D1Baseball releases updated top 25 rankings after upsets, second week

The second week of college baseball season was filled with upsets, especially throughout the midweek slate. That has resulted in some changes in the updated top 25 rankings from D1Baseball.

Two top ten teams lost during the midweek slate – No. 1 Wake Forest at UNC Greensboro and No. 6 Vanderbilt vs. Dayton. More big upsets carried into the weekend as well, including Kennesaw State’s dominant 18-1 victory over No. 10 Clemson on Friday.

The action also included two ranked series – No. 11 East Carolina vs. No. 15 North Carolina and No. 5 TCU vs. No. 20 UCLA. Additionally, No. 2 Arkansas and No. 7 Oregon State faced off in Arlington on Friday, while No. 14 Virginia and No. 18 Iowa were part of the field down in the Jax College Baseball Classic in Jacksonville.

After all of the upsets and results from the first full week of the season, we have new D1Baseball top 25 rankings. And there are some new teams in the mix.

1. Wake Forest

Previous Ranking: No. 1
Weekly Record: 3-1
Overall Record: 6-1

The Demon Deacons were stunned on Tuesday on the road against UNC Greensboro, falling 4-3. College baseball’s top-ranked team needed to respond with a strong weekend, and that’s exactly what they did against Dayton. Winning 14-2 on Friday, 9-3 on Saturday and 9-6 on Sunday, Wake Forest swept their way to another successful series victory.

2. Arkansas

Previous Ranking: No. 2
Weekly Record: 2-1
Overall Record: 5-2

Hagen Smith stole the show on Friday against one of the nation’s best offensive teams, with 18 of his recorded outs coming via strikeouts in a 5-4 victory. As a team, the Razorbacks struck out 25 in 14 innings on Saturday, before falling 2-1 against Oklahoma State. Facing Michigan on Sunday, Arkansas squeaked by with a tight 4-3 win.

3. LSU

Previous Ranking: No. 3
Weekly Record: 3-1
Overall Record: 7-1

LSU again played against two teams in a split four-game weekend series. The Tigers won 10-2 over Northern Illinois on Thursday, and finished a two-game sweep against them on Saturday with a 5-2 victory. Stony Brook upset the defending champs on Friday, though, winning 5-2. In the rematch on Sunday with Stony Brook, LSU won a high-scoring affair that ended with a score of 18-10.

4. Florida

Previous Ranking: No. 4
Weekly Record: 5-0
Overall Record: 5-1

After a one-game week last weekend, which ended up becoming a loss, Florida got back in action this week and impressed all-around. The Gators beat North Florida twice during the midweek by a combined 23-4 score, and then faced Columbia over the weekend. Florida cruised to a sweep and a 5-0 week, winning 15-6 on Friday, 7-3 on Saturday and 12-5 on Sunday, solidifying their spot in the top five of D1Baseball’s top 25 rankings.

5. TCU

Previous Ranking: No. 5
Weekly Record: 4-0
Overall Record: 7-0

TCU had to fight for a 6-5 midweek victory over Texas State, but it was the start to another great week for the Horned Frogs. Facing off against No. 20 UCLA, TCU took Friday’s game 4-3 before winning 6-3 on Saturday. The sweep was cruised to on Sunday, with the Horned Frogs winning convincingly, 13-3.

6. Oregon State

Previous Ranking: No. 7 (+1)
Weekly Record: 3-1
Overall Record: 7-1

Oregon State was tested this week, and they answered. The Beavers first faced No. 19 Texas Tech in Arlington in a midweek contest, and won 10-4. On Friday, they faced off against No. 2 Arkansas and struggled offensively until the Razorbacks called to the bullpen. Ultimately, it was a 5-4 loss. Oregon State bounced back on Saturday by beating Michigan 11-1. They then beat Oklahoma State on Sunday to win the weekend.

7. Texas A&M

Previous Ranking: No. 8 (+1)
Weekly Record: 4-0
Overall Record: 7-0

It’s early, but Texas A&M looks to be one of the most dangerous all-around teams in college baseball. The Aggies won 9-3 over Incarnate Word during the midweek, and then cruised through Wagner over the weekend. Texas A&M won 17-2 on Friday, 2-0 on Saturday and 21-2 on Sunday to stay unbeaten, and move up a spot in D1Baseball’s top 25 rankings.

8. Tennessee

Previous Ranking: No. 9 (+1)
Weekly Record: 5-0
Overall Record: 7-1

Tennessee’s week began with a close, 3-2 victory over UNC Asheville, and the Vols then blew things open with a 16-0 win over ETSU to complete the midweek slate. Against Albany over the weekend, Tennessee won by a total score of 41-11, sweeping their way to a 5-0 week.

9. Vanderbilt

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

This week didn’t start as Vanderbilt had hoped, as they fell 8-5 against Dayton on Tuesday. The Commodores immediately got back in action on Wednesday, and defeated Eastern Kentucky 5-3. Over the weekend against Gonzaga, Vanderbilt got back on track. After winning 12-2 on Friday and 4-3 on Saturday, Vanderbilt fell just short of a sweep, instead losing the finale 9-8. They are danger of falling even further in D1Baseball’s top 25 rankings if they don’t start winning.

10. Clemson

Previous Ranking: No. 10
Weekly Record: 3-1
Overall Record: 6-1

Clemson started off the week with a Tuesday victory over Presbyterian, 8-2. The Tigers got off to a slow start over the weekend, though, losing 18-1 in a stunning result against Kennesaw State. Clemson responded on Saturday with an 8-6 victory, and then clinched the series win with a 7-2 triumph on Sunday.

D1Baseball Top 25 Rankings: 11-25

11. East Carolina
12. Duke
13. Virginia (+1)
14. NC State (-1)
15. Texas (+1)
16. Alabama (+1)
17. North Carolina (-2)
18. Texas Tech (+1)
19. South Carolina (+2)
20. Indiana (+3)
21. Campbell (NR)
22. Coastal Carolina (+3)
23. Auburn (NR)
24. UC Santa Barbara (-2)
25. Dallas Baptist (NR)

Three new teams joined this week’s D1Baseball top 25 rankings – No. 21 Campbell, No. 23 Auburn and No. 25 Dallas Baptist. They join in place of Iowa (previously No. 18), UCLA (previously No. 20), and Kansas State (previously No. 24).