Brendan Smith

March Madness has begun, but with all the attention focused on college basketball, now is not the time to forget about college baseball. Conference play begins shortly, and before we all know it, it will be tournament time.

Standout Hitting Performance of the Week: Drew Mount, OF, Kansas State

Drew Mount, a junior at Kansas State and first-year transfer from De Anza College, turned in one of the best weeks in recent memory. In four games, Mount went 6-15, scoring 6 runs, hitting 3 home runs and driving in 13 runs. It is not just the numbers that earn Mount this honor, it’s how he earned those numbers. In Friday’s showdown with Mercer, Mount hit two grand slams, and drove in eight, leading the Wildcats to a victory in that game, and eventually a series victory. On the season, Mount has slashed .315/.449/.870, with an impressive 7 home runs, 29 RBI and 12 stolen bases. Another interesting note, Mount spent the 2014 season as a redshirt on the San Jose State football team.

Standout Pitching Performance of the Week: Casey Mize, RHP, Auburn

As he has been all season, Casey Mize was again dominant Friday against Northeastern. This time, he took that dominance to a different level, no-hitting the Huskies in a 6-0 victory. Mize needed just 105 pitches en route to no hits, no walks and 13 strikeouts, with just one error standing between Mize and a perfect game. On the season, Mize has accumulated a 2.13 ERA, with a perfect 4-0 record and a 38:3 K:BB ratio in 25.1 innings. Last season, Mize was named a Second Team All-American by ABCA/Rawlings and a Third Team All-American by both Baseball America and Perfect Game. Now, Mize seems primed to hear his name called early in June, owner of a mid-90s mph fastball, and plus-plus breaking stuff. Do not be surprised if Mize’s name is frequent in this weekly column.

Team of the Week: UCF Knights

Owners of the nation’s longest winning streak at 12 games (at time of publication), the UCF Knights are this week’s team of the week after going 5-0 and knocking off former #1 Florida twice. On the weekend, UCF knocked off Siena three times, including two shutouts. The Knights outscored their opponents 25-17, and currently have a record of 13-3. Currently ranked as high as 19th in the nation by Baseball America, the Knights also lead all of Division 1 in stolen bases. Led by sophomore infielder Rylan Thomas at the plate (.386/.457/.614, 4 HR, 20 RBI), and sophomore lefty Joe Sheridan (2-0, 0.48 ERA in 18.2 innings), the Knights are set to continue their torrid pace.

Bonus: My Favorite Video of the Week

Sometimes, even the professionals can’t keep up. When Washington State turned a triple play on Sunday, the cameraman was too slow to capture the final out of the sequence, but we can still enjoy the beginning part of a spectacular play.