Saturday's slate of college baseball delivered dominant pitching performances, explosive offensive showcases, and key statement wins from teams across the country. Cam Cannarella sparked Clemson’s offense with a three-hit, three-RBI performance, while Alex Lodise continued his scorching start, racking up six hits and three extra-base knocks across a doubleheader. On the mound, Marcus Phillips was lights out, tossing seven scoreless innings with seven strikeouts, while Collin Clarke kept his strong season rolling with a dominant seven-inning effort, allowing just one unearned run with eight punchouts. Meanwhile, James Taussig put together a career night, blasting three home runs and driving in six, while Keegan Knutson showcased his power with a two-homer, four-RBI performance. With standout players making their mark and teams beginning to separate themselves, this weekend continued to shape the early-season landscape in college baseball.

Below are the top performers from Saturday's games!

Atlantic Coast Conference

Covered by Monty Taylor

Cam Cannarella, CF, Clemson – 4 AB, 3 R, 3 H, 3 RBI, BB

Clemson star Cam Cannarella finally appears to be heating up after a 3-for-4 day on Saturday against Notre Dame. He didn’t have an extra base hit, but he did produce three straight RBI singles over the first three innings as the Tigers opened up a 10-4 lead on the Irish. Clemson would hold on to win, 11-7 and improve to 19-1 on the year. They continue to log win after win despite a slow start to the year for Cannarella. The junior center fielder is slashing just .292/.434/.431 on the year and just hit his first home run earlier this week, but a multi-hit day with three RBIs could be an indication the future first round draft pick is about to get hot. 

Alex Lodise, SS, Florida State – 9 AB, 1 R, 6 H, 3 RBI, 2 2B, 3B, 3 K

Not enough people are talking about Alex Lodise (or his cousin Kyle at Georgia Tech) on the national level, but the junior shortstop has been Florida State’s best hitter to start the year. The Seminoles swept both ends of a doubleheader against Boston College on Saturday as Lodise went 6-for-9 over the two games with three extra base hits. He leads Florida State with a .456 average and eight doubles. The triple Saturday was his first of the year and he also has five home runs while playing spectacular defense at short. 

Drew Burress, CF, Georgia Tech – 5 AB, 2 R, 3 H, RBI, 2B, SB

Like Cannarella, Burress looks like he’s starting to heat up as the Yellow Jackets clinched their second straight ACC weekend series on Saturday against Pittsburgh. The sophomore center fielder checked in with a double, a homer, and four RBI on Friday in Tech’s series opening win. He followed that up Saturday with a 3-for-5 day, which included a 106 MPH single through the left side of the infield and a 110 MPH missile that hit off the wall in left center field for a double. The reigning National Freshman of the Year is now slashing .342/.474/.753 with nine doubles, seven home runs, and a team-leading 25 RBI. Burress has been good all season but there’s going to be stretches where he’s the best player in the sport and he might just be at the beginning of one of those stretches.