... The hot stove will be a little warmer for Presbyterian this winter after its sweep at VMI on Friday to end the season. The Blue Hose scored 10 runs in the eighth and coasted to a 23-7 win in the opener. Then, Andrew Foushee struck out 10 while pitching a four-hit shutout in the nightcap, a 6-0 victory. It was PC's first shutout of the season and allowed the Blue Hose to finish with 15 wins this season, a school record on the NCAA Division I level. VMI (32-20) had been nurturing NCAA playoff hopes until it lost 12 of its final 15 conference games.
... North Greenville's 4-2 victory over Bluefield on Friday moved the Crusaders within one day of a national championship, but it could be a very long day for coach Travis Henson's squad. Rain washed out the Crusaders' scheduled Friday night game with Southeastern at the National Christian College Athletic Association World Series in Mason, Ohio. That game has been rescheduled for 12:30 p.m. today. Bluefield and Olivet Nazarene also remain alive in the tournament, but North Greenville is the only one of the four without a loss in the double-elimination event. Bluefield and Olivet Nazarene will play at 10 a.m. today, with the winner advancing to another game at approximately 4 p.m. North Greenville will play in that 4 p.m. game, win or lose, under the tournament setup. If the Crusaders win at 12:30, the title can be theirs with another win at 4. If they win at 12:30 and lose at 4, they would play the Bluefield-Olivet Nazarene winner again afterward for the title. If the Crusaders lose at 12:30, they'll play at 4 and Southeastern will advance to a 7 p.m. game against the winner of the 4 p.m. game. So, the Crusaders could face a tripleheader today. This may be one case where playing seven-inning games in the tournament instead of nine-inning games is a good thing, stamina-wise.
...For all the difficulty Clemson had after a 17-2 start, the Tigers can cap the regular season with an ACC Atlantic division title with a victory against Florida State today. They jumped on the Seminoles early Friday night to win for a second straight game in the series.
... Florida spoiled South Carolina's celebration plans, beating the Gamecocks for a second straight night to win the SEC East Division and overall titles and accompanying top seed for the conference tournament. Friday's score was 5-2. As in Thursday's 3-2 loss, the Gamecocks were unable to convert on opportunities they had, something that bothered them on occasion earlier in the season. Some misplays in the field -- pitcher Sam Dyson throwing late to second base after fielding a bunt and Whit Merrifield not reading a carom off the wall properly in right field, then committing a throwing error at third base -- didn't help. But, both games were close and well-played overall, befitting a series to determine a conference champion. When I was covering the Class AA Greenville Braves for the Greenville Piedmont years ago, G-Braves manager Jim Beauchamp would sum up such games by saying "Sometimes, you've got to tip your cap to the other team." The Gators should get such a nod this weekend.
... Suddenly, Furman is looking in good shape to make the Southern Conference Tournament. Daniel Stallsmith's solid pitching, Will Miller's five hits and Brian Harrison's fifth home run in six days added up to an 11-6 win over UNC Greensboro, the Paladins' fifth straight in league play. Stallsmith allowed two hits over the first eight innings and took an 11-2 lead into the bottom of the ninth, when he allowed three home runs. Then, Wofford was unable to protect a 5-0 lead after six innings and a 6-5 edge after eight, losing to Appalachian State, 7-6. Furman, which has won its last five conference games, can punch its ticket to Charleston with a win over UNCG today or one loss by Wofford in its doubleheader with Appalachian State. That's pretty stout for a team that entered last weekend on a 10-game conference losing streak.
... Coastal Carolina appeared in danger of its first Big South Conference loss, trailing Radford 6-5 entering the ninth inning of the road game. But Scott Woodward hit a leadoff home run to tie the game and the Chanticleers tacked on two more runs for an 8-6 win, improving to 25-0 in league play.
... There's a celebration waiting to happen at The Citadel. The Bulldogs had a 7-2 lead in the bottom of the eighth inning at Georgia Southern Friday night when the game was suspended because of rain. If the Bulldogs can get five more outs before the Eagles score five runs, The Citadel wins the SoCon regular-season title and top seed for the conference tournament in Charleston.
... Charleston Southern's meager chances for making the Big South Conference Tournament ended with Friday's 10-8 loss to High Point in 13 innings. The Buccaneers were unable to protect a 7-2 lead after eight innings. Brantley Meier did become the Buccaneers' single-season hit leader with 82 when he went 2-for-5 on Friday.
... Winthrop got a nice win over Big South runner-up Liberty, scoring nine runs in the sixth inning en route to an 11-2 victory. Another win today could let the Eagles slip past VMI into fifth place in the standings, as they beat the Keydets two out of three head-to-head.
And, outside the state...
... Merchants in the Hoover, Ala., are breathing a sigh of relief. Alabama and LSU entered the weekend in danger of not making the SEC Tournament, but both wrapped up berths with victories Friday night, denying bids by Kentucky and Tennessee to qualify. No other schools come close to having the drawing power of Alabama and LSU at Hoover, although Auburn fans likely will turn out in good numbers for its first tournament appearance in several years.
... Greensboro merchants are hoping for similar good fortune. A North Carolina win over Virginia Tech and a Boston College loss to Georgia Tech today earns an ACC Tournament berth for the Tar Heels.
... East Carolina, which won two of three against South Carolina earlier this season, could miss the Conference USA Tournament with a third straight loss to Houston on Saturday.
... Are you, too, shocked that Kentucky has dropped the first two games to Georgia -- including 20-0 Friday night -- after going 5-1 in its previous six SEC games against South Carolina and LSU?
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