NCAA baseball Week 10: What to watch for

In a conference full of some of the most decorated programs in college baseball, Virginia Tech can often take a bit of a backseat. The Hokies took a big step toward changing that last weekend.

With a convincing series win against then-No. 2 Miami, VT announced itself as a team to be reckoned with in 2022, not just in the Atlantic Coast Conference, but maybe nationally as well. Led by first-round Draft prospect Gavin Cross, the Hokies hung 30 runs on the Canes in three games.

Now, they go on the road against what may be a less daunting foe, but with plenty of eyes on them just the same. Tech visits Boston College for a three-game weekend series, highlighted by a Saturday evening game at Fenway Park.

That matchup marks the 10th annual ALS Awareness Game, set for a 6 p.m. ET first pitch in the venerable ballpark. BC plays the annual game in memory of former Eagles captain Pete Frates -- the originator of the Ice Bucket challenge, who passed away in 2019 at age 34. The Saturday game will air on the ACC Network.

Friday’s game is set for 5:30 p.m. ET, with Sunday's at 1 p.m. at BC’s home ballpark in Brighton, Mass. The games will stream on ACC Network Extra.

As for the baseball side of things, Cross is one of several VT hitters lighting up the scoreboard this year. The Hokies are tied for second in the nation with 77 home runs, and they have five players in double figures in dingers. Cross enters play with eight homers and a .358/447/.679 slash line. After being a bit strikeout-prone last year, he has cut his whiffs way down in 2022.

(Reminder: all rankings, except Leach’s Top 5, come from D1Baseball.com.)

Cannon returns: In a year with way too many pitcher injuries, we get one of the country’s best back this week. Georgia right-hander Jonathan Cannon, a preseason top 100 Draft prospect, hasn’t pitched since throwing six shutout innings against Florida on April 1 due to injury. He’s slated to return against Alabama this weekend, with the Athens Banner-Herald reporting a scheduled Saturday start against the Tide in Tuscaloosa. Cannon is 6-1 with a 1.71 ERA, 46 strikeouts and three -- three! -- walks in 47 1/3 innings over seven starts.

The Dawgs and Tide will play on ESPN2 on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. The first two games of the series, Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 3 p.m., will stream on SEC Network Plus.

Leach’s Top 5
1. Tennessee: Even with a couple of recent losses, there’s just no other real candidate for the top spot.
2. Oregon State: They had a seven-game win streak snapped Monday, but a midweek split with Gonzaga is no failure.
3. Arkansas: They maintain a three-game lead in the hyper-competitive SEC West, including a sweep of LSU in which they allowed six runs. The Hogs are for real.
4. Oklahoma State: They haven’t lost a series since early March, and they’ve faced some serious heavyweights in non-conference play.
5. Stanford: This is a little higher than most folks have them right now, but recent series wins at UCLA and Oregon State say a lot.

Mid-major madness: The hottest team in the country might just be Connecticut. The Huskies have won 11 in a row, but that doesn’t really tell the whole story -- in that span, they’ve had games with 25, 15, 14, and 28 runs scored, and also tallied three shutouts. They’ve outscored opponents 145-39 during their streak. This weekend, the Huskies face Big East rival Villanova at 6:05 p.m. ET on Friday, 2:05 p.m. Saturday and 1:05 p.m. Sunday, with all three games streaming on FloSports.

Assorted pings: If you’re looking for a sneaky fun series this weekend, check out Wofford (28-9) at Mercer (31-6). The series features two of the nation’s best offenses, and they are both high on the list of teams no big-name power wants to see show up in their regional. All three games (Friday 6 p.m. ET, Saturday 2 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m.) will stream on ESPN Plus. … The only all-top-25 series this weekend takes place in Stillwater, Okla., with No. 21 TCU visiting Oklahoma State. Friday’s and Saturday’s games (7 p.m. ET both nights) will be carried on Big XII Now and ESPN Plus. … The most dominant pitcher in the country so far this year has been Florida State’s Parker Messick, who shoved against Louisville last week. The lefty leads the nation with 15.3 K/9 IP. He will next face a Clemson team that’s a disappointing 4-10 in conference play, but still sports one of the most dangerous offenses around. That’s a Friday night game on ACC Network Extra at 6 p.m ET.