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College  | Rankings | 6/29/2018

Final 2018 College Top 25

Photo: Adley Rutschman, Kevin Abel (Oregon State Athletics)
 



2018 CWS Recaps: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8
CWS Finals Recaps: Opportunistic Hogs take Game 1
 | Beavers re-capture Omaha magic | Eager Beavers win it all
2018 Honors: Vaughn leads '18 college awards | College All-Americans | Freshmen All-Americans

If you had any doubts about whether or not the two top teams from the 2018 college baseball season made it to the College World Series Finals, the three-game series quickly quelled those doubts. Both teams proved to be incredibly opportunistic as two well-matched squads battled to the end. While Kevin Abel put the finishing touches on Oregon State's third CWS championship with his complete game effort, it's hard not to think woulda/coulda/shoulda in regards to the catch that wasn't made in Game 2 that would have secured Arkansas' first baseball championship.

The championship is the third for the Beavers under the guidance of Pat Casey and their first since their back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007. Adley Rutschman was named the Most Oustanding Player in Omaha for his incredible overall offensive production, while both Abel and Trevor Larnach were also deserving of consideration for their contributions.

In the process Oregon State finished what they had set out to do a year ago, although they did it the hard way by emerging through the loser's bracket after falling in the very first game of the 2018 College World Series to North Carolina. They ended up playing six elimination contests in Omaha, winning all six of them by ending the seasons of Washington, North Carolina, Mississippi State, and ultimately, Arkansas.

Prior to the College World Series Oregon State had ended the season of LSU – returning the favor after the Tigers did the same to the Beavers a year ago – in the Regional round and Minnesota in Super Regionals. Oregon State opened the year, as well as the postseason, as Perfect Game's No. 2 overall team, spending the majority of the season in that spot behind the top-ranked Florida Gators.

Arkansas opened the year sixth, and they entered the preseason as the fifth-ranked team in the country. The Hogs' path through Omaha was much easier than the Beavers, needing just three games to advance to the finals while beating Texas and Texas Tech before eliminating the top-seeded Gators.

Of the six other teams that made the 2018 College World Series, five of them were ranked among the Preseason Top 25: No. 1 Florida, No. 4 Texas Tech, No. 7 North Carolina, No. 23 Texas and No. 25 Mississippi State. Washington was the only team among the final field of eight that was not ranked in the preseason.

Congratulations to all of the teams that made it to the College World Series, especially the champion Beavers. Stay tuned to Perfect Game as Mike Rooney will provide a look ahead to 2019 in the coming days to try and predict next year's field after accurately predicting five of the eight teams that made it this year (Oregon State, Arkansas, Florida, Texas Tech and North Carolina) at this time a year ago.


Prev. = Previous Ranking; Pres. = Preseason Ranking; Post. = Postseason record


Rk Prev. Pres. Team Overall Post. Finish
1 2 2
 Oregon State
55-12-1 11-2 College World Series Champion
2 5 6
 Arkansas
48-21 9-3 College World Series Runner-up
3 1 1
 Florida        
49-21 7-4 College World Series
4 9 7
 North Carolina
44-20 6-2 College World Series
5 11 4
 Texas Tech
45-20 6-3 College World Series
6 16 23
 Texas
43-23 5-3 College World Series
7 NR 25
 Mississippi State
39-29 8-4 College World Series
8 8 NR
 Minnesota
44-15 3-2 Corvallis Super Regional
9 3 11
 Mississippi
48-17 2-2 Oxford Regional
10 4 10
 Stanford
46-12 2-2 Stanford Regional
11 NR NR
 Washington
35-26 5-3 College World Series
12 7 24
 Clemson
47-16 2-2 Clemson Regional
13 15 NR
 Stetson
48-13 3-2 Chapel Hill Super Regional
14 18 20
 Duke
48-18 5-3
Lubbock Super Regional
15 19 28
 Auburn
43-23 4-2 Gainesville Super Regional
16 23 NR
 Tennessee Tech
53-12 5-3 Austin Super Regional
17 6 5
 Florida State
43-19 0-2 Tallahassee Regional
18 10 27
 Southern Miss
44-18 1-2 Fayetteville Regional
19 12 NR
 Georgia
39-21 2-2 Athens Regional
20 13 13
 NC State
42-18 2-2 Raleigh Regional
21 14 NR
 East Carolina
44-18 1-2 Greenville Regional
22 17 38
 UConn
37-22-1 2-1 Conway Regional
23 NR 36
 South Carolina
37-26 4-2 Fayetteville Super Regional
24 NR 30
 Vanderbilt
35-27 4-2 Nashville Super Regional
25 NR 19
 Cal State Fullerton
36-24 4-2 Fullerton Super Regional

Dropped Out:
 Coastal Carolina (20), Louisville (21), Missouri State (22), South Florida (24), UCLA (25).




College | Story | 8/7/2026

Cape Cod League Notebook: August 7

Perfect Game Staff
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RHP Jason Flores (@BaseballUGA) Showed some electric stuff, up to 98 several times CT, SL, CH to round out the arsenal in his 5IP 9K performance. @HarwichMariners So./‘27 elig pic.twitter.com/p2nTvkFnWh — PG College Baseball (@PGCollegeBall) August 5, 2026 Jason Flores | RHP | University of Georgia | Harwich Mariners  Flores heads to Georgia this fall looking to reestablish himself as one of the premier arms in the 2027 draft class after showing significant promise during his freshman season at Texas. Flores posted a 2.78 ERA over 32.1 innings as a freshman before a limited sophomore campaign in which he logged just 12 innings. The stuff was on full display this summer, highlighted by a dominant five-inning, nine-strikeout playoff performance in which he touched 98 mph five different times. His fastball averaged nearly 96 mph throughout his time on the Cape, pairing the...
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Perfect Game Staff
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Sunday August 9th, 2026 1:00PM Eastern DICK'S Sporting Goods Park at East Cobb West vs. East Follow and watch the game
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11U Game Time: 8/8/2026 Noon Eastern

Perfect Game Staff
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Following a dominant week at the 17u PG East World Series, No. 34 ranked 643 DP Cougars 17u capped off an impressive tournament run by defeating No. 2 ranked East Cobb Astros 17u, 3-2, in the championship game to claim the title. The Cougars earned the tournament's No. 1 overall seed after outscoring opponents by an absurd 59-6 throughout the week before completing their championship run with a hard-fought victory in the finale. “Always feels great to finish the year playing your best ball, especially when going up against strong competition,” 643 Head Coach Danny Pralgo said. “We did so many of the little things right: on the mound with location, clean on defense, bunting, 2 strike approach leading to long at bats, getting hit-by-pitches, and we had so many good outs offensively that led to moving a runner or scoring a runner. And when those things all come together in...
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PG Extends Partnership With Yeti

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Perfect Game Staff
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Tournament of Champions Scout Notes: Part 1 ‘27 LHP Jaylan Hortenbury (KY) @JHortenbury X @PG_Uncommitted FB 85-89/ touched 90. Arm-side life w/ some ride. SL in mid 70s (depth). CH showed as a weapon in the upper 7s. Some sweep to BB in low 7s. Athletic w/ two-way capabilities as well. #TOC šŸ‘€ @USAPrimeScout27 pic.twitter.com/vyj1Tb9nBN — Jordan Gates (@JGatesPG) July 30, 2026 Jaylan Hortenbury (2027, New Castle, Ky.) Hortenbury was probably one of my personal favorites, as this was my first time seeing it in action. It’s an athletic two-way profile that has a chance to do both at the next level. But what stood out to me, was his potential on the mound. The left-handed pitcher moves very well and is comfortable there. Has the mound presence Supplemented with a free-flowing and loose arm from a higher ¾ slot, he pounded the zone in his lone appearance. He went...
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Tournament of Champions Notes: Part 1

Perfect Game Staff
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‘27 RHP/SS Carson Hailey (KY) Dominant 5.1 IP + 14 K’sā€¼ļø 2 ER on 3 H + 1BB. 69% strikes. FB lived 88-89 T92 w/ ASR + maintained velo. SL 77-80 w/ late sharp break. Throws downhill w/ good extension. Pitches tunnel well out of 3/4 slot. #TOC @carsonhailey_8 @2027TTKY @JGatesPG pic.twitter.com/UoL7newgi6 — Perfect Game Ohio Valley (@PG_OhioValley) July 29, 2026 Carson Hailey (2027, Louisville, Ky..) turned in a dominant outing, striking out 14 across 5.1 innings while allowing two earned runs on three hits and one walk. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound right-hander owns an athletic frame and worked with a controlled tempo on the mound. Hailey used a big leg kick and long stride with an easy lower half, creating downhill action and good extension toward the plate. He finished through his pitches well and maintained his velocity deep into the outing. The fastball lived at 88-89 mph...
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Tournaments | Championship | 8/6/2026

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Alyssa Golden
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A tightly contested battle between Canes Florida 2029 and Florida Flames 16u capped the 16U Florida Elite Championship, with the Canes earning a 6-5 walk-off win on Monday at JetBlue Park Stadium. “It means a lot to this team specifically because this is their first win as a group,” Canes head coach Alec Bettinger said. “We’ve come up short a couple times, so seeing one go through the hoop here is really nice for the boys.” The Canes defense came out hot, led by Cannon Tyler who started on the mound for the Canes. Tyler set the tone from the start, opening the game with a strikeout. He allowed no hits while striking out three over five innings. His fastball sat 77-82 mph. Another strikeout and a pickoff at second base ended the inning. Race McDaniel started on the mound for the Flames. The left-hander pitched six innings, striking out seven batters. The...
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