College Baseball Rankings: New No. 1 headlines changes to D1Baseball Top 25

This was a pivotal week across the country in college baseball. The stakes were obviously high, and there are a ton of changes in D1Baseball’s latest top 25 rankings as we shift into the final week of the regular season.

Weather played a big role in a ton of series this weekends, with a lot of suspensions, cancelations and delays. Still, 12 ranked teams entered their series finale deadlocked at 1-1 with the series on the line in a rubber game. Nine ranked teams won the first two games of their series, while four started 0-2.

We had four series between ranked teams on the weekend’s schedule, and all were massive ones. No. 3 LSU hosted No. 7 Arkansas, No. 4 North Carolina hosted No. 16 NC State, No. 23 Alabama hosted No. 6 Georgia, and No. 15 Tennessee hosted No. 11 Vanderbilt.

With the penultimate week of the regular season now complete, it’s time for the final week of the regular season and then conference tournaments. Here’s how D1Baseball changed up their top 25 rankings entering the pivotal stretch.

1. LSU

Previous Ranking: No. 3 (+2)
Weekly Record: 2-1
Overall Record: 40-12 (17-10 in SEC)

It was a great week for LSU, putting an impressive stamp on their top eight resume. The Tigers hosted No. 7 Arkansas over the weekend, winning 5-4 in 10 innings on Friday and then 13-3 on Saturday via the run-rule to take the series. Going for the sweep on Sunday, LSU instead fell 7-4 and instead walk away with the series victory.

2. Florida State

Previous Ranking: No. 2
Weekly Record: 3-1
Overall Record: 36-11 (16-8 in ACC)

After a 14-2 win against Jacksonville on Tuesday, Florida State took a west coast trip for a series at Cal over the weekend. The Seminoles won 8-2 in the series opener on Friday, but then fell 5-0 on Saturday. That evened up the series, setting up a rubber game on Sunday, where FSU won 5-1 to take the series.

3. Texas

Previous Ranking: No. 1 (-2)
Weekly Record: 2-2
Overall Record: 40-10 (20-7 in SEC)

Texas began its week with a 9-3 win over Lamar on Tuesday, and then hosted Florida over the weekend. The Gators took Friday’s series opener 8-2, but the Longhorns responded on Saturday with a 5-2 win to even the series. Looking to avoid a second straight series loss, and a potential drop in D1Baseball’s top 25, Texas instead fell again, this time 4-1 in Sunday’s rubber game.

4. North Carolina

Previous Ranking: No. 4
Weekly Record: 2-1
Overall Record: 37-11 (16-10 in ACC)

After a 10-1 midweek win over Campbell on Tuesday, North Carolina hosted No. 16 NC State in a pivotal ACC series starting on Thursday. UNC won the opener, but then fell 8-5 on Friday. That set up a rubber game which got pushed to Sunday, and the game was ultimately canceled altogether.

5. Oregon

Previous Ranking: No. 5
Weekly Record: 5-0
Overall Record: 38-13 (19-8 in Big Ten)

Oregon’s week got underway with a pair of midweek victories against Saint Mary’s, 6-3 on Tuesday and 8-1 on Wednesday. They then hosted a Washington team fighting to get into the postseason over the weekend, and might have crushed their hopes. The Ducks won 5-0 on Friday and 6-4 on Saturday to clinch the series, and 5-3 to finish the sweep on Sunday.

6. Auburn

Previous Ranking: No. 8 (+2)
Weekly Record: 3-0
Overall Record: 36-15 (16-11 in SEC)

Auburn had a very strong weekend, dominating in a series sweep at home against South Carolina. The Tigers won 24-2 on Thursday to set the tone for the series, and then won both ends of a Friday doubleheader, 11-10 and 11-3, to finish off the sweep. Auburn outscored South Carolina 46-15 on the weekend to move up in D1Baseball’s top 25.

7. Oregon State

Previous Ranking: No. 10 (+3)
Weekly Record: 3-0-1
Overall Record: 37-12-1

After a 7-3 victory over Hawaii on Monday to wrap up their four-game series from last weekend, Oregon State was on the road this weekend at Iowa. The series was a pretty big one, and the Beavers came out firing with a 9-6 win on Friday and a 5-1 win on Saturday. They were aiming for the sweep on Sunday, but instead tied 6-6.

8. Arkansas

Previous Ranking: No. 7 (-1)
Weekly Record: 1-2
Overall Record: 41-11 (18-9 in SEC)

Arkansas picked up a series win last weekend, but they’ve now dropped four of their last five series after falling to No. 3 LSU in Baton Rouge this weekend. The Razorbacks fell 5-4 in ten innings in Friday’s opener, and then got run-ruled in a 13-3 loss on Saturday. In Sunday’s finale, Arkansas fell 7-4 to drop the series and move back down in D1Baseball’s top 25.

9. Vanderbilt

Previous Ranking: No. 11 (+2)
Weekly Record: 2-2
Overall Record: 36-16 (16-11 in SEC)

This week wasn’t an easy one for Vanderbilt, starting with a 5-4 midweek loss at No. 20 Louisville on Tuesday. They then hit the road for a trip to Knoxville, facing No. 15 Tennessee. The Vols won 3-2 on Friday, before the Commodores responded to even the series with a 10-6 win on Saturday. That set up a pivotal rubber game on Sunday, where Vanderbilt won 7-5 to secure a massive series win and a move into the top ten.

10. Georgia

Previous Ranking: No. 6 (-4)
Weekly Record: 1-2
Overall Record: 40-13 (16-11 in SEC)

After dominating in a 19-3 victory on Friday against No. 23 Alabama, Georgia fell behind in the second game of the doubleheader before it was suspended in the middle innings. It didn’t resume until Sunday, and Alabama held on to win 9-3. That set up a rubber game on Sunday afternoon, where Georgia fell 5-4 to drop the series.

D1Baseball Top 25 Rankings: 11-25

11. Coastal Carolina (+3)
12. UC Irvine (+1)
13. NC State (+3)
14. UCLA (+4)
15. Clemson (-6)
16. West Virginia (-4)
17. Tennessee (-2)
18. Alabama (+5)
19. Southern Miss (+2)
20. Duke (NR)
21. Louisville (-1)
22. Troy (-3)
23. Florida (NR)
24. Dallas Baptist (NR)
25. Northeastern (NR)

Duke, Florida, Dallas Baptist and Northeastern are all new teams in D1Baseball’s top 25 this week. They replace Oklahoma (previously No. 17), Arizona (previously No. 22), Ole Miss (previously No. 24) and USC (previously No. 25).