Tennessee Volunteers Lead NCAA Baseball Rankings as Season Progresses

As the college baseball season reaches its midpoint, the Tennessee Volunteers have established themselves as a dominant force, maintaining their top position in the rankings. After completing a successful road sweep against South Carolina, Tennessee is set to host Texas A&M, who is currently struggling.

The top five teams show some shifts this week, with Texas rising to the No. 5 spot, while Oregon State has fallen out of the top ten, landing at No. 11 following two losses to an unranked Nebraska team.

UCLA made significant strides this week by climbing ten positions after a commanding victory against Purdue on the road. In contrast, Auburn and Vanderbilt faced setbacks; Auburn slipped five places after losing all three games against No. 3 Georgia, and Vanderbilt dropped nine spots after being swept by No. 2 Arkansas.

New entrants in this week’s rankings include Coastal Carolina, Kansas State, and Arizona State, which replaced Wake Forest, Stanford, and Arizona, respectively.

Controversy in College Station

This past weekend also brought some drama, particularly surrounding the Texas A&M vs. Kentucky game. The Southeastern Conference (SEC) enforces a rule that prohibits the start of a new inning after 4:30 p.m. local time on the final game of a series on Sundays, aimed at allowing the visiting team to return home without delay.

With Kentucky leading 10-5 in the eighth inning, Coach Nick Mingione made strategic efforts to delay the game from mound visits to defensive meetings to ensure the final inning started after the cut-off time. This tactic drew criticism from Texas A&M’s head coach Michael Earley, who voiced frustration over the stall tactics employed by Kentucky.

I asked Texas A&M HC Michael Earley about potential strategy when facing a travel-curfew end of game situation:

“It’s like even embarrassing to talk about, but I told Royo if Kaeden got out, strikeout on purpose…”

Full answer below: pic.twitter.com/PisOScV36L

Ultimately, Kentucky secured the victory, marking their first conference series win this season.

Highlight of the Week

Despite Stanford’s drop from the rankings, Tatum Marsh delivered a noteworthy performance with a remarkable diving catch against Virginia, showcasing fantastic athleticism.

Player Spotlight: Alex Lodise

This week, we highlight Florida State’s Alex Lodise, who had a sensational moment when he hit a walk-off grand slam against rival Florida. With eleven home runs and thirty-four RBIs this season, Lodise’s performance has been instrumental in Florida State’s success. This upcoming weekend, he will have another opportunity to shine as the Seminoles face Wake Forest.

Featured Series: LSU at Oklahoma

One series to watch is the upcoming matchup between No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Oklahoma. The games will take place at the following times:

• Thursday at 7 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
• Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET (SECN+)
• Saturday at 3 p.m. ET (SECN+)

Oklahoma, newly inducted into the SEC, will face a challenging test against an LSU team that has shown strong performance with only three losses this season. The series promises to deliver exciting baseball as both teams are vying for top rankings.

Updated Top 25 Rankings

Here are the latest top 25 rankings according to D1Baseball.com. All times are in Eastern:

1. Tennessee Volunteers – Record: 26-2, Next game: vs. Tennessee Tech, 6 p.m. on Tuesday (SECN+)
2. Arkansas Razorbacks – Record: 26-3, Next game: at Grambling, 7 p.m. on Tuesday (SECN+)
3. Georgia Bulldogs – Record: 28-2, Next game: vs. Queens University of Charlotte, 3 p.m. on Tuesday (SECN+)
4. Florida State Seminoles – Record: 23-4, Next game: vs. Jacksonville, 6 p.m. on Tuesday (ACCNX)
5. Texas Longhorns – Record: 23-3, Next game: vs. Texas State, 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday (SECN+)
6. Clemson Tigers – Record: 26-5, Next game: vs. Georgia Southern, 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday (ESPN+)
7. LSU Tigers – Record: 26-3, Next game: vs. Louisiana Tech, 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday (SECN+)
8. Alabama Crimson Tide – Record: 25-4, Next game: vs. Samford, 7 p.m. on Tuesday (SECN+)
9. Ole Miss Rebels – Record: 21-6, Next game: vs. Jackson State, 5 p.m. on Tuesday (SECN+)
10. Oklahoma Sooners – Record: 22-5, Next game: at Texas Tech, 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday
11. Oregon State Beavers – Record: 20-6, Next game: vs. UC Irvine, 8:35 p.m. on Friday
12. UC Irvine – Record: 21-5, Next game: vs. San Diego, 9 p.m. on Tuesday (ESPN+)
13. Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles – Record: 20-8, Next game: vs. Tulane, 7 p.m. on Tuesday (ESPN+)
14. UCLA Bruins – Record: 22-5, Next game: vs. Pepperdine, 9 p.m. on Tuesday
15. Oregon Ducks – Record: 20-7, Next game: at Portland, 8:02 p.m. on Wednesday (ESPN+)
16. Auburn Tigers – Record: 20-8, Next game: vs. UAB, 7 p.m. on Tuesday (SECN+)
17. Dallas Baptist Patriots – Record: 18-9, Next game: vs. UT Arlington, 7:05 p.m. on Tuesday (ESPN+)
18. Louisville Cardinals – Record: 20-7, Next game: at Indiana, 7 p.m. on Tuesday
19. North Carolina Tar Heels – Record: 21-7, Next game: vs. Gardner-Webb, 6 p.m. on Tuesday (ACCNX)
20. Troy Trojans – Record: 21-8, Next game: vs. Florida A&M, noon on Wednesday (ESPN+)
21. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers – Record: 20-8, Next game: vs. Campbell, 6 p.m. on Tuesday (ESPN+)
22. Kansas State Wildcats – Record: 19-8, Next game: at Wichita State, 7 p.m. on Wednesday (ESPN+)
23. Vanderbilt Commodores – Record: 19-5, Next game: vs. Western Kentucky, 7 p.m. on Tuesday (SECN+)
24. Arizona State Sun Devils – Record: 19-9, Next game: vs. Cal State Fullerton, 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday (ESPN+)
25. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets – Record: 22-6, Next game: vs. Mercer, 8 p.m. on Tuesday (ACC Network)