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College baseball is officially here and this weekend was nothing short of exceeding our expectations, from football scores to walk off heroics, it encapsulated the sport we live for.

Let’s recap all the action from the first weekend of the season before we gear up for week two and the upcoming World Baseball Classic!

Top Matchups of the Weekend

There were plenty of incredible games to pick from this weekend, but a few really grabbed our attention and certainly had some postseason implications already.

#6 TCU v #9 Arkansas: We got our first look at a top 10 matchup between TCU and Arkansas and it did not disappoint. Sophomore left-hander Mason Brassfield showed great flashes out of the gate running his fastball up to 96 with a nasty slider.

Chase Brunson being the hero on offense while two-way player Noah Franco slammed the door with three scoreless innings in relief generating a 53% WHIFF% on his slider. A 5-4 victory against an Omaha team a year ago was a great showing after beating one of the best pitchers in the country in Connor Fennell just a day prior.

UC Santa Barbara @ #24 Southern Miss: While there was no one particular game in this series that blew me away, it was certainly the best three-game set all weekend with the late-game heroics, star performances, and more.

We got eyes on Jackson Flora, who ran his fastball into the triple digits shutting down the #24 USM offense. In game three we got a back-and-forth battle, late-game blunders, and heroics thanks to a walk-off walk securing the series for the Golden Eagles.

Michigan v #12 Oregon State: The Wolverines and Beavers faced off twice this weekend, ending in a Bryce Hubbard walk-off win for the Beavs on Monday. Michigan truly looked the part on Friday, Just Baseball Big 10 Pitcher of the Year Tate Carey went toe-to-toe with the potential 1.01 of the 2027 MLB Draft, Dax Whitney.

The Wolverines started off hot and found a way to steal a 5-3 game from ranked Oregon State. Of course the Beavers got their lick back for a split in Surprise, Arizona, but was one of the more entertaining matchups of opening weekend.

Gonzaga @ Hawaii: Bows baseball is back and there’s no better way to lose sleep multiple times a weekend than a 10:30pm start time. In classic Hawaii fashion, the Bows walked off Gonzaga in game one, their second opening night walk-off in two years, coming on an attempted sac-bunt that caused an errant throw.

For those who don’t know, Hawaii has stamped themselves as one of the best pitching development schools in the country, finishing in the top 10 of team ERA over each of the last three seasons, only one of seven schools to accomplish this.

With Hawaii looking for the series win on Monday, they’d find another walk-off win to clinch their first series win of the season. Nothing screams college baseball like Manoa Magic.

Just Baseball Trivia of the Week

Our newsletter will have a trivia question every week to test and expand the baseball knowledge of our subscribers! The answer to the weekly trivia question will be at the bottom of the newsletter each week.

Which of these schools holds the NCAA record for most College World Series appearances?

A) USC

B) Arizona State

C) Texas

D) LSU

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Standout Player Performances

Every week there are fantastic performances, but a few rise above the rest. Let’s break down some of the performances from the weekend.

Cameron Johnson, LHP - Oklahoma: This was the Cameron Johnson we’ve been waiting to see. After turning down the draft to to attend LSU, the southpaw found his way to Norman and led the way for the Sooners on Friday night going six innings allowing just one run on three hits and striking out 11.

Caden Sorrell, OF - Texas A&M: The Aggies asserted their offensive prowess this weekend, largely in part to Caden Sorrell, who posted a slash line of .600/.625/1.200 with three home runs and 10 RBI to kick off his 2026 campaign. The scariest part? He may not be the best hitter in this lineup when it’s all said and done.

Kenny Ishikawa, TWP - Georgia: The hype is real for the University of Seattle transfer as he showed off what he can do on both sides of the ball this weekend. At the plate he went three-for-five with two RBI and three walks while making a start on the mound throwing four innings and change, punching out eight while surrendering just one hit.

Max Knight, TWP - Missouri State: Another two-way player that dominated on both sides of the ball leading the Bears to a 2-1 series victory at Louisiana this weekend. Slashed .364/.500/.636 with a home run and two RBI along with three shutout innings striking out four Ragin’ Cajuns.

Updated Top 25

We have a new number one team with UCLA dropping their series finale to UCSD, allowing LSU to jump up with a sweep over UW Milwaukee.

An incredible offensive showing from ACC teams in Miami and Georgia Tech, propelling them up the rankings, showing the hype was real coming into the season.

Oklahoma joins the ranks this week, going a perfect 3-0 in Arlington over the weekend including notching a convincing run-rule victory over #6 TCU on Sunday.

Alabama, Florida, and Louisville dropped down, and or out this weekend with the Gators and Tide dropping a game at home to kick off the season, while the Cardinals dropped a home series to Michigan State.

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We launched a Just Baseball community on Discord!

Our Discord channel is the ultimate baseball group chat while also providing exclusive access to Peter’s MLB best bets, Aram’s prospect content, giveaways, and direct connection to the entire Just Baseball staff.

Read all the details about our Discord community here.

Trivia Answer: Texas

The Texas Longhorns hold the record for most CWS appearances with 38, with their last trip to Omaha coming in 2022.

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