What a nightmare week it was for the former No. 2 team in the country, the LSU Tigers.
Last year's Men's College World Series champions started the season looking pretty solid, but last week was certainly one to remember. To start the week, LSU lost a home game to Northeastern 13-10, then, on the road at UL-Lafayette, suffered another loss, this time 7-2. With a home series against Sacramento State, it looked like the Tigers would right the ship in Baton Rogue, and they did so in the first game with a dominant 15-4 victory in seven innings. But disaster struck again when Sacramento State's Cameron Sewell hit a grand slam in the eighth inning of Saturday's game to help solidify a 5-4 victory for the Hornets, and then the Hornets took the final game of the series with a 6-1 victory. After a 1-4 week, the Tigers fell to 13th in this week's standings.
Outside of LSU, the Florida Gators suffered an even bigger drop, dropping from 9th to 23rd, and the North Carolina Tar Heels fell from 8th to 15th.
Two teams dropped out of the rankings, the Miami Hurricanes and the West Virginia Mountaineers, leaving room for the Virginia Cavaliers to enter at No. 14 (the biggest rise of the week) and the USC Trojans at No. 25.
Here are the full 25 rankings as of March 9, plus our favorite moments and what we'll see in the coming week.
Highlights
We had to include Sewell's grand slam here. There's nothing better than accomplishing this in one of the most hostile environments in all of college baseball — well, besides the win, of course.
Do you see this too? 👀@SacStBaseball With a GRAND SLAM to extend their lead over LSU in the eighth!#NCAABaseball x 🎥 SECN+ / @11point7 pic.twitter.com/GpUwd1YhcC
– NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) March 7, 2026
Now let's take a look at this impressive throw from Kentucky's Scott Campbell.
THAT'S A SHOT, SCOTT CAMPBELL 😮💨🫨#NCAABaseball x 🎥 SECN+ / @UKBaseball
– NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) March 8, 2026
Player to watch
Daniel Jackson, C/OF, Georgia
We have some power hitters this year and the new home run leader this week is Georgia's Daniel Jackson. He's already hit a total of 14 home runs this year (five of which he hit just last week) and has been a big reason why Georgia continues to climb up the rankings. With conference play ramping up, how will he stack up against SEC pitchers? We'll have to wait and see.
THAT'S A SHOT, SCOTT CAMPBELL 😮💨🫨#NCAABaseball x 🎥 SECN+ / @UKBaseball
– NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) March 8, 2026
Series to watch
No. 3 Mississippi State at No. 5 Arkansas
Game 1: 7 pm Friday
Game 2: 2 pm Saturday
Game 3: 3 p.m. Sunday
Conference play begins this weekend, and with several ranked teams facing off, it was tough to pick just one to focus on: Clemson faces Georgia Tech, Georgia hosts Tennessee, and a midweek matchup between Florida and Florida State. But it's hard to pass up a top-five series between these two SEC heavyweights.
Despite losing a close game 7-6 to Southern Miss last week, Mississippi State responded with a series sweep of Lipscomb, but it wasn't just any sweep. The Bulldogs scored 26 runs (yes, 26) in the final game of the series and 43 runs all weekend. Their bats are hot right now and they should certainly take this momentum with them to Fayetteville. Meanwhile, Arkansas lost a weekend game to Stetson, and although it will return to action on Monday for a fourth game against Stetson, the Razorbacks should surely have plenty of time to prepare. And being a home series, the Razorbacks might have a slight advantage.
Top 25 updated
Here are the latest rankings from D1baseball.com, plus information on each team's next game.
All times Eastern.
1. UCLA Bruins
Previous ranking: 1
Record: 13-2
Next match: vs. UC Irvine, 9 p.m. Tuesday
2. Texas Longhorns
Previous ranking: 3
Record: 15-0
Next match: at Texas State, Tuesday at 7 pm (ESPN+)
3. Mississippi State Bulldogs
Previous ranking: 4
Record: 14-2
Next match: vs. Tulane, 7 p.m. Tuesday (SEC Network+)
4. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Previous ranking: 5
Record: 14-2
Next match: against West Georgia, Tuesday at 6 p.m. (ACC Network Extra)
5. Arkansas Razorbacks
Previous ranking: 6
Record: 12-4
Next match: vs. Stetson, 1:00 p.m. Monday (SEC Network+)
6. Chestnut tigers
Previous ranking: 7
Record: 13-2
Next match: vs. UAB, Tuesday at 7 p.m. (SEC Network+)
7. Miss Southern Golden Eagles
Previous ranking: 10
Record: 14-2
Next match: vs. Ole Miss, Tuesday at 7 pm (ESPN+)
8. Georgia Bulldogs
Previous ranking: 11
Record: 15-3
Next match: vs. Tennessee Volunteers, 6 p.m. Friday (SEC Network+)
9. Early Oklahoma
Previous ranking: 12
Record: 14-2
Next match: vs. UT Arlington, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday (SEC Network+)
10. North Carolina State Wolf Pack
Previous ranking: 13
Record: 14-2
Next match: vs. Elon, 3 p.m. Tuesday (ACC Network Extra)
11. Clemson Tigers
Previous ranking: 14
Record: 15-1
Next match: vs. Georgia Southern, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday
12. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Previous ranking: 15
Record: 15-1
Next match: on Coastal Carolina, Tuesday at 6 p.m. (ESPN+)
13. LSU Tigers
Previous ranking: 2
Record: 12-5
Next match: vs. Creighton, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday (SEC Network+)
14. Knights of Virginia
Previous ranking: NR
Record: 13-3
Next match: vs. William & Mary, 4 p.m. Tuesday (ACC Network Extra)
15. North Carolina Tar Heels
Previous ranking: 8
Record: 13-3-1
Next match: against Bucknell at 4 p.m. on Tuesday (ACC Network Extra)
16. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
Previous ranking: 16
Record: 9-6
Next match: vs. Wake Forest, Tuesday at 6 pm (ESPN+)
17. TCU Horned Frogs
Previous ranking: 17
Record: 9-6
Next match: vs. Kansas, Tuesday at 7 pm (ESPN+)
18. Oregon State Beavers
Previous ranking: 18
Record: 10-4
Next match: vs. Xavier, 8:35 pm Monday
19. Tennessee Volunteers
Previous ranking: 19
Record: 12-4
Next match: vs. Tennessee Tech, 6 p.m. Tuesday (SEC Network+)
20. Florida State Seminoles
Previous ranking: 20
Record: 13-2
Next match: in Florida, Tuesday at 6:30 pm (SEC Network+)
21. Kentucky Wildcats
Previous ranking: 21
Record: 14-2
Next match: vs. Ball State, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday (SEC Network+)
22. Texas A&M Aggies
Previous ranking: 22
Record: 14-1
Next match: vs. SFA, 7 pm Tuesday (SEC Network+)
23. Florida Alligators
Previous ranking: 9
Record: 14-3
Next match: vs. Florida State, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday (SEC Network+)
24. UTSA Roadrunners
Previous ranking: 25
Record: 13-2
Next match: at Texas Tech, Tuesday at 7:30 pm (ESPN+)
25. USC Trojans
Previous ranking: NR
Record: 15-0
Next match: against Long Beach State, Tuesday at 9 p.m.
