With the college baseball season right around the corner, it’s time to take a look at the Top 25 teams, as well as the schools predicted to have great seasons. Starting off with the pre-season number one team in the country, Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons are looking for revenge after losing in the semi-finals of the College World Series to Louisiana State University (LSU). They come into the season as the favorite to bring home the title.
LSU is looking to repeat as the National Champions, and would be the sixth team ever to win back to back championships. South Carolina was the last team to complete this feat, winning in 2010 and 2011. The Tigers are coming into the season ranked number four in the country. LSU star third baseman Tommy White will be returning, but the Tigers lost 3 big players in the first Round of last year’s Major League Baseball Draft, including Paul Skenes (1st Overall), Dylan Crews (2nd Overall), and Ty Floyd (38th Overall).
One team looking to bounce back this season are the Lousiville Cardinals. They went into the 2023 season as the number 16 team in the country, coming off of a 42-21-1 record and a top 12 finish. But in 2023 they finished with a disappointing 31-24 season and failed to make the conference tournament for the first time since 1970. They are looking for a bounce back season and continue to put themselves in the conversation of college baseball powerhouses.
Now looking at East Carolina University (ECU), the highest ranked non Power 5 school, ranked number 11 in the nation. ECU is one the three non Power 5 schools ranked in the Top 25. These schools include ECU (11), UC Santa Barbara (17), and Coastal Carolina (18). These schools play a major role in the talent being spread out across the country and prevent all of the best talent from being at Power 5 schools. ECU is coming off of a 47-19 season and an important USF win to claim their fourth straight AAC Championship.
The 2024 season is full of excitement and uncertainties for a lot of teams. But this season, just like many others, will not fail to provide unpredictable twists, turns, and different teams and players making a name for themselves.
