College Baseball Rankings: D1Baseball shakes up top 25 with top five shakeup at midway point

Seven weeks of college baseball are now in the books, and this week brought plenty of upsets. Nine ranked teams lost their weekend series, leading to a pretty sizeable shakeup in D1Baseball’s updated top 25 rankings.

The weekend brough us four ranked matchups; No. 14 Vanderbilt hosted No. 2 Arkansas, No. 3 Georgia hosted No. 11 Auburn, No. 25 Georgia Tech hosted No. 6 Clemson, and No. 12 Alabama hosted No. 9 Oklahoma.

Additionally, six teams lost their midweek matchup on Tuesday or Wednesday. Further, five ranked clubs entered Sunday in an even 1-1 series, meaning they needed a win in the rubber game to avoid a series loss.

There was clearly a lot at stake this weekend. There are shakeups within the top five of D1Baseball’s top 25 rankings, and three new teams have entered the fold as well.

1. Tennessee

Previous Ranking: No. 1
Weekly Record: 4-0
Overall Record: 26-2 (8-1 in SEC)

Tennessee is feeling pretty comfortable in the top spot of D1Baseball’s top 25 rankings. That won’t change this week. After a 14-3 midweek win against Queens, Tennessee saw more success over the weekend at South Carolina. The Vols won 11-7 on Friday and 7-5 on Saturday to clinch the series, and then 7-2 on Sunday to finish the sweep.

2. Arkansas

Previous Ranking: No. 2
Weekly Record: 3-1
Overall Record: 26-3 (8-1 in SEC)

After falling 14-13 in ten innings against Missouri State on Tuesday, Arkansas bounced back over the weekend. They hit the road for a trip to No. 14 Vanderbilt, and won 9-0 on Friday and 6-4 to clinch the series victory. On Sunday, Arkansas was hoping to finish the sweep, and did exactly that with a 7-3 victory.

3. Georgia

Previous Ranking: No. 3
Weekly Record: 4-0
Overall Record: 28-2 (8-1 in SEC)

Georgia’s week began with a 13-6 win against West Georgia on Tuesday, and they then rolled through the weekend against No. 11 Auburn. After a 4-1 win on Friday, the Bulldogs took both games of a doubleheader on Saturday, 11-7 and then 9-6 in extras. Now sitting at an eye-opening 28-2 and 8-1 in the SEC, Georgia has certainly made a statement as a top team in the country, as is reflected in their spot in D1Baseball’s top 25.

4. Florida State

Previous Ranking: No. 4
Weekly Record: 3-1
Overall Record: 23-4 (7-2 in ACC)

Tuesday was a finish that everyone dreams of for Florida State, walking off rival Florida with a grand slam to win 8-4. The Seminoles then traveled to take on Notre Dame over the weekend, but fell 16-9 on Friday to fall behind in the series. FSU then took the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader 4-2 to tie up the series, and won it with a dominating 17-9 win in the rubber game.

5. Texas

Previous Ranking: No. 7 (+2)
Weekly Record: 4-0
Overall Record: 23-3 (8-1 in SEC)

Texas is off to a strong start in its first SEC season, and that didn’t stop this week. The Longhorns beat Sam Houston 13-3 on Tuesday before sweeping Missouri on the road over the weekend. That came behind a 15-4 win on Friday, and a pair of wins on Saturday; 7-4 and 7-1. Texas has firmly established itself as a top ten team in D1Baseball’s top 25.

6. Clemson

Previous Ranking: No. 6
Weekly Record: 3-2
Overall Record: 26-5 (6-3 in ACC)

Clemson started its week with a Tuesday loss to Coastal Carolina, but responded with a win against Presbyterian on Wednesday. The Tigers then traveled to No. 25 Georgia Tech and earned a hard-fought series win. Clemson won 9-7 on Friday before Saturday’s doubleheader, where they lost the first game 18-2 and won the finale 4-3.

7. LSU

Previous Ranking: No. 8 (+1)
Weekly Record: 4-0
Overall Record: 26-3 (7-2 in SEC)

LSU responded to last weekend’s disappointment in resounding fashion, defeating Louisiana 17-4 on Tuesday and then cruising through Mississippi State over the weekend. The Tigers won 8-6 on Thursday, 2-1 on Friday and 17-8 on Saturday on their way to a series sweep, improving to 26-3 overall and 7-2 in the SEC on the season.

8. Alabama

Previous Ranking: No. 12 (+4)
Weekly Record: 3-1
Overall Record: 25-4 (6-3 in SEC)

Alabama’s week started with a 4-3 win against North Alabama on Tuesday, and they then hosted No. 9 in a pivotal SEC series over the weekend. After an 8-6 win on Friday, Alabama fell 6-5 on Saturday to force a rubber game on Saturday with the series on the line. There, Alabama won 8-6 to take the series and secure a leap into the top ten in D1Baseball’s top 25.

9. Ole Miss

Previous Ranking: No. 15 (+6)
Weekly Record: 3-1
Overall Record: 21-6 (6-3 in SEC)

Ole Miss has been all over the D1Baseball top 25 since entering the rankings earlier this season. Now, they’re creeping back up after a second straight SEC series win. After beating Memphis 7-5 on Tuesday, the Rebels hosted Florida and won 7-5 on Thursday and 10-9 on Friday to clinch the series. Ole Miss was unable to finish the sweep on Saturday, though, falling 11-8.

10. Oklahoma

Previous Ranking: No. 9 (+1)
Weekly Record: 2-2
Overall Record: 22-5 (5-4 in SEC)

After an 11-2 win at Oral Roberts on Tuesday, Oklahoma traveled to Tuscaloosa for a massive SEC series at No. 12 Alabama. The Sooners lost 8-6 on Friday, but were able to even the series behind a 6-5 win on Saturday. Oklahoma was aiming for a win on Sunday to hold its spot in D1Baseball’s top 25, but instead fell 8-6 to lose the series.

D1Baseball Top 25 Rankings: 11-25

11. Oregon State (-6)
12. UC Irvine (+7)
13. Southern Miss
14. UCLA (+10)
15. Oregon (-5)
16. Auburn (-5)
17. Dallas Baptist
18. Louisville
19. North Carolina (+2)
20. Troy (+2)
21. Coastal Carolina (NR)
22. Kansas State (NR)
23. Vanderbilt (-9)
24. Arizona State (NR)
25. Georgia Tech

Dropped Out of D1Baseball top 25 rankings: Wake Forest (previously No. 16), Stanford (previously No. 20), Arizona (previously No. 23)