The possibility for a letdown was there. Heading into a series that will decide the SEC Championship this weekend against South Carolina in Columbia, the fourth-ranked Gators could have overlooked the University of North Florida Ospreys.
Instead of a letdown, however, it was business as usual as the Gators (38-12) pounded out 12 hits on the way to their 12th win in their last 13 games, a 9-3 Tuesday night victory over the Ospreys at McKethan Stadium.
“We’re playing consistent,” Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “We haven’t beaten ourselves. We got an early lead, so we were able to get a lot of players in there.”
Florida wasted no time jumping on the Ospreys, jumping out to a 3-0 first inning lead. Austin Maddox got the Gators started when he singled in Preston Tucker and Matt den Dekker finished things off with a two-run homer over the right field fence off a hanging curve ball served up by UNF starter Josh Patton.
For den Dekker, who leads the team in average (.365) and is second in home runs (11) and RBI (40), the ball has been jumping off his bat.
“I’m feeling good right now,” den Dekker said. “I’ve just been working on my swing and it’s paying off right now.”
Florida added two third inning runs to stretch the advantage to 5-0. After Nolan Fontana led off with a double, Bryson Smith delivered a run-scoring single. Maddox came through with his second RBI of the game, a single to center that sent Smith to the plate.
Maddox wasn’t done yet. He hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning and got his fifth RBI of the game in the sixth on a single to center field.
The fifth inning homer etched Maddox’s name into the Florida record book. It was his 17th homer of the season which is a new school record for freshmen. For the season, Maddox is hitting .353 with 17 homers and 63 RBI.
“I didn’t expect to come in here and do that,” Maddox said. “I come to the ballpark every day ready to play. It feels good to break the record. From day one, I just wanted to come in and help my team as much as possible. I feel like I’ve done that.”
Maddox went 1-10 over the weekend against Georgia, so the 4-4, 5-RBI performance was crucial for him to get confidence going into the weekend. The freshman was hit on the arm with a pitch in Friday night’s game, and he dealt with some soreness that affected his swing over the weekend.
“It feels good to build some confidence going into this weekend,” Maddox said. “I just battled through the elbow injury, but it’s good now.”
The plan for the Florida pitchers was to keep pitch counts low enough so that every arm was available for this weekend’s series with South Carolina that will decide the SEC Championship.
Tommy Toledo made his first start since March 14 against Charleston Southern, when he was hit in the face by a line drive. He was on a pitch count around 30 and lasted two innings, giving up three hits and recording two strikeouts.
Toledo said that with the low pitch count, 27, he should be available for this weekend.
“I’m back to normal,” Toledo said. “I knew I was only going to throw a couple innings. We just wanted to build my arm back up.”
From a confidence standpoint, Nick Maronde’s third inning might have been the most important outing of the night. He has struggled with his control, walking 24 batters in 25-1/3 innings this season, and his confidence seemed shot over the weekend.
However, he rebounded Tuesday, striking out two batters in his inning of work.
“It was great to get Maronde back out there,” O’Sullivan said. “I thought he was outstanding tonight. He’s a huge part of our team, if we’re going to get to where we want to get to.”
Matt Campbell, Anthony DeSclafani, Chas Spottswood and Michael Heller threw the final six innings, allowing three runs and two walks.
Florida catcher Mike Zunino sat out the game because of a dislocated thumb that he suffered Saturday against Georgia. The Gators do expect to have him in the lineup this weekend.
“I think he’s fine,” O’Sullivan said. “We’ll practice and see how it feels, but I anticipate him being ready to go.”
Florida’s focus now turns to an SEC Championship. The Gators will leave early Wednesday morning and bus to Columbia for a night practice before taking on the Gamecocks Thursday night in the first game of a three-game series that will determine the conference championship.
Florida will hand the ball to sophomore left-hander Alex Panteliodis (8-2, 3.34) to oppose South Carolina ace Blake Cooper (10-0, 3.01). First pitch is set for 7 p.m.
BASEBALL
SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE
Eastern Division Conference Overall
(Rank) Team W-L Pct. GB W-L Pct.
(6) South Carolina 20-7 .741 — 42-11 .792
(5) Florida 20-7 .741 — 38-12 .760
(19) Vanderbilt 15-10 .600 4 39-13 .750
Kentucky 12-15 .444 8 30-23 .566
Tennessee 12-15 .444 8 30-23 .566
Georgia 3-22 .120 16 14-36 .280
Western Division Conference Overall
(Rank) Team W-L Pct. GB W-L Pct.
(17) Auburn 17-10 .630 — 36-17 .679
(17) Mississippi 16-11 .593 1 36-17 .679
(15) Arkansas 16-11 .593 1 38-15 .717
(29) Louisiana State 12-15 .444 5 34-19 .642
Alabama 12-15 .444 5 31-21 .596
Mississippi State 5-22 .185 12 22-31 .415
(Rank) Ranking in the GatorCountry.com Top 30
RESULTS
TUESDAY / May 18
Florida 9, North Florida 3
South Carolina 11, Furman 6
Auburn 9, Jacksonville State 7
Oklahoma 5, Arkansas 2
Tulane 9, Louisiana State 1
Tennessee 12, UNC Asheville 3
Kentucky 6, Murray State 3
Mississippi State 16, Southern Mississippi 9
SCHEDULE
THURSDAY / May 20
Florida at South Carolina, 7 p.m. (SUN)
Kentucky at Georgia, 6:30 p.m.
Alabama at Tennessee, 7 p.m.
Arkansas at Vanderbilt, 7 p.m.
Auburn at Mississippi, 7:30 p.m.
Mississippi State at Louisiana State, 8 p.m.
FRIDAY / May 21
Florida at South Carolina, 7 p.m. (SUN)
Kentucky at Georgia, 6:30 p.m.
Alabama at Tennessee, 7 p.m.
Arkansas at Vanderbilt, 7 p.m.
Auburn at Mississippi, 7:30 p.m.
Mississippi State at Louisiana State, 8 p.m.
SATURDAY / May 22
Florida at South Carolina, 4 p.m. (SUN)
Kentucky at Georgia, 2 p.m.
Alabama at Tennessee, 1 p.m.
Arkansas at Vanderbilt, 3 p.m.
Auburn at Mississippi, 5 p.m.
Mississippi State at Louisiana State, 4 p.m.
2010 SEC TOURNAMENT / Hoover Ala. / Regions Park
WEDNESDAY / May 26
Game 1: No. 7 seed vs. No. 2 seed, 10:30 a.m. (SUN)
Game 2: No. 6 seed vs. No. 3 seed, 1 p.m. (SUN)
Game 3: No. 8 seed vs. No. 1 seed, 5:30 p.m. (SUN)
Game 4: No. 5 seed vs. No. 4 seed, 8 p.m. (SUN)
THURSDAY / May 27
Game 5: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 10:30 a.m. (SUN)
Game 6: Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 1 p.m. (SUN)
Game 7: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 5:30 p.m. (SUN)
Game 8: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 8 p.m. (SUN)
FRIDAY / May 28
Game 9: Winner Game 5 vs. Loser Game 7, 4 p.m.
Game 10: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 8, 7 p.m.
SATURDAY / May 29
Game 11: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 9, 10:30 a.m. (SUN)
Game 12: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 10, 1 p.m. (SUN)
Game 13: Winner Game 11 vs. Loser Game 11, 6 p.m. (if necessary) (CSS)
Game 14: Winner Game 12 vs. Loser Game 12, 9 p.m. (If necessary) (CSS)
SUNDAY, May 30
Game 15: Winner Game 13 vs. Winner Game 14, 2 p.m. (ESPN2)
NCAA DIVISION I CHAMPIONSHIP
SUNDAY / May 30
Announcement of 16 regional hosts
MONDAY / May 31
Baseball Selection Show, 12:30 p.m. (ESPN)
FRIDAY-MONDAY / June 4-7
NCAA Regionals (16 sites)
FRIDAY-MONDAY / June 11-14
NCAA Super Regionals (8 sites)
SATURDAY-WEDNESDAY / June 19-30
College World Series, Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium, Omaha, Neb.
RANKINGS
May 17, 2010
GATOR COUNTRY.com TOP 30 / ON DECK
The Gator Country.com Top 30 ranking is determined by combining four polls of USA Today / ESPN Coaches, Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association:
School (Rcd) Next games:
1. Texas (43-8) Next: May 21-23 at Missouri.
2. Virginia (43-9) Next: May 20-22 at No. 13 Miami, Fla.
3. Arizona State (42-6) Next: May 21-23 vs. Oregon State.
4. Coastal Carolina (45-6) Next: May 20-22 at Radford.
5. Florida (37-12) Next: May 20-22 at No. 6 South Carolina.13
6. South Carolina (41-11) Next: May 20-22 vs. No. 5 Florida.
7t. Georgia Tech (41-10) Next: May 20-22 at Boston College.
7t. Florida State (39-13) Next: May 20-22 at No. 24t Clemson.
9. Texas Christian (40-11) Next: May 20-22 vs. Cal State Bakersfield.
10t. UCLA (37-11) Next: May 21-23 at No. 30 California.
10t. Cal State Fullerton (34-14) Next: May 21-23 vs. Santa Clara.
12. Louisville (42-10) Next: May 21-23 at Notre Dame.
13. Miami, Fla. (37-13) Next: May 20-22 vs. No. 2 Virginia.
14. Oklahoma (37-14) Next: May 19 Texas Southern; May 21-23 at Kansas.
15. Arkansas (38-14) Next: May 20-22 at No. 19 Vanderbilt.
16. Virginia Tech (36-18) Next: May 20-22 at North Carolina.
17t. Mississippi (36-17) Next: May 20-22 vs. No. 17t Auburn.
17t. Auburn (35-17) Next: May 20-22 at No. 17t Mississippi.
19. Vanderbilt (39-13) Next: May 20-22 vs. No. 15 Arkansas.
20. Connecticut (41-11) Next: May 20-22 vs. Seton Hall.
21. Rice (32-19) Next: May 20-22 vs. UAB.
22. San Diego (31-17) Next: May 21-23 at Pepperdine.
23. UC Irvine (32-17) Next: May 21-23 vs. UC Riverside.
24t. Clemson (33-19) Next: May 20-22 vs. No. 7t Florida State.
24t. Oregon (34-18) Next: May 21-23 at Washington.
26t. Arizona (31-17) Next: May 21-23 vs. Stanford.
26t. Washington State (28-18) Next: May 21-23 vs. Southern California.
28. Kansas State (34-16) Next: May 21-23 at Texas A&M.
29. Louisiana State (34-18) Next: May 20-22 vs. Mississippi State.
30. California (27-18) Next: May 21-23 vs. No. 10t UCLA.
USA TODAY/ESPN COACHES
1. Texas (43-8); 2. Virginia (43-9); 3. Arizona State (42-6); 4. Coastal Carolina (45-6); 5. Florida (37-12); 6. Georgia Tech (41-10); 7. South Carolina (41-11); 8. Florida State (39-13); 9. Texas Christian (40-11); 10. UCLA (37-11); 11. Louisville (42-10); 12. Cal State Fullerton (34-14); 13. Miami, Fla. (37-13); 14. Arkansas (38-14); 15. Vanderbilt (39-13); 16. Oklahoma (37-14); 17. Mississippi (36-17); 18. Auburn (35-17); 19. Connecticut (41-11); 20. Virginia Tech (36-18); 21. Rice (32-19); 22. Clemson (33-19); 23. Oregon (34-18); 24. Kansas State (34-16); 25. San Diego (31-17); 26. UC Irvine (32-17); 27. Pittsburgh (36-14); 28. Louisiana State (34-18); 29. Arizona (31-17); 30. College of Charleston (39-14).
BASEBALL AMERICA
1. Virginia (43-9); 2. Texas (43-8); 3. Arizona State (42-6); 4. Florida (37-12); 5. Coastal Carolina (45-6); 6. South Carolina (41-11); 7. Florida State (39-13); 8. Texas Christian (40-11); 9. Cal State Fullerton (34-14); 10. UCLA (37-11); 11. Louisville (42-10); 12. Virginia Tech (36-16); 13. Georgia Tech (41-10); 14. Miami, Fla. (37-13); 15. Oklahoma (37-14); 16. Auburn (35-17); 17. Arkansas (38-14); 18. Mississippi (36-17); 19. San Diego (31-17); 20. Connecticut (41-11); 21. Rice (32-19); 22. Oregon (34-18); 23. Vanderbilt (39-13); 24. Washington State (28-18); 25. UC Irvine (32-17).
COLLEGIATE BASEBALL
1. Texas (43-8); 2. Virginia (43-9); 3. Arizona State (42-6); 4. Coastal Carolina (45-6); 5. Florida (37-12); 6. South Carolina (41-11); 7. Cal State Fullerton (34-14); 8. Georgia Tech (41-10); 9. Miami, Fla. (37-13); 10. UCLA (37-11); 11. Florida State (39-13); 12. Texas Christian (40-11); 13. Louisville (42-10); 14. Oklahoma (37-14); 15. San Diego (31-17); 16. Auburn (35-17); 17. Mississippi (36-17); 18. Arkansas (38-14); 19. Connecticut (41-11); 20. Vanderbilt (39-13); 21. Virginia Tech (36-16); 22. Rice (32-19); 23. UC Irvine (32-17); 24. Washington State (28-18); 25. California (27-18); 26. Arizona (31-17); 27. Fresno State (32-22); 28. Clemson (33-19); 29. Southern Mississippi (30-19); 30. Kansas State (34-16).
NATIONAL COLLEGE BASEBALL WRITERS ASSOCIATION
1. Texas (43-8); 2. Virginia (43-9); 3. Arizona State (42-6); 4. Coastal Carolina (45-6); 5. Florida (37-12); 6. Texas Christian (40-11); 7. Georgia Tech (41-10); 8. Florida State (39-13); 9. South Carolina (41-11); 10. UCLA (37-11); 11. Louisville (42-10); 12. Cal State Fullerton (34-14); 13. Miami, Fla. (37-13); 14. Arkansas (38-14); 15. Oklahoma (37-14); 16. Vanderbilt (39-13); 17. Virginia Tech (36-16); 18. Connecticut (41-11); 19. Mississippi (36-17); 20. Clemson (33-19); 21. Auburn (35-17); 22. Rice (32-19); 23. UC Irvine (32-17); 24. Arizona (31-17); 25. Oregon (34-18); 26. North Carolina (32-20); 27. Louisiana State (34-18); 28. Kansas State (34-16); 29. San Diego (31-17); 30. Stanford (27-20).
NCAA DIVISION I BASEBALL RATINGS PERCENTAGE INDEX
May 18, 2010
1. Arizona State (Pac-10); 2. Virginia (ACC); 3. Coastal Carolina (Big South); 4. Florida (SEC); 5. Louisville (Big East); 6. Texas (Big 12); 7. UCLA (Pac-10); 8. Arkansas (SEC); 9. Miami, Fla. (ACC); 10. Georgia Tech (ACC); 11. Cal State Fullerton (Big West); 12. Florida State (ACC); 13. Vanderbilt (SEC); 14. South Carolina (SEC); 15. Alabama (SEC); 16. Auburn (SEC);
17. Arizona (Pac-10); 18. San Diego (West Coast); 19. Clemson (ACC); 20. Texas Christian (MWC); 21. Kentucky (SEC); 22. Louisiana State (SEC); 23. Oregon (Pac-10); 24. Connecticut (Big East); 25. Oklahoma (Big 12); 26. Mississippi (SEC); 27. Virginia Tech (SEC); 28. Rice (C-USA); 29. College of Charleston (Southern); 30. North Carolina (ACC); 31. Texas A&M (Big 12); 32. Washington State (Pac-10);
33. Oregon State (Pac-10); 34. Louisiana-Lafayette (Sun Belt); 35. California (Pac-10); 36. Florida Atlantic (Sun Belt); 37. Western Kentucky (Sun Belt); 38. New Mexico (MWC); 39. Tennessee (SEC); 40. Southeastern Louisiana (Southland); 41. Kansas State (Big 12); 42. Citadel (Southern); 43. Stanford (Pac-10); 44. Liberty (Big South); 45. Florida Gulf Coast (A-Sun); 46. Boston College (ACC); 47. Pittsburgh (Big East); 48. Texas State (Southland);
49. Baylor (Big 12); 50. Texas Tech (Big 12); 51. Elon (Southern); 52. UC Irvine (Big West); 53. Georgia Southern (Southern); 54. Kansas (Big 12); 55. Washington (Pac-10); 56. Appalachian State (Southern); 57. Western Carolina (Southern); 58. Middle Tennessee (Sun Belt); 59. North Carolina State (ACC); 60. Southern Mississippi (C-USA); 61. FIU (Sun Belt); 62. South Alabama (Sun Belt); 63. Southern California (Pac-10); 64. Rutgers (Big East).
RPI BY CONFERENCE
Southeastern: 4. Florida; 8. Arkansas; 13. Vanderbilt; 14. South Carolina; 15. Alabama; 16. Auburn; 21. Kentucky; 22. Louisiana State; 26. Mississippi; 39. Tennessee; 70. Mississippi State; 114. Georgia.
America East: 192. Binghamton; 203. Maine; 225. Stony Brook; 279. Albany (N.Y.); 283. Hartford; 291. Maryland-Baltimore County.
Atlantic 10: 83. Charlotte; 169. Rhode Island; 193. Xavier; 210. Massachusetts; 223. Richmond; 226. Fordham; 232. St. Louis; 235. George Washington; 238. St. Joseph’s; 242. Dayton; 258. St. Bonaventure; 261. La Salle; 262. Duquesne; 267. Temple.
Atlantic Coast: 2. Virginia; 9. Miami, Fla.; 10. Georgia Tech; 12. Florida State; 19. Clemson; 27. Virginia Tech; 30. North Carolina; 46. Boston College; 59. North Carolina State; 77. Duke; 121. Wake Forest; 147. Maryland.
Atlantic Sun: 45. Florida Gulf Coast; 97. North Florida; 105. Jacksonville; 122. East Tennessee State; 148. Stetson; 151. Kennesaw State; 157. Mercer; 166. Belmont; 180. Lipscomb; 221. Campbell; 227. South Carolina Upstate.
Big 12: 6. Texas; 25. Oklahoma; 31. Texas A&M; 41. Kansas State; 49. Baylor; 50. Texas Tech; 54. Kansas; 73. Nebraska; 81. Missouri; 88. Oklahoma State.
Big East: 5. Louisville; 24. Connecticut; 47. Pittsburgh; 64. Rutgers; 78. St. John’s (N.Y.); 102. West Virginia; 110. South Florida; 128. Villanova; 134. Cincinnati; 178. Georgetown; 185. Seton Hall; 197. Notre Dame.
Big South: 3. Coastal Carolina; 44. Liberty; 72. Virginia Military Institute; 87. Radford; 118. High Point; 124. Winthrop; 168. Gardner-Webb; 173. Charleston Southern; 216. UNC Asheville; 263. Presbyterian.
Big Ten: 69. Michigan; 80. Michigan State; 96. Indiana; 99. Ohio State; 138. Purdue; 139. Illinois; 142. Minnesota; 150. Iowa; 177. Penn State; 186. Northwestern.
Big West: 11. Cal State Fullerton; 52. UC Irvine; 66. UC Riverside; 79. Long Beach State; 86. Pacific; 135. Cal State Northridge; 164. Cal Poly; 165. UC Santa Barbara; 175. UC Davis.
Colonial: 75. James Madison; 115. UNC Wilmington; 126. George Mason; 140. Virginia Commonwealth; 159. William & Mary; 176. Georgia State; 198. Delaware; 199. Hofstra; 204. Towson; 228. Old Dominion; 243. Northeastern.
Conference USA: 28. Rice; 60. Southern Mississippi; 71. East Carolina; 82. UCF; 85. Tulane; 89. Houston; 98. Memphis; 106. Marshall; 117. UAB.
Horizon: 167. Wright State; 214. Illinois-Chicago; 233. Milwaukee; 265. Valparaiso; 269. Youngstown State; 272. Butler; 284. Cleveland State.
Ivy Group: 143. Dartmouth; 145. Columbia; 183. Cornell; 224. Penn; 230. Harvard; 239. Brown; 245. Yale; 257. Princeton.
Metro Atlantic: 93. Manhattan; 125. Marist; 149. Canisius; 153. Rider; 181. Siena; 247. Fairfield; 252. Niagara; 278. St. Peter’s; 288. Iona.
Mid-American: 95. Ball State; 129. Kent State; 131. Central Michigan; 133. Toledo; 136. Bowling Green; 171. Miami, Ohio; 188. Eastern Michigan; 213. Northern Illinois; 216. Buffalo; 234. Ohio; 244. Akron; 266. Western Michigan.
Mid-Eastern: 113. Bethune-Cookman; 240. North Carolina A&T; 285. Norfolk State; 292. Coppin State; 294. Delaware State; 295. Florida A&M; 296. Maryland-Eastern Shore.
Missouri Valley: 65. Wichita State; 101. Evansville; 104. Indiana State; 107. Illinois State; 170. Southern Illinois; 174. Creighton; 182. Missouri State; 250. Bradley.
Mountain West: 20. Texas Christian; 38. New Mexico; 94. Brigham Young; 103. San Diego State; 132. UNLV; 156. Utah; 253. Air Force.
Northeast: 196. Bryant; 201. Sacred Heart; 211. Central Connecticut State; 229. Monmouth; 249. Wagner; 273. Quinnipiac; 275. Mount St. Mary’s; 277. Long Island; 286. Fairleigh Dickinson.
Ohio Valley: 111. Jacksonville State; 137. Austin Peay; 155. Murray State; 158. Southeast Missouri State; 179. Eastern Kentucky; 189. Morehead State; 190. Tennessee Tech; 231. UT Martin; 235. Eastern Illinois.
Pacific-10: 1. Arizona State; 7. UCLA; 17. Arizona; 23. Oregon; 32. Washington State; 33. Oregon State; 35. California; 43. Stanford; 55. Washington; 63. Southern California.
Patriot League: 161. Army; 209. Holy Cross; 219. Lehigh; 220. Bucknell; 254. Lafayette; 259. Navy.
Southern: 29. College of Charleston; 42. Citadel; 51. Elon; 53. Georgia Southern; 56. Appalachian State; 57. Western Carolina; 68. Samford; 202. UNC Greensboro; 206. Wofford; 207. Davidson; 241. Furman.
Southland: 40. Southeastern Louisiana; 48. Texas State; 76. Northwestern State; 100. Stephen F. Austin; 120. McNeese State; 123. Texas-Arlington; 127. UTSA; 146. Lamar; 162. Nicholls State; 191. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi; 200. Sam Houston State; 212. Central Arkansas.
Southwestern: 237. Southern U.; 248. Jackson State; 251. Texas Southern; 271. Alcorn State; 281. Grambling; 282. Mississippi Valley State; 293. Arkansas-Pine Bluff; 297. Prairie View; 299. Alabama State; 301. Alabama A&M.
Summit League: 141. South Dakota State; 144. Oral Roberts; 172. Centenary; 256. Southern Utah; 268. Oakland; 274. IPFW; 280. North Dakota State; 287. Western Illinois.
Sun Belt: 34. Louisiana-Lafayette; 36. Florida Atlantic; 37. Western Kentucky; 58. Middle Tennessee; 61. FIU; 62. South Alabama; 67. Troy; 91. Arkansas State; 130. Arkansas-Little Rock; 184. Louisiana-Monroe; 222. New Orleans.
West Coast: 18. San Diego; 92. Portland; 108. San Francisco; 160. Pepperdine; 163. Loyola Marymount; 187. Gonzaga; 205. St. Mary’s (Calif.); 208. Santa Clara.
Western Athletic: 74. Fresno State; 84. Hawaii; 90. New Mexico State; 112. Nevada; 154. Louisiana Tech; 215. San Jose State; 218. Sacramento State.
Independents: 109. Le Moyne; 116. Cal State Bakersfield; 119. Dallas Baptist; 152. Longwood; 246. Seattle; 264. SIU Edwardsville; 290. Savannah State; 300. North Carolina Central.
Great West: (No automatic berth) 194. Northern Colorado; 195. Utah Valley; 255. Houston Baptist; 260. New York Institute of Technology; 270. North Dakota; 276. Texas-Pan American; 289. New Jersey Institute of Technology; 298. Chicago State.
NCAA DIVISION I CONFERENCES
SOUTHEASTERN
Tournament: May 26-30 at Regions Park, Hoover, Ala. (8-team, double-elimination).
Automatic NCAA berth: Winner of postseason tournament.
Regular-season standings (as of May 18): Eastern Division: 1. (tie) Florida 20-7 (38-12) and South Carolina 20-7 (42-11); 3. Vanderbilt 15-10 (39-13); 4. (tie) Kentucky 12-15 (30-23) and Tennessee 12-15 (30-23); 6. Georgia 3-22 (14-36). Western Division: 1. Auburn 17-10 (36-17); 2. (tie) Mississippi 16-11 (36-17) and Arkansas 16-11 (38-15); 4. (tie) Louisiana State 12-15 (34-19) and Alabama 12-15 (31-21); 6. Mississippi State 5-22 (22-31).
AMERICA EAST
Tournament: May 26-28 at highest seed (4-team, double-elimination).
Automatic NCAA berth: Winner of postseason tournament.
Regular-season standings (as of May 18): 1. Binghamton 18-3 (27-18); 2. Stony Brook 15-6 (26-22); 3. Maine 13-7 (30-20); 4. Albany 9-12 (10-36); 5. UMBC 4-16 (9-35); 6. Hartford 3-18 (9-35).
ATLANTIC COAST
Tournament: May 26-30 at NewBridge Bank Park, Greensboro, N.C. (Top two teams in each division plus four teams with next best conference winning percentage; 8-team, double-elimination).
Automatic NCAA berth: Winner of postseason tournament.
Regular-season standings (as of May 18): Atlantic Division: 1. Florida State 18-9 (39-13); 2. Clemson 15-12 (33-19); 3. Boston College 13-14 (28-23); 4. N.C. State 12-15 (32-20); 5. Wake Forest 6-21 (15-36); 6. Maryland 4-23 (16-37). Coastal Division: 1. Virginia 21-6 (43-9); 2. (tie) Georgia Tech 19-8 (41-10) and Miami, Fla. 19-8 (37-13); 4. Virginia Tech 16-11 (36-16); 5. North Carolina 11-16 (32-20); 6. Duke 8-19 (29-24).
ATLANTIC 10
Tournament: May 26-29 at Campbell’s Field, Camden, N.J. (6-team, double-elimination).
Automatic NCAA berth: Winner of postseason tournament.
Regular-season standings (as of May 18): 1. Charlotte 18-6 (35-13); 2. (tie) Rhode Island 15-9 (26-22) and Xavier 15-9 (22-30); 4. (tie) Fordham 13-11 (19-32), George Washington 13-11 (25-26), La Salle 13-11 (20-28) and Saint Joseph’s 13-11 (18-26); 8. (tie) Dayton 12-12 (23-29) and Saint Louis 12-12 (26-26); 10. Massachusetts 11-13 (17-26); 11. (tie) Duquesne 9-15 (15-38) and Richmond 9-15 (23-26); 13. Temple 8-16 (12-36).
ATLANTIC SUN
Tournament: May 26-29 at Dugan Field/Marsh Stadium, Nashville, Tenn. (6-team, double-elimination).
Automatic NCAA berth: Winner of postseason tournament.
Regular-season standings (as of May 18): 1. xy-Florida Gulf Coast 22-5 (34-17); 2. x-North Florida 14-9 (29-22); 3. (tie) Mercer 14-10 (31-21) and East Tennessee State 14-10 (29-24); 5. Stetson 13-11 (26-27); 6. (tie) Belmont 12-11 (26-24) and Jacksonville 12-11 (23-25); 8. Kennesaw State 10-14 (21-30); 9. Lipscomb 8-15 (18-33); 10. USC Upstate (not eligible) 8-19 (18-36); 11. Campbell 6-18 (26-26). x-clinched tournament berth; y-regular-season champion.
BIG EAST
Tournament: May 25-30 at Bright House Field, Clearwater, Fla. (8-team, 2-bracket, double-elimination).
Automatic NCAA berth: Winner of postseason tournament.
Regular-season standings (as of May 18): 1. x-Connecticut 18-5 (41-11); 2. x-Louisville 18-6 (42-10); 3. x-Pittsburgh 17-6 (36-14); 4. x-St. John’s 15-9 (34-16); 5. x-South Florida 14-10 (23-29); 6. x-Rutgers 13-11 (25-23); 7. (tie) Cincinnati 10-14 (26-27) and Notre Dame 10-14 (22-29); 9. (tie) Villanova 8-16 (28-21) and West Virginia 8-16 (24-27); 11. Seton Hall 7-17 (18-28-1); 12. Georgetown 5-19 (23-28).
BIG SOUTH
Tournament: May 25-29 at The Winthrop Ballpark, Rock Hill, S.C. (Seeds 6-7, 5-8 games on May 25 are single elimination; two that survive enter double-elimination tournament May 26-29).
Automatic NCAA berth: Winner of postseason tournament.
Regular-season standings (as of May 18): 1. y-Coastal Carolina 23-0 (45-6); 2. Liberty 18-6 (37-15); 3. Radford 15-9 (28-22); 4. (tie) Virginia Military Institute 12-12 (31-18) and High Point 12-12 (26-26); 6. Winthrop 11-13 (23-26); 7. Gardner-Webb 9-15 (23-27); 8. UNC Asheville 8-16 (15-32); 9. Charleston Southern 6-17 (17-34); 10. Presbyterian 5-19 (13-37). y-clinched regular-season title.
BIG TEN
Tournament: May 26-29 at Bill Davis Stadium, Columbus, Ohio (6-team, double-elimination).
Automatic NCAA berth: Winner of postseason tournament.
Regular-season standings (as of May 18): 1. Minnesota 13-8 (25-27); 2. (tie) Michigan 12-9 (31-19) and Purdue 12-9 (30-19); 4. Northwestern 11-10 (22-29); 5. (tie) Michigan State 10-11 (32-17), Ohio State 10-11 (27-21), Indiana 10-11 (25-24) and Iowa 10-11 (23-26); 9. Illinois 9-12 (24-24); 10. Penn State 8-13 (21-28).
BIG 12
Tournament: May 26-30 at AT&T Bricktown Ballpark, Oklahoma City, Okla. (8-team, 2-bracket, double-elimination).
Automatic NCAA berth: Winner of postseason tournament.
Regular-season standings (as of May 18): 1. Texas 21-3 (43-8); 2. Kansas State 13-10 (34-16); 3. Oklahoma 12-10 (37-14); 4. Texas Tech 13-11 (27-24); 5. Texas A&M 12-11-1 (33-18-1); 6. Kansas 11-12-1 (30-21-1); 7. Missouri 10-13 (27-22); 8. Baylor 9-13 (27-21); 9. Oklahoma State 8-16 (28-23); 10. Nebraska 7-17 (23-27).
BIG WEST
Tournament: None; regular-season champion gets automatic berth.
Automatic NCAA berth: Cal State Fullerton.
Regular-season standings (as of May 18): 1. y-Cal State Fullerton 18-3 (34-14); 2. UC Irvine 12-6 (32-17); 3. Pacific 11-7 (30-18); 4. UC Riverside 10-8 (28-19); 5. (tie) Long Beach State 7-11 (22-26) and UC Santa Barbara 7-11 (21-25); 7. Cal Poly 8-13 (17-30); 8. Cal State Northridge 6-12 (24-23); 9. UC Davis 5-13 (21-26). y-clinched regular-season championship but gets berth because it has the tiebreaker (won two of three games from UC Irvine).
COLONIAL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
Tournament: May 27-29 at Brooks Field, Wilmington, N.C. (4-team, double-elimination).
Automatic NCAA berth: Winner of postseason tournament.
Regular-season standings (as of May 18): 1. James Madison 16-5 (26-20); 2. Virginia Commonwealth 15-5-1 (30-20-1); 3. Georgia State 14-6-1 (31-20-1); 4. UNC Wilmington 13-11 (29-24); 5. (tie) George Mason 10-11 (27-20), William & Mary 10-11 (26-20) and Hofstra 10-11 (20-25-1); 8. Towson 9-12 (17-34); 9. Old Dominion 8-13 (21-30); 10. Delaware 6-15 (24-24); 11. Northeastern 5-16 (12-28).
CONFERENCE USA
Tournament: May 26-30 at Cougar Field, Houston, Texas (6-team, 2-pool, round-robin tournament).
Automatic NCAA berth: Winner of postseason tournament.
Regular-season standings (as of May 18): 1. Rice 15-6 (32-19); 2. Southern Mississippi 12-9 (30-19); 3. Memphis 11-10 (26-26); 4. Marshall 12-12 (23-28); 5. (tie) East Carolina 10-11 (30-22) and UAB 10-11 (27-23); 7. (tie) Tulane 9-12 (30-22) and Houston 9-12 (22-28); 9. UCF 8-13 (31-21).
GREAT WEST
Tournament: None.
Automatic NCAA berth: None.
Regular-season standings (as of May 18): 1. y-Utah Valley 22-2 (33-17); 2. Northern Colorado 18-6 (28-22); 3. Houston Baptist 15-9 (26-26); 4. New York Institute of Technology 13-11 (22-26); 5. North Dakota 11-13 (15-30); 6. (tie) New Jersey Institute of Technology 7-16 (11-39) and Texas Pan American 7-16 (18-30); 8. Chicago State 2-22 (4-45). y-league champion.
HORIZON LEAGUE
Tournament: May 26-30 at U.S. Steel Yard, Gary, Ind. (6-team, double-elimination).
Automatic NCAA berth: Winner of postseason tournament.
Regular-season standings (as of May 18): 1. Wright State 17-6 (29-20); 2. Milwaukee 14-8 (26-22); 3. UIC 13-8 (20-27); 4. Valparaiso 8-8 (21-28); 5. Youngstown State 9-14 (21-29); 6. Butler 8-13 (18-26); 7. Cleveland State 5-17 (12-39).
IVY GROUP
Tournament: Best-of-three postseason series at New York May 8-10, Dartmouth vs. Columbia.
Automatic NCAA berth: Dartmouth (L, 2-13; W, 15-10; W, 11-5).
Regular-season standings (final): Gehrig Division: 1. Columbia 14-6 (26-21); 2. Penn 10-10 (21-20); 3. Cornell 9-11 (18-20); 4. Princeton 6-14 (12-30). Rolfe Division: 1. Dartmouth 13-7 (26-17); 2. (tie) Harvard 10-10 (17-25) and Brown 10-10 (13-31); 4. Yale 8-12 (21-22-1).
METRO ATLANTIC
Tournament: May 26-30 at Dutchess Stadium, Fishkill, N.Y. (4-team, double-elimination).
Automatic NCAA berth: Winner of postseason tournament.
Regular-season standings (as of May 18): 1. Canisius 17-4 (35-18); 2. (tie) Manhattan 13-8 (28-17) and Marist 13-8 (30-20); 4. (tie) Rider 12-9 (30-21), Siena 12-9 (26-25) and Niagara 12-9 (16-34); 7. Fairfield 8-13 (18-29); 8. Saint Peter’s 6-18 (16-32); 9. Iona 3-18 (9-36).
MID-AMERICAN
Tournament: May 26-29 at VA Memorial Field, Chillicothe, Ohio (8-team, double-elimination).
Automatic NCAA berth: Winner of postseason tournament.
Regular-season standings (as of May 18): East: 1. (tie) Kent State 15-9 (31-22) and Bowling Green 15-9 (25-21); 3. Ohio 13-11 (20-30); 4. Miami, Ohio 10-14 (25-26); 5. Buffalo 9-15 (23-26). West: 1. Ball State 18-6 (27-24); 2. (tie) Toledo 17-7 (31-19) and Central Michigan 17-7 (30-19); 4. Eastern Michigan 13-11 (25-27); 5. Northern Illinois 9-15 (20-31); 6. Western Michigan 5-19 (12-38).
MID-EASTERN ATHLETIC
Tournament: May 20-23 at Jackie Robinson Ballpark, Daytona Beach, Fla. (6-team, double-elimination).
Automatic NCAA berth: Winner of postseason tournament.
Tournament seeds: 1. Bethune-Cookman 18-0 (32-20); 2. North Carolina A&T 15-3 (28-24); 3. Norfolk State 9-9 (19-27-1); 4. Delaware State 8-10 (12-34); 5. Coppin State 7-11 (13-31); 6. x-Maryland Eastern Shore 3-15 (8-40).
x-Maryland Eastern Shore earned the sixth seed from Florida A&M (3-15, 10-31-1) by winning two of three games from Florida A&M during the regular season.
MISSOURI VALLEY
Tournament: May 25-29 at Eck Stadium, Wichita, Kan. (8-team, 2-bracket, double-elimination; bracket winners meet in single game for championship).
Automatic NCAA berth: Winner of postseason tournament.
Regular-season standings (as of May 18): 1. Illinois State 14-4 (26-20); 2. Wichita State 15-6 (34-18); 3. Indiana State 9-8 (32-15); 4. Southern Illinois 8-9 (26-26); 5. Evansville 8-10 (28-24); 6. Creighton 9-12 (24-21); 7. Bradley 6-12 (18-29); 8. Missouri State 5-13 (19-30).
MOUNTAIN WEST
Tournament: May 25-29 at Tony Gwynn Stadium, San Diego, Calif. (6-team, double-elimination tournament).
Automatic NCAA berth: Winner of postseason tournament.
Regular-season standings (as of May 18): 1. Texas Christian 19-5 (40-11); 2. New Mexico 13-7 (34-17); 3. UNLV 11-10 (27-23); 4. (tie) San Diego State 10-11 (25-26) and Brigham Young 10-11 (23-27); 6. Utah 9-12 (21-25); 7. Air Force 2-18 (12-40).
NORTHEAST
Tournament: May 27-29 at TD Bank Ballpark, Bridgewater, N.J. (Best-of-three series between top two teams).
Automatic NCAA berth: Winner of postseason tournament.
Regular-season standings (as of May 18): 1. z-Bryant 22-6 (31-21); 2. x-Sacred Heart 19-9 (28-22); 3. Central Connecticut State 15-13 (26-19); 4. (tie) Monmouth 13-15 (20-23), Wagner 13-15 (21-29) and Quinnipiac 13-15 (14-35); 7. Mount St. Mary’s 14-18 (20-31); 8. Long Island 10-18 (13-39); 9. Fairleigh Dickinson 9-19 (14-35). z-ineligible for tournament because it is making move into Division I; x-clinched NEC Tournament berth.
OHIO VALLEY
Tournament: May 26-30 at Pringles Park, Jackson, Tenn. (6-team, double-elimination).
Automatic NCAA berth: Winner of postseason tournament.
Regular-season standings (as of May 18): 1. x-Murray State 12-5-1 (25-22-1); 2. x-Tennessee Tech 11-6 (25-23); 3. x-Southeast Missouri State 12-7 (29-21); 4. x-Jacksonville State 12-8 (26-23); 5. Eastern Illinois 9-11 (15-32); 6. Eastern Kentucky 9-12 (24-24); 7. Morehead State 6-9-1 (24-22-1); 8. UT Martin 8-13 (23-28); 9. Austin Peay 5-13 (24-25).
PACIFIC-10
Tournament: None; regular-season champion earns berth.
Automatic NCAA berth: Arizona State has a three-game lead over UCLA with six games to play – three with Oregon State this weekend and three at Stanford the following weekend. The Bruins, meanwhile, have three games at California this weekend and close at home against Washingon State. Arizona State and UCLA are the only teams with a chance to win the regular-season title and automatic NCAA berth.
Regular-season standings (as of May 18): 1. Arizona State 16-5 (43-6); 2. UCLA 13-8 (37-11); 3. (tie) Washington State 11-10 (28-18), California 11-10 (27-18) and Stanford 11-10 (27-20); 6. (tie) Oregon 10-11 (34-18) and Arizona 10-11 (31-18); 8. (tie) Oregon State 9-12 (26-19) and Washington 9-12 (26-24); 10. Southern California 5-16 (23-28).
PATRIOT LEAGUE
Tournament: Top-seeded Army was host to fourth-seeded Bucknell and second-seeded Lehigh was host to third-seeded Holy Cross in best-of-three series May 14-15, with Bucknell and Holy Cross each winning the decisive third game to set up a best-of-three series May 21-22 at Holy Cross (first game Friday, second game Saturday and third game, if necessary, following Saturday’s second game).
Automatic NCAA berth: Winner of postseason tournament.
Regular-season standings (as of May 18): 1. Army 16-4 (28-17); 2. Lehigh 12-8 (23-27); 3. Holy Cross 10-10 (25-24); 4. Bucknell 8-12 (23-32); 5. (tie) Lafayette 7-13 (15-30) and Navy 7-13 (29-21).
SOUTHERN
Tournament: May 26-30 at Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park, Charleston, S.C. (8-team, double-elimination).
Automatic NCAA berth: Winner of postseason tournament.
Regular-season standings (as of May 18): 1. The Citadel 21-6 (35-20); 2. College of Charleston 22-8 (40-14); 3. Georgia Southern 19-8 (34-19); 4. Elon 17-10 (34-19); 5. Samford 16-10 (29-21); 6. Western Carolina 13-13-1 (31-19-1); 7. Appalachian State 11-14-1 (32-16-1); 8. Wofford 9-18 (17-35); 9. Furman 8-10 (16-34); 10. UNC Greensboro 7-20 (20-30); 11. Davidson 5-22 (19-29).
SOUTHLAND
Tournament: May 26-29 at Whataburger Field, Corpus Christi, Texas (8-team, 2-bracket, double-elimination).
Automatic NCAA berth: Winner of postseason tournament.
Regular-season standings (as of May 18): 1. (tie) Southeastern Louisiana 21-9 (39-14) and Texas State 21-9 (32-19); 3. Northwestern State 19-10 (33-19); 4. Stephen F. Austin 18-11 (32-17); 5. UT Arlington 18-12 (26-27); 6. (tie) Lamar 15-15 (30-22) and McNeese State 15-15 (28-23); 8. Nicholls 13-17 (24-26); 9. UTSA 11-19 (20-27); 10. (tie) Texas A&M Corpus Christi 9-20-1 (19-31-1) and Central Arkansas 9-20-1 (18-33-1); 12. Sam Houston 9-21 (17-35).
SOUTHWESTERN ATHLETIC
Tournament: May 26-30 at Fairgrounds Field, Shreveport, La. (8-team, 2-bracket, double-elimination).
Automatic NCAA berth: Winner of postseason tournament.
Regular-season standings (as of May 18): Eastern Division: 1. Jackson State 19-5 (35-14); 2. (tie) Alcorn State 15-8 (24-26) and Mississippi Valley State 15-8 (22-26); 4. Alabama State 6-17 (11-24); 5. Alabama A&M 3-20 (17-32). Western Division: 1. Texas Southern 18-6 (28-23); 2. Southern 17-6 (22-19); 3. Grambling 10-14 (16-29); 4. Arkansas-Pine Bluff 8-16 (18-30); 5. Prairie View 6-17 (12-35).
SUMMIT LEAGUE
Tournament: May 27-29 at J.L. Johnson Stadium, Tulsa, Okla. (4-team, double-elimination).
Automatic NCAA berth: Winner of postseason tournament.
Regular-season standings (as of May 18): 1. Centenary 15-7 (26-22); 2. (tie) South Dakota State 16-8 (34-18) and Oral Roberts 16-8 (29-24); 4. Southern Utah 11-12 (18-32); 5. IPFW 11-13 (15-36); 6. North Dakota State 10-13 (21-27); 7. Oakland 9-14 (18-32); 8. Western Illinois 5-18 (13-36).
SUN BELT
Tournament: May 26-29 at Reese Smith Jr. Field, Murfreesboro, Tenn. (8-team, double-elimination).
Automatic NCAA berth: Winner of postseason tournament.
Regular-season standings (as of May 18): 1. Florida Atlantic 19-8 (31-18); 2. Louisiana-Lafayette 18-9 (34-18); 3. Middle Tennessee 17-10 (33-19); 4. (tie) FIU 16-11 (30-20) and South Alabama 16-11 (30-23); 6. Arkansas State 15-12 (27-24); 7. (tie) Troy 14-13 (30-22) and Western Kentucky 14-13 (33-20); 9. Arkansas-Little Rock 10-15 (27-24); 10. Louisiana-Monroe 7-20 (17-35).
WEST COAST
Tournament: None. San Diego won the outright conference title last weekend without playing a game. The Toreros were idle and San Francisco swept second-place Portland and Pepperdine dropped a game, so it is mathematically impossible for anyone to catch San Diego, which has a three-game road series remaining with Pepperdine May 21-23 and a home series with Saint Mary’s May 28-30.
Automatic NCAA berth: San Diego.
Regular-season standings (as of May 18): 1. San Diego 15-0 (31-17); 2. Portland 11-7 (31-16); 3. San Francisco 10-8 (27-25); 4. Pepperdine 8-7 (20-26); 5. Saint Mary’s 7-11 (16-28-1); 6. Santa Clara 6-12 (21-26); 7. Gonzaga 5-10 (17-33); 8. Loyola Marymount 4-11 (21-26).
WESTERN ATHLETIC
Tournament: May 26-30 at Hohokam Stadium, Mesa, Ariz. (double-elimination).
Automatic NCAA berth: Winner of postseason tournament.
Regular-season standings (as of May 18): 1. Fresno State 13-7 (32-22); 2. New Mexico State 14-9-1 (36-19-1); 3. Nevada 11-8-1 (30-19-1); 4. Louisiana Tech 10-10 (25-25); 5. Hawaii 9-11 (26-23); 6. San Jose State 8-12 (20-32); 7. Sacramento State 6-14 (17-32-1).