Who's hot; who's not, March 14

Sizzlin'

* Clemson (3-1 last week, 14-1 overall) - I mean, who thought the Tigers were going to go unbeaten all year?  A baseball season is a marathon, not a sprint, and about one-quarter of the way through the schedule the Tigers are running smoothly. The Tigers got past a midweek challenge from Michigan State, then won a series over a Northeastern team with a series sweep of N.C. State under its belt. Cooper Ingle (.429), Max Wagner (.405) and Tyler Corbitt (.365) have been offensive pacesetters. Caden Grice (2-for-12) and Bryar Hawkins (1-for-13) were largely quiet over the weekend. A 2.52 staff ERA and 9+ strikeouts per nine innings are good signs as ACC play begins this weekend against Miami.

* Coastal Carolina (3-1, 10-6) - The Chanticleers restored some pride for the Palmetto State, winning two of three against an Xavier team that had beaten USC Upstate, South Carolina and Winthrop in the previous week. That was on the heels of a midweek win against previously unbeaten Wake Forest. Coastal hit .194 last week, but a 4.03 staff ERA helped compensate. Dale Thomas hit .333 with a pair of homers against the Musketeers and Matt McDermott was .357 for the week. Wofford transfer Elliot Carney, who had no decisions in three starts, got his first win on Sunday, striking out 10 in 3 1/3 innings in relief. After a midweek visit to N.C. State, the Chants open Sun Belt Conference play against Louisiana Monroe.

* Erskine (3-1, 13-11) - The Flying Fleet have had the misfortune of playing four of the top five teams in the Conference Carolinas standings to open league play, They finally got their first CC series win last weekend.  Johnny Hummel has been money as the closer. He has six saves and has struck out 26 in 15 2/3 innings. He has allowed four hits and walked five with an ERA of 0.00. Allan Saathoff (3-3, 2.73) and Caleb Dix (1-0, 2.93)  have been dependable starters. Saathoff has struck out 45 in 33 innings and opponents are hitting .185. Dix (.196 opponents' BA) isn't far off that pace, although he has fewer innings pitched. Cal Bocchino (.305, 28 RBI) is 17-for-17 in stolen bases. Newcomer Francis Marion is the next conference series.

* Florence-Darlington Tech (6-0, 21-7) - The Stingers are riding a 12-game winning streak and are off to a 4-0 start in NJCAA Region 10. D.J. Sullivan (.390) was 7-for-10 with nine runs scored in the weekend series with USC Salkehatchie. The pitching staff is striking out almost 10  batters per nine innings. Nathan Williams (3-1, 3.95) has struck out 45 in 27 1/3 innings. Landon Gaddis (2-0, 2.81, 5 saves) has struck out 28 in 16. Region play continues at Louisburg this weekend.

* Francis Marion (3-0, 13-8) - A nonconference sweep of neighboring Coker has given the Patriots four wins in their last five and six in their last eight. FMU is batting .400 over its last five games, raising the team batting average to .319. Todd Mattox (.373), Will Hardee (.361),  Leniel Gonzalez (.359), Naphis Llanos (.358) and Darius Nobles (8 of FMU's 18 homers) been the ringleaders, helping compensate for a 5.15 staff ERA. The Patriots return to Conference Carolinas play with Erskine on the weekend. 

* Newberry (4-0, 22-3) - The Wolves got an unexpected bonus last week when the South Atlantic Conference series at Virginia Wise was moved to the Smith Road Complex. Serving as the visiting team (batting first) didn't faze coach Russell Triplett's squad, which outscored UVA Wise 37-7 in the three-game sweep to move its winning streak to eight games. Newberry is batting .330 as a team and is scoring almost 10 runs per game. Braylin Marine (.430) has driven in 40 runs in 25 games. Opposing catchers are getting a lot of arm work: Newberry has stolen 111 bases. Joe LaFiora (4-1, 2.61) has struck out 37 in 31 innings. The Wolves risk their 6-0 conference mark against Tusculum (2-7) on the weekend.

* North Greenville (3-1, 18-5) -  Pitching was the foundation of the Crusaders' series win over Belmont Abbey. The three-game staff ERA was 1.44, with 22 strikeouts while allowing four walks and 15 hits in 26 innings. Jax Cash struck out seven in five hitless innings. He also leads the team with a .439 batting average. Mark Chlup (.425) continues to be productive. A  visit to a struggling Southern Wesleyan program gives NGU an opening to to build on its 9-3 Conference Carolina record.

* Spartanburg Methodist (6-2. 11-10) - A busy week helped the Pioneers get above .500 for the first time since mid-February. The surge is coming at a good time, as SMC took three of four from USC Union to open NJCAA Region 10 play. Rhogue Wallace drove in seven runs in the series opener. On Sunday, Davis Campbell delivered a walk-off win with a two-run double in Game 1, then the Pioneers withstood a seventh-inning threat from the Bantam to hold on for the series win. The staff ERA is 5.02, but starters Graham Edwards  (4-1, 2.73) and Myles Daniels (3-1, 2.78) have been sharp. Both are striking out more than 11 batters per nine innings. In face, the SMC staff has an 11.11 K-per-9 ratio. Up next in the region is USC Salkehatchie, which is coached by former Pioneers assistant Jeremy Joye. 

* USC Sumter (1-0, 14-6) - The Fire Ants had a light week, having the Region 10 bye and getting one of two scheduled games rained out. Coach Tim Medlin's team leads the region with a .338 batting average, with seven regulars hitting .333 or higher. Xavier Cumbee (.379) has a six-game hitting streak. Tyler Martin (5-0, 1 save, 2.28 ERA) has struck out 31 in 32 2/3 innings. Jeremiah Locklear (2-1, 1 save, 1.92) has a team-high 11 appearances, with 26 strikeouts in 17 2/3 innings. Region play begins with a visit to USC Union.

* USC Upstate (3-1, 10-5) - The Spartans flirted with a perfect game, then a no-hitter in a midweek win over The Citadel, then took care of business against former Atlantic Sun rival Northern Kentucky.  The team batting average is at .306, led by Noah Rabon's .421 mark. He has hit safely in every game this season. Devin Buckner (.382) and Noah Sullivan (.371) have provided support. They open Big South Conference play with Presbyterian.

* Wofford (3-1, 9-7) - The middle-to-late innings were good to the Terriers last week after Georgia State pushed across a pair of ninth-inning runs on Tuesday to take a 4-1 win. A day later, Kennesaw State  scored six runs in the fifth inning to go up 6-1. But coach Todd Interdonato's team responded with a seven-run sixth and held on for an 8-6 win. A four-run sixth led to series-opening win over Lafayatte, and a five-run seventh in Sunday pushed the winning streak to three. Brennen Dorighi (.362) is hitting .562 during a five-game hitting streak and hit his first home run of the season on Sunday. Matthew Marchal has struck out 26 batters in his last 15 innings. Dalton Rhadans hasn't allowed a run in five appearances covering 8 2/3 innings. With SoCon play still weeks away, the Terriers visit Belmont on the weekend.

Simmerin'

* South Carolina (2-2 last week, 9-6 overall)  - It would be hard to put the Gamecocks in the Sizzlin' category after a 2-2 week (with its losing streak reaching five games), so I've created - at least temporarily - this almost-hot category. A forgettable midweek performance Xavier was followed by a competitive effort in a series-opening loss to No. 1 Texas on Saturday. Then came Sunday. Will Sanders delivered another solid start in Game 1 and freshman Matthew Becker provided a big boost to the staff by striking out 11 in six innings as the Gamecock went on to win the nightcap in a twinbill sweep. It was just one start, but Becker's outing provided hope to Carolina fans that the weekend rotation isn't beyond recovery. Missouri transfer  Brandt Belk moved into the leadoff spot and prospered. He went 7-for-15 with three doubles, a a homer, seven runs and three RBI. With freshman Michael Braswell (.415, 15-game hitting streak) and Braylin Wimmer (.387, 9-for-15 last week) following in the lineup, that sets the table for the middle of the lineup. USC was less reliant on the long ball against Texas (4 extra-base hits, 27 singles), but hit .344. Braswell remains lights out as the closer. Looming is another Top 5 challenge, the SEC series opener at Tennessee.

Shiverin'

* Benedict (0-3 last week, 2-16 overall) - The Tigers gave up 62 runs in a three-game trip to the Mobile Bay area of Alabama. Box scores I saw indicated leading hitter Bradon O'Connor (.471, 36 steals) didn't play in the series at Spring Hill. SIAC play begins with a series against Kentucky State. Sunday's game is scheduled to be played at SRP Park in North Augusta as part of an HBCU doubleheader.

* Charleston Southern (0-5, 8-10) - The Buccaneers have been streaky - 4 losses; 8 wins, 6 losses (It hit seven with Monday's loss, but that's for next week.) Pitching and defense have been the culprits recently. Opponents hit .292 last week and drew 28 walks. In addition, the Buccaneers committed 19 errors. Tyrell Brewer (.413) was 7-for-15 last week. Big South Conference begins Friday with a visit from Radford.

* Claflin (0-3, 1-8) - The Panthers have lost eight straight since a season-opening win over Voorhees and fell to 0-6 in Peach Belt Conference play with a sweep at Georgia Southwestern. Claflin has been outscored 96-15 in league play.  Steve Joyner (.562) has hit safely in every game and was 6-for-10 over the weekend. A Peach Belt home series with Lander is coming up.

* Coker (1-3, 7-17) - The Cobras got a nice extra-innings win over a good Belmont Abbey team in midweek, but followed that by being swept by Francis Marion and have lost six of their last seven. AS he has been much of the season, Phill Griffor (.416) was the offensive bright spot against FMU, going 9-for-14. A minor positive: Cobras pitchers gave up 26 homers in the first 21 games, but didn't allow one over the weekend.

* Lander (0-4, 9-12) - The Bearcats have been outscored 52-25 during their five-game losing streak. Only the middle game of the PBC series at Georgia College was close, with the Bobcats scoring four runs in the bottom of the ninth for an 8-7 walk-off win. Lander had a .222 team batting average last week while pitchers were touched up for a 10.38 ERA. The offense missed Vincent DeRubeis (.354), who has a 15-game hitting but did not play against Georgia College. A visit to Claflin is next on the PBC docket.

* Limestone (0-4, 3-23) - The current 10-game losing streak is the second one of the season for the Saints. A frustrating part of the past week was two of the losses were by one run when the opponent scored in its final at- bat. Brandon Billesberger (.325) has an eight-game hitting streak. The next SAC series is against Catawba.

* Morris (0-0, 0-7) - The Hornets haven't played since March 5 (as best and I can tell) and I don't have another game for them until March 21.

* Presbyterian (1-3, 8-8) - Despite hitting  .292 in a weekend series at Georgia State, the Blue Hose could win only one of three. Allowing 54 hits and an 11.65 ERA in four games last week explain a 1-3 week overall. Jay Wetherington (.409) had two hits in each game last week. Eric Toth (.361) had six hits at GSU. Duncan Howard (2-1, 1.61) struck out seven in six innings in PC's win, allowing one run, before the game turned into a slugfest. Big South Conference play begins with USC Upstate.

* Southern Wesleyan (0-2, 4-16) - Weather disrupted a weekend series at Emmanuel, but couldn't stop the Warriors' losing streak from reaching seven games. Will Pitts (.319) is on a four-game hitting streak and hit his first homer of the season last week. After Monday's series finale at Emmanuel, the Warriors' next Conference Carolinas action is against North Greenville.

* USC Salkehatchie (0-4, 3-20) - A four-game sweep at the hands of Florence-Darlington Tech to opener NJCAA Region 10 play means the Indians' only wins over their last 15 games were a pair of one-run wins over a JV squad from NCAA Division III St. Elizabeth's.  After being shut out in three of their first five games, Saturday's Game 1 whitewash was the first one since. Spartanburg Methodist is the next region opponent.

* Winthrop (1-3, 4-11) - A rally from a 10-4 deficit after 7 1/2 innings produced a walk-off win for the Eagles in Game 1 against Penn for the only victory of the week. Tyler Jones was a tough-luck loser in the series finale, allowing one run in 4 1/3 innings in a 2-1 loss. Jack Spyke (.375) extended his winning streak to eight games. Big South Conference play doesn't begin until March 24

So-so

* Anderson (1-1 last week, 14-5 overall) - A late rally in  Sunday's Game 2 forced extra innings and kept the Trojans' hopes for a sweep of Catawba alive until the Indians got a three-run homer in the eighth.  Carlos Hernandez (.300) homered in each game on Sunday and leads the team with 23 RBI. He has an 11-game hitting streak. After the end of the Catawba series on Monday, the next South Atlantic Conference action is against a powerhouse Lenoir-Rhyne team.

* Bob Jones (1-1, 2-11) - The Bruins used some fifth-inning dramatics in Game 2 against Covenant on Friday to double their season win total. Riley Ramsey had a three-run inside-the-park homer and Daniel Barcena added a two-run single later in the frame. BJU had some of its best pitching of the season. The four runs allowed in each game were tied for second-fewest given up in a game this season. An independent, the Bruins play two at St. Andrews on Tuesday.

* College of Charleston (2-3, 9-7) - A pair of midweek losses to Penn (pushing the losing streak to five games) was followed by a series win over UMass Lowell. Cougars batters had 13 hits in both victories. Pitchers struck out 50 in five games. J.T. Marr (.419) hit .455 last week and Trotter Harlan (.340) has a six-game hitting streak. Connor Campbell struck out eight in six innings on Sunday in the 9-1 win. Colonial Athletic Association play doesn't begin until March 25, but powerful East Carolina comes to Patriots Point this weekend.

* Columbia International (3-2, 10-19) - A 15-4 win in the series final allowed the Rams to end an 11-game losing streak to begin Appalachian Athletic Conference play. Ward Hacklen (.370) leads the team in average, but he sat out the final two games at Union. Joshua Hernandez (.312) hit his team-leading fifth homer last week. The next AAC action is against Bluefield College.

* The Citadel (2-2, 10-5) - The Bulldogs almost got no-hit in a midweek loss to USC Upstate, then were held to five hits in the opener with Siena. Things went much better in the final two games, when the Bulldogs put up 28 runs. The 13 runs in the series finale came on just five hits, although Siena pitchers contributed 14 walks and five hit batsmen. Noah Mitchell had nine RBI in two starts last week. With Southern Conference play not starting until April, the Bulldogs have a series with St. Peter's over the weekend.

* USC Aiken (1-3, 9-12) - A Peach Belt series loss to Columbus State is nothing to sneeze at, and the Pacers did hand the Cougars their first conference series loss. That came thanks to Joel Haney's second shutout of the season. He allowed one hit and struck out 12 as he improved his record to 4-1 and lowered his ERA to 0.69. Opponents are "hitting" .154 against him. Sean McQuillan (.382) failed to get a hit (he scored two runs and didn't have an at-bat) in the series finale after having hit in his previous seven games. Jeff Cyr (.354) has hit safely in 11 of 12 games. The next conference action is against Georgia College.

* USC Beaufort (3-2, 12-15) - It was a bye week from Sun Conference play for the Sand Sharks, and they had their most successful week so far this year. Leandy Castro (.386) hit .444 last week and is on a seven-game hitting streak. League play returns with a home series against Florida Memorial. 

* USC Lancaster (1-1, 7-10) - The Lancers got rained out of their scheduled Region 10 doubleheader at Louisburg and got shut out in Game 1 on Sunday. But they made sure they wouldn't come home empty-handed. striking early in a 7-3 win in the nightcap. The stats on the region Website are incomplete, making it tough to give accurate numbers. Lancaster takes a break from region play this weekend.

* USC Union (1-3, 11-7) - The Bantams were close to a really nice weekend to start region play. They bounced back from a series-opening loss on Saturday with a 10-4 win (no earned runs allowed) to even the series with Spartanburg Methodist  going into Sunday. They led into the bottom of the seventh in the opener before the host Pioneers got a walk-off double. Then, Union scored twice in the seventh of the nightcap before falling a run short. Trent Turner (.408) lead the team in hitting, while Burton Hahn is tops in homers (4) and RBI (21). After a just-added home doubleheader with the Montreat JV on Tuesday, the Bantams resume region play with USC Sumter.

* Voorhees (0-0, 4-9) - The Tigers have been sitting on a two-game winning streak for a couple of weeks. They're scheduled to play Columbia International on Tuesday.