THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,434 MLB PLAYERS | 15,806 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,434 MLB PLAYERS | 15,806 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
College  | Story | 5/20/2013

College Field of 64: May 20


* Oregon dropped a tough series to rival Oregon State over the weekend and dropped out of a national seed in the latest projections. The Ducks, with the series loss, still have a chance to be a top eight national seed, but just need to finish the regular season in flawless fashion. The Ducks are now 5-4 vs. RPI Top 25, 9-4 vs. RPI Top 50 and 21-10 vs. RPI Top 100. This week, we give the final national seed nod to Louisville, who's up to 13 in the latest RPI with a 1-3 mark vs. RPI Top 25, 8-4 mark vs. RPI Top 50 and 20-8 vs. RPI Top 100. I'd also keep an eye on Indiana, which has a high RPI and respectable overall resume, while the NCAA could always throw a curveball at us and give North Carolina State a fourth ACC national seed. The Wolfpack actually has a very good resume entering this weekend. For instance, the Wolfpack is 11-8 vs. RPI Top 25, 16-9 vs. RPI Top 50 and 24-12 overall record. Meanwhile, it's my opinion the other seven national seeds are set unless someone stumbles in ugly fashion this week.

* I feel very good about the 16 NCAA host sites as we enter conference tournament week for most leagues around the country. Mississippi State is our last host in this week's projections, and the Bulldogs have a rather solid resume. Despite playing an incredibly difficult Southeastern Conference schedule, the Bulldogs have a nice record and resume. The Bulldogs are 6-8 vs. RPI Top 25, 19-14 vs. RPI Top 50 and 21-16 vs. RPI Top 100. I'd also continue to keep a close eye on South Alabama if it gets hot in the Sun Belt tournament. The Jaguars still have a high RPI, but the resume needs some work. USA is 2-3 vs. RPI Top 25, 5-9 vs. RPI Top 50 and 14-14 vs. RPI Top 100. I'd also keep an eye on Arkansas as the week progresses. The Razorbacks still have an RPI in the 40s entering the SEC tournament, but the overall resume is very respectable. Arkansas is 7-7 vs. RPI Top 25, 15-15 vs. RPI Top 50 and 15-16 vs. RPI Top 100. The Hogs clearly have a lot of work to do, but the SEC tourney could be a major resume booster.

* Another intriguing situation in the postseason picture right now is just exactly how many bids the Big East will get into the NCAA tournament. We were feeling good about Pittsburgh going into last weekend's series against Louisville. However, the Panthers tumbled in the RPI and pecking order after failing to win a single game against the Cardinals. Meanwhile, South Florida, which has been fighting an uphill RPI battle the entire season, hasn't been great the past few weeks. Both teams have a chance to get on the good side of the bubble at the Big East tournament, Pitt having the better shot at this point. The Panthers have eclipsed that always-important 40-win mark and finished tied with Seton Hall, who's clearly in the field at this point, in the Big East standings. The strikes against the Panthers are their resume from an RPI standpoint. Pitt, which has an RPI of 64, is just 3-3 vs. RPI Top 50 and 6-9 vs. RPI Top 100. It's easy to see why the NCAA Selection Committee would dislike that resume, but personally speaking, I think Pitt's in-conference resume speaks for itself. I'd have the Panthers in if I were on the committee going into the conference tournament. Meanwhile, there's a reason USF is fighting more of an uphill battle than Pitt. For instance, the Bulls are 2-10 vs. RPI Top 50 teams and 9-13 vs. RPI Top 100 teams, along with an RPI of 63. The Bulls also finished behind Pitt in the conference standings.

* Two more things to keep an eye on this week include the new West Coast Conference tournament, which includes Gonzaga, San Diego, San Francisco and BYU. The Zags probably need to win the conference tournament to make the NCAA Field of 64, though, there's always a chance at an at-large by virtue of winning the WCC regular season crown. However, with USD safely in the field as of now, the interesting story line is following what BYU and San Francisco do. For now, we have the Cougars, who have the head-to-head series win over the Dons, leading the charge. However, USF is right on their heels and could change the game this week. Breaking down the two resumes, BYU has an RPI of 62 with a 3-2 record vs. RPI Top 50 teams and 12-15 mark vs. RPI Top 100 clubs. Meanwhile, San Francisco has an RPI of 55 with a 1-4 mark vs. RPI Top 50 and 12-16 mark vs. RPI Top 100. Again, USF might slightly have an edge RPI-wise, but head-to-head, for now, is the difference … The other thing to watch with intrigue this week is the Big Ten tournament as it relates to Ohio State and Illinois. Illinois joined the field of 64 this week, but a bad showing in Minneapolis could be the difference between in and out. The Fighting Illini have some really nice wins this season, including a road series sweep of a solid Baylor club earlier in the year. Illinois has an RPI of 30 with a 3-6 mark vs. RPI Top 50 and 9-11 mark vs. RPI Top 100. By comparison, even though Ohio State finished out of winning the Big Ten regular season crown, the postseason resume isn't all that special. For instance, the Buckeyes have an RPI of 49 with a 10-15 mark vs. RPI Top 50 teams and 11-15 mark vs. RPI Top 100. For now, I think both clubs are in the field if the season ended today, but will that be the case later this week? Stay tuned.

* Fans are always intrigued to see how individual conference breakdown from a postseason bids standpoint. Here's the breakdown by conference, in order from most to least: SEC (9), ACC (8), Pac 12 (4), Sun Belt (4), Big 12 (3), WCC (3), Big Ten (3), Big West (3), Big East (2), Big South (2), Ohio Valley (2), Colonial Athletic (2), Conference USA (2), America East (1), Atlantic 10 (1), Atlantic Sun (1), Horizon (1), Ivy League (1), Metro Atlantic (1), Mid-Eastern Athletic (1), Missouri Valley (1), Mountain West (1), Northeast (1), Patriot (1), Southern (1), Southland (1), SWAC (1), Summit (1), WAC (1).

* Out of the current one-bid leagues, the Atlantic Sun and Missouri Valley potentially have the most to gain this week during conference tournaments. Illinois State won the MVC automatic bid, and though the Redbirds could miss the postseason all together if they won't win the MVC tournament, for now, we're putting ISU on the good side of the bubble for capturing that regular season crown. That leaves the door open for Creighton to step in as one of the 64 teams with a very strong showing this week. The Bluejays, admittedly, have some serious work to do. Creighton has an RPI of 44 with a 30-16 overall record. However, the Jays are just 1-4 vs. RPI Top 50 and 6-8 vs. RPI Top 100. That must improve … As for the A-Sun, North Florida and Florida Gulf Coast are very much still in the postseason picture, though again, both have some work to do this week to put themselves on the good side of the postseason bubble. UNF has struggled a bit the past couple of weeks, but still has an RPI of 54 with an impressive 38-17 overall record. The Ospreys are 4-4 vs. RPI Top 50 and 11-9 vs. RPI Top 100. Again, not a bad resume. Then there's FGCU. FGCU went through a skid in the middle of the season, but certainly showed at times this season it's a club that could win an NCAA Regional when clicking on all cylinders -- just ask Florida. With that said, FGCU, which has an RPI of 61 with a 37-18 overall record, has some work to do. The Eagles are 3-8 vs. RPI Top 50 and 6-12 vs. RPI Top 100. In other words, FGCU still must not only pass UNF in the pecking order, but also other teams on the national stage. Not exactly an easy chore to say the least.

* Many questions posed in this week's college baseball chat were in regard to the postseason bid situation for the Pac 12 Conference. Right now, I have four teams from the league in the postseason, including Oregon State, Oregon, UCLA and Arizona State, three of which are expected to earn host sites barring a huge surprise. Will the Pac-12 get a fifth bid to the postseason? It's looking unlikely at this point unless Stanford or Arizona take care of business this weekend, and the committee feels rather generous. Stanford is currently fifth in the Pac-12 with a .500 record with an RPI of 89. The Cardinal is 3-9 vs. RPI Top 50 and 8-14 vs. RPI Top 100. By comparison, Arizona has an RPI of 76 following a huge rivalry series win over Arizona State. However, the Wildcats are 2-11 vs. RPI Top 50 teams and 7-16 vs. RPI Top 100. Should either of those teams get into the field as of today? Not if you're asking me. The resumes don't warrant it.


-- The projected national seeds are listed on the left, seed denoted in parenthesis. Regional on the right matches up to be projected NCAA Super Regional.
* Denotes automatic bid
^ Denotes at-large bid


College Baseball Field of 64 (May 20)
Nashville, Tenn., Regional
1. Vanderbilt* (1)
4. Columbia*

2. Troy*
3. Ohio State^
Bloomington, Ind., Regional
1. Indiana*
4. Kent State*

2. Virginia Tech^
3. Alabama^
Chapel Hill, N.C., Regional
1. North Carolina* (2)
4. Maine*

2. UNC Wilmington*
3. Florida Atlantic^
Starkville, Miss., Regional
1. Mississippi State^
4. Army*

2. South Alabama^
3. Austin Peay^
Baton Rouge, La., Regional
1. Louisiana State^ (3)
4. Jackson State*

2. Rice*
3. Louisiana-Lafayette^
Clemson, S.C., Regional
1. Clemson^
4. Western Carolina*

2. Ole Miss^
3. Coastal Carolina^
Corvallis, Ore., Regional
1. Oregon State* (4)
4. South Dakota State*

2. Cal Poly^
3. Auburn^
Manhattan, Kan., Regional
1. Kansas State*
4. Illinois State*

2. Arkansas^
3. Sam Houston State*
Charlottesville, Va., Regional
1. Virginia^ (5)
4. Rider*

2. Arizona State^
3. William & Mary^
Eugene, Ore., Regional
1. Oregon^
4. Gonzaga*

2. Oklahoma^
3. BYU^
Fullerton, Calif., Regional
1. Cal State Fullerton* (6)
4. Milwaukee*

2. New Mexico*
3. Houston^
Los Angeles Regional
1. UCLA^
4. CSU Bakersfield*

2. San Diego^
3. UC Santa Barbara^
Tallahassee, Fla., Regional
1. Florida State^ (7)
4. Savannah State*

2. Mercer*
3. Florida^
Columbia, S.C. Regional
1. South Carolina^
4. Bryant*

2. Georgia Tech^
3. Campbell*
Louisville, Ky., Regional
1. Louisville* (8)
4. Saint Louis*

2. Miami^
3. Illinois^
Raleigh, N.C., Regional

1. North Carolina State^
4. Tennessee Tech*

2. Oklahoma State^
3. Seton Hall^
Last five: William & Mary, BYU, Houston, Ohio State, UC Santa Barbara.
Next 10: Pittsburgh, San Francisco, UC Irvine, Michigan State, Creighton, Texas A&M, North Florida, FGCU, South Florida, Kansas.
 
Conference automatic bids

America East: Maine
Atlantic 10: Saint Louis
Atlantic Coast: North Carolina
Atlantic Sun: Mercer
Big Ten: Indiana
Big 12: Kansas State
Big East: Louisville
Big South: Campbell
Big West: Cal State Fullerton
Colonial Athletic: UNC Wilmington
Conference USA: Rice
Horizon: Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Ivy League: Columbia
Metro Atlantic: Rider
Mid-American: Kent State
Mid-Eastern Athletic: Savannah State
Missouri Valley: Illinois State
Mountain West: New Mexico
Northeast: Bryant
Ohio Valley: Tennessee Tech
Pac-12: Oregon State
Patriot: Army
Southeastern: Vanderbilt
Southern: Western Carolina
Southland: Sam Houston State
Southwestern Athletic: Jackson State
Summit: South Dakota State
Sun Belt: Troy
West Coast: Gonzaga
Western Athletic: CSU Bakersfield


College | Story | 5/7/2026

Coppy's Corner: May 7 POY Deep Dive

John Coppolella
Article Image
Each week I huddle with Vinnie Cervino and Craig Cozart to discuss Top 25 rankings and Players of the Week. In Coppy’s Corner, I dive deeper into these Players of the Week, providing analysis from 20+ years working in baseball front offices at the highest level.   Player of the Week: Tyce Armstrong – Baylor University  Armstrong is a big man with a big bat that produces big power. Just the second player in the history of Baylor to reach 20 HR in a single season – if you knew the other one was Charley Carter in 1998, you get the gold star – Armstrong brings an impact bat that can turn the game around with one swing. Listed at 6’4 / 228 he is Texas-strong and has been tearing up the Big 12 this season. Armstrong spent his first three season at the University of Texas – Arlington before transferring to Baylor for the 2026 season. He had a...
High School | General | 5/7/2026

High School Notebook: May 7

Cam McElwaney
Article Image
Ryder Bell, LHP, Hamilton (AZ) Bell got the ball for Hamilton in the first round of playoff action and did not blink. The young left-hander tosses 6 2/3 strong innings with four strikeouts and just one walk. Bell faced some adversity at times with runners on, but consistently competed and found a way out of most jams. An athletic operation with intent is shown on the mound. Bell throws from a lower 3/4 slot that can create a tough angle. The fastball worked 82-85 mph with armside run. It paired well with a sweeper at 70-72 mph. Bell attacked the zone with both pitches often and landed the sweeper arm side consistently. The stuff has already shown it can play against quality lineups. Bell should be a fun name to monitor over the next couple years.    Cory Wuttke (‘27, AZ) hammers this out to LF for solo 💣. Multi-hit performance. Stays compact with strength at contact....
High School | Rankings | 5/6/2026

High School Top 50 Update: May 6

Tyler Russo
Article Image
Another week of high school baseball has come and gone across the country, and we have another update as we continue to roll to the finish of the high school seasons in the southern states in just a few weeks. Regular seasons are wrapping up across the country and playoffs are deep in progress down south, with every update there’s some movement inside the High School Top 50 along with a few new names breaking in. The top-10 remains very similar at the top with Venice (FL) holding onto the No. 1 position for the third straight update. Tomball (TX) jumps up to No. 2 as they continue to rattle of wins with Orange Lutheran (CA), Aledo (TX), and IMG Academy (FL) rounding out the top 5. Trinity (KY) and Harvard-Westlake (CA) sit at No. 6 and No. 7 respectively with a trio of new teams inside the top-10 in Magnolia Heights (MS) at No. 8, Norco (CA) at No. 9, and South Walton (FL) and No....
College | Rankings | 5/6/2026

DII/DIII/NAIA Rankings Update: May 6

Nick Herfordt
Article Image
Records and rankings tell you who has won. Résumé tells you who can win. Every season when the final regular season rankings are released the natural instinct is to point at the team sitting at number one and label them the favorite. That instinct is understandable — those programs have earned their place at the top of the table, and none of them should be dismissed.   Alas, college baseball has a way of humbling the polls when the bracket opens. The teams that survive the NCAA Tournament and the NAIA World Series are rarely the ones with the prettiest record — they are the ones who have been tested repeatedly by elite competition and passed those tests at the highest rate in the country. Winning streaks built against soft schedules tend to dissolve the moment the opponent is worth a damn.   In each of the three small-school divisions, there is a...
College | Story | 5/5/2026

College Players of the Week: May 5

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
May 5th Perfect Game/Player of the Week:  Tyce Armstrong, IF, Baylor  The Baylor Bears still have some work ahead of them if they want to extend their season beyond the Big 12 Tournament but if Tyce Armstrong stays on his heater, they could be in business.  For the second time this season, Armstrong, the 6-4/228 senior from Magnolia, TX is our Perfect Game Player of the Week.  It was a record setting week for Armstrong as he became just the second player in Baylor program history to hit 20 home runs in a season and tied the all-time single season record with his 21st round-tripper on Sunday.  For the week, he collected 9 hits in 16 at-bats, scoring 5 runs, lacing 4 doubles, 5 home runs and drove in a total of 9 runs.  It has been a career year for the hulking first baseman who in his first season at Baylor, transferring from UT Arlington.  For the...
College | Rankings | 5/4/2026

College Top 25: May 4

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
One of the keys to putting together a historical season is not purely talent, but the ability to win games by any means necessary.  The No. 1 UCLA Bruins (43-4) have demonstrated that all year, often riding the strength of their pitching and defense to victory but at other times, slugging their way to a win.  The latter is what kept their perfect (24-0) record in Big Ten play intact, as they overcame an 8-run deficit in the last 3-innings yesterday to defeat Michigan State on the road by a score of 13-11.  The Bruins have already clinched the Big Ten Regular Season title and only have two series remaining in their quest for an undefeated conference record.  UNC (37-9) had an off week and remain at No. 2, while No. 3 Georgia Tech (39-8) won an out-of-conference series against Xavier.  The Texas Longhorns (35-10) stick at No. 4 this week after a huge home series...
High School | General | 5/1/2026

Texas High School Notebook

Jay Vossler
Article Image
Cullen Scott (‘28 TX) strikes out 8 over 6 IP. 4-Seam 94-97 T98 carry up. 2-Seam 90-93 ASR. And it’s easy velo out the hand; held velo into 6th. Slider 78-81 (2400 RPM) short and tight tilter. Curve 76-79 (2400 RPM) power depth varies between 10-4 and 11-5. Change 82-83 rolls out… pic.twitter.com/aFCQ6m70Ax — Perfect Game Texas (@Texas_PG) April 18, 2026 Cullen Scott (2028, Melissa, Texas) was as advertised in this look as he went 6 innings while striking out 8 batters. Throws 2 different fastballs and holds velo well throughout outing. 4-seam works 94-97 and topped out at 98 with carry up just jumps out of hand. 2-seam works 90-93 with good arm side run. Held velocity into the 6th. Slider 78-81 plays short with tilt and late bite getting upwards of 2400 RPM. Curve 76-79 with power depth that varies between shape 10-4 to 11-5. Change 82-83 rolls out of hand with...
Draft | Mock Draft | 5/1/2026

MLB Mock Draft: May 1

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
Pick Team Player Position School 1 Chicago White Sox Roch Cholowsky SS UCLA 2 Tampa Bay Rays Grady Emerson SS Fort Worth Christian 3 Minnesota Twins Vahn Lackey C Georgia Tech 4 San Francisco Giants Jackson Flora RHP UC Santa Barbara 5 Pittsburgh Pirates AJ Gracia OF Virginia 6 Kansas City Royals Eric Booth Jr. OF Oak Grove 7 Baltimore Orioles Ace Reese 3B Mississippi State 8 Athletics Jacob Lombard SS Gulliver Schools 9 Atlanta Braves Ryder Helfrick C Arkansas 10 Colorado Rockies Drew Burress OF Georgia Tech 11 Washington Nationals Jared Grindlinger LHP/OF Huntington Beach 12 Los Angeles Angels Cameron Flukey RHP Coastal Carolina 13 St. Louis Cardinals Cole Carlon LHP Arizona State 14 Miami Marlins Gio Rojas LHP Marjory Stoneman Douglas 15 Arizona Diamondbacks Tyler Bell* SS Kentucky 16 Texas Rangers Justin Lebron SS Alabama 17 Houston Astros Chris Hacopian SS Texas A&M 18...
High School | General | 4/30/2026

High School Notebook: April 30

Jordan Gates
Article Image
Slo-mo look at the swing by Jordan Ransom (‘26, AZ) #PGHS @QCHS_Athletics @PG_Draft https://t.co/fyPaOimF5k pic.twitter.com/T7yH6a1qRI — Perfect Game Four Corners (@PG_FourCorners) April 29, 2026 OF Ryan Harwood, Casteel (Ariz).  Harwood is one of the premier draft names in the state and showed why in the regular season finale. The Texas A&M commit collected a pair of hits and also threw a runner out at home from left field. Harwood possesses impressive physicality that can produce big impact at the plate. The profile has middle of the order upside. Defensively, Harwood profiles best for a corner outfield spot long term. The arm strength may allow him to slide over to right field, as he can produce strong on-line carry. Harwood showed off that arm strength on the mound, where he threw the last inning and ran the heater up to 91 mph. IF Jordan Ransom, Queen Creek...
High School | Rankings | 4/29/2026

High School Top 50 Update: April 29

Tyler Russo
Article Image
With another week in the books across the country in the high school baseball season, we have another update to the National Top 50. The southern states are rolling through the playoffs as the weeks unfold along with northern states starting to get to the back half of their schedule as the summer is quickly approaching. The top-10 holds firm in this update as Venice (FL) continues to hold onto the top spot after rattling off W’s since returning home to Florida. Barbe (LA) comes in at No. 2 this week after being ranked at No. 3 a week ago and sport a 37-1 record with 36 straight wins. Orange Lutheran (CA) drops one spot to No. 3 and a pair of Texas schools round out the top-5 as Tomball is at No. 4 and Aledo is at No. 5. 5-9 is the exact same this week as last as IMG Academy (FL) comes in at No. 6, Trinity (KY) is at No. 7, Harvard-Westlake (CA) is at No. 8 and Grapevine (TX) is at...
Loading more articles...