College Baseball week two recap

College baseball is heating up as teams wrap up week two of the season. Several ranked programs were tested, and a few early upsets have already shaken up the national picture. Offenses are beginning to find their rhythm, with multiple players putting up big stat lines, while several starting pitchers have delivered dominant outings. With conference play approaching in a couple of weeks, these early games are proving critical in building momentum.

Statistical Leaders

Projected No. 1 pick Roch Cholowsky is tied with UCLA teammate Will Gasparino for the national lead with six home runs in seven games. Judd Utermark has also hit six, doing so in eight games for Ole Miss.

It is still very early in the season to identify true pitching leaders. Twenty-nine pitchers have logged at least 10 innings without allowing an earned run, making ERA an unreliable measurement so far.

Strikeout totals remain low across the board due to limited innings, and WHIP numbers show a similar trend. Consistency over multiple starts and appearances will be necessary before any clear leaders emerge among college baseball’s pitchers.

Alex Hernandez of Georgia Tech leads Division I in batting average, with a minimum of 20 at-bats, at .581.

The Yellow Jackets also lead Division I with a .440 team batting average, while New Mexico is second at .384. The gap between first and second is the same as the gap between second and 29th, showing Georgia Tech’s dominance early on en route to an 8–1 record. Who gave them that loss?

Upsets of the Week

Georgia State def. No. 5 Georgia Tech

No. 5 Georgia Tech appeared in control early after Jarren Advincula launched a two-run homer in the first inning for a quick 2–0 lead. The game settled into a pitching duel through the next three innings, with neither side able to break through. That changed in the fifth, when Georgia State erupted for four runs, highlighted by a two-run homer from Lucas Grantham that flipped the momentum.

The Panthers did not stop there. They added three runs in the sixth and two more in the seventh, stretching the lead to 9–2 and stunning the home crowd. Georgia Tech attempted to chip away with single runs in the eighth and ninth innings but could not generate the big inning they needed, ultimately falling 9–4 in one of the season’s earliest shockers.

Arkansas State def. No. 6 Arkansas

Arkansas State delivered one of the loudest statements of the weekend, overpowering No. 6 Arkansas 12–4 in the series opener. The Red Wolves launched five home runs, overwhelming the Razorbacks’ pitching staff from the start. Cross Jumper paced the offense with two home runs during a 3-for-5 night, while Ashton Quiller drove in four runs to fuel the rout.

The decisive moment came in the second inning, when Arkansas State plated six runs in a frame that effectively put the game out of reach. Arkansas had two pitchers combine for four scoreless innings in relief, but the early damage proved too much. The Red Wolves’ power surge was more than enough to secure the upset.

Kent State def. No. 13 Tennessee (twice)

Kent State did more than steal a game. They won the series against No. 13 Tennessee. Tennessee took Game 1 by a 4–3 score, but they had no idea what was about to happen.

The Golden Flashes won Game 2 with a 2–1 victory in a tightly contested matchup. Tennessee scored in the first inning, but Kent State responded with two runs in the fifth to take the lead for good. Easton Tumis, Nick Guidas and Peyton Williams combined to allow just five hits and one walk while striking out six, shutting down the Volunteers the rest of the way.

The finisher featured a very different script. Kent State’s offense broke out in a 9–5 win, collecting seven hits and drawing seven walks to pressure Tennessee’s pitching staff consistently. Evan Holewinski provided 4.2 innings of long relief without allowing an earned run, stabilizing the game after early scoring.

The Golden Flashes secured one of the weekend’s most impressive series victories.

Jack Dobbins is a first-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jwd5889@psu.edu.