College Baseball Rankings: Predicting D1Baseball Top 25 with new No. 1, four new teams entering final week

This week was the penultimate week of the regular season in college baseball, and it was a fun one. It’s time to predict D1Baseball’s top 25 rankings entering the final week, and there will be plenty of movement and likely multiple new teams.

Four ranked matchups headlined the weekend, most notably the top ten battle with No. 7 Arkansas at No. 3 LSU. The other three were No. 16 NC State at No. 4 North Carolina, No. 6 Georgia at No. 23 Alabama, and No. 11 Vanderbilt at No. 15 Tennessee.

With such high stakes as teams jockey for postseason positioning, every game is massive this time of the year. While nine teams won the first two games of their series to secure a series win, four started the weekend 0-2 while 12 were 1-1. That set up a massive, massive day of college baseball on Sunday.

Here’s how we expect D1Baseball’s top 25 rankings to look on Monday. There is the potential for major changes from top to bottom.

1. Florida State

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

Florida State surged back up to No. 2 in the rankings last week, and another important week awaited them. The Seminoles beat Jacksonville 14-2 in a midweek battle on Tuesday, and then hit the road for a cross-country trip to Cal over the weekend. FSU won Friday’s opener 8-2, but then fell 5-0 on Saturday to force a rubber game on Sunday. With the series on the line, the Seminoles won it 5-1.

2. LSU

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

Looking to solidify its status as a top eight seed, LSU made a loud statement against No. 7 Arkansas this weekend. The Tigers won Friday’s opener 5-4 in extras, and then run-ruled the Razorbacks 13-3 on Saturday to clinch the series. LSU wanted to end the weekend with a series sweep in Sunday’s finale, but instead fell 7-4 to settle for a series win.

3. Texas

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

Texas remained No. 1 last week despite losing its last series, and the Longhorns wanted to get back on track this week to hold firm atop D1Baseball’s top 25. The week started with a 9-3 win against Lamar on Tuesday. Over the weekend, the Longhorns fell 8-2 in Friday’s series opener against Florida. They responded on Saturday with a 5-2 win to even the series, setting up a decisive rubber game on Sunday. There, Texas fell again, this time 4-1 to lose the series.

4. North Carolina

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

North Carolina’s week started with a 10-1 victory against Campbell on Tuesday, and then attention turned to a massive ACC series against No. 16 NC State. The Tar Heels came out strong on Thursday with an 8-1 victory, but the Wolfpack responded with an 8-5 win on Friday to tie the series. The finale got pushed to Sunday due to weather, and eventually canceled.

5. Oregon

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

Oregon had a busy week, starting with a pair of midweek games against Saint Mary’s. The Ducks won both, 6-3 on Tuesday and 8-1 on Wednesday. They then hosted Washington over the weekend, and won 5-0 on Friday and 6-4 on Saturday to secure the series win. Aiming for a sweep in Sunday’s finale, Oregon did just that with a 5-3 victory to soldify their spot in the top five of D1Baseball’s top 25.

6. Auburn

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

Auburn hosted South Carolina over the weekend, and it was all Tigers. The series began on Thursday, where Auburn picked up a dominating 24-2 victory to open the weekend. Auburn then won 11-10 on Friday in the first game of a doubleheader to clinch the series, before winning 11-3 in the finale later on Friday to finish the sweep.

7. Oregon State

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

Oregon State wrapped up its four-game series against Hawaii on Monday, winning 7-3 to technically kick off a new week. The Beavers then traveled to Iowa for a pretty important three-game series, and took care of business. Oregon State won 9-6 on Friday and 5-1 on Saturday to clinch the series, and ended up with a 6-6 tie in the finale on Sunday.

8. Vanderbilt

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

Vanderbilt had a four-game week, all against ranked opponents. The first was on Tuesday, a 5-4 loss at No. 20 Louisville. The Commodores then went to Knoxville for a series at No. 15 Tennessee, losing Friday’s opener 3-2 before winning 10-6 on Saturday. That set up a rubber game on Sunday, where Vanderbilt won 7-5 to take the series and ride into the top ten in D1Baseball’s top 25.

9. Georgia

Previous Ranking: No. 6 (-3)
Weekly Record: 1-2
Overall Record: 40-13 (16-11 in SEC)

Georgia was one of many teams this weekend to have their series disrupted due to weather. The Bulldogs, at No. 23 Alabama, won 19-3 in Friday’s series opener, and then got a little over halfway through the second game in a doubleheader. That game was ultimately suspended and resumed on Sunday, where Alabama won 9-3 to even the series. In the rubber game and series finale later Sunday afternoon, the Bulldogs lost again, 5-4.

10. UC Irvine

Previous Ranking: No. 13 (+3)
Weekly Record: 4-0
Overall Record: 38-11 (23-4 in Big West)

It was a four-game road week for UC Irvine, beginning with a 9-8 win at California Baptist on Tuesday. The Anteaters then went to Cal State Bakersfield and took the series, winning 14-11 on Friday and 7-3 on Saturday. They were hoping for a three-game sweep, and did exactly that with a 5-3 win on Sunday.

D1Baseball Top 25 Predictions: 11-25

11. Coastal Carolina (+3)
12. Arkansas (-5)
13. UCLA (+5)
14. Alabama (+9)
15. NC State (+1)
16. Clemson (-7)
17. West Virginia (-5)
18. Troy (+1)
19. Southern Miss (+2)
20. Tennessee (-5)
21. Georgia Tech (NR)
22. Duke (NR)
23. Florida (NR)
24. Louisville (-4)
25. UTSA (NR)

With four new teams in our D1Baseball top 25 predictions, four must drop out. Those teams are Oklahoma (previously No. 17), Arizona (previously No. 22), Ole Miss (previously No. 24), and USC (previously No. 25).