Hey guys, do we have any college baseball lovers out here? We are 9 days away to the first pitch of another season.

I'm LSU all the way, I think we have what it takes to get back to the CWS and not go two and out like we did last year.

What are you guys' teams and who do you think will be the next CWS champion?

I like watching the women's softball. I can't believe how fast they pitch and that the batters can actually have time to swing. I'm sure they are guessing most of the time.

My son plays college baseball, but not Div. I. Unfortunately, he's had recent seizures that brought upon a diagnosis of epilepsy and additional appointments with a neurologist and seizure specialists. He also sprained his shoulder in the last episode, which happened in our home the day he was planning to head back to school to start his second semester. As a result of all of this he will have to sit out the season.

As far as the big time schools, this season I'll follow Texas A & M because my older son's childhood friend plays for them. He was an outstanding little leaguer here before his family moved to Texas. I also like South Carolina. I'm not sure how strong the Gamecocks are this year.

I'm sorry to hear about you son, I hope everything turns out well for you and your family!

TAMU is in the middle of the pack for SEC baseball, but the Gamecocks are usually up at the top with LSU and Arkansas. It should be another great season all around.

Do they wear tight uniforms? I only ask from a purely sporting and scientific stance of course.

VERY tight pants!

Bama should be better in both this year, I know I'm ready to see the baseball team come back!! I still remember when we hosted North Carolina in the Super Regional a few years back and the field was loaded with MLB players. After that we hit a rut big time.

We gotta smash y'all in at least one sport for all the football beatings recieved and since it won't be football in the near future, baseball will have to suffice!

Oh no doubt, even though we are ranked 21st in the Baseball America poll we are still not ready for the elite in the SEC.

haha I hear you bro. You were nervous when they almost hired Kiffen?

Thanks, LA. We're all dealing with it knowing that it can be a lot worse. The anti-seizure medication sometimes makes him drowsy, but he's managing to live a normal college life.

I look forward to your college baseball updates. I remember following LSU in the world series when Warren Morris hit a walk-off homer to win it. They were kind of an underdog against Miami that year, who had Pat Burrell.

Good Lord!!!!

From a scientific stance, yes, but I don't think that was the posture from which you looking. Don't get to close Yogi, some of those young women could kick your ass.

I like Mississippi State this year, returning 8 starters and all 8 ranked in top 20, pitching is deep with two key freshman that will contribute immediately...Cal State Fullerton looking sensational as well.

Cal State is usually a power house out on the west coast.

I think we have Miss. St.'s number, baseball is our bread and butter. Only returning one Ace pitcher though, I think the bull pen may be our downfall.

College baseball appears to be predominantly a southern states, southern California sport, basically because of the weather. I know the northern colleges travel south in Feb. March to start their season. Temple Univ. (Philadelphia, PA) is dropping baseball along with 5 other men's sports and one women sport. As the SEC is for football, what are the big conferences for baseball and what makes them succeed? coaching? money? success?

Believe it or not baseball is pretty spread out. In the SEC you have your traditional power houses like LSU, South Carolina and Arkansas that are competing in the World Series or at least a Super Regional every year.

On the East Coast, North Carolina is usually always in the College World Series.

In the midwest there is Rice, Baylor, Texas, and Oklahoma that usually produce pretty good teams on a consistent basis.

West coast has UCLA, and smaller schools that succeed like UC Irvine.

The beauty about baseball is anyone can win on any given day. It isn't like the odds are stacked up against one team based on conference. Two years ago, and you can ask anyone in the state of Louisiana, we were shocked that Stoneybrook College out of NY came down to Baton Rouge and beat us out back to back in a best of 3 games tourney to advance to College World Series! Trust me no matter how small Stoneybrook is, I will never forget that name even after I die!

LL, yes I remember little Stoneybrook in the WS. I was quite surprise when I saw that. Coming from NY, I had never heard of a NY (or northeastern) school making it. Agreed that in baseball dark horses can make a run. I'm going to pay more attention this year.

I forgot to throw Vany in the race in the SEC. Those guys are always strong. Anyways here is the top 35 rankings before we kick off this season. It's pretty dispersed unlike college football.

1 Cal State Fullerton 51-10 10
2 Virginia 50-12 11
3 Oregon State 52-13 4
4 Mississippi State 51-20 2
5 Florida State 47-17 12
6 LSU 57-11 6
7 Indiana 49-16 7
8 NC State 50-16 5
9 UCLA 49-17 1
10 Vanderbilt 54-12 9
11 Oregon 48-16 17
12 South Carolina 43-20 13
13 North Carolina 59-12 3
14 Louisville 51-14 8
15 Rice 44-20 15
16 Clemson 40-22 29
17 Miami (Fla.) 37-25 NR
18 Kansas State 45-19 14
19 Oklahoma State 41-19 19
20 Arizona State 37-22-1 20
21 Florida 29-30 NR
22 TCU 29-28 NR
23 Texas A&M 34-29 NR
24 Louisiana 43-20 NR
25 Texas 27-24 NR
26 Arkansas 39-22 18
27 Alabama 35-28 NR
28 Oklahoma 43-21 16
29 Cal Poly 40-19 24
30 Florida Atlantic 42-22 22
31 Stanford 32-22 NR
32 Mississippi 38-24 26
33 Arizona 34-21 NR
34 East Carolina 31-26 NR
35 Georgia Tech

Looks like Indiana, then Louisville and Virginia are the farthest north.....no Minnesota or North Dakota??...they play hockey. Let the games begin!

Well after opening weekend LSU is 3-0, hows everyone's teams doing?

Villanova 0-3 v. Charleston Southern. On to the Norfolk State Invitational.

It's still not too late to turn the season around.

I saw UNC lost to the College Of Charleston, that's gotta hurt for those boys.

Here's the updated standings after the first weekend:

1 Oregon State 3-0
2 Cal State Fullerton 2-1
3 Florida State 3-0
4 Virginia 2-1
5 LSU 3-0
6 Vanderbilt 3-0
7 Mississippi State 2-1
8 Oregon 3-0
9 South Carolina 3-0
10 UCLA 2-1
11 Rice 2-1
12 NC State 0-1
13 Louisville 2-1
14 North Carolina 1-1
15 Clemson 2-1
16 Indiana 1-3
17 Miami (Fla.) 2-1
18 Oklahoma State 3-0
19 Arizona State 2-1
20 Florida 2-1
21 Texas A&M 3-0
22 Cal Poly 3-0
23 TCU 2-1
24 Louisiana-Lafayette 3-1
25 Arkansas 3-0
26 Mississippi 3-0
27 Alabama 2-1
28 Texas Tech 3-1
29 Oklahoma 2-1
30 Kentucky 2-1


A little surprised to see Oregon up there, I didn't know the ducks were baseballers!

Texas A & M is now ranked as they've won their first four games of the season. My son's buddy, Whom I coached in little league, is the starting shortstop and batting lead-off. You can see him, LA, the weekend of May 2 when the Aggies play a series at LSU.

Will he recognize me if I yell from the stands "Hey buddy, Kyldon says hello!"

You'd get his attention if you tell him to get a big hit for the Paxtonia Red Sox! His name is Patrick McLendon, and I believe he wears number 16.

Yea sounds like CoC is pretty damn good to beat UNC so I wouldn't worry just yet with 'Nova losing to them.

We took 2 of 3 from St. Louis, pitching still seems to be strong but our hitting coach was one of our best players ever but an idiot of a hitting coach. We can't hit for shit! We seem to have the pitching to hang with anyone, if the bats ever come around look out.

But being in the loaded SEC West we're still looking at a #2 seed in Tallahassee again probably....

Chalk another one up for the Tigers, 4-0 now.

Pretty sure that you will see a highlight of Wednesday's game on SportsCenter.

LSU has the bases loaded with no outs. The SLU pitcher throws a wild pitch and our runner from third scores. The CATCHER in all of his wisdom decides he is going to take the ball in his bare hand and roll it to the dugout without calling timeout to the Ump, AKA the ball is still live. LSU advances its runners again and gets a free score. Pretty sure that poor catcher got a beating after the game...

I saw a college baseball game where a batter struck out twice in one at-bat. It was Kutztown State v. Albright College in Reading, PA about 5 years ago. The batter, a back up catcher, struck out, but stayed in the box, apparently unsure of the count. The scoreboard cleared the count. And the batter continued to bat whereupon he struck out again and took his seat. The next batter flied out and the Kutztown team headed off the field, thinking that there were three outs, which the scoreboard showed.

Albright, whose leadoff hitter was a runner on first, rightfully claimed that the inning could not be over as they only sent three batters to the plate and one remained safe on first. Thus, the inning continued with the umpire and Kutztown coach embarrassed.