'Noles. Of the eight Seminoles who have started 14 games or more, seven of them have double digit RBI.
Luke Weaver has started three of the games he's appeared in, has a 3-0 record and a 0.44 ERA. Scott Sitz has won four of the games he's started and holds a 0.6 ERA. They are two of four starters who have struck out at least 24 opponents,
#5 North Carolina State vs #18 Virginia (3/23 1 PM ET, 3/24 1 PM ET, 3/25 7 PM ET on ESPNU
N.C. State: The Wolfpack comes into the week hitting .293 as a team, led by Trea Turner, who is hitting .464 in the 14 games he has played in and started. Unfortunately, he sprained his ankle in the series against Clemson and will be out for at least two more weeks. With Turner sidelined, Terran Senay is the team's leading power hitter with four home runs and 24 RBI. Brett Austin has 11 doubles on the season.
While Carlos Rodan has an NCAA-high 54 strikeouts, he also carries a 5.04 ERA and 2-2 record. Logan Jernigan has started four games and has a 1-0 record with a0.68 ERA. In his 13 innings pitched, he's given up just one run.
Virginia: Virginia suffered just its second loss last weekend, losing the middle game of a three-game series against Clemson.
The Cavs aren't much of a power team, hitting only 12 total home runs, but they are a team that hits into the gaps and in situational times of the games. They have a team total 153 RBI, 99 more than their opponents. The team has also combined to hit 38 doubles and 19 triples. Brandon Downes leads the team in both those categories with six doubles and four triples and also has a team-high three homers.
Nick Howard has a 3-1 record in his five starts and a starter-low 1.27 ERA. Brandon Waddell has a squad-leading 41 punchouts.
#6 Mississippi State at #16 Kentucky (3/22 6:30 PM, 3/23 noon, 3/24 1 PM)
Mississippi State: After winning its first 17 games, Mississippi State comes into the series having dropped four of their last seven, including two-of-three in their opening SEC series with LSU last week.
Hunter Renfroe continues to lead the Bulldogs in most major hitting categories, despite having played in five games less than some of the other regulars. His six home runs are four more than the next Bulldog and his 30 RBI are 11 more than the second place teammate. He also has a team-high seven doubles.
At 1.85, Jacob Lindgren has the lowest ERA of the starters that have started five games. However, in those five starts, he has a decision in only two of them, both wins. He also has a team-high 29 strikeouts. Despite having what some would call a high ERA for a closer, 3.65, Jonathan Holder has lived up to his last name, saving seven of the 10 games he's appeared in and winning another.
Kentucky: Like their opponents, the Wildcats got off to a fast start, but have dropped three of their last seven, including a mid-week tilt with Western Kentucky.
A.J. Reed is the team's bopper, having knocked out a team-high five homers and having a team-leading 26 RBI, 10 more than any other player on the roster. Austin Cousing, who is second on the team in home runs with four, leads the Wildcats, who are a terror on the basepaths, with a team-leading eight steals in eight attempts. The Wildcats have stolen 31 bases in 36 attempts.
Jerad Grundy is the team's top pitcher, having won four of his five starts and compiling a 1/93 ERA. He is also second on the squad in strikeouts with 28. Trevor Gott, who has saved six games and won two more in his 10 appearances, carries a 0.79 ERA out of the bullpen.
