College Baseball Opening Weekend: 5 Series To Watch

College baseball is back in a big way, with multiple ranked matchups this weekend. Which series should you be watching on opening weekend?

© Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Multiple ranked matchups open the 2022 college baseball season. Many of the nation's top teams begin their seasons with difficult matchups and star-studded tournaments. Which five series should you watch this weekend?

#7 Oklahoma State vs. #3 Vanderbilt

Oklahoma State ace Justin Campbell received preseason All American honors :: © BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN via Imagn Content Services, LLC

This is the unquestioned premiere series of the opening weekend. Top-seven Oklahoma State travels to Nashville to take on powerhouse Vanderbilt. The College World Series runners up return All American pitcher Nick Maldonado and three all-SEC selections. The Pokes counter with their own All American pitcher, Justin Campbell and three all-Big 12 honorees.

Expect Sunday to bring the house down, where both teams may exercise their aces. The weather in Nashville will be sunny and in the mid-60s, so expect Hawkins Field to be jumping. Is this a matchup we could see again in June? Absolutely.

#24 Long Beach State vs. #4 Mississippi State

Bulldogs star closer Landon Sims celebrates after recording the last out of the 2021 College World Series. Mississippi State won their first-ever national championship in a team sport / © Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

The defending champions wasted no time scheduling a ranked matchup in Long Beach State. Decorated pitcher Landon Sims for Mississippi State added preseason All-American to his accolades. He's joined by catcher Logan Tanner, who was named a first team All-SEC selection this preseason.

The Long Beach State Dirtbags– aside from having one of the greatest team names in the nation, yes it's real– are the favorites to win a stacked Big West Conference. Devereaux Harrison should be this team's anchor out of the bullpen this year after posting a team-best 1.57 ERA last season. He was named the conference's Freshman Pitcher of the Year in 2021.

#6 Stanford vs. Cal State Fullerton

OF Brock Jones hits a two-run double against Arizona in the 2021 College World Series / © Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

Slugger Brock Jones returns to Stanford as a preseason All-American. He hit 18 home runs in 2021 and helped Stanford reach the College World Series for the first time since 2008. While they were bested in the opening game by semifinalist NC State, Stanford returns a ton of production.

Cal State Fullerton, while sitting outside the preseason rankings, is a premiere program expected to challenge Long Beach State for the Big West. They're a pitching factory, oftentimes being one of the better defenses nationally. Stanford also fields a tough defense, holding potent offenses like Texas Tech and Arizona with little to work with in last year's NCAA Tournament.

#20 UC Irvine vs. Louisiana

Freshman Finnegan Wall throws a pitch against UCLA in UC Irving's fall season / UCI Baseball

The UCI Anteaters (also a real name) are ranked as highly as 14th according to some sources, their highest program ranking since 2015. Senior pitcher Michael Frias posted a 9-2 record with a 3.36 ERA a season ago and was named to Collegiate Baseball's second team preseason All-American. Rising RS sophomore Nathan Church was also honored as a preseason All American after leading the nation with eight triples last year.

Louisiana has won regionals as recently as 2014 and 2015, but have just one College World Series appearance in 2000. They finished with 32 wins last year in a brutal Sun Belt Conference. Pitching and defense wasn't an issue, finishing sixth in ERA. The bats, however, fell silent as the Ragin' Cajuns hit a collective .266, 152nd nationally.

College Baseball Showdown

Texas Tech vs. Ole Miss in the 2021 College Baseball Showdown in Arlington, TX / Brett Gibbons, Road to CFB

This isn't a series, but a tournament, and a tournament that demands eyes on it. This year features Auburn, Oklahoma, #15 Arizona, Kansas State, Michigan, and #14 Texas Tech. While it's not the same top-10 showcase that last year was, Globe Life Field is promising this to be an annual premiere tournament.

Michigan and Texas Tech highlight the Friday slate while Arizona and Texas Tech save their top-15 battle for Sunday. The Red Raiders are the only returning team from a season ago, where they went 0-3.

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