Predicting D1Baseball's top 25 rankings after wild second week of college baseball
Two full weekends are now complete across college baseball. We got our first taste of midweek action this week as well, which, per usual, brought some surprises. After a fun full week of college baseball, it’s time to make predictions on how D1Baseball’s top 25 rankings will look come Monday morning.
This week featured two three-game series between ranked teams – No. 11 East Carolina vs. No. 15 North Carolina and No. 20 UCLA vs. No. 5 TCU. We also saw No. 14 Virginia, No. 18 Iowa, Auburn and Wichita State battle each other in Jacksonville.
Those results, paired with some upsets across the top 25, have resulted in some changes in our D1Baseball rankings predictions.
1. Wake Forest
Previous Ranking: No. 1
Weekly Record: 3-1
Overall Record: 6-1
On Tuesday, college baseball’s top-ranked team fell in their first midweek action. Wake Forest traveled to UNC Greensboro and lost 4-3, a stunning result. Then, the Demon Deacons played a three-game weekend series against a Dayton team that upset Vanderbilt in their own midweek contest. To no surprise, Wake Forest bounced back immediately. Winning 14-2 on Friday and 9-3 on Saturday to secure the series, Wake Forest finished the sweep on Sunday with a 9-6 win.
2. Arkansas
Previous Ranking: No. 2
Weekly Record: 2-1
Overall Record: 5-2
The Kubota College Baseball Series in Arlington was intriguing heading into the weekend, and it lived up to the hype. Against No. 7 Oregon State on Friday, Arkansas won 5-4 behind a historic pitching performance by Hagen Smith, who recorded 17 strikeouts in six shutout innings. Arkansas then struck out 25 Oklahoma State batters on Saturday, though the Cowboys walked it off to win 2-1 in 14 innings. Against Michigan on Sunday, Arkansas finished off a 2-1 weekend by beating the Wolverines 4-3.
3. LSU
Previous Ranking: No. 3
Weekly Record:
Overall Record:
Just like last weekend, LSU played in another four-game, split series this weekend. The Tigers swept Northern Illinois, winning 10-2 on Thursday and 5-2 on Saturday. But against Stony Brook on Friday, LSU fell 5-2 to suffer their first loss of the season. The series concluded with a rematch against Stony Brook on Sunday, which the Tigers won 18-10.
4. Florida
Previous Ranking: No. 4
Weekly Record: 5-0
Overall Record: 5-1
After just one game, which was a loss, on opening weekend, Florida was eager to get back in action this week. With a two-game midweek series against North Florida, the Gators won 10-0 on the road on Tuesday and 13-4 back at home on Wednesday. Hosting Columbia over the weekend, Florida cruised to a three-game sweep, picking up their first weekend series victory of the season with a 15-6 win on Friday, 7-3 win on Saturday, and a 12-5 win on Sunday.
5. TCU
Previous Ranking: No. 5
Weekly Record: 4-0
Overall Record: 7-0
TCU has played in a lot of tight games early in the year, and this week continued that trend. The Horned Frogs hosted Texas State on Tuesday, winning 6-5. Then, TCU hosted No. 20 UCLA in one of just two three-game weekend series between ranked teams on the weekend. TCU won a tight one on Friday 4-3, and then clinched the series with a 6-3 victory on Saturday. In the finale on Sunday, TCU won 13-3 to put an impressive cap on a great week. It would not be surprising at all if TCU rose in D1Baseball’s top 25, though they won’t in our predictions due to the strength at the top of the rankings.
6. Oregon State
Previous Ranking: No. 7 (+1)
Weekly Record: 3-1
Overall Record: 7-1
Oregon State played the entire week in Arlington, including Wednesday’s midweek battle against No. 19 Texas Tech. The Beavers cruised to a 10-4 victory over the Red Raiders, improving to 5-0. Hagen Smith had a historic day for Arkansas, shutting down Oregon State’s bats on Friday. Once he turned it over to the bullpen, though, the Beavers battled back but ultimately fell 5-4. Oregon State responded with an 11-1 victory over Michigan on Saturday. Oregon State battled Oklahoma State in Sunday’s finale, and won 8-1 to win the weekend.
7. Texas A&M
Previous Ranking: No. 8 (+1)
Weekly Record: 4-0
Overall Record: 7-0
Texas A&M has done nothing but impress early on this season. The Aggies, after outscoring McNeese 37-2 on opening weekend, defeated Incarnate Word 9-3 on Tuesday. Then, against Wagner over the weekend, the success continued. Texas A&M won 17-2 on Friday, before taking a 2-0 contest on Saturday to clinch the series. On Sunday, the Aggies had another convincing victory, winning 21-2.
8. Tennessee
Previous Ranking: No. 9 (+1)
Weekly Record: 5-0
Overall Record: 7-1
It was a successful week for Tennessee, coming off the heels of a 2-1 opening weekend. After winning a close 3-2 midweek contest against UNC Asheville, the Vols blew out ETSU on Wednesday, winning 16-0. Tennessee then hosted Albany over the weekend, and won 8-5 on Friday, despite starter AJ Russell leaving after three innings of work due to soreness. The Vols cruised to a 21-6 victory on Saturday to take the series, and then finished the sweep with a 12-0 win on Sunday.
9. Duke
Previous Ranking: No. 12 (+3)
Weekly Record: 4-0
Overall Record: 7-0
Duke might not blow many teams out, but they don’t have to. Their pitching staff continued to dominate this week, beginning on Wednesday with a 4-2 victory over Liberty. The Blue Devils then hosted Northwestern over the weekend, winning 2-0 on Friday behind a masterful Jonathan Santucci start and then won 8-2 on Saturday. On Sunday, Duke completed another perfect week, winning 20-9.
10. Vanderbilt
Previous Ranking: No. 6 (-4)
Weekly Record: 3-2
Overall Record: 5-3
There have already been some ups and downs for Vanderbilt this season. Following a 2-1 opening weekend, the Commodores dropped to 2-2 after falling 8-5 against Dayton on Tuesday. They rebounded with a 5-3 win over Eastern Kentucky on Wednesday, and then began a three-game weekend against Gonzaga. Vanderbilt won 12-2 on Friday, taking the opener rather easily. It was a tight second game, but the Commodores held on to win 4-3 and take the series. In Sunday’s finale, Vanderbilt was unable to finish the sweep, falling 9-8. Our predictions have Vanderbilt falling, though they could wind up even lower in D1Baseball’s top 25.
D1Baseball Top 25 Predictions: 11-25
11. Clemson (-1)
12. East Carolina (-1)
13. Virginia (+1)
14. Texas (+2)
15. NC State (-2)
16. Alabama (+1)
17. North Carolina (-2)
18. Texas Tech (+1)
19. Indiana (+4)
20. Coastal Carolina (+5)
21. South Carolina
22. Auburn (NR)
23. Campbell (NR)
24. UC Santa Barbara (-2)
25. Dallas Baptist (NR)
Three new teams join the D1Baseball top 25 predictions, with each having an impressive weekend of baseball. They take the places of Iowa (previously No. 18), UCLA (previously No. 20), and Kansas State (previously No. 24).