D1Baseball releases updated top 25 rankings after wild week of college baseball

Jonathan Wagner

This past week was full of ranked matchups, and many teams lost as a result. Overall, the country saw five weekend series between two teams ranked in D1Baseball’s top 25.

Almost every one of those series was close until the very end, too. Four of the five ranked series entered Sunday in a rubber match. Six ranked teams in total entered Sunday in need of a win to avoid losing their weekend series.

As a result, D1Baseball has made some changes to their top 25 rankings. The top ten has moved around a bit, while there is movement nearly from top to bottom.

Conference play has surely lived up to the hype already, and it’s only one or two weekends deep for most conferences. As we gear up for another exciting week, here is how D1Baseball’s top 25 takes shape.

1. 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 Ranking: No. 1
Weekly Record: 4-0
Overall Record: 17-2

Arkansas entered the No. 1 spot in last week’s D1Baseball top 25, and they stay there in our rankings predictions this week. The Razorbacks started off the week against Oral Roberts, and earned a close 4-2 victory. Kicking off SEC play, Arkansas hosted Missouri and played well all around. The Razorbacks’ pitching was dominant yet again, with an 8-0 victory on Friday, a 6-0 win on Saturday, and a 9-1 win on Sunday to finish the sweep.

2. Oregon State

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

Previous Ranking: No. 3 (+1)
Weekly Record: 2-1
Overall Record: 17-2

Oregon State did not play in a midweek contest this week, rather gearing up for the start of Pac-12 play over the weekend. It began with a trip to Utah, and the Beavers came away with another strong weekend. After winning 7-5 on Friday, Oregon State won 8-1 on Saturday to clinch the series. On Sunday, Utah won the series finale, but Oregon State still walks away with a series victory.

3. Vanderbilt

vanderbilt-baseball-unveils-2023-sec-tournament-championship-rings — (Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Previous Ranking: No. 9 (+6)
Weekly Record: 4-0
Overall Record: 18-3

After some early season struggles, Vanderbilt has gotten red hot. The Commodores began the week with a 13-5 midweek victory over Indiana before kicking off their SEC schedule over the weekend against Auburn. Vanderbilt came out firing on all cylinders, winning 11-1 on Friday and then 13-5 on Saturday to win the series. Going for the sweep on Sunday, Vanderbilt got just that with a 9-6 victory.

4. Clemson

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

Previous Ranking: No. 10 (+6)
Weekly Record: 4-1
Overall Record: 17-2

Clemson began the week with a pair of midweek victories over Manhattan, 13-1 on Tuesday and 5-1 on Wednesday. The Tigers then went to Duke to kick off ACC play, and that turned into a tight series. Duke took the opener, 5-2 on Friday. But Clemson earned the 8-7 victory on Saturday. On Sunday, Clemson needed extra innings but ultimately won 8-6 to pick up an impressive series win, joining the top five in D1Baseball’s latest top 25.

5. LSU

Previous Ranking: No. 2 (-3)
Weekly Record: 3-2
Overall Record: 17-4

LSU began the week with a pair of midweek contests against North Dakota State, winning 6-1 on Tuesday and 7-0 on Wednesday. The Tigers then traveled to Starkville to take on Mississippi State, and fell 10-4 in a stunning Friday night result. LSU responded on Saturday, though the 9-8 victory came in another tight game. In Sunday’s rubber match, LSU was run-ruled 15-5, putting a disappointing end to the opening weekend of SEC play.

6. Florida

jac-caglianone-florida-gators — Florida pitcher Jac Caglianone starts against Vanderbilt Saturday, May 27, 2023, at the Hoover Met in the semifinal round Saturday, May 27, 2023, at the Hoover Met. / Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / USA TODAY NETWORK

Previous Ranking: No. 8 (+2)
Weekly Record: 2-2
Overall Record: 12-7

Florida fell 12-8 against a surging Florida State team in a midweek battle, right after falling in D1Baseball’s top 25 rankings. The Gators then hosted Texas A&M over the weekend in another top ten matchup, and the series lived up to the hype. Florida won the opener, 8-6 on Friday. Texas A&M evened it up with a 10-6 win on Saturday. In the rubber match, Florida won another tight game 4-2, and now re-join the top five in D1Baseball’s top 25.

7. Texas A&M

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

Previous Ranking: No. 4 (-3)
Weekly Record: 2-2
Overall Record: 18-2

Texas A&M won 9-8 over Sam Houston to kick off the week, carrying an undefeated record into SEC play. The Aggies went to Gainesville and took on Florida in a top 10 matchup, and it was the Gators that took the first game 8-6. Texas A&M responded on Saturday with a 10-6 victory, setting up an important rubber match on Sunday. With the series on the line, the Aggies fell 4-2, dropping the opening SEC weekend.

8. Tennessee

aj-russell — Credit: UT Athletics Communications

Previous Ranking: No. 5 (-3)
Weekly Record: 2-2
Overall Record: 18-3

Tennessee started off the week with a 17-2 midweek victory over Eastern Kentucky before starting off its SEC slate over the weekend. That came in Tuscaloosa against Alabama, and the Vols won Friday’s opener 11-3. Alabama evened the series with a 6-3 win on Saturday, setting up yet another rubber match in the SEC on Sunday. In that game, the Vols fell 7-6.

9. Duke

Previous Ranking: No. 6 (-3)
Weekly Record: 2-3
Overall Record: 15-5

Coming off of a massive series victory over Wake Forest last weekend, Duke’s week began in stunning fashion. Starting a two-game midweek series against Rider, Duke fell on Tuesday 6-2. They responded to win 18-4 on Wednesday, though, and then hosted Clemson in a top ten matchup over the weekend. Duke took Friday’s game 5-2, before falling 8-7 on Saturday. On Sunday, Clemson won 8-6 in extra innings, downing the Blue Devils after their big leap in D1Baseball’s top 25.

10. East Carolina

Jacob Jenkins-Cowart — © Andrew Craft / USA TODAY NETWORK

Previous Ranking: No. 11 (+1)
Weekly Record: 4-0
Overall Record: 14-4

ECU has joined the top ten in D1Baseball’s top 25 rankings after a strong week. The Pirates won a back-and-forth, 10-inning midweek battle at UNC Wilmington on Tuesday to begin the week, and then dominated against Columbia over the weekend. ECU won 17-3 on Friday, 8-0 on Saturday and 8-6 on Sunday.

D1Baseball Top 25: 11-25

Mac Guscette — © Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / USA TODAY NETWORK

11. Alabama (+3)
12. Florida State (NR)
13. Coastal Carolina (+3)
14. Virginia (+3)
15. Dallas Baptist (+4)
16. Wake Forest (-9)
17. Oklahoma (NR)
18. TCU (-6)
19. Virginia Tech (NR)
20. North Carolina (-5)
21. Mississippi State (NR)
22. Campbell (-1)
23. Auburn (-5)
24. UC Irvine (-2)
25. UC Santa Barbara

This week’s rankings are intriguing to say the least. Florida State comes in at No. 12, entering D1Baseball’s top 25 for the first time this season. Oklahoma also cracks the top 17, while Virginia Tech comes in at No. 19 and Mississippi State joins at No. 21. They take the place of NC State (previously No. 13), South Carolina (previously No. 20), Texas (previously No. 23) and Texas Tech (previously No. 24).

No. 1 Arkansas and No. 25 UC Santa Barbara were the only two previously ranked teams to stay idle in this week’s rankings. Every single team in between them was either a new entrant into the top 25, or moved spots.

Per D1Baseball’s Kendall Rogers, the following teams were also considered for the top 25 this week: Southern Miss, Ole Miss, Kentucky, Nebraska, Miami and Georgia Tech.