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Florida State couldn’t be having a better week.
The Seminoles earned a huge mid-week win over rival Florida earlier this week. They have capitalized on that victory this weekend by already earning a series win over Georgia.
Plenty of other teams had Saturdays to remember. Others, though, certainly left something to be desired after tough setbacks.
We unveil Saturday’s rising and falling teams.
RISING
Oregon — Ducks coach George Horton just can’t seem to stay out of the headlines. The Ducks took a step back out at Hawaii last weekend, but have stormed back against Fresno State this weekend. The Ducks won the series opener against the Bulldogs before taking Games 2 and 3 on Saturday to earn a 3-0 series lead with one more to come. What an impressive weekend for UO.
Houston — The Cougars entered the season under fire but will leave the weekend with smiles after earning victories over Missouri and Texas to begin the Houston College Classic. The Cougars used a strong performance by Chase Dempsay to beat Missouri. Then, on Saturday, the Cougars used a stellar performance by Michael Goodnight to take care of the Longhorns. Nice job by coach Raynor Noble’s club to fight back.
Florida State — It’s safe to say the Seminoles are in very good shape. FSU used another crop of solid pitching and hitting performances on Saturday to take care of Georgia by a score of 9-2. The Seminoles clinched the series win and have outscored the Bulldogs 21-3 the first two games of the series.
Arkansas — The Razorbacks hit the road for the first time on a weekend against California. The Razorbacks will head home happy campers. After winning the series opener 7-3, the Razorbacks cruised past the Golden Bears by a score of 9-5 on Saturday. The Hogs are in fantastic shape if they can earn a series sweep on Sunday. However, it still has been a very good weekend. Great road series for coach Van Horn’s club.
South Carolina — After dropping a close contest in the series opener against rival Clemson, the Gamecocks bounced back in Game 2 to earn a 7-5 win over the Tigers. South Carolina used three runs in the top of the ninth inning to take care of the Tigers. The series finale on Sunday will be played in Columbia, S.C. That obviously favors the Gamecocks.
FALLING
Nebraska — Not exactly a good weekend for the Huskers. Nebraska hit the road this weekend hoping to make a statement. However, it finished a three-game series against UCLA without a victory. The Huskers dropped a 5-4 decision to the red-hot Bruins to finish the weekend with an 0-3 record. The Big Red is now 3-7 overall.
Tulane — The Green Wave entered the weekend desperately needing an impressive series win over Mississippi to bolster their resume. However, that won’t happen. The Green Wave suffered a setback by a score of 5-1 on Saturday. With the loss, the Green Wave’s record dropped to 5-5. TU definitely needs to win the series finale.
South Florida — The Bulls are in deep trouble after suffering a 4-3 setback to Oklahoma on Saturday. Not only did the Bulls earn a series loss to the Sooners with the loss, they also fell to 1-9 on the season. This was a team that had big-time regional aspirations just a few weeks ago. Now, only a magical run in the Big East tournament will put this team in an NCAA regional. Very disappointing to say the least.
Minnesota — The Golden Gophers began the season as one of our ten teams to watch on the cusp of the top 25. But so far this season this team has played like anything but a potential ranked club. The Gophers dropped a 16-9 decision to Oklahoma State on Saturday and fell to 2-7 on the season. Minnesota is in trouble.
UCF — The Knights got off to a fast start this season because they played a very weak schedule the first couple of weekends. However, the Knights took a slight step forward in competition this weekend, and haven’t had success against the Chippewas. UCF earned a series loss to the Chippewas on Saturday with a 3-0 setback. UCF is now 7-4 but lacks a marquee victory.