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It hasn't taken long for Houston coach Todd Whitting and his coaching staff to work their magic with the Cougars. Just coming off an 18-35 campaign last season, the Cougars are in the midst of a magical campaign with a 21-4 overall record.
They take yet another step forward this week with a showing in the Perfect Game College Top 25, debuting at No. 22 after taking a midweek bout from in-state foe Texas before sweeping East Carolina at home.
While Houston is a big mover in this week's rankings, it certainly isn't alone. However, the top five continues to have some familiar names. North Carolina remains the nation's No. 1 club after another fantastic week, while LSU moved from No. 3 to No. 2, jumping Vanderbilt, following another perfect week. The rest of the top five includes UCLA and Oregon State, which took care of business in Pac-12 play over the weekend.
There was plenty of movement with the rest of the top 10. Ole Miss and South Carolina each dropped out of the group after losing tough SEC home series to Texas A&M and Arkansas, respectively, while Cal State Fullerton moved from No. 9 to No. 6, Florida State moved from No. 11 to No. 7, Virginia moved from No. 14 to No. 8, Kentucky moved from No. 12 to No. 9 and Georgia Tech dropped from No. 6 to No. 10 after a close and hard-fought series against the Seminoles.
Elsewhere in the rankings, Louisville dropped from No. 10 to No. 18 following a home series loss to Rutgers, while North Carolina State dropped from No. 13 to No. 21 after a poor showing on the road against Virginia.
Also worth noting, in addition to Houston entering the rankings, Cal Poly entered at No. 23 while Texas A&M entered at No. 25 following the road series win over Ole Miss.
Conference breakdown: SEC 8, ACC 5, Pac-12 4, Big East 2, Big West 2, Big Ten 1, Big 12 1, Conference USA 2
The Perfect Game Top 25 will be released each Monday morning throughout the college baseball season.
| Rank |
Team |
W-L |
Conference |
Previous rank |
| 1. |
North Carolina
|
21-1 |
Atlantic Coast |
1 |
| 2. |
Louisiana State
|
22-2 |
Southeastern
|
3 |
| 3. |
Vanderbilt |
21-4 |
Southeastern
|
2 |
| 4. |
UCLA
|
17-4 |
Pacific 12 |
4 |
| 5. |
Oregon State
|
21-2 |
Pacific 12 |
5 |
| 6. |
Cal State Fullerton
|
21-3 |
Big West |
9 |
| 7. |
Florida State
|
22-2
|
Atlantic Coast |
11 |
| 8. |
Virginia
|
22-2 |
Atlantic Coast |
14 |
| 9. |
Kentucky |
18-5
|
Southeastern |
12 |
| 10. |
Georgia Tech |
18-5
|
Atlantic Coast |
6 |
| 11. |
Oregon |
18-6 |
Pacific 12 |
16 |
| 12. |
Mississippi
|
21-4 |
Southeastern
|
8
|
| 13. |
Arkansas
|
17-7
|
Southeastern |
22 |
| 14. |
South Carolina
|
18-6 |
Southeastern |
7 |
| 15. |
Notre Dame |
14-6 |
Big East
|
15 |
| 16. |
Oklahoma
|
22-4 |
Big 12 |
21 |
| 17. |
Rice |
18-8 |
Conference USA
|
20 |
| 18. |
Louisville
|
19-4 |
Big East |
10 |
| 19. |
Indiana |
18-3 |
Big Ten |
24 |
| 20. |
Mississippi State
|
21-6 |
Southeastern |
17 |
| 21. |
N.C. State |
16-9 |
Atlantic Coast
|
13 |
| 22. |
Houston
|
21-4 |
Conference USA |
NR |
| 23. |
Cal Poly |
17-5 |
Big West
|
NR |
| 24. |
Arizona State
|
13-7 |
Pacific 12 |
19 |
| 25. |
Texas A&M |
17-8 |
Southeastern |
NR |
Dropped out: Stanford (18), Central Arkansas (23), Virginia Tech (25)
Entered: Houston, Cal Poly, Texas A&M
Others to watch: South Alabama, Oklahoma State, UC Irvine, Mercer, Florida Gulf Coast, Gonzaga, Campbell, San Diego, Stanford, Central Arkansas, Virginia Tech, Miami, Clemson, Austin Peay, Georgia Southern