It’s now March Madness time in roundball, which means it’s the time of year where we are used to seeing heartbreak and disappointment. So what better time to bring in CollegeBaseballToday’s inaugural Ouch List. It’s something I did every Sunday night in the CSTV days, and always to great anticipation might I add. So I hope you dig it.

No matter what sport it is, Duke gives UNC the heeby-jeebies. Especially this weekend on the diamond.

So here is how the painful road begins for the Ouch List lineage for 2009. And we might as well start at the top with Duke’s stunning series win over North Carolina.

- No. 1 North Carolina
Today: Lost 10-9 at home to Duke
Weekend: Lost two of three, W8-5, L5-4, L10-9.
Why It Hurts: I don’t think anyone saw this one coming. Even with Duke playing pretty well at Miami last weekend (going 1-2, but out-scoring the Canes 12-11), who could’ve picked the Blue Devils against the national power that sits just eight miles away from campus? Today, the Dookies scored seven 2nd-inning runs and then Alex Hassan came on for his 5th save by holding UNC scoreless in the 9th after they had closed the gap.

- No. 2 Texas
Today: Lost at Kansas 4-3
Weekend: Was swept at KU, L5-4, L4-3, L4-3.
Why It Hurts: The light-hitting Longhorns need to do something. Pitching is important, even vital, the key for national championships. But guys have to hit. It’s a requirement people. UT made the Jayhawks look like the Braves pitching staff of the mid-90s, holding the Longhorns to 10 runs and just five multi-base hits. Give some credit to Kevin Keyes who hit the only two homers for the burnt orange this weekend.

- No. 24 Fresno State.
Today: Lost at LMU 11-7.
Weekend: Swept in four games, L8–7, L7-6, L7-3, L11-7
Why It Hurts: Fresno now drops to 10-9 on the season with the stunning sweep in Westchester. Sure, we shouldn’t freak out since this team began last year’s national title run at 8-12. But seeing the Bulldogs throw the ball around aimlessly today (three errors and the game-winning run was scored on an errant pick off throw and a wild pitch), it gives me more cause for concern.

The Dogs looked all out of sorts when I saw them at LMU today, suffering their fourth straight loss to the Lions.

- No. 9 Rice.
Today: Lost at Southern Miss 5-4.
Weekend: Went 2-1 in Hattieburg.
Why It Hurts: The Eagles scored three runs in the bottom of the 9th to pull out today’s W on a Joey Archer jog-off RBI single. Sure the Owls went 2-1, but what puts them on the ouch list is, if you compare scores, they came up well short of how impressive Cal State Fullerton looked in Hattiesburg two weeks ago. In this beauty pageant world, that just slightly raises an eyebrow here, that’s all.

- South Carolina.
Today: Lost to LSU, 11-3.
Weekend: Lost two of three, W7-3, L10-3, L11-3.
Why It Hurts: Coming into the season the Gamecock pitching staff had been touted for its depth, but it ran out of quality arms here against the heavy hitting Tigers. The Bayou Bashers racked up 21 runs, 23 hits and six home runs in the final two games.

Ryan Schimpf blasted a two-run home run to cement the win over the Cocks today.

- Florida Atlantic
Today: lost at Middle Tennessee 14-6
Weekend: was swept in three games, L7-2, L5-4, L14-6
Why It Hurts: FAU came into this weekend looking to prove its 13-3 mark was legit. After two fairly close games, today got downright ugly, with the Raiders smacking seven doubles and four dingers, turning the Blue Wave arms into minced-meat.

- Arizona
Today: lost at Arizona State 23-7
Weekend: swept in three.
Why It Hurts: Just when I thought this team was starting to turn things around… I mean, they looked pretty stout against a good Michigan team last week. But losing three to their rebuilding in-state rivals? Ouch man.

- Kansas State
Today: Lost 29-4 vs. Oklahoma
Weekend: Lost two of three, W9-1, L12-11, L29-4
Why It Hurts: Beyond the great 8-inning pitching performance of A.J. Morris on Friday, KSU gave up 44 hits and 15 home runs. Their 18-3 start now begins to look a little suspicious.

- No. 11 Coastal Carolina.
Today: Lost 7-2 at Winthrop
Weekend: Lost two of three to the Eagles. Also got shut out by College of Charleston in the mid-week.
Why It Hurts: In order to host another regional, the one thing Coastal needs to do is dominate the Big South and it didn’t happen here. Get this, this is the first in-conference series loss for the Chanticleers since mid-April of 2006.

- Charlotte
Today: Lost at home to Fordham 8-5.
Weekend: Lost two of three, L13-1, W12-3, L8-5 at home to the Rams.
Why It Hurts: Speaking of teams that have dominated their conference, that’s the 49ers. That’s what makes this conference opening series loss to a snowbelt team that came in with just four wins so hard to believe. Charlotte drops to 12-6. Fordham is now 6-12.

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THE REASON SUNDAY BASEBALL GAMES SHOULD NOT BE TELEVISED.
If a pro sports fan is channel surfing and sees this, he’s not going to think very highly of college baseball:

The score and the expressions pretty much say it all.

On another note, can’t the networks agree to televise Friday college baseball games instead? Particularly those with Ryan Berry and Stephen Strasburg in them?

Here are a few particulars about today’s game:
- The 1st inning took 55 minutes to complete.
- OU sent 17 hitters to the plate in the 1st.
- The wind was gusting up to 35mph out to left field.
- Oklahoma batted around twice in the first five innings.
- The Sooners parked 11 homers on the day, easily a school record.
- The 11 home runs also tied a Big 12 record.
- Casey Johnson hit two home runs in the 5th inning.
- J.T. Wise drove in seven runs and scored four himself.
- 29 runs is the most runs in a game since 1986 for the Sooners.
- The Sooners have hit 40 home runs already this season after hitting 54 in 63 games last season.
- Jamie Johnson hit his fourth lead off home run for OU.

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Mike Martin, when asked about the disappointment of Saturday’s tough loss to Clemson:
“I’m sure there are a number of basketball coaches across the country that are dealing with a lot of disappointment today after losing a game. They’ll have to deal with that for seven months now. We were very disappointed with our loss yesterday, but in baseball you get to come right back and play the next day.”

Mike McGee had such a good game none of his teammates threw a pie in his face during this post-game interview.

Florida State came back today to win 7-4 over Clemson and take the series two games to one. Mike McGee had a field day, going 3-for-5 with two home runs, including the jog-off winner in the bottom of the 9th. Oh, and he also started on the mound and went 6.0 innings, giving up six hits and three runs, but did not figure in the decision.

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We’ll do the Teams of the Week thing tomorrow night. So, until then…

G’night