Late in 2023, the year, not the season, the folks at D1Baseball.com named Arkansas as their pick for 2024 national champion.
On Monday, the same folks must be feeling good about that prediction after the Razorbacks took the top spot in the rankings.
Arkansas moved up from second following a four-win week that included a sweep of McNeese State capped Sunday. The Diamond Hogs were able to move up after former No. 1 Wake Forest lost two of three to Duke.
The Blue Devils are just outside the top five in the rankings, jumping six spots and leapfrogging the Demon Deacons, who are now seventh. Behind Arkansas, rounding out the top five are LSU, Oregon State, Texas A&M and Tennessee.
Arkansas has already played and beaten Oregon State, will get rival LSU the third weekend of SEC play and will close its conference slate against the Aggies. Tennessee, which has developed perhaps the top rivalry with the Diamond Hogs over the last few years, are not on Arkansas’ schedule this year.
Florida, Vanderbilt, Alabama, Auburn and South Carolina were the other SEC teams ranked.