College Baseball Rankings: New No. 1 emerges in D1Baseball top 25 predictions
This past week was a great one for college baseball across the entire country. Starting during the midweek slate, multiple teams ranked in D1Baseball’s top 25 fell. That happened even more over the weekend.
The weekend was headlined by one of the top matchups we’ll see this season, with No. 1 Wake Forest hosting No. 12 Duke. We also saw No. 17 Texas Tech host No. 24 Texas.
Both of those series entered Sunday even at 1-1. The results of those two respective rubber matches, in addition to the other upsets throughout the rankings, played a big role in our updated D1Baseball top 25 predictions.
Here is how we are predicting D1Baseball’s top 25 rankings, as we wrap up non-conference play for most leagues across the nation.
1. Arkansas
Previous Ranking: No. 2 (+1)
Weekly Record: 4-0
Overall Record: 13-2
Arkansas started off the week with a 9-7 victory over Central Arkansas on Tuesday, before hosting McNeese over the weekend. The Razorbacks did not play on Friday, instead beginning the series with a Saturday doubleheader. Arkansas won both games, 3-1 and 11-1, before winning 18-5 on Sunday. And due to Wake Forest’s series loss, Arkansas is our new No. 1 in our D1Baseball top 25 predictions.
2. LSU
Previous Ranking: No. 3 (+1)
Weekly Record: 3-1
Overall Record: 14-2
LSU had to battle on Wednesday on the road, coming back late to defeat Southeastern Louisiana 4-3. The Tigers then hosted Xavier over the weekend. Friday’s opener was a strong 4-0 victory, before winning 8-2 on Saturday. In Sunday’s finale, it was Xavier that won 2-1, but LSU still walked away with a series victory.
3. Duke
Previous Ranking: No. 12 (+9)
Weekly Record: 3-1
Overall Record: 13-2
What a week it was for Duke. After throttling Appalachian State 28-2 on Tuesday, the Blue Devils hit the road for a trip to Winston-Salem to take on top-ranked Wake Forest. While Jonathan Santucci didn’t have his best outing on Friday, Duke was able to come away with an 8-5 victory behind an impressive showing from the lineup. Wake Forest evened the series with a 6-3 win on Saturday. In the rubber match, Duke held on to win 10-8 and earn a monster series victory to begin ACC play. They’ll move up in D1Baseball’s top 25.
4. Oregon State
Previous Ranking: No. 6 (+2)
Weekly Record: 4-0
Overall Record: 15-1
In a week full of losses from the top 25, Oregon State kept winning. The Beavers hosted a four-game series against Cal State Northridge, winning 9-2 on Thursday, 8-6 on Friday, and 7-6 on Saturday to clinch the series victory. Going for the sweep on Sunday, Oregon State got just that with a 9-7 victory. And the Beavers move up in our D1Baseball top 25 predictions as well.
5. Wake Forest
Previous Ranking: No. 1 (-4)
Weekly Record: 2-2
Overall Record: 12-3
It was far from an easy week for the top-ranked team. A late comeback (and eight Georgetown errors) was needed to win 11-9 on Tuesday. Wake Forest then hosted No. 12 Duke over the weekend and lost Friday’s opener in a game that was higher scoring than anybody expected at 8-5. The Demon Deacons evened the series with a 6-3 win on Saturday, and then lost 10-8 on Sunday.
6. Texas A&M
Previous Ranking: No. 7 (+1)
Weekly Record: 5-0
Overall Record: 16-0
Texas A&M’s week started off in impressive fashion, going to Austin and defeating No. 24 Texas 9-2. The Aggies then returned home to defeat Texas Southern 7-4 on Wednesday. Over the weekend, Rhode Island paid a visit to College Station. Texas A&M won 11-0 on Friday and 6-0 on Saturday to secure the series, and then 12-11 in extras on Sunday to remain undefeated and get the sweep.
7. Florida
Previous Ranking: No. 4 (-3)
Weekly Record: 2-2
Overall Record: 10-5
Florida is trending down, and they must find an answer quickly. The Gators fell 9-6 on Wednesday to UCF, and then hosted Saint Mary’s over the weekend. On paper, Florida should cruise through Saint Mary’s, but that was not the case. Instead, Florida survived with a 12-11 win on Friday before losing 9-7 on Saturday in a back-and-forth affair. On Sunday, the Gators were able to win 10-0 to end an up-and-down week on a high note. But due to the two-loss week and a 10-5 record, Florida falls in our D1Baseball top 25 predictions.
8. Tennessee
Previous Ranking: No. 8
Weekly Record: 5-0
Overall Record: 16-1
Yet again, Tennessee just kept winning. It was another five-game week for the Vols, beginning with a 15-5 win over Kansas State on Tuesday and a 2-1 win over Southern Indiana on Wednesday. Tennessee then hosted Illinois over the weekend, winning 6-3 on Friday, 24-1 on Saturday, and 8-3 on Sunday.
9. Vanderbilt
Previous Ranking: No. 9
Weekly Record: 4-0
Overall Record: 14-3
After a sluggish start to the season, Vanderbilt has seemingly turned things around. After defeating Eastern Michigan 6-2 on Tuesday, Vanderbilt hosted Illinois for a three-game series over the weekend. The Commodores won 14-9 on Friday and then 7-2 on Saturday to clinch the series, and then 4-0 on Sunday to complete the sweep.
10. TCU
Previous Ranking: No. 5 (-5)
Weekly Record: 2-2
Overall Record: 14-2
TCU has played in a lot of close games this season, and this week it might have caught up to them. The Horned Frogs defeated Abeline Christian 4-0 on Tuesday, and then kicked off Big 12 play at Kansas. It was unexpectedly the Jayhawks who took the series, though. Kansas won 3-1 on Friday and 8-4 on Saturday. TCU was able to salvage a win on Sunday, coming back to win 13-4 to avoid the sweep.
D1Baseball Top 25 Predictions: 11-25
11. Clemson (-1)
12. East Carolina (-1)
13. NC State (+1)
14. Alabama (+1)
15. North Carolina (+1)
16. Virginia (-3)
17. Coastal Carolina (+1)
18. Auburn (+1)
19. Dallas Baptist (+1)
20. South Carolina (+1)
21. Texas (+3)
22. Campbell
23. UC Irvine
24. Texas Tech (-7)
25. UC Santa Barbara
No new teams join the rankings in our D1Baseball top 25 predictions this week. The top 25 had a strong week, for the most part, and nobody ultimately fell out.
Florida State and Georgia were among the teams right on the cusp of our predictions, should someone have dropped out of the top 25.