D1Baseball overhauls top 25 rankings after chaotic penultimate weekend of regular season

Jonathan Wagner

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This weekend was the penultimate weekend of the regular season in college baseball, and it sure was a wild one. With many upsets, surprises, rubber games and more, D1Baseball’s top 25 rankings have been overhauled.

Heading into Sunday, nine teams were gearing up to play in a rubber game to decide their weekend series. Florida State had a doubleheader against Pitt, and they lost the first game to become the fourth team down 0-2 during Sunday’s action. Nine top 25 teams were up 2-0 in their series going into Sunday, with three teams done with their weekend.

This weekend featured four ranked matchups, and each was a big one. No. 12 Wake Forest hosted No. 2 Clemson, while No. 10 Virginia hosted No. 23 NC State. Additionally, No. 5 Arkansas hosted No. 14 Mississippi State and No. 13 South Carolina hosted No. 15 Georgia. Two of those series, Wake Forest-Clemson and South Carolina-Georgia, ended in sweeps.

There are quite a few changes in this week’s D1Baseball top 25 rankings. Outside of Tennessee at No. 1, there is a ton of movement.

1. Tennessee

watch-blake-burke-destroys-three-run-shot-in-hattiesburg-super-regional-vs-southern-miss — (Photo by Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Previous: No. 1
Weekly Record: 3-1
Overall Record: 42-10 (19-8 in SEC)

Tennessee was the new No. 1 team in D1Baseball’s top 25 last week, but there is no change this week. The Vols remain in the top spot. Their week began with a 6-3 midweek win over Queens before taking on Vanderbilt on the road over the weekend. Tennessee jumped out and took the series early, winning 8-4 and 7-6 in the first two games. In Sunday’s finale, Tennessee was shut out in a 3-0 loss, but they still come away with the series win.

2. Kentucky

UK INF Nick Lopez — Chet White | UK Athletics

Previous: No. 4 (+2)
Weekly Record: 2-1
Overall Record: 37-11 (20-7 in SEC)

Kentucky moved up in D1Baseball’s top 25 last week, and they had the opportunity to do so again this week. The Wildcats were at Florida, and won a wild series opener 12-11 in ten innings. Florida evened the series on Saturday with a 10-1 victory, though, setting up a rubber game on Sunday. There, Kentucky required extra innings again but came away with a huge 7-5 win to take the series and take sole possession of first place in the SEC.

3. Arkansas

Jun 22, 2022; Omaha, NE, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks starting pitcher Hagen Smith (33) pitches against the Ole Miss Rebels during the first inning at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

Previous: No. 5 (+2)
Weekly Record: 2-1
Overall Record: 42-10 (19-8 in SEC)

Arkansas was looking to get back on track after falling last weekend to Kentucky. This weekend was another tough matchup against No. 14 Mississippi State. The Razorbacks won the opener 7-5, but then the Bulldogs evened the series with an 8-5 victory. That set up a rubber game on Sunday, where Arkansas came back to win 9-6 and take a big series.

4. Clemson

Cam Cannarella-Clemson-UCF — (Clemsonbaseball/Twitter)

Previous: No. 2 (-2)
Weekly Record: 1-3
Overall Record: 37-13 (17-10 in ACC)

It was a tight week For Clemson. The Tigers needed a comeback to win 14-12 in their midweek contest against Charlotte, and then hit the road again for a trip to No. 12 Wake Forest over the weekend. Clemson dropped the first two games of the series 4-2 and 8-5 to lose the weekend. They were hoping to avoid the sweep on Sunday, and were unable to do so and ended up falling 13-3.

5. Texas A&M

Braden Montgomery Texas A&M — Credit: Texas A&M athletics

Previous: No. 3 (-2)
Weekly Record: 2-2
Overall Record: 42-10 (17-10 in SEC)

Texas A&M won 16-3 over Rice in a midweek game to start their week, but then struggled again over the weekend. This time at Ole Miss, the Aggies lost their second consecutive SEC series. They fell 4-3 in the opener before losing 10-2 in the second game. Looking to avoid the sweep on Sunday, Texas A&M won to avoid the sweep and salvage the final game. They have fallen for the second straight week in D1Baseball’s top 25 rankings.

6. Oregon State

Gavin Turley — © Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Previous: No. 7 (+1)
Weekly Record: 4-0
Overall Record: 39-12 (17-9 in Pac-12)

Oregon State’s week started early, winning a 20-13 game on Monday at Gonzaga. They then hosted UCLA over the weekend and played well, winning 11-0 on Friday and 12-11 on Saturday to clinch the series. The Beavers were hoping to finish off the sweep in Sunday’s finale, and they did just that with a dominating 15-1 victory.

7. North Carolina

Previous: No. 11 (+4)
Weekly Record: 4-0
Overall Record: 39-11 (20-7 in ACC)

North Carolina has hovered right at the top ten all season in D1Baseball’s top 25 rankings, and they again find themselves on the right side of it this week. The Tar Heels won a 16-10 midweek game over Campbell to start the week before a successful weekend against Louisville. UNC won 14-4 and 6-4 to clinch the series, and then 16-7 in Sunday’s finale to finish the sweep and take sole control over first place in the ACC.

8. Wake Forest

wake-forest-scratches-slugger-nick-kurtz-from-lineup-ahead-of-cws-matchup-with-lsu — (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

Previous: No. 12 (+4)
Weekly Record: 4-0
Overall Record: 36-16 (15-12 in ACC)

Wake Forest is back in the top ten in D1Baseball’s top 25 rankings after a great week. The Demon Deacons first defeated North Carolina A&T 24-7, and then took the series from No. 2 Clemson over the weekend. Wake Forest won the first two games 4-2 and 8-5 to clinch the series and was then looking for the sweep on Sunday. There, Wake Forest won 13-3 behind a strong offensive performance to earn the sweep in triumphant fashion.

9. Georgia

Georgia baseball player Charlie Condon — Cyndi Chambers / USA TODAY NETWORK

Previous: No. 15 (+6)
Weekly Record: 3-0
Overall Record: 38-12 (16-11 in SEC)

Georgia is on a rapid rise in the rankings, and they crack the top ten in this week’s D1Baseball top 25 rankings. The Bulldogs are red-hot, and just finished off a sweep at No. 13 South Carolina. Georgia picked up 14-10, 11-5 and 14-6 victories, outscoring the Gamecocks 39-21 over the weekend.

10. Florida State

Daniel Cantu — © Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

Previous: No. 8 (-2)
Weekly Record: 2-2
Overall Record: 37-12 (15-11 in ACC)

It was a bit of a tight start to the week for Florida State, as they won 7-6 in an 11-inning midweek game against Jacksonville before losing 1-0 in the series opener at Pitt. The series ended with a doubleheader on Sunday, one that would be big for the Seminoles. In the first game, they lost 9-7 to lose the series. In the finale, Florida State won in dominating fashion and ended the doubleheader with a 15-4 victory.

D1Baseball Top 25 Rankings: 11-25

OU OF John Spikerman. — John Spikerman is greeted after a score as the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) play the Oklahoma State Cowboys (OSU) in Bedlam baseball on May 19, 2023 at L Dale Mitchell Park in Norman, Okla. [Steve Sisney/For The Oklahoman]

11. Duke (-2)
12. Oklahoma (+6)
13. East Carolina (-7)
14. Arizona (+3)
15. UC Irvine (+1)
16. Mississippi State (-2)
17. NC State (+7)
18. Virginia (-8)
19. Oklahoma State
20. Indiana State
21. Louisiana (+1)
22. UC Santa Barbara (+3)
23. Oregon (+1)
24. South Carolina (-11)
25. Texas (NR)

Texas is the lone new team in this week’s D1Baseball top 25 rankings. They replace Troy (previously No. 21), who fall out after losing three games on the week including a midweek against Alabama and then two out of three at Texas State.