The start of the college baseball season is just around the corner and in preparation for this spring’s clay diamond action USA TODAY Sports released its debut Coaches Poll for the 2024 campaign.
The Florida Gators fared well in the opening salvo of the rankings, coming in at No. 3 after falling short against the LSU Tigers in the College World Series last June. Speaking of which, LSU came in at No. 2 while the Wake Forest Demon Deacons claimed the top spot.
Overall, the Southeastern Conference has three of the top five teams with the Arkansas Razorbacks logging in at No. 4, while the Vanderbilt Commodores, Tennessee Volunteers and Texas A&M Aggies were included among the top 10 teams in the country.
Eight total teams in the preseason USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll hail from the SEC, with the Alabama Crimson Tide (No. 17) and South Carolina Gamecocks (No. 21) also making the cut. The Auburn Tigers (35), Ole Miss Rebels (16), Georgia Bulldogs (6) and Kentucky Wildcats (5) also earned votes.
A look at the full Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports:
Rank | Team | Points |
1 | Wake Forest | 751 (15) |
2 | LSU | 731 (11) |
3 | Florida | 727 (5) |
4 | Arkansas | 672 |
5 | TCU | 643 |
6 | Vanderbilt | 576 |
7 | Oregon State | 543 |
8 | Tennessee | 529 |
9 | Clemson | 484 |
10 | Texas A&M | 468 |
11 | Virginia | 431 |
12 | East Carolina | 391 |
13 | Texas | 381 |
14 | Duke | 351 |
15 | North Carolina | 342 |
16 | North Carolina State | 289 |
17 | Alabama | 197 |
18 | UC-Santa Barbara | 187 |
18 | Coastal Carolina | 187 |
20 | Iowa | 186 |
21 | South Carolina | 169 |
22 | Texas Tech | 157 |
23 | Stanford | 121 |
24 | UCLA | 80 |
25 | Northeastern | 71 |
Others Receiving Votes
Kansas State 65; UC Irvine 51; Oregon 42; Oklahoma State 41; Auburn 35; Southern Miss 21; Dallas Baptist 21; Troy 19; Ole Miss 16; Florida State 13; UNCW 12; Arizona 10; Oral Roberts 9; Indiana State 8; Connecticut 7; USC 6; Georgia 6; Campbell 6; Kentucky 5; West Virginia 4; Indiana 4; Georgia Tech 4; Maryland 3; Hawaii 3
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