It's been a pretty good weekend for the Canes, Saturday's basketball loss to Virginia Tech nonwithstanding:

• Women's track star KRISTA SIMPKINS won a national title in the 400 meters in an awesome performance at Fayetteville, Ark.
• Men's track star TIM HARRIS finished 4th in the 800 meters. Harris, a senior, is a four-time All-American and the older brother of incoming freshman and star defensive back Brandon Harris.
• The baseball team took to the road for the first time this season and won the series vs. North Carolina State. The Canes will go for the sweep today and are currently  13-1 overall, 5-0 in the ACC and ranked 5th in the nation. The Canes have won every series it has played this season.
• Power-hitting right fielder Dennis Raben, who had missed the start of the season due to a back injury, finally returned this weekend.
• Freshman pitcher Chris Hernandez, a stud so far, was moved up to the second spot in the rotation on Saturday and beat NC State, 2-1.
• The pitching staff appears to be UM's best in years. The rotation is strong through the first four spots, and the bullpen is much better than even the Canes' coaches could have dreamed. The only hole right now is the fifth starter.
• With the return of Raben, the hitting lineup is deep with 11 legit starters to fit into 9 spots.
• The men's basketball team expects to get its NCAA Tournament assignment tonight at 6 p.m. It has been six years since the Canes have made "The Big Dance", so this will be big. Just like the rest of the weekend.