With the postseason looming, baseball and softball diamonds are heating up
The GIST: With less than a month before softball and baseball conference tournaments, here’s who’s dominating diamonds…and who’s been crushed by the pressure.
No. 1 Texas softball makes a statement: The Longhorns are still vibing from last weekend’s history-making upset of the sport’s It Girl, then–No. 1 Oklahoma. Powering the league’s hottest team? Sophomore catcher Reese Atwood, who’s gunning for Texas’ single-season home run record — a mark she’ll strive for during her Horns’ series at No. 24 Baylor starting tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Canady circles up: No. 7 Stanford softball's on a six-game win streak thanks to pitcher NiJaree Canady and her mind-blowing 0.48 ERA — meaning she gives up less than one run every two games. Her case to add Player of the Year (POY) to her 2023 Division I Freshman of the Year title grows stronger by the day.
- Speaking of POY, the reigning queen Valerie Cagle’s No. 19 Clemson Tigers are recovering from a late-March slump. But they have a huge opportunity to regain their groove when they host a series against red-hot No. 3 Duke starting today at 7 p.m. ET.
Woo Pig win streak: On the baseball diamond, Arkansas ascended to the poll’s top spot five weeks ago and still hasn’t budged, thanks largely to a bullpen with the nation’s best ERA by a mile. The Razorbacks have won four straight series in the cutthroat SEC, with another against No. 25 Alabama on tap this weekend.
- With a hot streak of his own, Georgia redshirt sophomore Charlie Condon is swinging toward multiple NCAA records as he continues to go yard in nearly every game, leading the charge in college baseball’s recent offensive explosion.
2023 natty contenders flail in SEC play: Last year’s Men’s College World Series finalists — reigning champ LSU and runner-up Florida — are struggling with disappointing seasons: Florida slid 18 spots to No. 24 in this week’s poll despite excellent play from 2023 Golden Spikes finalist Jac Caglionone, and LSU exited the rankings altogether. Is it a curse yet?
- On the other hand, No. 3 Texas A&M and No. 6 Vanderbilt are both thriving in SEC play — although this weekend’s head-to-head series, starting today at 7 p.m. ET, will be the true test of their stamina.