With college baseball on the horizon, D1Baseball has released their preseason top 25 rankings for the 2026 season. There’s a new number one to begin the campaign. The SEC doesn’t hold the top spot this time around like last season, but the conference does have three of the top five teams and leads the way with 11 total teams in the top 25 rankings. They’re followed by the ACC with eight teams, the Big 12 and Sun Belt with two, and one in the Big Ten, who holds the number one spot. Once again, Oregon State also holds a spot as an independent at No. 12.
There’s a lot to look forward to this upcoming college baseball season, and it all starts on February 13th.Â
D1Baseball Preseason Top 25: Top Five Teams
1. UCLA
- 2025 preseason rank: NR
- 2025 final rank: 5
- 2025 record: 48-18
UCLA had an incredible turnaround last season. After going 19-33 in 2024, head coach John Savage turned the ship around and led the Bruins to a 48-18 record and a CWS appearance. Going from 19 to 48 wins is the largest single-season turnaround in Division I college baseball history. Adding to their impressive campaign, UCLA didn’t lose a home series all season and that includes hosting and sweeping the Regional and Super Regional in Los Angeles.
They started the 2025 season unranked but finished the campaign No. 5 in the country. It was one of the best stories in college baseball and now they look to make an even better story for the 2026 season.
D1Baseball has UCLA ranked as the top team in college baseball to start the season for the first time since the rankings’ inception. The team brings back eight everyday starters and 10 of their top 12 arms on the pitching staff. Their success revolves around the best player in the country, Roch Cholowsky. The Bruins’ shortstop had a .353 average with a .480 OBP, .710 slug, and 1.190 OPS, leading the team in all categories. He also led the team with 23 home runs and had 74 RBI.
This earned him the Brooks Wallace Award (best shortstop of the year) and D1Baseball Player of the Year. Cholowsky also won the Defensive Player of the Year and Big Ten Player of the Year, becoming the first UCLA player to win a conference player of the year award since 1998.
Cholowsky is just the beginning, as they also have returning top bats in Mulivai Levu, Dean West and Roman Martin. UCLA replaced the loss of AJ Salgado with a top outfield transfer in Will Gasparino, making for one of the most balanced lineups in college baseball. It doesn’t stop with the offense as they also got a top pitching transfer in Logan Reddemann.
That adds to a pitching staff that finished top-15 nationally in ERA last season and returns key starting and bullpen arms from that team. And now the staff will include top freshman arm Angel Cervantes, who got drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates but opted to make his way to UCLA, which gives the team an even bigger boost for the upcoming season.
Not only did UCLA return their core but they had the best offseason of any team in college baseball, making for yet another promising season in Los Angeles. If they stay healthy and production doesn’t dip across the table, there’s a very good chance that the National Championship will be brought back to UCLA for the first time since 2013.
2. LSU
- 2025 preseason rank: 3
- 2025 final rank: 1
- 2025 record: 53-15
The defending national champions start the season at No. 2 on the D1Baseball Preseason Top 25 Rankings. This is the fourth consecutive year that LSU has started the season ranked in the top five. The reason for it has always been the same: talent. LSU always has one of the best rosters in college baseball and this year is no different, even with a re-shaped squad. The Tigers come into 2026 without some of their talented hitters from Omaha due to the MLB Draft, including star Jared Jones. They will also be without their top starting pitching duo from last season in Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson as well, who both also entered the MLB Draft.
However, LSU has enough talent to supplement what they lost. Starting on the offensive side, they return the stud outfield duo of Derek Curiel and Jake Brown, both of whom possess dynamic skills on both sides of the ball. Steven Milam also returns as a middle-of-the-order option for the Tigers, who also plays a great shortstop position. LSU also went into the portal and got a trio of talented players in Zach Yorke, Brayden Simpson and Trent Caraway. The lineup is filled with players who have a great approach, discipline, bat-to-ball skills and consistency, which is all a recipe for a well-balanced one through nine.
They also have a well-balanced pitching staff even without their two top top stars from 2025. LSU has returned a lot of talent on the mound and has a lot of potential to choose from, led by Casan Evans, who pitched to a 2.05 ERA over 52.2 innings pitched in 19 appearances (three starts, seven saves). He also had an impressive 71 strikeouts in those 52.2 innings.
Some other options could be Zac Cowan, William Schmidt and Gavin Guidry, who will be returning from an injury. LSU also brought in a couple of nice transfer options that include Cooper Moore and Danny Lachenmayer. They also have enough talent to support great reliever options as well. While losing Anderson and Eyanson is looked at as a negative, LSU brings the experience to excel on the mound.
LSU has a well-rounded team and a squad capable of big things in 2026. The Tigers currently sit with the best odds to win it all and go back-to-back with head coach Jay Johnson. This team is built to win yet again.
3. Texas
- 2025 preseason rank: 19
- 2025 final rank: 17
- 2025 record: 44-14
Jim Schlossnagle is in his second year as the Longhorns head coach and has them in a strong position to capture a national championship. In their first year in the SEC, Texas went 44-14 and had a conference record of 22-8. They hosted a regional last season as the national No. 2 seed but faded down the stretch and got upset by UTSA. They come into 2026 with a chip on their shoulder, which is dangerous for the the rest of the country.
A big reason that Texas is being talked about as a favorite is because of the amount of talent they have on the mound. Their best full-time starting pitcher returns to headline the rotation, Luke Harrison. In 15 starts last season, he went 5-1 with a 3.06 ERA with 72 strikeouts in 70.2 innings. They also return the likes of Ruger Riojas and Max Grubbs.
There’s also a chance that Dylan Volantis joins the rotation after putting together a tremendous freshman year in relief (1 start) that included a 1.94 ERA with 74 strikeouts in 51 innings pitched while just walking 12 batters. The Longhorns also brought in a top-50 transfer arm in Cal Higgins and a top-5 transfer arm in Haiden Leffew. Texas has a very talented and deep pitching staff that can pave the way for a very successful 2026.
The transfers don’t stop on the pitching side as the Longhorns added three top bats in the portal in First-Team All-ACC catcher Carson Tinney, Aiden Robbins and Ashton Larson. They also sport a few highly thought of freshman coming into the year, including outfielder Anthony Pack Jr. This all is added to a lineup that has brought back a couple of their best bats from 2025 with Ethan Mendoza and Adrian Rodriguez, among other key contributors. Texas has put together a great overall lineup and the top of the order could be the best in college baseball.
The Longhorns went out and added some of the best talent on both sides of the ball, reflecting their top transfer class and recruiting class. They bring in 23 new players but also bring back 16 players from last year’s team. Texas has the pitching and offense to make a run at the College World Series, something they haven’t won since 2005.
4. Mississippi State
- 2025 preseason rank: 18
- 2025 final rank: NR
- 2025 record: 36-23
Mississippi State made a huge splash one day after being bounced in the regionals as they announced that they hired former Virginia head coach and all-time great Brian O’Connor as their next head coach. He has a Hall of Fame resume, having an outstanding career record of 917-388-2. O’Connor is a five-time ACC Coach of the Year, three-time National Coach of the Year, made 18 NCAA Tournament appearances, nine Super Regional appearances, seven College World Series appearances, and brought Virginia their only National Championship in 2015.Â
Since winning their first National Championship in 2021, Mississippi State missed the playoffs the next two years in 2022 and 2023 while getting eliminated in the regionals in 2024 and 2025. They haven’t had close to the success that the program wanted but bringing in O’Connor could change that. His arrival brings hope and expectations to Starkville.
O’Connor has a few returning bats to work with and that includes third baseman Ace Reese, who was their most productive player in 2025. He hit .352 with a .422 OBP, .718 SLG and 1.104 OPS. Reese also hit 18 doubles with 21 home runs and 66 RBI. Bryce Chance and Noah Sullivan also return, which puts three of their top four hitters from last season back in this Mississippi State lineup. They’ve also brought in plenty of strong offensive pieces around them in the transfer portal to help bring a balanced lineup.
The biggest question will be their pitching. Not if they’ll be good enough, but who will slot in where and what their roles will be for 2026. They have options to choose from to start like transfers Tomas Valincius, Maddox Webb and Tyler Pitzer, or electric left-handed freshman Jack Bauer. The Bulldogs also have returning options like Ben Davis or Ryan McPherson, and whoever doesn’t start between all of these options can certainly fill a great bullpen role. Mississippi State has more options available as well, including Sullivan, who pitches as well to go with his bat.
There’s intrigue around Mississippi State to see if they can put this together with their Hall of Fame head coach and a structured roster. They were left out of the final rankings in 2025 but skyrocketed as the No. 4 team on the 2026 D1Baseball Preseason Rankings, hoping to bring back success to Mississippi State.
5. Georgia Tech
- 2025 preseason rank: NR
- 2025 final rank: 24
- 2025 record: 41-19
The Bulldogs aren’t the only team in the preseason top five to bring in a new head coach for 2026, as Georgia Tech welcomes in their first-year head coach James Ramsey. He will oversee one of the best rosters in college baseball. Ramsey was an assistant coach at Georgia Tech for the past seven seasons. His offenses have ranked first or top two in multiple key categories in the ACC. Georgia Tech returns a lot of talent across the board, so the expectation will not change for Ramsey’s offense.
This Yellow Jackets lineup and position player group might be the best in college baseball, top to bottom. It has one of the best players in the country to anchor it, outfielder Drew Burress. He’s put together a great two-year college career and has elite all-around tools. He’s flanked by the key returns of Alex Hernandez, Kent Schmidt, Carson Kerce, Caleb Daniel, Parker Brosius, and the best catcher in the country, Vahn Lackey.
Georgia Tech brought in some talent through the transfer portal with a potential All-American in Jarren Advincula to go along with Ryan Zuckerman. This is some serious talent around the field and in the lineup. Returning the pieces they did to go along with a couple of transfers they grabbed makes for one dangerous lineup.Â
With what the offense can and will most certainly provide, there’s pressure on the pitching side to perform up to what people hope they can be. Georgia Tech has had talent on that side of the ball but have liked to give up runs in the most inopportune times. This season, the Yellow Jackets went out in hopes of taking a step forward and being more consistent in that department, both in the portal and with the incoming freshman. They bring back, and in, some serious innings and another year under some of these guys’ belts.
Georgia Tech brought in two nice transfer arms in Dylan Loy and Justin Shadek to add to what they’ve returned. The Yellow Jackets have some solid pitching and if it all comes together, Georgia Tech could end up becoming the favorite to win it all in college baseball.
Preseason Top 25 Rankings (6-25)
6. Coastal Carolina
7. Arkansas
8. Coastal Carolina
9. Auburn
10. TCU
11. North Carolina
12. Oregon State
13. Florida
14. Tennessee
15. Georgia
16. Florida State
17. NC State
18. Kentucky
19. Clemson
20. Southern Miss
21. Wake Forest
22. Miami
23. Vanderbilt
24. Arizona
25. Texas A&M
Main Image: Dylan Widger-Imagn ImagesÂ
