D1Baseball updates top 25 rankings after eight ranked series losses

Jonathan Wagner

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Seven weeks of college baseball have now come and gone, and the excitement isn’t slowing down. Eight teams ranked in D1Baseball’s top 25 lost their series over the weekend, leading to some interesting movement in their latest rankings.

Of the eight ranked series losses, five came from a matchup between two top 25 teams. Those series were Arkansas-LSU, Florida-Mississippi State, Virginia-Duke, Wake Forest-North Carolina and Alabama-South Carolina.

16 teams in last week’s D1Baseball top 25 rankings lost at least one game over the last week. As a result, multiple new faces have joined the rankings while others that stayed in saw significant movement.

Here is a look at how D1Baseball’s top 25 rankings look after seven weeks. If one thing is certain, it’s that things are wide open as we begin to inch closer to the postseason.

1. Arkansas

arkansas-defeats-texas-am-sec-baseball-tournament-with-kendall-diggs-walk-off-homer — Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

Previous Ranking: No. 1
Weekly Record: 4-0
Overall Record: 23-3 (8-1 in SEC)

As other teams across the top 25 stumble, Arkansas has stayed solid at the top of the rankings. This week was no different. The Razorbacks defeated Little Rock 11-0 to begin the week and then faced off against the defending national champions. Hosting LSU, Arkansas won three tight games in a series with a total score of 18-12. Now 8-1 in the SEC, Arkansas is beginning to create separation from everyone else.

2. Clemson

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

Previous Ranking: No. 3 (+1)
Weekly Record: 2-1
Overall Record: 24-3 (7-2 in ACC)

Clemson didn’t have it easy against Miami in Coral Gables this week, but they still came away with a series victory. After falling 3-2 in the series opener, Clemson responded with a 3-2 victory of their own in Game 2 before winning 7-0 in a strong rubber game. The Tigers are now 7-2 in the ACC with just three total losses on the season, sitting at No. 2 in D1Baseball’s top 25.

3. Texas A&M

Braden Montgomery A&M — © Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

Previous Ranking: No. 4 (+1)
Weekly Record: 4-0
Overall Record: 25-3 (6-3 in SEC)

Texas A&M enjoyed a successful week, beginning with a 6-3 victory over Houston Christian. The Aggies then hosted Auburn and finished with a sweep, though the series was a big tighter than most expected it to be. Texas A&M won 9-7, 12-8 and 10-9 to secure the sweep over the Tigers. The Aggies have just three losses on the year, now with two SEC series victories.

4. Tennessee

tennessee-slugger-christian-moore-belts-solo-shot-to-give-vols-early-1-0-lead-in-clemson-regional-vs-charlotte — (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

Previous Ranking: No. 5 (+1)
Weekly Record: 3-1
Overall Record: 24-5 (5-4 in SEC)

Tennessee cruised to an 11-1 victory over Tennessee Tech to open the week, but then fell 16-2 in a stunning blowout loss against Georgia to kick off the weekend. The Vols responded with a 16-11 victory on Saturday to even the series, and then finished strong with a 7-0 win on Sunday to take the series.

5. Oregon State

Jun 12, 2022; Corvallis, OR, USA; Oregon State Beavers infielder Travis Bazzana (37) is congratulated by third base coach Ryan Gipson as he circles the bases after his home run in the 4th inning during Game 2 of a NCAA Super Regional game at Coleman Field. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Previous Ranking: No. 2 (-3)
Weekly Record: 0-2
Overall Record: 21-4 (5-3 in Pac-12)

It was a light week for Oregon State, although that wasn’t planned. The Beavers, for the first time this season, actually struggled over the weekend at USC. The Trojans took the series’ first two games, 2-1 and then 17-4. That handed Oregon State a series loss, and they didn’t have the chance to strike back in the finale due to weather. The 0-2 week has the Beavers falling in the latest D1Baseball top 25.

6. Florida

florida-gators-jac-caglianone — Photo courtesy of UAA Communications

Previous Ranking: No. 6
Weekly Record: 2-2
Overall Record: 16-11 (6-3 in SEC)

Midweeks continue to be a serious conversation around the Gators, but they minimize that damage by winning SEC weekends. After falling 14-3 to Florida State in the midweek, Florida then played in a tight series against Mississippi State. The Gators won the opener 7-6 before falling 12-2 on Saturday to even the series. Jac Caglianone was the hero on Sunday, staring on the mound and then delivering the walk-off two-run home run to take the series and hold firm in the top six of D1Baseball’s top 25.

7. Vanderbilt

Alan Espinal — © Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / USA TODAY NETWORK

Previous Ranking: No. 7
Weekly Record: 4-0
Overall Record: 23-6 (6-3 in SEC)

Vanderbilt enjoyed a perfect 4-0 week, though it wasn’t as lopsided as most thought it would be. It started with a 3-2 win over Valparaiso, and then Missouri came to town over the weekend. Vanderbilt scored just ten runs in the series, but won 3-1, 4-0, and then 3-1 again to finish off the sweep.

8. Dallas Baptist

Miguel Santos — © NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

Previous Ranking: No. 10 (+2)
Weekly Record: 4-0
Overall Record: 23-4 (5-1 in CUSA)

Dallas Baptist entered the top ten last week, and they continue to play great baseball. This week began with a 5-3 win at UT Arlington, and over the weekend Dallas Baptist beat New Mexico State 8-3, 14-0 and 13-3 in a dominating performance. It’s becoming evident that Dallas Baptist is likely to become a mainstay in D1Baseball’s top 25, and for good reason.

9. Duke

Jonathan Santucci — Credit: Duke Athletics

Previous Ranking: No. 11 (+2)
Weekly Record: 3-1
Overall Record: 20-8 (6-6 in ACC)

Duke is rolling again, and it was a very strong 3-1 week for the Blue Devils. It started against Campbell on Tuesday, where Duke won 11-1. They then hosted Virginia over the weekend in what turned into one of the top series of the week. The two teams split the first two games, with Duke winning 9-4 in the opener and Virginia evening the series with a 7-3 win. In the rubber game, Duke won 7-4 to pick up another impressive series victory.

10. North Carolina

Vance Honeycutt — David Jensen/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Previous Ranking: No. 14 (+4)
Weekly Record: 4-0
Overall Record: 25-4 (10-2 in ACC)

UNC has firmly established itself in the top tier in the ACC. The Tar Heels won 10-5 over North Carolina A&T to start the week before hitting the road for a trip to Wake Forest. Hitting 14 home runs, UNC’s dominant lineup led the way. The series ended with a UNC sweep, with 6-5, 10-6 and 14-10 victories.

D1Baseball Top 25: 11-25

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

11. Virginia Tech (+1)
12. East Carolina (+3)
13. Alabama (+3)
14. Florida State (+3)
15. Virginia (-6)
16. UC Irvine (+4)
17. Kentucky (+7)
18. LSU (-10)
19. NC State (+3)
20. Coastal Carolina (-1)
21. Wake Forest (-9)
22. South Carolina (-4)
23. Mississippi State (-2)
24. Nebraska (NR)
25. UCF (NR)

Just two new teams join this week’s D1Baseball top 25 rankings – Nebraska and UCF in the final two spots. They take the place of Kansas State (previously No. 23) and Oklahoma (previously No. 25). UCF is now the lone Big 12 team in the top 25.

Duke and North Carolina both rose into the top ten, while Virginia and LSU fell out. Virginia is down to No. 15 while LSU has dropped all the way down to No. 18. Wake Forest also saw a substantial slide, down nine spots to No. 21. Kentucky was the most notable jump this week, up seven spots to No. 17.