There's been various shifts in this week's power rankings, causing an interesting team to get their shot at the number one spot. The top ten welcomes the Virginia Cavaliers as the only new team. The Kentucky Wildcats are the only team to drop out from last week's rankings. Let's take a look at the ten best teams in college baseball.
#10: Virginia Cavaliers
Last Week: NR
The Cavaliers are ranked number one in many respected polls. Some early-season woes had me certainly doubting that this team was capable of hanging with the elite teams in college baseball. The Cavaliers have put the past behind them, and have started plowing through a tough ACC schedule. The Cavs were able to take two-of-three from a tough Clemson Tigers at home this past weekend, continuing their excellent play within the conference.
#9: Texas Longhorns
Last Week: #10
The Longhorns picked up an important sweep against bitter rival Oklahoma. The sweep will build confidence in a young Texas team that I've been proclaiming as one of the most talented teams in the country all season. The sweep also puts the Longhorns a game in front of Oklahoma State for the lead in the Big 12 standings.
#8: Vanderbilt Commodores
Last Week: #6
Vanderbilt lost a tough series in Nashville this weekend to Texas A&M. The Commodores simply couldn't match the Aggies the offense on Friday and Sunday. The road doesn't get easier for Vandy, as they travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas to battle the Arkansas Razorbacks, who boast some of the best pitching in the SEC.
#7: Oregon State Beavers
Last Week: #7
The Beavers stay put at #7 in this week's power rankings, after winning a series against Washington State. Oregon State will get a chance to make some noise in the polls this week, when they host a series against their in-state rival, the Oregon Ducks.
#6: Florida Gators
Last Week: #9
The Gators proved their legitimacy in a statement series victory against South Carolina. The series win put Florida on top of the SEC East standings. The Gators were a group that many thought were going to have a down year this season after losing a lot of talent from last season.
#5: South Carolina Gamecocks
Last Week: #2
The Gamecocks had the heaviest drop this week, after losing four out of their five games. Two of the losses came in a disappointing series-loss to the Florida Gators. The other two losses came from the city of Charleston, South Carolina. Charleston Southern and The Citadel both outhit the Gamecocks, who are riddled with injuries, to take victories this week. The Gamecocks will have to hit better if they'd like to make it back to the top of the rankings.
#4: Cal Poly Mustangs
Last Week: #5
The Mustangs are playing impressive baseball, winning their last seven games. This past weekend, the Mustangs traveled to Hawaii and swept the Warriors. Cal Poly continues to hang around, and the Big West might be the most underrated conference in college baseball.
#3: Florida State Seminoles
Last Week: #1
The Seminoles suffered a tough series-loss against Georgia Tech this past weekend. Florida State hasn't been the most convincing team this season, and they will have to try rebound against Wake Forest this weekend.
#2: LSU Tigers
Last Week: #4
The Tigers continue their success since getting swept by the Florida Gators last month. LSU was able to grab hits against an amazing Razorback staff, proving they can hit against just about anybody. The only team that's better offensively than LSU is our #1 team.
#1: Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns
Last Week: #3
The Cajuns are the best offensive team in the country and have only lost four times. In fact, Louisiana-Lafayette's offense is so good that they've only scored less than five runs in four games this season. The last time this happened was March 14 against Louisiana-Monroe. The Ragin' Cajuns will be an interesting team to watch, as we get closer to tournament time.
Disagree with me? Like this post? Have a question? Be sure to tweet and follow me on twitter @griffaldo. If you're not following me as of now, you need to ask yourself: "Why not?"
Be sure to check back for the Week Nine version of our power ranking and enjoy another great week of college baseball! Thanks again for reading!
No comments:
Post a Comment