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College  | Rankings  | 1/15/2024

Top 26-40 College Breakdown

Vincent Cervino      Craig Cozart     
2024 College Preview Index | Preseason Top 25 | Preseason Collegiate All-Americans

No. 26 Alabama Crimson Tide

Alabama is coming off a very tumultuous season but one that ended with a positive tone as they hosted and won a Regional and hired away head coach Rob Vaughn from Maryland. Expectations will be high in Tuscaloosa this season and the Tide will be led by star pitcher Ben Hess among other flamethrowers. They have solid offensive pieces too and the upside is here for Alabama to compete in the SEC once again. 

No. 27 Indiana Hoosiers
The Hoosiers have continued to thrive under head coach Jeff Mercer, having made two regionals in his four years in Bloomington. Last season they won 43 games and pushed Kentucky to a deciding game in the Lexington Regional before losing 4-2. This year’s club could be his most talented with returning pre-season All-American, Devin Taylor leading an explosive offense. If flame throwing sophomores, Connor Foley and Brayden Risedorph take the next step, this team could take home a Big 10 title.



No. 28 Texas Tech Red Raiders

Another year and another 40 win season for Tim Tadlock and company as the Red Raiders fell to eventual National CWS Runner-Up Florida in the Gainesville Regional. The Red Raiders will have a slew of returners including Kevin Bazzell and Gavin Kash while Kyle Robinson should be in store for a huge season on the bump. How their freshmen contribute will likely show their ceiling but they have the ability to hit the ground running. 
 

No. 29 Dallas Baptist Patriots
Dallas Baptist looks to follow up and amazing 2023 where they dominated Conference USA going 25-5 in league play and finished with 47 wins overall. Dan Heefner’s club was one win away from the Super Regionals, falling to Oral Roberts in the championship game of the Stillwater Regional. Nathan Humphreys, Ethan Mann, and Grant Jay return a combined 55 home runs to a potent lineup and pre-season All-American; Ryan Johnson is one of the most intimidating arms in the country. The Patriots have been to 12 NCAA Regionals, including two Super Regionals, since 2008 and this club will be there once again in 2024.

No. 30 Oregon Ducks

The Ducks had an excellent season under head coach Mark Wasikowski as Oregon hosted a Regional and advanced to their first Super Regional since 2012. They return big bats like Drew Smith and Jacob Walsh and have upside with power hitters too. Oregon is a bit lighter on the mound but there’s still plenty of talent as the Ducks look to retool and reload heading into the 2024 campaign. 

No. 31 Kentucky Wildcats
The Wildcats had a breakout season in 2023 where they cracked off an amazing 17-game win streak, hosted an NCAA Regional on their way to 40 wins. They would eventually bow out to the National Champion LSU Tigers in the Baton Rouge Super Regional. Head coach Nick Mingione and crew got a pleasant surprise when the pulse of their team, catcher Devin Burkes, returned to campus instead of starting his pro career. Travis Smith will anchor the rotation with his mid-90s heater, and he has refined his operation to an elite level. As they figure on the formula on the mound and the transfers settle in, don’t be surprised if there’s another Lexington Regional in 2024.

No. 32 West Virginia Mountaineers

The Mountaineers returned to the postseason for the first time since 2019 and Randy Mazey has to feel pretty good about returning one of the best players in the country. JJ Wetherholt won all sorts of awards in 2023 and is primed to again in 2024 as the infielder is the current favorite to be drafted first overall. Aidan Major is the name to know on the mound but the Wetherholt star power is the headline grabber here. 
 

No. 33 Southern Miss Golden Eagles
Highly decorated head coach Scott Berry retired after yet another successful season that saw the Golden Eagles win the Sun Belt Championship, the Auburn Regional and host the Hattiesburg Regional. The program now ushers in the Christian Ostrander era and it will rely heavily on the stability of the pitching staff to deliver another title. Returning weekend starters, Billy Oldham and Niko Mazza are both battle-tested with high end stuff. They need some young position players and transfers to solidify the lineup. Once they put that mix together, the success the home crowd in Hattiesburg expects will fall into place.

No. 34 Florida State Seminoles

Year 1 of the Link Jarrett era was rocky in Tallahassee as the Seminoles did not qualify for the ACC tournament and thus were left postseason-less for the first time since 1977. The good news is that the ‘Noles return a trio of huge bats in Cam Smith, James Tibbs, and Jaime Ferrer and the offense should put up runs in bunches. There are a blend of new and old faces on the mound and the emergence of the pitching staff will be what to watch for this season. 

No. 35 Oklahoma Sooners
Coming out of nowhere in 2022 and punching their ticket to Omaha, the Sooners looked like they were on the fast track to Big 12 supremacy. However, 2023 saw its fair share of ups and downs but ultimately head coach Skip Johnson led his club back to the NCAA Tournament. They have serious work to do in the new year with very little returning experience on the mound. The three-headed monster in the outfield with John Spikerman, Bryce Madron and Kendall Pettis will have to be the stabilizing force early on. But, as recent history has taught us, never count the Sooners out, they always seem to find a way.

No. 36 Georgia Bulldogs 

Georgia made the splashy hire of former LSU and MLB pitching coach Wes Johnson and he will have a reliable bat in Charlier Condon, one of the best players in the country. Condon provides the star power and Johnson hit the ground running bringing a ton of new faces to Athens via the transfer portal. There’s variance here but there’s no denying the talent that this staff and team possess along with potential 1:1 pick Condon. 

No. 37 Campbell Camels
While they lovingly describe themselves as the “nobodies from nowhere” they are anything but that to those that follow college baseball with any seriousness. The Camels won 46 games, their 5th consecutive Big South regular season title and went on to eliminate Central Connecticut St and NC State in the Columbia Regional before giving way to the Gamecocks. Justin Haire now leads his program into uncharted territory as they move to the much more competitive Colonial Athletics Association. Returning pre-season All-American, Lawson Harrill, is coming off a career year with the stick and 5th year senior Chance Daquila is back to lead a staff with a bevy of talent.

No. 38 UConn Huskies 

It was another strong year in 2023 for Jim Penders and company as the head coach enters his 21st season at Connecticut. There’s a ton returning on the mound and a lot of veteran options including Garrett Coe while there’s a good bit of versatility on the position player side of the roster. All told this feels like another classic Huskies team and one that should make some noise when we get into May. 
 

No. 39 Miami Hurricanes
There are very few names that are as synonymous with UM baseball as now head coach JD Arteaga. After 21 years as an assistant coach, he finally takes over the reins of his alma mater. While there were massive losses to graduation, the draft, and transfers due to the length of the hiring process; the Hurricanes will once again be in the thick of the ACC race. Sophomore Blake Cyr returns after hitting 17 home runs in his freshman campaign and Friday night starter Gage Ziehl will need to show the inexperienced staff the way. As the new coaching staff and new faces grow together, the U will end up right back where it always does, in the NCAA Tournament.

No. 40 Kansas Jayhawks 

We enter year 2 of the Dan Fitzgerald era at Kansas as he and his staff continue to import talent to the roster. There’s a fair amount of talent on the bump via various transfer arms with good stuff. Kodey Shojinaga and Chase Jans lead the way with position players and this looks to be a feisty Jayhawk team that might surprise some conference members once conference play gets underway. 
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