These college baseball teams aren't ranked, but can make plenty of noise in the playoffs.
This year of college baseball has been very different from years past, to say the least. The Cal Golden Bears have been off to a hot start and are poised to make a run with their deep lineup. Southern Miss is having a great start to the season and has a very strong pitching staff. Indiana State has a strong pitching staff and offense. Campbell has an electric 1-2 punch at the plate that has been on fire. Here's why you should watch out for each of them.
Cal
Cal has an experienced deep roster. They are led by Caleb Lomavita and PJ Moutzouridis at the dish. Lomavita is hitting .341 with 9 bombs early in the season and Moutzouridis is hitting a whopping .397 with an OPS of 1.158. Cal is not quite as deep on the hill. Luke Short is leading the staff with a 2.96 ERA over 24.1 innings. They have been piecing together games so far as a staff, and have cooled down a little as of late. After sweeping UCLA at home they have dropped their last two series against Oregon and Utah.
The Bears will take advantage of the down year many of the Pac-12 programs are going to have this year. They will look to bounce back against Arizona State.Â
Indiana State
Indiana State has been locked in this year. They have a 17-5 record currently and have one series loss, and that was against Southern Miss, which is a very strong program. Last year they went all the way to a super regional, which was not expected, and this year they are looking to back it up. Luis Hernandez is currently hitting .396 with six bombs. Dominic Listi is hitting .366 and has an OBP of .525.
On the mound, they are led by Brennyn Cutts and Luke Hayden. They both have sub-4 ERAs and have done a good job limiting runs and letting their offense put up numbers. They are building off the strong season they had last year and hope to make another run.Â
Southern Miss
Southern Miss has had very strong teams over the past four or so years, led by the strong staff they have each season. This year is no different. Colby Allen (3-0) is their top reliever and he boasts a ridiculous 1.59 ERA in 28.1 innings while having a .99 WHIP and 34 strikeouts. Good luck when Allen comes into the ballgame…you’re going to need it. Then their ace Billy Oldham (3-0) has a 2.62 ERA this year and a 1.11 WHIP. He has not been much easier to hit than Allen. Both are a nightmare to face.
Their offense, however, has been a different story. They currently only have two guys hitting above .300. It is still early in the season and once the bats get going this team is going to be a tough out come playoff time.Â
CampbellÂ
Campbell has been good for the past six or seven years and has become a strong program. They are solid again this season. They are currently 17-6 and have one of the best hitters in the country in Grant Knipp. Knipp and Lawson Harrill are both hitting well over .400 and have carried this offense so far. Knipp is hitting .455 with 15 bombs, 40 RBIs, and an OPS of 1.749 in just 22 games. That is ridiculous. Harrill is having an amazing season as well. He is currently hitting .420 with 10 home runs in 23 games. These two hitters are easily a top five hitting duo in the country and have a strong case for being the very best.
The pitching staff has not been there to start the season. As a team their ERA is above 6; their best starter has an ERA above 4.5. Pitching has been the only struggle they have dealt with, but if that gets figured out, they will be a problem down the stretch because of Knipp and Harrill.Â