College baseball made its return this weekend, and what a start to the season it was. Upsets, walk-offs, and of course doubleheaders caused by weather, we really saw it all. Now, it’s time for the post-opening weekend D1Baseball Top 25 rankings.
As is the case with so many early weekends in February, we saw a few intriguing multi-team events to start the season. That includes the Shriner’s Children’s College Showdown, which featured No. 7 Arkansas, No. 10 TCU and No. 23 Vanderbilt. We also had the Puerto Rico Challenge, featuring No. 17 NC State and No. 21 Wake Forest.
There were no normal three-game series between two ranked opponents to start the year. Still, it was a fun weekend of baseball as it made its return. We also saw a jam-packed Saturday, with doubleheaders across the east coast to get in front of rainfall that came on Sunday. 12 ranked teams played a doubleheader on Saturday to conclude their opening weekend.
Now, it’s time to see how D1Baseball changed up its top 25 rankings after opening weekend. There’s some interesting movement throughout.
Previous Ranking: No. 1
Weekly Record: 2-1
Overall Record: 2-1
UCLA is the top-ranked preseason team for D1Baseball, so all eyes are on them early on. In their first series of the 2026 season, the Bruins hosted UC San Diego. They won 8-4 on opening day followed by a 7-2 win on Saturday to clinch the series win. Aiming for a Sunday sweep, UCLA fell just short and lost 8-7.
Derek Curiel 6, The LSU Tigers take on Little Rock Trojans in game 1 of the 2025 NCAA Div 1 Regional Baseball Championship at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge, LA. Friday, May 30, 2025.
Previous Ranking: No. 2
Weekly Record: 3-0
Overall Record: 3-0
Preseason No. 2 LSU is defending its national championship this season, and they started it off with a home series against Milwaukee. While Friday’s opener was tight for a while, the Tigers blew it open and won 15-5. They then took Saturday’s game 5-3 to secure a series win, before cruising to a 21-7 victory on Sunday to earn the sweep.
Previous Ranking: No. 3
Weekly Record: 3-0
Overall Record: 3-0
Expectations are once again high for Texas in 2026, and the season got started off right with a home series against UC Davis. The Longhorns won 12-2 on opening day, and then secured the series victory with a 6-4 win on Saturday. In Sunday’s finale, Texas cruised to a 9-1 victory to finish off the sweep. The Longhorns remain at No. 3 in D1Baseball’s top 25.
Previous Ranking: No. 4
Weekly Record: 3-0
Overall Record: 3-0
This weekend marked Brian O’Connor’s first series as Mississippi State’s head coach, and it ended with his first sweep in Starkville. The preseason No. 4 Bulldogs didn’t necessarily dominate, but they won 6-5 on Friday and 6-1 and 7-5 in Saturday’s doubleheader to emerge 3-0 on the weekend.
© Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
Previous Ranking: No. 5
Weekly Record: 3-0
Overall Record: 3-0
Dominating doesn’t even begin to describe what Georgia Tech did this weekend against Bowling Green. The Yellow Jackets won 11-5 on Friday before winning two games in a Saturday doubleheader, 27-4 and 12-2. That’s a 50-11 overall weekend, an emphatic statement for the top ACC team in D1Baseball’s preseason top 25 rankings.
Previous Ranking: No. 6
Weekly Record: 3-0
Overall Record: 3-0
Coastal Carolina was at home against Fairfield on opening weekend, looking to start strong as they aim to return to Omaha after finishing as the runner-up in 2025. The Chanticleers won 5-3 in Friday’s season opener before winning 5-1 and 5-0 in two games on Saturday to finish off the season-opening sweep.
Previous Ranking: No. 10 (+3)
Weekly Record: 2-1
Overall Record: 2-1
TCU is a team to watch, and they’re already on the rise in D1Baseball’s top 25 rankings. The Horned Frogs had an incredible start to 2026, defeating No. 23 Vanderbilt 5-4 and No. 7 Arkansas 5-4 to begin the Shriner’s Children’s College Showdown. They concluded their season-opening series against Oklahoma on Sunday evening, falling 12-2 in a run-rule loss. Still, the start of the weekend was a loud enough statement.
Jun 18, 2025; Omaha, Neb, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks catcher Ryder Helfrick (27) circles the bases after hitting a home run against the LSU Tigers during the fourth inning at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images
Previous Ranking: No. 7 (-1)
Weekly Record: 2-1
Overall Record: 2-1
The Shriner’s Children’s College Showdown was a fun one on opening weekend, and that’s where Arkansas began its season. The Razorbacks defeated Oklahoma State 12-2 on Friday before falling to No. 10 TCU 5-4 on Saturday. In its weekend finale, Arkansas battled Texas Tech, leading 4-1 entering the ninth before ultimately walking it off to win 6-5 in 11 innings.
Previous Ranking: No. 9
Weekly Record: 3-0
Overall Record: 3-0
Auburn hosted Youngstown State to begin the 2026 season, and earned a 2-1 victory on Friday to kick things off. Saturday featured a doubleheader to conclude the weekend, and it started with another 2-1 win for the Tigers. The finale was a different story, with Auburn winning 17-2 to finish off the series sweep. They hold firm at No. 9 in D1Baseball’s top 25 rankings.
Previous Ranking: No. 11 (+1)
Weekly Record: 3-0
Overall Record: 3-0
North Carolina was right outside the top ten entering the season at No. 11, but expectations were still high. They kicked off the year at home against Indiana, winning 9-4 on opening day before a doubleheader on Saturday. UNC ran away with the first game 12-2, but the finale was a different story. A brutal throwing error cost Indiana the win, and UNC comes away with a series sweep as a result.
D1Baseball Top 25 Rankings: 11-25
Tennessee OF Reese Chapman. Credit: UT Athletics
11. Oregon State (+1)
12. Florida (+1)
13. Tennessee (+1)
14. Georgia (+1)
15. Louisville (-7)
16. Florida State
17. NC State
18. Kentucky
19. Clemson
20. Southern Miss
21. Oklahoma (NR)
22. Wake Forest (-1)
23. Miami (-1)
24. Texas A&M (+1)
25. West Virginia (NR)
Dropped Out of D1Baseball Top 25: Vanderbilt (previously No. 23), Arizona (previously No. 24)