Here are World Baseball Network’s Top 25 college baseball rankings as of April 21.
The number next to the team’s name indicates how much they moved from last week’s rankings. A (-) sign indicates no movement and/or a new team into the top 25.
1. Texas Longhorns (33-5, 16-2 SEC, (-) from last week) – Texas maintains the No. 1 spot for the second straight week. Over the weekend, they swept a hot Auburn Tigers team at Disch-Falk Field in Austin. Head coach Jim Schlossnagle’s team now has 20 wins at home this season.
2. Clemson Tigers (35-7, 13-5 ACC, (-) from last week) – Clemson gained another series win over the Louisville Cardinals this weekend at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Drew Titsworth delivered a phenomenal start on Friday pitching six innings.
3. North Carolina Tar Heels (31-9, 13-8 ACC, +3 from last week) – North Carolina went on the road to beat a scrappy Virginia Tech team in an Atlantic Coast Conference series. The Tar Heels are trending up very fast as they have won eight of their last nine games.
4. Oregon State Beavers (30-7, +3 from last week) – There is perhaps no hotter team in college baseball than Oregon State. The Beavers have won 10 games in a row and are coming off a huge sweep against Cal State Northridge. Head coach Mitch Canham’s team scored 44 runs against the Matadors across all three games.
5. Tennessee Volunteers (33-7, 12-6 SEC, -2 from last week) – The Tennessee Volunteers took a slip because of a series loss to the Kentucky Wildcats over the weekend. It may be odd, but head coach Tony Vitello’s team has more losses at home than on the road this season.
6. Oregon Ducks (27-11, 14-7 Big Ten, +3 from last week) – Oregon took down UCLA over the weekend in their series at PK Park. Grayson Grinsell was fabulous on Friday throwing a complete game. The Ducks now have the second most conference wins in the Big Ten.
7. Arkansas Razorbacks (34-7, 13-5 SEC, -2 from last week) – Arkansas lost their weekend series to Texas A&M at home this weekend. Despite a tough return to the field, Gage Wood is back and healthy for the Razorbacks’ pitching staff.
8. Florida State Seminoles (29-7, 11-4 ACC, (-) from last week) – Due to the shooting that occurred on Florida State’s campus, all athletic events, including their weekend series against Virginia, were cancelled. The Seminoles defeated South Florida 19-0 in a midweek matchup. This leaves them squarely in the top 10.
9. LSU Tigers (34-7, 12-6 SEC, +1 from last week) – A series win against Alabama moves Louisiana State up one spot in the rankings. The Tigers have now won 25 games at Alex Box Stadium this season.
10. Georgia Bulldogs (33-8, 10-7 SEC, -6 from last week) – Georgia had a rough weekend as Vanderbilt swept them in their weekend series in Nashville. The Bulldogs are now just .500 (6-6) on the road this season.
11. N.C. State Wolfpack (27-12, 12-6 ACC, +1 from last week) – North Carolina State had a phenomenal weekend as they swept the California Golden Bears on the West Coast. The Wolfpack shut out Cal in the first game as they defeated them 9-0.
12. Vanderbilt Commodores (30-10, 11-7 SEC, +6 from last week) – Vanderbilt pitching thrived over the weekend as it led to a sweep of the Georgia Bulldogs. The Commodores held one of the best offenses in college baseball to just 10 runs all weekend.
13. Troy Trojans (28-12, 12-6 Sun Belt, +1 from last week) – Troy won their weekend series against Louisiana Monroe to hold steady at second place in the Sun Belt standings. In the two wins they got, the Trojans outscored the Warhawks 20-4.
14. TCU Horned Frogs (29-12, 12-6 Big 12, -3 from last week) – The Texas Christian Horned Frogs had an off weekend as they dropped a series against Central Florida in Orlando. On top of that, they also dropped a heartbreaking midweek game to Dallas Baptist.
15. UC Irvine Anteaters (28-9, 16-2 Big West, +4 from last week) – The California-Irvine Anteaters pitched superbly over the weekend. It led to a series sweep against Hawaii. Head coach Ben Orloff’s team sits on top of the Big West standings heading into this week.
16. Oklahoma Sooners (29-10, 10-8 SEC, +4 from last week) – Not a lot of teams had a better week than the Oklahoma Sooners. They defeated their rival, Oklahoma State, in a midweek showdown. Then, they went on to sweep Missouri over the weekend. Over the course of all four of those games, the Sooners scored 57 runs.
17. Ole Miss Rebels (28-12, 10-7 SEC, -4 from last week) – Ole Miss had a lackluster week. After the Rebels lost in an upset against Little Rock in the midweek, they lost their weekend series against South Carolina. Head coach Mike Banco’s team has won just two games out of their last seven.
18. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (30-10, 14-4 Sun Belt, +5 from last week) – Coastal Carolina swept Marshall over the weekend in Conway, S.C. Two of those wins came by way of a run-rule, and the Chanticleers outscored the Thundering Herd 34-6 over the entire weekend. They are now at the top of the Sun Belt standings.
19. UCLA Bruins (29-10, 13-5 Big Ten, -4 from last week) – The University of California-Los Angeles Bruins lost their weekend series against the Oregon Ducks. Prior to that, they also got held to one run in a 7-1 defeat they took at the hands of Oregon State.
20. Arizona Wildcats (28-11, 12-6 Big 12, +1 from last week) – Arizona won a weekend series against the BYU Cougars on the road in Provo, Utah. On top of that, they defeated a gritty mid-major in Grand Canyon during the midweek slate as they beat them 14-4 in a run-rule.
21. Dallas Baptist Patriots (28-11, 11-4 C-USA, +3 from last week) – It was quite the week for the Dallas Baptist Patriots as they swept the Sam Houston Bearkats over the weekend. During that series, the Pats outscored Sam Houston 49-12. Dallas Baptist also defeated TCU during the midweek slate.
22. Auburn Tigers (27-13, 9-9 SEC, -5 from last week) – Auburn was riding high heading into Austin to take on Texas. Then, the Longhorns handed them three losses in a weekend sweep. The Tigers fell back to .500 in SEC play and are now 4-8 on the road.
23. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (29-11, 14-7 ACC, -6 from last week) – The Yellow Jackets hot start in ACC play was chilled this weekend. The Miami Hurricanes swept Georgia Tech in Coral Gables holding them to just six runs all weekend. The Yellow Jackets’ offense also looked stagnant in a mid-week loss to Georgia at Truist Park in Atlanta.
24. UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (26-12, 12-9 Big West, +1 from last week) – California Santa Barbara won their rivalry series against Cal Poly over the weekend. The Gauchos held the Mustangs to just eight runs the entire weekend. Head coach Andrew Checketts’ team has now won seven of their last nine Big West conference games.
25. Duke Blue Devils (28-14, 12-9 ACC, (-) from last week) – Duke works their way back into the WBN top 25 after sweeping Pittsburgh over the weekend. The Blue Devils capped off the weekend with a 19-run performance in a run-rule win on Saturday.
Teams that dropped out of the rankings: Alabama
Matchups to Watch this Week in College Baseball (April 21-27)
Georgia Bulldogs v. Clemson Tigers (April 22) – A top 10 matchup in the midweek slate is sure to deliver as Georgia heads to Doug Kingsmore Stadium to take on Clemson. This is arguably the biggest matchup for both teams this season.
Mississippi State Bulldogs v. OIe Miss Rebels (April 22) – Two of college baseball’s biggest rivals will meet in Pearl, Miss., on Tuesday. This is a huge chance for both Ole Miss and Mississippi State to get back on track after losing weekends for both teams.
UCLA Bruins v. UC Irvine Anteaters (April 22) – California-Irvine has been one of the best mid-majors in college baseball. They have a chance to prove themselves on a national level with a chance to host a regional coming into the picture. California-Los Angeles had a bad weekend against Oregon and is looking to bounce back with a huge win in the midweek slate.
