College Baseball Rankings: Predicting D1Baseball Top 25 with big top ten movement

Recent weeks have been full of upsets across college baseball, which have brought some significant shakeups to D1Baseball’s top 25 rankings. This week is no different.

After ten ranked teams lost a midweek game, the weekend brought even more. While 11 teams won the first two games of their weekend to clinch the series, ten teams were 1-1 and entering a rubber game, while four were already 0-2 with a series loss.

After three ranked matchups during the midweek slate, the weekend brought six series between top 25 teams. They were No. 2 Clemson at No. 25 NC State, No. 3 Oregon State at No. 13 Oregon, No. 4 Florida State at No. 19 Louisville, No. 6 Tennessee at No. 7 LSU, No. 9 Vanderbilt at No. 23 Ole Miss, and No. 10 Georgia at No. 14 Oklahoma.

That’s quite the weekend slate, and the results will undoubtedly lead to changes in D1Baseball’s top 25. With the postseason nearing, each week feels more and more important at this point of the season.

1. Texas

Previous Ranking: No. 1
Weekly Record: 4-0
Overall Record: 37-5 (19-2 in SEC)

Texas just continues its domination through its first year in the SEC. After a 14-11 midweek win over Texas State, the Longhorns hosted a red-hot Texas A&M team and won 2-1 on Friday and 3-2 on Saturday to clinch the series win. Jim Schlossnagle’s club didn’t want to stop there, and going for the sweep on Sunday, Texas won 6-5 to end another perfect week.

2. LSU

Previous Ranking: No. 7 (+5)
Weekly Record: 2-2
Overall Record: 36-9 (14-7 in SEC)

In a week with ten ranked teams losing a midweek game, none were more surprising than LSU’s 13-3 loss to Northwestern State. The Tigers then played host to No. 6 Tennessee over the weekend, and won Friday’s opener 6-3. Tennessee won 9-3 on Saturday to even the series, setting up a Sunday rubber game. There, LSU earned a run-rule victory, 12-2, to take the series.

3. North Carolina

Previous Ranking: No. 8 (+5)
Weekly Record: 2-1
Overall Record: 33-10 (15-9 in ACC)

North Carolina has been surging in D1Baseball’s top 25, and for good reason. The Tar Heels have been red hot, and they were looking to continue that this weekend at Pitt. UNC won Friday’s opener in dominating fashion, 15-5. They then fell 4-2 on Saturday, evening the series and setting up a rubber game on Sunday. There, UNC prevailed with a 6-0 shutout victory.

4. Georgia

Previous Ranking: No. 10 (+6)
Weekly Record: 2-2
Overall Record: 35-11 (12-9 in SEC)

Georgia’s offense couldn’t get going in Tuesday’s 3-0 midweek loss against No. 2 Clemson, and they lost Thursday’s opener against No. 14 Oklahoma 8-6 to start the week with a pair of losses. The Bulldogs got back on track the rest of the weekend, though, winning 10-9 on Friday and 6-3 on Saturday to secure the series win.

5. Clemson

Previous Ranking: No. 2 (-3)
Weekly Record: 1-3
Overall Record: 36-10 (13-8 in ACC)

Clemson’s week began on a high note, picking up a 3-0 midweek win against No. 10 Georgia. The weekend, though, was another story. The Tigers were on the road at No. 25 NC State, and were stunningly run-ruled in Thursday’s opener, losing 14-4. They then lost 8-3 on Friday to lose the series and 4-1 on Saturday to go winless on the weekend. Clemson will be moving down in D1Baseball’s top 25.

6. Oregon

Previous Ranking: No. 13 (+7)
Weekly Record: 3-1
Overall Record: 30-12 (14-7 in Big Ten)

Oregon’s week started in disappointing fashion, losing 10-9 to Portland on Tuesday. The Ducks then turned their attention to No. 3 Oregon State over the weekend, and made a statement right away. Oregon took the series behind a 4-2 in on Friday and a loud 13-1 win on Saturday. They wanted the sweep on Sunday, and got it with a 3-2 win.

7. Tennessee

Previous Ranking: No. 6 (-1)
Weekly Record: 2-2
Overall Record: 35-9 (13-8 in SEC)

Tennessee’s week started with an 11-1 win against Lipscomb on Tuesday, but they headlined the weekend at No. 7 LSU. The SEC weekend series lived up to the hype with a postseason feel to it, and Tennessee lost 6-3 on Friday before winning 9-3 on Saturday to even the series. In Sunday’s finale with the series on the line and big D1Baseball top 25 implications, the Vols were run ruled, losing 12-2.

8. Florida State

Previous Ranking: No. 4 (-4)
Weekly Record: 2-2
Overall Record: 31-9 (12-6 in ACC)

Florida State was back in action on Tuesday, picking up an 11-6 midweek win against Stetson. They then took a trip to No. 19 Louisville over the weekend in a massive ACC series. The Seminoles won Friday’s opener 10-2, but lost 9-4 on Saturday. That set up a rubber game on Sunday, where FSU unfortunately fell short again, losing 14-2 to drop the series.

9. Auburn

Previous Ranking: No. 11 (+2)
Weekly Record: 3-1
Overall Record: 30-14 (11-10 in SEC)

Auburn picked up an impressive midweek win on Tuesday, defeating No. 24 Georgia Tech 1-0. The Tigers then hosted Mississippi State over the weekend, winning 6-5 on Friday but losing 12-7 on Saturday to start the series. The weekend came down to Sunday’s finale, where Auburn won 14-8 to take the series.

10. UC Irvine

Previous Ranking: No. 12 (+2)
Weekly Record: 4-0
Overall Record: 32-9 (19-2 in Big West)

Not many teams in the country are playing as well as UC Irvine is right now, and now they’re likely to join the top ten in D1Baseball’s top 25 rankings. The Anteaters started their week with a 5-3 win against No. 15 UCLA on Tuesday, and then earned a huge series win at Cal Poly over the weekend. UC Irvine won 6-4 on Friday and 4-0 on Saturday to take the series, and 10-8 to finish the sweep on Sunday.

D1Baseball Top 25 Predictions: 11-25

11. NC State (+14)
12. Arkansas (-7)
13. Oregon State (-10)
14. Ole Miss (+9)
15. UCLA
16. West Virginia (+1)
17. Louisville (+2)
18. Alabama
19. Vanderbilt (-10)
20. Troy
21. Coastal Carolina
22. Southern Miss
23. Oklahoma (-9)
24. Kansas (NR)
25. Iowa (NR)

Kansas and Iowa are the two new teams we are predicting to join D1Baseball’s top 25 rankings. They replace Arizona (previously No. 16) and Georgia Tech (previously No. 24).