We’ve reached week two of the college baseball season, and the action on Friday night, although not as wacky as Tuesday and or last weekend, delivered an excellent day of college baseball, setting the scene for a fun Saturday. Most of the country will have beautiful weather. We have some strong matchups today, plus a good number of teams either looking to take a series or needing a win in the worst way possible. 

So, let’s jump right into things. 

Starting with observations from Friday night. 

First, let me preface this by saying I was at Swayze Field in Oxford for the first time this season, for the series-opening game between Missouri State and Ole Miss. Coming into the series, there was a lot of anticipation, as the underrated SEC team was hosting the underrated team from Conference USA, with two really good offenses and solid pitching staffs going against each other in the second weekend series of the college baseball season. Coming into the series, both teams had combined for one loss, with Ole Miss entering the weekend undefeated. A few thoughts on what I saw on Friday night. Despite the depth of the Southeastern Conference, Ole Miss has a really deep roster with an offense that can light up the scoreboard and hold their own when pitching isn’t at its best. Judd Utermark had two home runs last night, his 6th overall this season, while guys like Dom Decker and Collin Reuter do what they do and get on base to give guys like Austin Fawley, Will Furniss, and then Utermark to come in and add runs to the scoreboard. Ole Miss is a good team and has the pieces to host another Oxford Regional and to be a dark horse to reach the College World Series. From a pitching standpoint, the trust Coach Bianco has in Hunter Elliott speaks volumes about the team’s overall well-being. Elliott didn’t have his best game on Friday night, but Coach Bianco trusted him, and then, combined with the relief stint from Hudson Calhoun, the bats delivered a massive first win of the series to improve Ole Miss to 6-0 on the season. For Missouri State, the Bears are a really good baseball team with a lot of upside to compete in Conference USA, featuring a methodical offense that might not beat you with the long ball, but gets on base and turns those on-base opportunities into points on the scoreboard. Carter Bergman had a the lone long ball for Missouri State on Friday night. 

Second, I know it’s early, but South Alabama looks like a threat in the Sun Belt this season. They score, and score a lot. Through five games this season, the Jaguars have 53 runs, with seven in three games and 16 in the other two, including last night. With only two home runs last night, the Jaguars once again, like they did last weekend, did things by getting on base, then turning those into situational hitting that scored 16 runs that got jump-started by a five-run top of the first inning. South Alabama was picked to finish in the bottom half of the Sun Belt, but has since used that to showcase an underrated roster that has depth to get the Jaguars back into the conversation of being a Regional team for the first time since 2021. 

Third, it’s hard to ignore, but at this point in the season, LSU is the best team in the country. It’s really that simple. They have all the pieces. All you have to do is watch them, and once a team thinks they might have the Tigers, they turn things up and pull away from their opponent. LSU can beat you in so many different ways, from the long ball to timely hitting, to a pitching staff that could likely compete in Major League Baseball if they were to play today. LSU is just that good. With that said, they’ll have some hiccups along the way, but as of right now, LSU is the favorite to win a national championship. 

Lastly, with another Friday night came the pictures and proof that the sport of college baseball has never been more popular than it is right now. Just look at the crowds: in a world where people are getting tired of NIL, the transfer portal, and the outside noise of other sports, the everyday college sports fan seems drawn to college baseball. Despite what ESPN might think, the demand for college baseball has never been better. Numbers with media coverage are high, fan attendance is high, and the conversation has consumed the sports world as people realize that what college baseball is now is what Major League Baseball felt like 20 years ago, before all the rule changes that made the sport less enjoyable. Not to mention the financial break families get when they attend a college baseball game: kids can go to games with their dads for a lower cost than it takes to attend high-level college basketball and football combined. Once again, college baseball feels like the people’s sport where the everyday American can have an enjoyable night with their families without the fear of taking a massive financial hit. 

Photo Credits- Schools baseball accounts on X