Welcome Tennessee to the top of the rankings!
After the reining champions swept the top-10 ranked Florida Gators over the weekend, the Volunteers have earned their first No. 1 ranking of the season. And though the LSU Tigers swept their weekend series, too, they slid down to the second spot, but they have a great opportunity to reclaim that top spot if they can beat now top-10 ranked Texas this upcoming weekend.
Elsewhere, there was plenty of shuffle with Alabama jumping up five spots to No. 12, Florida dropping six spots to No. 13, and North Carolina dropping 11 spots to No. 17. But most notably, Texas A&M fell out of the rankings after getting swept by the Crimson Tide. This paved the way for the Louisville Cardinals to enter the top 25 at the No. 16 spot.
Here are how the entire top 25 rankings look as of March 17, plus one of our favorite plays and what we’re watching for in the week to come.
Play of the week
Check out this spectacular defensive play from Kentucky’s Patrick Herrera. The Wildcats, though they lost the series against Georgia, did end up winning this particular game 10-7.
OMG😱😱😱😱 PATTY WEB GEM!!!!
Shut it down, y’all. @PatrickcHerrera just turned in the top play on @sctop10 tonight and @NCAABaseball and @d1baseball this week. Double play to help extinguish a threat. pic.twitter.com/e0xpRmd11w
— Kentucky Baseball (@UKBaseball) March 15, 2025
Player to watch
Brady Counsell, INF/OF, Kansas
Kansas just completely poured it on Minnesota last week. The Jayhawks won 29-1, and it was partly due to this string of consecutive home runs, five (!) to be exact. Unranked KU has been playing some extremely fun baseball, and a big reason why is Brady Counsell. He accounted for one of those home runs against Minnesota.
1:10
5 straight HRs?! Kansas tees off in 29-1 rout of Minnesota
Kansas incredibly hits home runs in five consecutive at-bats in a blowout victory over Minnesota.
On the season, Counsell has five home runs to go along with 25 RBIs. Kansas has an overall 17-3 record, so it’s not too far-fetched that the Jayhawks will soon be ranked if they can continue playing well.
Series to watch
No. 1 Tennessee at No. 12 Alabama
7:30 p.m. on Thursday (ESPNU)
7 p.m. on Friday (SECN+)
2 p.m. on Saturday (SECN+)
With the reigning champions now at No. 1, Tony Vitello’s squad will have a lot of hype to live up to, as if they didn’t already entering this season. The Vols will face the Tide this weekend on the road, and if they can take care of business in Tuscaloosa, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t hold on to that top spot. Alabama meanwhile has been steadily climbing up the rankings all season long, and it is coming off a strong series sweep of Texas A&M. Justin Lebron has been terrific for the Tide, as he has racked up 12 homers and 45 RBIs. One difference maker for Tennessee, however, could be Reese Chapman. He’s third on the team with six total home runs and leads the Vols, along with Gavin Kilen, with 24 RBIs. We’re excited to see what this series has in store later this week.
0:45
Reese Chapman smashes a homer vs. Gators
Reese Chapman (Tennessee) with a Spectacular Hit Florida, 03/16/2025
Updated top 25
Here are D1baseball.com’s latest rankings, plus information on each team’s next game.
All times Eastern.
1. Tennessee Volunteers
Previous rank: 2
Record: 20-0
Next game: vs. ETSU, 5 p.m. on Tuesday (SECN+)
2. LSU Tigers
Previous rank: 1
Record: 20-1
Next game: vs. New Orleans, 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday (SECN+)
3. Arkansas Razorbacks
Previous rank: 3
Record: 18-2
Next game: vs. Oral Roberts, 7 p.m. on Tuesday (SECN+)
4. Georgia Bulldogs
Previous rank: 4
Record: 21-2
Next game: at Florida, 6:30 p.m. on Friday (SECN+)
5. Florida State Seminoles
Previous rank: 5
Record: 18-1
Next game: vs. Mercer, 6 p.m. on Tuesday (ACCNX)
6. Oregon State Beavers
Previous rank: 8
Record: 15-3
Next game: vs. Rutgers, 8:35 p.m. on Tuesday
7. Clemson Tigers
Previous rank: 10
Record: 19-2
Next game: vs. The Citadel, 6 p.m. on Tuesday (ACCNX)
8. Texas Longhorns
Previous rank: 11
Record: 17-1
Next game: vs. UTSA, 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday (SECN+)
9. Oregon Ducks
Previous rank: 9
Record: 17-4
Next game: vs. Rutgers, 8:05 p.m. on Friday
10. Oklahoma Sooners
Previous rank: 12
Record: 17-2
Next game: vs. UT Arlington, 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday (SECN+)
11. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Previous rank: 14
Record: 18-3
Next game: at Liberty, 4 p.m. on Tuesday (ESPN+)
12. Alabama Crimson Tide
Previous rank: 17
Record: 20-1
Next game: vs. South Alabama, 7 p.m. on Tuesday (SECN+)
13. Florida Gators
Previous rank: 7
Record: 16-5
Next game: vs. Jacksonville, 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday (SECN+)
14. Stanford Cardinal
Previous rank: 18
Record: 15-3
Next game: vs. Cal, 9:05 p.m. on Friday (ACCNX)
15. Dallas Baptist Patriots
Previous rank: 20
Record: 14-5
Next game: vs. TCU, 7:05 p.m. on Tuesday (ESPN+)
16. Louisville Cardinals
Previous rank: NR
Record: 16-3
Next game: vs. Northern Kentucky, 7 p.m. on Tuesday (ACCNX)
17. North Carolina Tar Heels
Previous rank: 6
Record: 16-4
Next game: at UConn, 4 p.m. on Wednesday (ACCNX)
18. Ole Miss Rebels
Previous rank: 13
Record: 15-4
Next game: at Southern Miss, 7 p.m. on Tuesday
19. Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles
Previous rank: 22
Record: 14-6
Next game: vs. Southern Miss, 7 p.m. on Tuesday
20. Auburn Tigers
Previous rank: 25
Record: 16-4
Next game: vs. Alabama State, 7 p.m. on Tuesday
21. UC Santa Barbara Gauchos
Previous rank: 15
Record: 15-4
Next game: vs. UC Irvine, 7:35 p.m. on Friday
22. Vanderbilt Commodores
Previous rank: 16
Record: 15-5
Next game: vs. Belmont, 7 p.m. on Tuesday (SECN+)
23. Virginia Cavaliers
Previous rank: 23
Record: 12-6
Next game: vs. Richmond, 4 p.m. on Wednesday (ACCNX)
24. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
Previous rank: 24
Record: 15-5
Next game: at Campbell, 6 p.m. on Tuesday
25. Troy Trojans
Previous rank: 21
Record: 15-5
Next game: at UAB, 1 p.m. on Tuesday
