College Baseball Rankings: Predicting D1Baseball Top 25 at end of regular season

College baseball has, for the most part, seen its regular season come to an end. Attention is now turning towards conference tournaments, but first, it’s time to predict how D1Baseball’s Top 25 rankings will look as we turn the page to the postseason.

Teams were jockeying for postseason positioning throughout the last weekend, some for a top 16 seed as a regional host and others for a spot in the NCAA Tournament to begin with. The weekend had just four top 25 matchups; No. 4 North Carolina at No. 2 Florida State, No. 17 Tennessee at No. 8 Arkansas, No. 18 Alabama at No. 23 Florida, and No. 19 Southern Miss at No. 22 Troy.

The weekend schedule was moved up a day, with most series being played from Thursday through Saturday to accomodate the start of conference tournaments early next week. Entering Saturday, there was still a lot at stake. While eight teams were 2-0 with a series win secured entering the finale, five were 0-2 with a series loss and 12 were 1-1 with a rubber game looming.

Through all of the action, D1Baseball’s top 25 rankings are likely to see some more notable moves this week. And that will perfectly encapsulate the exciting regular season that we just witnessed.

1. LSU

Previous Ranking: No. 1
Weekly Record: 2-1
Overall Record: 42-13 (19-11 in SEC)

LSU entered the week as the new top team in D1Baseball’s top 25, looking to solidify their spot as a top eight national seed. The Tigers, though, fell to South Carolina 6-5 in Thursday’s series opener. That was a pretty stunning loss, but LSU responded on Friday with an 8-1 win to even the series. In Saturday’s rubber game, LSU won 7-3 to take the series.

2. North Carolina

Previous Ranking: No. 4 (+2)
Weekly Record: 2-1
Overall Record: 39-12 (18-11 in ACC)

North Carolina ended the regular season on a very high note. On the road at No. 2 Florida State, UNC won 8-3 on Thursday and 11-1 on Friday to clinch the series victory right away. The Tar Heels entered Saturday looking for the ACC regular season title and a sweep over the Seminoles, but lost in the finale 5-4 and fall just short of the regular season title.

3. Texas

Previous Ranking: No. 3
Weekly Record: 2-1
Overall Record: 42-11 (22-8 in SEC)

Texas dropped out of the top spot in the rankings after last week, and wanted to move back in the right direction to end the regular season. The series at Oklahoma started with a 7-4 win for the Longhorns, but the Sooners answered back with an 8-6 win on Friday. In Saturday’s decisive rubber game, Texas won 9-1 after a brief weather delay in the late innings.

4. Oregon

Previous Ranking: No. 5 (+1)
Weekly Record: 3-0
Overall Record: 41-13 (22-8 in Big Ten)

Oregon is absolutely surging right now. The Ducks were on the road at Iowa to end the regular season in a series that could ultimately determine who won the Big Ten regular season title. Oregon won 10-0 on Thursday and 9-6 on Friday, meaning the Ducks, Iowa and UCLA entered Saturday in a three-way tie for first place. In Sunday’s finale between Oregon and Iowa, the Ducks won 13-4 to clinch the top seed in the Big Ten.

5. Oregon State

Previous Ranking: No. 7 (+2)
Weekly Record: 4-0
Overall Record: 41-12-1

After a 5-3 win against Portland on Tuesday, Oregon State ended its regular season with a home series vs. Long Beach State. The Beavers won 2-1 on Thursday and 12-8 on Friday to secure the series win, and reach 40 wins on the year. Going for the sweep in Saturday’s series finale, Oregon State got just that with a dominating 13-0 win.

6. Arkansas

Previous Ranking: No. 8 (+2)
Weekly Record: 2-1
Overall Record: 43-12 (20-10 in SEC)

There weren’t many series this weekend with bigger D1Baseball top 25 and postseason stakes than Arkansas against No. 17 Tennessee. Both teams were trending in the wrong direction and needed a win to secure their postseason status. For the Razorbacks, that’s as a top eight seed. The series started on the wrong foot, with Arkansas falling 10-7 on Thursday before they won 8-6 on Friday to tie things up. In Saturday’s rubber game, the Razorbacks won 8-4 to take the series.

7. Vanderbilt

Previous Ranking: No. 9 (+2)
Weekly Record: 3-0
Overall Record: 39-16 (19-11 in SEC)

This weekend’s series between Vanderbilt and Kentucky was a wild one. In both of the first two games, Kentucky led late before Vanderbilt stormed back to win. The Commodores won 8-7 on Thursday and 9-8 on Friday to win the series. There was still another important game on Saturday, where Vanderbilt came back from being down multiple runs for the third straight day, and won 5-3.

8. Florida State

Previous Ranking: No. 2 (-6)
Weekly Record: 1-2
Overall Record: 37-13 (17-10 in ACC)

After rising up to No. 2 in D1Baseball’s top 25 entering the week, Florida State stumbled. The Seminoles hosted No. 4 North Carolina in a big ACC series to end the regular season, and instantly lost the series with an 8-3 loss on Thursday and an 11-1 loss on Friday. FSU wanted to salvage a win and avoid the sweep on Saturday, and did so with a 5-4 victory.

9. Georgia

Previous Ranking: No. 10 (+1)
Weekly Record: 2-1
Overall Record: 42-14 (18-12 in SEC)

Georgia ended the regular season at home hosting Texas A&M, and the Bulldogs started off strong with a 10-6 victory in Thursday’s series opener. Texas A&M won 6-0 in a shutout victory on Friday, evening the series and setting up a rubber game on Saturday. Georgia needed a win in the finale to likely secure its spot as a national seed, and did just that with a 7-5 victory.

10. Coastal Carolina

Previous Ranking: No. 11 (+1)
Weekly Record: 3-0
Overall Record: 44-11 (26-4 in Sun Belt)

Coastal Carolina has been largely cruising through this season, and this week was no different. The Chanticleers were on the road at Old Dominion, and won 6-3 on Thursday and 16-7 on Friday to secure the series win, and likely a jump into the top ten of D1Baseball’s top 25. In Saturday’s finale, Coastal Carolina cruised again to a 12-1 win to sweep.

D1Baseball Top 25 Projections: 11-25

11. Auburn (-5)
12. Southern Miss (+7)
13. UCLA (+1)
14. Clemson (+1)
15. Georgia Tech (NR)
16. Florida (+7)
17. Dallas Baptist (+7)
18. Kansas (NR)
19. Northeastern (+6)
20. NC State (-7)
21. UC Irvine (-9)
22. Tennessee (-5)
23. Alabama (-5)
24. Ole Miss (NR)
25. UTSA (NR)

With four new teams (Georgia Tech, Kansas, Ole Miss, UTSA) joining the rankings in our D1Baseball Top 25 predictions, four must fall out. Those teams are West Virginia (previously No. 16), Duke (previously No. 20), Louisville (previously No. 21), and Troy (previously No. 22).