Rankings

[chuckiepoo]

I have to believe there are more qualified answers here in this forum, but I can't fathom how (outside of downright luck) A&M, Oregon State, ECU, or LSU make Omaha.

I’ll take those four (one to make it) over the field. It’s such a crapshoot this early on. They just be chumming fer clicks…

 

[Buddy’s Bandit]

D1Baseball has us ranked #9 for start of season
1 Wake Forest
2 Florida
3 Arkansas
4 LSU
5 TCU
6 Vandy
7 OSU
8 Texas A&M
9 UT
10 Clemson
11 ECU
12 Duke
13 NC State
14 Virginia
15 UNC
16 Texas
17 UC Santa Barbara
18 Coastal
19 Alabama
20 Iowa
21 Texas Tech
22 UCLA
23 Northeastern
24 Kansas State
25 usc

Welcome to your new conference Texas

 

[WillisWG]

College Baseball Top 25 Rankings — College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America

Baseball America's preseason 2024 College Baseball Top 25 rankings are here, led by national title contenders Wake Forest and LSU.

www.baseballamerica.com

8. Tennessee​

Last season: 44-22 (16-14), reached College World Series
Final ranking: No. 5

Skinny: Tennessee again has one of the sport’s most exciting rosters. Righthander Drew Beam is among the most accomplished starters in college baseball and the Volunteers’ lineup, anchored by second baseman Christian Moore, is one of the most powerful. Tennessee must integrate some key newcomers, but it has proven adept at doing so

 

[AthensVol2007]

I have to believe there are more qualified answers here in this forum, but I can't fathom how (outside of downright luck) A&M, Oregon State, ECU, or LSU make Omaha.

How is LSU making it luck? They picked up what were likely the 2nd and 3rd best pitchers in the portal, return Thatcher Hurd (8-2 last year), added All-PAC-12 hitter Mac Bingham, still have Tommy Tanks and a ton of young guys who produced in limited action last year.

 

[Volprofch05]

 

[Woodrow Call]

Welcome to your new conference Texas

Yeah, they aren't anything special in SEC.

 

[volplaya8]

• NCBWA – No. 5
• USA Today – No. 8
• Baseball America – No. 8
• D1Baseball.com – No. 9
• Perfect Game – No. 11
  

So we start here and rise to the top. Where do each of you guys rank these services on credibility?

 

[Christian Lowe]

I have to believe there are more qualified answers here in this forum, but I can't fathom how (outside of downright luck) A&M, Oregon State, ECU, or LSU make Omaha.

LSU, Oregon State and A&M are definitely talented enough to not only go, but win it all.

 

[nashvillepanther]

How is LSU making it luck? They picked up what were likely the 2nd and 3rd best pitchers in the portal, return Thatcher Hurd (8-2 last year), added All-PAC-12 hitter Mac Bingham, still have Tommy Tanks and a ton of young guys who produced in limited action last year.

Their rotation will be the worse, and they can't rely on a phenom to carry them in leverage situations/starts/games. I see them hitting well, pitching horribly, and losing high-scoring games to good comp.

 

[Christian Lowe]

Their rotation will be the worse, and they can't rely on a phenom to carry them in leverage situations/starts/games. I see them hitting well, pitching horribly, and losing high-scoring games to good comp.

Their rotation is better. Last year it was Skenes and average SEC pitching behind him. They’re a lot more talented Friday-Sunday this year.

 

[nashvillepanther]

• NCBWA – No. 5
• USA Today – No. 8
• Baseball America – No. 8
• D1Baseball.com – No. 9
• Perfect Game – No. 11

So we start here and rise to the top. Where do each of you guys rank these services on credibility?

NCBWA, BA, and D1 are my go-to's. Better knowledge, access, and coverage.

Look no further than guys like Kendall Rogers who leave places like PG for D1.

 

[nashvillepanther]

Their rotation is better. Last year it was Skenes and average SEC pitching behind him. They’re a lot more talented Friday-Sunday this year.

Their rotation was horrible last year.

https://static.lsusports.net/assets/docs/bb/23stats/23stats.pdf?_gl=1*1e9a2mi*_gcl_au*MTgzMzY1MjMyMC4xNzA3ODgxNzAy*_ga*MTIzMjMwOTg0MS4xNzA3ODgxNzAy*_ga_H5J0WQLH9X*MTcwNzg4MTcwMS4xLjAuMTcwNzg4MTcwMS42MC4wLjA.&_ga=2.229421332.989108035.1707881702-1232309841.1707881702

Losing Paul Skenes is the biggest blow a staff can have in college baseball. I will bet you right now their staff performs poorly, hits well, and the o/u on their games by the NCAAs is like 17.5.

Of course, this is all relative. The SEC is the best conference, and these guys would dominate in most places.

 

[Christian Lowe]

Their rotation was horrible last year.

https://static.lsusports.net/assets/docs/bb/23stats/23stats.pdf?_gl=1*1e9a2mi*_gcl_au*MTgzMzY1MjMyMC4xNzA3ODgxNzAy*_ga*MTIzMjMwOTg0MS4xNzA3ODgxNzAy*_ga_H5J0WQLH9X*MTcwNzg4MTcwMS4xLjAuMTcwNzg4MTcwMS42MC4wLjA.&_ga=2.229421332.989108035.1707881702-1232309841.1707881702

Losing Paul Skenes is the biggest blow a staff can have in college baseball. I will bet you right now their staff performs poorly, hits well, and the o/u on their games by the NCAAs is like 17.5.

Of course, this is all relative. The SEC is the best conference, and these guys would dominate in most places.

You’re agreeing with me. I said their rotation last year was Skenes and average talent behind him.

They are far better this year. I don’t know what you’re arguing against here.

 

[nashvillepanther]

You’re agreeing with me. I said their rotation last year was Skenes and average talent behind him.

They are far better this year. I don’t know what you’re arguing against here.

I think you're way overvaluing average arms who will get torn up in conference and undervaluing the best pitching prospect in years. The transfer portal won't fix the talent issues, but who knows, someone could gain 5-7 mph this winter and come out as the next Nolan Ryan.

But hey, I am offering to bet and am willing to walk the walk.

 

[Christian Lowe]

I think you're way overvaluing average arms who will get torn up in conference and undervaluing the best pitching prospect in years. But hey, I am offering to bet and am willing to walk the walk.

Would you rather have Shohei Ohtani and 4 triple A call ups every other day or 5 guys who will never win a cy young, but can give you a 3.5 ERA over a season?

That’s my argument. They won with the former last year, this year they return an 8-2 starter and picked up the best pitchers available in the portal to start the other two days.

They’re far worse on Friday this year compared to last, but far better over the course of a series this year.

 

[nashvillepanther]

Would you rather have Shohei Ohtani and 4 triple A call ups every other day or 5 guys who will never win a cy young, but can give you a 3.5 ERA over a season?

That’s my argument. They won with the former last year, this year they return an 8-2 starter and picked up the best pitchers available in the portal to start the other two days.

They’re far worse on Friday this year compared to last, but far better over the course of a series this year.

I guess that is the part where we see things differently.

I don't see them getting to that number.

 

[Christian Lowe]

I guess that is the part where we see things differently.

I don't see them getting to that number.

Just like you think I’m undervaluing Skenes, I think you’re undervaluing their transfer class. They got studs, on par or better with our pitching transfers. I think we will have better numbers, but that’s due to Frank and our established guys.

 

[Christian Lowe]

I guess that is the part where we see things differently.

I don't see them getting to that number.

I mean Holman already had a 3.5 ERA in the SEC starting last year for Bama

The Xavier guy they got had a sub 2.0ERA.

 

[nashvillepanther]

I mean Holman already had a 3.5 ERA in the SEC starting last year for Bama

The Xavier guy they got had a sub 2.0ERA.

Holman is decent. I will refrain from commenting on my judgment on a Xavier pitcher moving up to the SEC, however, I think there will be an extremely long adjustment period, if one can made.

 

[Christian Lowe]

Holman is decent. I will refrain from commenting on my judgment on a Xavier pitcher moving up to the SEC, however, I think there will be an extremely long adjustment period, if one can made.

Kind of like a kid from Georgia southern making the transition to the SEC gauntlet?

 

[Volprofch05]

Kind of like a kid from Georgia southern making the transition to the SEC gauntlet?

Can someone remind me how that worked out?

 

[AthensVol2007]

Their rotation will be the worse, and they can't rely on a phenom to carry them in leverage situations/starts/games. I see them hitting well, pitching horribly, and losing high-scoring games to good comp.

Holman’s ERA was better than Beam’s and he had the 2nd lowest opponent BA in the league. Loer’s ERA was sub 2.00 and was wanted by everyone in the country. Not sure where you’re getting that their pitching staff will be terrible. To boot, they added one of the best pitching coaches in the country to the staff.

 

[Christian Lowe]

Holman’s ERA was better than Beam’s and he had the 2nd lowest opponent BA in the league. Loer’s ERA was sub 2.00 and was wanted by everyone in the country. Not sure where you’re getting that their pitching staff will be terrible. To boot, they added one of the best pitching coaches in the country to the staff.

He either just blindly hates LSU, which I mean… I respect it.

Or he hasn’t really followed the portal recruiting and figured if they made a true splash, he’d have heard about it. Which I also get, baseball isn’t a 365 day a year sport for most fans.

But he is wrong either way, and LSU is certainly a CWS championship caliber team.

The SEC this year has many.. us, Vandy, LSU, Florida, Arkansas are the bonafides.

But you could make a case for South Carolina, A&M, Auburn, Georgia..

it’s stacked this year. If we have a 44-22 record again, that’s a success. I have a feeling there won’t be that many SEC teams with losses in the low teens this year.

 

[AthensVol2007]

He either just blindly hates LSU, which I mean… I respect it.

Or he hasn’t really followed the portal recruiting and figured if they made a true splash, he’d have heard about it. Which I also get, baseball isn’t a 365 day a year sport for most fans.

But he is wrong either way, and LSU is certainly a CWS championship caliber team.

The SEC this year has many.. us, Vandy, LSU, Florida, Arkansas are the bonafides.

But you could make a case for South Carolina, A&M, Auburn, Georgia..

it’s stacked this year. If we have a 44-22 record again, that’s a success. I have a feeling there won’t be that many SEC teams with losses in the low teens this year.

He’s the D4H of baseball with his predictions.

 

[docholiday]

Would you rather have Shohei Ohtani and 4 triple A call ups every other day or 5 guys who will never win a cy young, but can give you a 3.5 ERA over a season?

That’s my argument. They won with the former last year, this year they return an 8-2 starter and picked up the best pitchers available in the portal to start the other two days.

They’re far worse on Friday this year compared to last, but far better over the course of a series this year.

This LSU team won't sniff Omaha. After they make a visit to Rocky Top, it will sink in. In a good way.