Stanford starter Greg Reynolds is the big draw in this opening game. Reynolds, a 6'7" 225-pound right-hander, is projected by Baseball America to be the #5 pick in the upcoming draft. I walked by him in the bullpen a few minutes ago, and he looks more like a power forward than a pitcher, but he possesses a mid-90's fastball and the second-best "command" among draft-eligible college pitchers.

Reynolds’ first big college performance came last year in the Waco Regional. Reynolds had been an occasional midweek starter, but Stanford had burned through its pitching staff coming through the loser's bracket, and Reynolds took the mound in the regional championship game knowing there would be little help available out of the bullpen. The Cardinal lost 4-3 in extra innings, but Reynolds bravely pitched 11 innings, striking out 10.

Reynolds started fairly slowly this season. He had a 3-3 record with a 4.00 ERA in late April when things clicked during an incredible 3-game streak. He shut down Arizona State on April 28th, throwing a complete game 3-hitter with 8 K's in a 7-1 win. He faced off against Cal's future 1st-rounder Brandon Morrow the next week and came away with a complete-game 3-2 victory. His biggest performance came on 5/12 at Washington when he dueled potential #1 overall pick Tim Linecum. Stanford upset the Huskies 5-0, as Reynolds threw another complete game and struck out nine, including four in the ninth inning!

Reynolds will be tested today by one of the best offenses in the NCAA. NC State’s lineup bats .335 and averages 8.8 runs per game this season. Gib Hobson is the starting pitcher for the Wolfpack. Hobson began the season as the Friday night starter, but struggled so badly in starts 5 through 7 that he was moved to the bullpen. He found himself there, and is 5-0 with a 2.98 ERA in his last nine appearances, including a complete-game 9-3 win against UNC’s Andrew Miller. Should be one of the better games in the nation today.

The game-time temp was 82 degrees with 66% humidity. There’s very little breeze or cloud cover, and it looks like we’ll be rain-free for the first time all week. In fact, it’s so bright here that I can barely read the screen on my laptop. At least that’s what I’m going to blame the typos on…