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College  | Story | 1/10/2018

2018 Preseason College Top 25

Photo: Courtney Culbreath




Preseason All-American Team | 2018 College Baseball Preview Index

Welcome to the first Top 25 team rankings for the 2018 college baseball season and thanks to our friends at Rawlings for presenting our 2018 college baseball content. Listed below are the Top 25 teams, a list assembled by Perfect Game's Patrick Ebert and Mike Rooney.

In the previous three seasons the preseason No. 1 team has been somewhat of a slam dunk, even if none of those three teams (Vanderbilt, Florida and TCU) emerged as the champion during those respective seasons. That isn't brought up to suggest that the Florida Gators weren't an easy pick for the top spot of this year's preseason Top 25, but there was more discussion about which teams were deserving of consideration to open the season No. 1.

While Oregon State, TCU, Texas Tech and Florida State are all returning an impressive amount of talent from already strong 2017 teams, in the end we couldn't steer away from the defending champs. Not surprisingly it starts with their pitching staff, with Brady Singer, Jackson Kowar and Tyler Dyson all back in the fold to form the weekend starting staff. Closer Michael Byrne is also back, as are numerous key position players including J.J. Schwarz, Jonathan India and Nelson Maldonado. In addition to a strong freshman class, their sophomore class – led by Dyson and outfielder Austin Langworthy – is poised to take a significant step forward.

Should the Gators return to Omaha it will continue what has been a rather remarkable run for Kevin O'Sullivan's squad, as they will have made it to the College World Series four years in a row and seven times in nine years. Jeff Dahn will have a feature on the No. 1-ranked Florida Gators on Thursday.

The top five teams are all very strong with the aforementioned return of talent. Oregon State did lose some impact players, but their starting lineup, outside of K.J. Harrison, should look almost the same with the best middle infield tandem in the nation (Nick Madrigal and Cadyn Grenier). The starting staffs for both TCU and Texas Tech could give Florida a run for their money, while Florida State returns their entire weekend starting staff and several big bats from a potent lineup.

Two more teams separated themselves from the rest of the field during the Top 25 deliberations: No. 6 Arkansas and No. 7 North Carolina. Arkansas is a little top heavy when it comes to pitching but they should have no problem scoring runs, while North Carolina is going to be a serious CWS contender each of the next two seasons with arguably the most talented sophomore class in the nation.

Seven of the teams in the Preseason Top 25 did not finish among the ranked teams to close out the 2017 season. Ole Miss, NC State and Oklahoma all were in the Top 25 at some point during the spring. Miami, at No. 9, is the highest ranked of three Top 25 teams that didn't make the postseason a year ago as they return with incredible pitching depth and one of the best newcomer groups in the nation.

We will make more sense of the Top 25 next Tuesday (Jan. 16) when we will follow up the ranking with detailed capsules of each of the 25 teams. The day after that (Wed., Jan. 17) we will provide the teams ranked 26-40 along with a brief synopsis of each program.

Breakdown by conference:

SEC: 7 teams (Florida, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Louisiana State, Texas A&M, Mississippi State)
ACC: 7 teams (Florida State, North Carolina, Miami, NC State, Louisville, Duke, Clemson)
Big 12: 4 teams (Texas Christian, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Texas)
Pac-12: 3 teams (Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA)
American Athletic: 1 team (Houston)
Big Ten: 1 team (Indiana)
Big West: 1 team (Cal State Fullerton)
Southland: 1 team (Sam Houston State)

Similar to past years we will update the Top 25 team rankings every Monday morning during the regular season. Stay tuned to Perfect Game and be sure to Like Perfect Game's College Baseball page on Facebook and follow PG on Twitter for all of the latest information:

@PGCollegeBall | @PGPatrickEbert | @Mike_Rooney


 Rk Team '17 Record '17 Rk
2017 Finish
1

 Florida
52-19 1 College World Series Champion
2
 Oregon State
56-6 3 College World Series
3
 Texas Christian
50-18 4 College World Series
4
 Texas Tech
45-17 7 Lubbock Regional
5
 Florida State
46-23 9 College World Series
6
 Arkansas
45-19 18 Fayetteville Regional
7
 North Carolina
49-14 6 Chapel Hill Regional
8
 Kentucky
43-23 11 Louisville Super Regional
9
 Miami
32-27 NR Did not make postseason
10
 Stanford
42-16 14
Stanford Regional
11
 Mississippi
32-25 NR Did not make postseason
12
 Louisiana State
52-20 2
College World Series Runner-up
13
 NC State
36-25 NR Lexington Regional
14
 Louisville
53-12 5 College World Series
15
 Texas A&M
41-23 12 College World Series
16
 UCLA
30-27 NR Long Beach Regional
17
 Indiana
34-24-2 NR Lexington Regional
18
 Oklahoma
35-24 NR Louisville Regional
19
 Cal State Fullerton
39-24 8 College World Series
20
 Duke
30-28 NR Did not make postseason
21
 Houston
42-21 20 Houston Regional
22
 Sam Houston State
44-23 22 Tallahassee Super Regional
23
 Texas
39-24 23 Long Beach Regional
24
 Clemson
42-21 21 Clemson Regional
25
 Mississippi State
40-27 15 Baton Rouge Super Regional

Others receiving consideration: UCF, Auburn, West Virginia, Southern Miss, Vanderbilt



College | Recruiting | 12/15/2025

Recruiting Notebook: December 15

John McAdams
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Tucker Rice (27 MS) bumping up to 91; living hi-80s from real fast arm. Good SL @ 77-79 w/ depth & sold w/ intent. Loads of traits & strikes. #WWBA @PG_Uncommitted @PG_DeepSouth pic.twitter.com/DEjFqRcsIY — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) July 6, 2025 Tucker Rice, RHP, Class of 2027 Commitment: Alabama Alabama has continued to stay red hot in the recruiting trail ever since August 1st rolled around on the calendar and have continued to stack major pieces in their ’27 class. They dip into Mississippi to land one of the premier arms and one that’s stood out on the circuit for quite some time. It’s a fast arm and the athleticism certainly shines working down the slope. The velocity has continued to tick up over the last calendar year and reached into the low-90s towards the end of the summer. He’s confident in his changeup and the breaking ball is...
Tournaments | Story | 12/18/2025

14u Tourney All-American Team

Tyler Russo
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Player of the Year: Asher Williams It was an incredible year for Williams that was rewarded with a trip to the 14U Select Fest, before some more impressive play in the fall. He came to the plate almost 250 times in PG tournaments throughout 2025 and reached base in well over half of them, hitting to a .500 AVG while slugging a 14U circuit best 12 bombs and driving in 113 runs. The numbers on the surface are ridiculous, but when you look at the high-level events he put them up in, it makes it even more impressive. Pitcher of the Year: Tristan Blalock Blalock earns this honor after a dominant 2025 where he struck out 85 batters in just 48.2 innings of work with a minuscule 1.58 ERA. This included several strong performances at many national level tournaments and showcases where he was able to bully some of the best hitters in the country. It’s hard not to fall in love with...
Tournaments | Story | 12/17/2025

15u Tourney All-American Team

Jason Phillips
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Hitter of the Year: Landon Bonner The 2028 class saw many players from across the country take the next step in their development as they entered the High School ranks. There were huge performances from highly ranked players on the PG circuit as well as some under-the-radar guys who burst onto the scene. Landon Bonner came into Sophomore National as a Top 500 ranked player and after an impressive showing, left with all eyes on him as a rankings riser in the class. The left-handed hitting shortstop from The Colony, Texas, had a summer to remember with All-Tournament Team selections in three of his next four events culminating with a historic performance at the 2025 PG 15U WWBA National Championship. The Hebron High School prep went 20-for-24 in nine games for 5 Star Mafia 15U Black with four homeruns and 12 runs batted in. He also scored 17 runs and finished with a mind-boggling 2.500...
Tournaments | Story | 12/16/2025

16u Tourney All-American Team

AJ Denny
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Hitter of the Year: Koa Romero is the Hitter of the Year for the 16u group, as he would come to every premier event of the summer and earn All-Tournament honors (Beast of the East, 16/17u WWBA, Jupiter) in every single one. Over 82 plate appearances, Romero would pump ten homeruns with forty two RBI and sixteen walks, good for a .378 average and 1.339 OPS. The performance on volume at the best events of the year pushed Romero over the edge here, as he’d hit a pair of homeruns in Jupiter (one of them at 112 EV) as an underclassmen and collect double digit hits in BOTH WWBA events with a combined six jacks over the two tournaments. It was a summer that combined performance and winning on the biggest stages for Romero. It’s a quiet left-handed swing that packs a punch. He would reap the benefits of his performances, earning a commitment to LSU and jumping to the #74 prospect in...
Tournaments | Story | 12/15/2025

17u Tourney All-American Team

Vincent Cervino
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There’s a lot of talent throughout this 2026 class, filled with the big-name stars, to talent that spreads across the nation. It’s been a lot of fun seeing these prospects grow and develop over the years, from the days of watching some of these guys at the 13/14u days at events on the circuit, to now where they are all graduating seniors in 2026. There’s been new faces who have popped along the way over the years, even in 2026, where some players who were relatively undiscovered, have come out and made a name for themselves with a statement performance. Between the familiar and the new, there’s a lot of names on this list that are going to be quite regularly talked about on the circuit, and for good reason.  Whether it’s PG All-Americans or not, there’s a lot of names with superstar potential at the next level. We’ve got 14 PG All-Americans...
Tournaments | Story | 12/13/2025

Finest in the Field: Class of 2029

Tyler Russo
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Finest in the Field: Class of 2026 | Class of 2027 | Class of 2028 These guys might just be entering high school, but they've certainly already made a name for themselves on the national circuit, especially with their abilities on the defensive side of things.  C: Xavier Rodriguez (Logansville, GA) Rodriguez is a polished defender with real arm strength behind the dish, while showcasing the ability to impact the baseball with authority to all fields evident by thirty of his sixty-five hits going for extra-bases including seven bombs. He handles high-level pitching extremely well, commands his staff and his offensive prowess makes him a true two-way asset. 1B: Cooper Knight (Buda, TX) Knight is a smooth operator at first base with plenty of range, fluidity and agility in his footwork around the bag. Add-in a rocket for an arm, the ability to change slots and to...
Tournaments | Story | 12/12/2025

Scout Stories: Part 5

AJ Denny
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Best Game I Saw: The Dream NTL 18U vs. MBA Scout Team Murphy Jupiter always brings out the best, and we got fireworks from the jump. Turner Marshall gave The Dream an outstanding 4+ innings of work on the mound, holding a lethal MBA team at bay with Chance Dixon, Derrick Carter, and Ellis Appling providing an offensive spark out of the gate for the Georgia based boys. However, it was only a matter of time before the talent on the other side got going, as MBA erased a 3-run deficit in the 5th to take a 4-3 lead led by a Parker Loew HR. The Dream then took command again in the Top of the 6th, before MBA punched right back with a huge 5-run inning in the bottom half capped off by a clutch RBI single from Matthew Kerrigan, ending a wild sequence with tons of notable performances from two very competitive rosters. Best Tournament Performance I Saw: Surely someone has already brought this...
College | Story | 12/12/2025

College Notebook: December 12

Craig Cozart
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Nebraska Cornhuskers 2025 Highlights: The Cornhuskers were a difficult team to figure in ’25 as they finished with 33 wins, played just .500 (15-15) in the Big Ten but had some big wins at various times during the season and got hot at the right time. They knocked off then #16 Vanderbilt in the second game of the year, beat #5 Oregon State 2-out-of-3 at home in late March and then got hot at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha to win the Big Ten Tournament. They beat Michigan State in a 10-inning thriller before taking care of #4 Oregon, knocking off Penn State and then shutout #13 UCLA to punch their ticket to the Chapel Hill Regional. Head coach Will Bolt has now led his alma mater to three conference titles and three NCAA Regional appearances during his six years in Lincoln. No different than when he was a player, Bolt’s teams play with passion and toughness, this was never more...
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Finest in the Field: Class of 2028

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Finest in the Field: Class of 2026 | Class of 2027 You like athletes? You like defenders who can impact a game at any given point? Look not further than this class as it's loaded from coast-to-coast with elite defenders all over the diamond.  C: Brogan Witcher, Bakersfield, CA Our scouting staff got several strong looks at Witcher whether that was at the Summer Kickoff, Sophomore National or the Underclass All American Games where he showcased his strong overall skillset and especially his advanced ability behind the plate. His 6-foot-3,180 pound build looks like one that will fill in quite nicely and be that big and physical catcher’s frame. His arm talent is undeniable where he gets it out quick and runs it up to 79 mph on throwdowns to 2nd (1.84 pop). Besides the standout catch/throw ability, we’ve seen him frame/receive strong arms and block it well during...
Softball | Softball Tournament | 12/11/2025

PG Softball "Toys 4 Tots" Fundraiser 18U division

Dave Durbala
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BURLINGTON, IA - 2025 Perfect Game Softball Toys 4 Tots Fundraiser One Day, December 7, 2025. Kicking off the holiday season, six teams participated in this one day, 3 game guarantee tournament in the 18u Division. We would like to thank those that donated a toy, and know that they will be distributed to area underprivileged children through a local charity organization. Following are some of the top performers from the weekend. Earning Tournament MV-Pitcher was Jolee Strohmeyer (2026 Dubuque, IA), a RHP/UTIL with tournament champion Lady Expos Blue. Strohmeyer shows hitters a consistent and repeatable motion and delivery with good use of the legs in the drive phase, and a quick and aggressive arm whip. Working with a six pitch mix of fastball, change-up, rise, drop, curve and screw, Strohmeyer topped out at 60 mph, and showed good movement  as she worked her rise and curve just out...
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