Coffee on the Corners: 2/19/23
By Noah Darling
Omaha, NE- Welcome to the 3rd edition of “Coffee on the Corners”.
Each morning of the College Baseball season I will be bringing you a recap of the previous day in our sport. With that, will also come details of can’t miss games each and every day of the season. There is no better pairing with your morning coffee, than a brief, yet filling, recap of the latest in the greatest sport on this planet.
Follow College Baseball Central and all of the writers across the country for in-depth, live, coverage and analysis of games across the country from Opening Day to Omaha.
Winners of Saturday, February 18th:
TCU- They did it again. TCU dominated Arkansas in Arlington to improve to 2-0 in the College Baseball Showdown. Right now, starting pitching is the only question mark for TCU, who has the most impressive start to the season in the country with blowout wins over Vanderbilt and Arkansas.
Grand Canyon- The Lopes played with the edge necessary to beat a team of Tennessee’s pedigree. It’s clear that the Vols haven’t quite gelled yet, but Grand Canyon wanted to win badly, and they did. Small ball and making the right plays at the right time. Jacob Wilson is a star.
Campbell- The Camels are off to a 2-0 start via two dominant wins over Rutgers. I anticipate both Rutgers and Campbell being in the NCAA Tournament conversation, and Rutgers is the clear 2nd best team in the Big Ten. Great series victory for Campbell, who isn’t skipping a beat post-Neto.
Losers of Saturday, February 18th:
Tennessee- The Vols are 0-2, and clearly don’t have the edge that they’ve had the last two seasons. This doesn’t mean they won’t be fine next week, but this team feels very different than the one that won their first 23 games a year ago. The pitching has been great, but the offense has to be able to help that pitching out just a little bit more. The vols will be fine, but starting 0-2 was not on anyone’s radar and this team can’t let the outside noise get inside their walls.
Wagon Watch:
Oklahoma State- The Cowboys turned a Vanderbilt blow out in to a close game but the comeback ended up being too little, too late. Cowboys show fight but fall to 1-1. Up next? Rematch of the Stillwater Regional vs Arkansas Sunday.
Maryland- After losing to USF on Friday, the Terps rebounded Saturday thanks to a strong performance on the mound from Nick Dean.
Wright State- The Raiders fell to Hawaii 12-2, not their day in paradise and that’s okay. Rubber match against the ‘Bows on Sunday.
The Brody Brecht section
Ten strikeouts is a really good day. Add 5 perfect innings and you’ve got something really special. Brody Brecht was special on Saturday. Big Ten fans have the privilege of watching Brecht nearly year round, as he also plays wide receiver for the Hawkeye football team. Qunnipiac was not prepared for the 2nd coming of Bo Jackson to be on the mound for Iowa. Brecht was a freshman All-American last season, and is looking to play a massive role for the Hawkeye baseball team this spring.
Other News/Notes from 2/17/23
Missouri knocked off Texas in a thriller
Virginia Tech, Stanford, North Carolina, and Miami all avenge opening day losses against the same opponent on Saturday
Oregon State also improves to 1-1
Tommy White is expected to return next weekend for LSU
VMI Upsets Mississippi State in comeback fashion
Best Games of the Day 2/19/23
Vanderbilt vs Texas 10:30 (FLOSports)
Liberty at Southern Miss 11:30 (ESPN+)
Penn State at Miami 12:00 (ACCNX)
Virginia Tech at College of Charleston 12:00 (ESPN+)
Seton Hall at UNC 12:00 (ESPN+)
Maryland at South Florida 12:00 (ESPN+)
VMI at Mississippi State 1:00 (SEC+)
Oklahoma State vs Arkansas 2:30 (FLOSports)
Stanford at Cal State Fullerton 3:00 (ESPN+)
TCU vs Missouri 6:30 (FLOSports)