College Baseball Coaches Poll for Week No. 15: Tennessee continues to dominate, Wake Forest in shamblesÂ
The college baseball coaches poll for week No. 15 saw Tennessee keeping the top spot after its series sweep over SEC rivals South Carolina.
The Volunteers' win allowed them to secure the top seed in the SEC Baseball Tournament and the admiration of 29 Division I coaches who voted them as the No. 1 team during the week.
The collection of first-place votes catapulted Tennessee to the top, 53 points ahead of second-ranked Kentucky, which had one first-place vote. Texas A&M is third in the rankings with 698 points, 32 ahead of fourth-ranked Arkansas, which received the other first-place vote.
Clemson, North Carolina, Oregon State, Florida State, Georgia and East Carolina rounded out the Top 10 in the college baseball coaches poll released on Monday.
Wake Forest suffered a rough decline in this week's poll, dropping to 19th from eighth the previous week.
The decline of the Demon Deacons in the Top 25 rankings was mainly due to their three-game slide to NC State in the final week of regular-season baseball action. The losses possibly sent red flags to the coaches that provided the vote this week.
College Baseball Coaches Poll For Week No. 15
College Baseball Coaches Poll Changes in Top 10
It was moving up week for some teams in the top 10 although they couldn't unseat Tennessee which remained at the top spot in this week's poll.
Kentucky and Texas A&M moved up a notch from last week to rank second and third, respectively. They dislodged erstwhile No. 2 Arkansas, which now ranks fourth in this week's rankings.
Clemson moved two spots to fifth while North Carolina and Oregon State fell to sixth and seventh, respectively. Florida State went up to eighth from 10th previously while Georgia declined one spot to ninth. East Carolina moved two places to 10th.
Last week's No. 9 Wake Forest dropped 10 spots to 19th in this week's ranking.
College Baseball Top 25 Teams
#25. Dallas Baptist Patriots
Dallas Baptist (40-13, 17-7 in Conference-USA) moved up to the Top 25 after winning seven of its last eight games. That included a 2-1 series win over Middle Tennessee during the weekend. They are set to face New Mexico State in the Conference-USA Tournament on Wednesday.
#24. Texas Longhorns
Texas (35-20, 20-10 in Big 12) barged into the Top 25 after winning their last four games, including a series sweep of the Kansas Jayhawks. They next face Texas Tech at the start of the Big 12 Tournament on Tuesday in Arlington, Texas.
#23. Oregon Ducks
Oregon (37-16, 19-11 in PAC-12) won their last five games to conclude the PAC-12 regular season on a bright note. The sweep of Washington State helped them climb the PAC-12 rankings. They are set to take on Utah and USC in the PAC-12 Tournament on May 22 and 23, respectively, at Scottsdale, Arizona.
#22. Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns
Louisiana-Lafayette (40-16, 23-7 in Sun Belt) kept its spot at No. 22 following a 2-1 series win over South Alabama at home. They concluded the regular season strong, winning seven of their last eight games.
#21. Arizona Wildcats
Arizona (33-20, 20-12 in PAC-12) dropped two places to No. 21 after a 1-2 series defeat at the hands of Oregon State. They will compete in the PAC-12 Tournament in Scottsdale, Arizona, where they will meet Washington and California on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.
#20. Indiana State Sycamores
Indiana State (39-11, 22-5 in Missouri Valley) concluded the regular season with a series sweep of Valparaiso. The Sycamores averaged 13 runs during the series, which proves that their offense is something to watch out for in the NCAA Baseball Tournament.
#19. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Wake Forest (36-15, 15-15 in ACC) dropped its last three games to North Carolina State. The series setback pulled the Demon Deacons to No. 8 in the ACC Tournament. They will play in Pool A alongside No. 1 seed North Carolina and No. 12 Pittsburgh.
#18. UC Santa Barbara Gauchos
UC Santa Barbara (39-12, 23-4 in Big West) is the nation's hottest team, as they haven't lost since April 30. The 11-game winning streak includes series sweeps against UC San Diego, CSU Bakersfield and Cal State Northridge. Up next for the Gauchos is a three-game series against UC Riverside beginning on Thursday.
#17. Oklahoma State Cowboys
Oklahoma State (36-16, 19-9 in Big 12) has strung up five straight wins to conclude the season 20 games above .500. During the streak, they averaged 12.2 runs per game while giving up 2.8 rpg. The Cowboys are seeded second in the Big 12 Tournament and are set to play on Wednesday.
#16. Mississippi State Bulldogs
Mississippi State (36-19, 17-13 in SEC) concluded their regular season stint with a series win over Missouri. The Bulldogs will next face Ole Miss in the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Alabama on Tuesday.
#15. Duke Blue Devils
Duke (35-18, 16-14 in ACC) suffered two straight losses to North Carolina to conclude the season as the No. 6-seeded team in the ACC Tournament. They are set to face No. 10 Virginia Tech and No. 3 NC State on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.
#14. NC State Wolfpack
NC State (32-19, 18-11 in ACC) swept Wake Forest to move to No. 3 in the ACC Baseball Tournament. They will face No. 10 seed Virginia Tech at the start of the tournament on Tuesday. The Wolfpack will meet No. 6 Duke the following day.
#13. UC Irvine Anteaters
UC Irvine (41-11, 20-7 in Big West) ended the regular season with a 2-1 series victory over Cal State Fullerton. They will next meet Cal State Northridge in a three-game series starting on May 23.
#12. Virginia Cavaliers
The three-game sweep of Virginia Tech during the weekend has propelled Virginia (40-14, 18-12 in ACC) to No. 4 in the conference after the regular season. The Cavaliers are set to meet Georgia Tech and Florida State in the ACC Tournament beginning on Wednesday.
#11. Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma (34-18, 23-7 in Big 12) won their final regular season series against Cincinnati to finish No. 1 in the Big 12 Conference. The Sooners will play on Wednesday to start their Big 12 tournament quest.
#10. East Carolina Pirates
East Carolina (40-13, 19-8 in AAC) swept its series against Rice to cement their status as the No. 1-ranked team in the American Athletic Conference. They are scheduled to meet Rice again in the American Athletic Tournament on Tuesday in Clearwater, Florida.
#9. Georgia Bulldogs
The series loss to Florida affected the coaches' poll ranking of Georgia (39-14, 17-13 in SEC). The Bulldogs begin their SEC Tournament with a game against LSU on Tuesday.
#8. Florida State Seminoles
Florida State (39-14, 17-12 in ACC) concluded the regular season with a 2-1 series win over Georgia Tech. The Seminoles will compete in the ACC Tournament as the fifth seed and play Georgia Tech on Tuesday and Virginia on Friday.
#7. Oregon State Beavers
Oregon State (41-13, 19-10 in PAC-12) finished second in the PAC-12 Conference behind Arizona after losing to the Wildcats, 4-3, on Saturday. They will kick off pool play against No. 8 seed Stanford on Wednesday and next face No. 5 seed Arizona State on Thursday.
#6. North Carolina Tar Heels
North Carolina (41-12, 22-8 in ACC) topped the ACC regular season with a 2-1 series win over Duke. The No. 1 seed Tar Heels will face Pittsburgh on Thursday and meet Wake Forest on Friday in ACC Tournament pool play.
#5. Clemson Tigers
Clemson (40-13, 20-10 in ACC) concluded the ACC regular season with a sweep of Boston College. The result handed the Tigers the No. 2 seed in Pool B in the ACC Tournament. In pool play, Clemson is set to meet Miami on Thursday and Louisville on Friday.
#4. Arkansas Razorbacks
Arkansas (43-12, 20-10 in SEC) lost its final regular season series to Texas A&M. The setback against the Aggies placed the Razorbacks as the second-ranked team in the SEC Tournament behind Tennessee. They open the SEC Tournament on Wednesday against the winner of the Alabama-South Carolina.
#3. Texas A&M Aggies
Texas A&M (44-11, 19-11 in SEC) won its last regular season series against Arkansas. The series win placed the Aggies as the No. 4 seed in the SEC Tournament. They start their SEC Tournament quest on Wednesday against the winner of the Mississippi-Ole Miss game.
#2. Kentucky Wildcats
Kentucky (39-12, 22-8 in SEC) won its season series against Vanderbilt to conclude the regular season as the No. 3 seed in the SEC Tournament. They will kick off their SEC Tournament campaign on Wednesday against the winner of the Georgia-LSU game.
#1. Tennessee Volunteers
Tennessee (46-10, 22-8 in SEC) moved up to the top spot of the SEC Tournament, sweeping its final regular season series against South Carolina. The victory handed the Volunteers the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament and is set to meet the winner of the Vanderbilt-Florida clash.
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