Rintaro Sasaki certainly made a significant impact during his long-anticipated debut at Stanford University.
The powerful first baseman recorded an impressive 6 hits out of 14 at-bats, including two doubles and a remarkable eight runs batted in (RBIs) over three victorious games against Cal State Fullerton.
Sasaki previously set a Japanese high school record with 140 career home runs while playing for Hanamaki Higashi High, a school notably linked to baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani and where his father, Hiroshi, serves as the head coach.
Choosing to forgo the Nippon Professional Baseball draft — where he was speculated to be the top pick — Sasaki committed to playing college baseball in the United States. He deliberated between schools like Vanderbilt, California, and UCLA before ultimately deciding on Stanford. He started his college journey last March to familiarize himself with the environment, improve his English, and train with the team.
Measuring 6 feet and weighing 275 pounds, Sasaki was named Baseball America’s preseason freshman of the year and held the No. 3 spot in the batting lineup for the first three games. His performance included going 2 for 5 with four RBIs in the opener, 1 for 4 with a double and an RBI in the second match, and a robust 3 for 5 with a double and three RBIs in the final game.

In the latest rankings, Texas A&M (3-0), Virginia (2-1), and LSU (3-0) have claimed the top three positions in the D1Baseball.com poll.
The Aggies are also leading the Baseball America rankings, followed closely by LSU and Tennessee (3-0). According to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, Texas A&M, Tennessee, and LSU are regarded as the top three teams.

The defending national champions, Tennessee, showcased their dominance by overwhelming Hofstra with a staggering score of 46-2 in a three-game sweep at home.
Last season, Tennessee hit 184 home runs, the second-highest in Division I history, and continued their power display with seven home runs in this series, featuring grand slams from both Reese Chapman and Hunter Ensley.
Meanwhile, Hofstra, placed ninth in the 12-team Colonial Athletic Association, struggled to find momentum, managing only seven hits across the three games.

In a noteworthy achievement, the Cincinnati Bearcats secured their first series win against a ranked opponent in six years by defeating Duke in two out of three games, with Duke having previously ranked as high as No. 10.
Cincinnati triumphed with scores of 8-3, suffered a close 6-5 loss in 12 innings, and capped off the series with a commanding 19-5 victory. Their last series win against a ranked team occurred in April 2019, when they won two of three at UConn.

In an unprecedented inning, Indiana State, the two-time regular season champions of the Missouri Valley, scored 20 runs during the third inning of their 36-6 rout against Wagner from the Northeast Conference in Gastonia, North Carolina.
The Sycamores managed to have a remarkable sequence of 21 consecutive batters reaching base, ensuring that each of the nine players in the lineup achieved a hit, scored a run, or contributed with an RBI during the inning.
According to NCAA records, the 20 runs scored in that inning noted a new high for any Division I team’s third inning performance, although several teams have collectively scored 21 runs in a single inning historically.

Turning to pitching highlights, Connor Marshburn from UNCW made an exceptional debut, throwing six no-hit innings while leading the Seahawks to a 6-2 victory over a top-ranked Georgia team on Sunday.
Ethan Kleinschmidt also made an impressive mark by pitching six innings in his first outing for Oregon State, contributing to a combined one-hitter in a 6-0 win over Indiana.
The Hoosiers, who were anticipated to contend strongly in the Big Ten, had a disappointing opening weekend, going winless at 0-3 and only managing a total of eight runs and 18 hits against UNLV, Xavier, and the Beavers.
Freshman Noah Franco shone brightly for TCU, hitting two home runs in a nine-run fourth inning as the team dominated San Diego 13-5.
Moreover, Texas emerged victorious in the Shriners Children’s College Showdown held in Arlington, Texas, pushing past Oklahoma State with an eight-run fifth inning to finish 14-8 on Sunday.
The tournament saw four teams winning two games each, but the Longhorns distinguished themselves with a tournament-best plus-15 run differential, ultimately claiming the title.