College Baseball Power Rankings: Two teams join Top 25 rankings entering fourth weekend
Conference play is almost here across college baseball. Some leagues, including the ACC, begin their conference slate this weekend. Others will follow next weekend. As the season treks on, we have updated our national college baseball power rankings.
Two new teams have joined our baseball rankings, as previously ranked teams saw some struggles over the last week.
There was some intriguing midweek action over the last couple of days. Florida fell to UCF, falling in a midweek game for the second consecutive week. We also had a pair of top 25 showdowns, with Texas A&M defeating Texas and North Carolina knocking off Campbell.
Here is a look at how our national college baseball power rankings take shape as we head into the fourth weekend of the regular season.
1. Wake Forest
Record: 11-1
Previous: No. 1
D1Baseball Ranking: No. 1
Over the weekend, Wake Forest picked up a pair of wins over Binghamton and also defeated Elon to secure the series sweep. A comeback was needed to earn a midweek victory over Georgetown, but the Demon Deacons were able to sneak away and survive with the win. The top-ranked team stays No. 1, and hosts an intriguing weekend series against Duke to kick off ACC play.
2. LSU
Record: 12-1
Previous: No. 2
D1Baseball Ranking: No. 3
It was a very impressive week for the defending national champions. LSU picked up weekend wins over Texas, Louisiana and Texas State, all quality teams. The Tigers then took on an upset-hungry Southeastern Louisiana team in a midweek battle, and required a comeback to win 4-3. Despite the scare, it was a great week for the Tigers. LSU holds firm near the top of our college baseball power rankings.
3. Arkansas
Record: 10-2
Previous: No. 3
D1Baseball Ranking: No. 2
Arkansas just keeps getting great pitching. When you have a weekend rotation of Hagen Smith, Brady Tygart and Mason Molina, that’s exactly what you expect. The Razorbacks swept Murray State this past weekend before defeating Central Arkansas in a midweek game. Arkansas stays highly-ranked, and for good reason. They are one of the favorites as SEC play inches closer.
4. Oregon State
Record: 11-1
Previous: No. 4
D1Baseball Ranking: No. 6
This past weekend, Oregon State hosted another four-game weekend series, this time against North Dakota State. The Beavers swept, unsurprisingly. As everyone expected heading into the season, this is one of, if not the most dangerous lineup in all of college baseball.
5. TCU
Record: 13-0
Previous: No. 6 (+1)
D1Baseball Ranking: No. 5
TCU just keeps finding ways to win. Playing in so many tight games this early in the season might eventually catch up to the Horned Frogs, but for now, it’s working. After a pair of wins over USC and single victories over Arizona State and Abeline Christian over the last week, TCU finds themselves up a spot into the top five of our college baseball power rankings.
6. Texas A&M
Record: 13-0
Previous: No. 7 (+1)
D1Baseball Ranking: No. 7
Like TCU, Texas A&M just keeps winning. The Aggies picked up a pair of wins over Arizona State and another over USC over the weekend, before knocking off Texas on the road on Tuesday. They also defeated Texas Southern on Wednesday. Stock is high in College Station right now, and for good reason. Texas A&M looks to be one of the best teams in the country.
7. Tennessee
Record: 13-1
Previous: No. 9 (+2)
D1Baseball Ranking: No. 8
Tennessee is another SEC team off to a strong start. The Vols easily swept Bowling Green over the weekend, before picking up a pair of midweek victories. The first was against a Kansas State team that began the year in the top 25, and the second was against Southern Indiana. Tennessee has a ton of momentum, and this might be another special squad in Knoxville.
8. Florida
Record: 8-4
Previous: No. 5 (-3)
D1Baseball Ranking: No. 4
Florida has been on a bit of a rollercoaster to begin the season. The Gators lost on opening day and lost to Stetson last week. They then went 2-1 on the weekend at Miami. Against UCF on Wednesday, Florida again fell, losing 9-6. While it is probably too early to panic, there are some questions in Gainesville. But for now, they fall a few spots in our baseball power rankings.
9. Duke
Record: 11-1
Previous: No. 8 (-1)
D1Baseball Ranking: No. 12
Duke suffered its first loss of the season this past weekend, falling 4-3 on Saturday against Akron. The Blue Devils still won the series, though, and continue to have stellar pitching throughout the staff. Duke blew out App State 28-2 to pick up a midweek victory heading into ACC play. Next up is a series at top-ranked Wake Forest in what should be an epic weekend.
10. Clemson
Record: 10-1
Previous: No. 11 (+1)
D1Baseball Ranking: No. 10
Despite not being able to play Friday night’s game against South Carolina due to weather, Clemson won the series with 5-4 victories on Saturday and Sunday. It was an impressive weekend against another good team, and the postponed game will be made up later in the year. The Tigers then defeated Kansas State in a midweek contest, improving to 10-1 on the year. They move back into the top ten of our baseball power rankings as a result.
National College Baseball Power Rankings: 11-25
11. Virginia (-1)
12. Vanderbilt
13. Alabama
14. Texas Tech (+3)
15. East Carolina
16. North Carolina (+2)
17. NC State (+2)
18. South Carolina (-4)
19. Coastal Carolina (+2)
20. Auburn
21. Dallas Baptist
22. UC Irvine (+3)
23. Florida State (NR)
24. Georgia (NR)
25. Campbell (-2)
The two new teams to join our college baseball power rankings are Florida State and Georgia. The Seminoles are off to a strong 11-0 start, while the Bulldogs are 12-1 after picking up a series win over Georgia Tech. Georgia also led Friday’s game, which was suspended in the fifth inning due to weather.
Texas (Previously No. 16) and Indiana (Previously No. 24) fell out of our top 25 after difficult weeks. The Longhorns lost to four quality teams (LSU, Texas State, Vanderbilt and Texas A&M), but the four-game losing skid was enough to drop them out.