The college baseball season is now in full swing, with the second weekend of action now behind us. With the beginning of the MLB season in jeopardy, this might be the only baseball we get for a while. With a number of great series and upsets, the first edition of these rankings will be an interesting task. Without further ado, here are the top 25 teams in college baseball as it currently stands.
1. Texas (8-0)
The Longhorns are the team to beat this season. In their first real test of the young season, they shut down Alabama to just one run en route to a series sweep. The first two games were very close, 1-0 and 2-0 before the bats came alive to a tune of 6-1 on Sunday. Right-hander Tanner Witt improved to 2-0 on the season in the series finale after striking out nine over a strong six innings of work.
2. Stanford (6-1)
The Cardinal finished a strong weekend at the Karbach Round Rock Classic by downing Arkansas, 5-0. They only allowed one run over the three games in Round Rock and put up 23 runs total. Southpaw Quinn Mathews shut down the dangerous Razorbacks lineup and he struck out 10 and allowed just two hits and four walks over six innings.
3. Oklahoma State (4-2)
The opening series win over Vanderbilt is what puts the Cowboys here, then they went on to outscore Wright State 33-9 over a two-game series. Oklahoma State pitching combined to strike out 35 Vanderbilt batters over the three games while allowing 11 runs.
4. LSU (7-1)
The Tigers’ only loss so far was to Louisiana Tech on Wednesday. Other than that loss, they have outscored their opponents 92-18 in seven games. Some of the top-hitting performances have come from outfielder Dylan Crews (14-for-29, two homers), third baseman Cade Doughty (12-for-31, two homers), and infielder Jacob Berry (12-for-35, three homers).
5. Arkansas (4-2)
Outside of the loss to Stanford, Arkansas opened the season with a loss to Illinois State before taking the next three. The bats have been a little cold to start the year, as just two hitters – Cayden Wallace and Robert Moore – are currently hitting over .300. Jalen Battles has hit two homers so far.
6. Vanderbilt (5-2)
The Commodores bounced back nicely after their series loss to Oklahoma State to open the season. In four games against Evansville and Army, they outscored them 32-9. Right-hander Chris McElavin has dominated in his first two starts, as he has allowed just two unearned runs on six hits, four walks, and 15 strikeouts across 8 2/3 innings.
7. NC State (8-0)
Although they are yet to play a big-time opponent, the Wolfpack have taken care of business with ease thus far. In all but two games, they have scored at least 10 runs, while 10 was the most runs they allowed in any game. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you have seen the otherworldly start that infielder Tommy White has gotten off to. Through eight games, the freshman has gone 20-for-34 with nine homers and 29 (!) runs batted in. This performance has earned him the nickname Tommy Tanks and set Twitter ablaze as one of the most polarizing hitters in college baseball.
8. Tennessee (7-0)
The Volunteers have stepped on their opponents’ throats so far, outscoring them 107-7 through seven games. It may not be against top-level teams, but Tennessee has shown that they are not messing around. They have a huge test against Texas on Friday to kick off the Shriners College Classic in Houston. Third baseman Trey Lipscomb has led the offense, going 15-for-26 with four bombs and 20 RBI.
9. Georgia Tech (7-1)
Lost in the Tommy White hype has been the start from top MLB Draft catching prospect Kevin Parada. In eight games, he has mashed five taters while going 14-for-33. Georgia Tech’s only loss came against Georgia Southern on Tuesday, before they turned around and swept Gardner-Webb this weekend.
10. Ole Miss (6-0)
The Rebels have looked solid so far and come off a two-game sweep of VCU over the weekend. Outfielder Kevin Graham and infielder Tim Elko have each hit three homers, while Derek Diamond has led the pitching staff. The right-hander has struck out 10 in 10 innings over two starts while allowing just two earned runs.
The Rest of the Top 25:
11. Oregon State (7-0)
12. Arizona (7-1)
13. Notre Dame (5-1)
14. Florida State (5-2)
15. Liberty (6-1)
16. Florida (6-2)
17. Long Beach State (2-4)
18. Mississippi State (4-3)
19. Miami (7-1)
20. Maryland (7-0)
21. TCU (6-1)
22. Sacramento State (7-0)
23. North Carolina (6-1)
24. Virginia (7-0)
25. Tulane (6-1)
Check back in every Monday for the latest college baseball top 25 rankings!
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Main Image Credit: From Inside Pack Sports
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