South Carolina finally grabbed the top spot in Baseball America’s Top 25 at the conclusion of the regular season.
After winning their weekend series at Alabama to clinch a share of the SEC regular-season championship, the Gamecocks (44-12) became the fourth team to hold the No. 1 position this season, joining Florida, Vanderbilt and Virginia.
Virginia (45-9), which shared the ACC title with Georgia Tech, fell out of the top spot after five weeks to No. 5 when it was swept by North Carolina over the weekend. No. 3 Florida (41-15) and No. 4 Vanderbilt (44-9) both moved back into the top five after winning their final weekend series to tie USC for the SEC title.
USC, the defending national champions, began the season at No. 7 in the poll before steadily ascending over the course of the season. The Gamecocks were ranked No. 4, No. 3 or No. 2 over the previous 12 weeks. Texas (40-13) moved to No. 2 in the poll, up three spots.
USC also is No. 1 in the Collegiate Baseball and PerfectGameUSA rankings.
The Gamecocks open SEC tournament play at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday vs. Auburn.
- Neil White
Baseball America Top 25
| Rk. | Team | W-L | Last Week | Prev. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | South Carolina | 44-12 | 3-1 | 3 |
| 2. | Texas | 40-13 | 2-1 | 5 |
| 3. | Florida | 41-15 | 2-2 | 6 |
| 4. | Vanderbilt | 44-9 | 2-1 | 7 |
| 5. | Virginia | 45-9 | 0-3 | 1 |
| 6. | Oregon State | 38-14 | 1-2 | 2 |
| 7. | Florida State | 40-15 | 1-2 | 4 |
| 8. | Arizona State | 38-14 | 2-1 | 8 |
| 9. | Cal State Fullerton | 37-14 | 1-0 | 9 |
| 10. | Texas Christian | 40-15 | 4-0 | 10 |
| 11. | Georgia Tech | 39-17 | 2-2 | 12 |
| 12. | North Carolina | 44-12 | 4-0 | 17 |
| 13. | Texas A&M | 38-18 | 2-2 | 11 |
| 14. | Clemson | 39-17 | 3-1 | 18 |
| 15. | Connecticut | 39-15 | 3-1 | 15 |
| 16. | Rice | 38-18 | 3-1 | 19 |
| 17. | Miami | 34-20 | 2-2 | 16 |
| 18. | Oklahoma | 40-15 | 1-2 | 13 |
| 19. | Southern Mississippi | 38-15 | 1-2 | 14 |
| 20. | Arkansas | 36-18 | 3-1 | 23 |
| 21. | Troy | 40-16 | 3-1 | NR |
| 22. | Florida International | 37-17 | 2-1 | 24 |
| 23. | UCLA | 31-20 | 2-1 | NR |
| 24. | UC Irvine | 37-14 | 3-1 | NR |
| 25. | East Carolina | 37-18 | 3-1 | NR |
Collegiate Baseball rankings
| Rank School (Record) | Points | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| 1. South Carolina (44-12) | 494 | 3 |
| 2. Florida (41-15) | 493 | 4 |
| 3. Vanderbilt (44-9) | 492 | 5 |
| 4. Texas (40-13) | 489 | 6 |
| 5. Virginia (45-9) | 487 | 1 |
| 6. Oregon St. (38-14) | 485 | 2 |
| 7. Texas Christian (40-15) | 484 | 7 |
| 8. Georgia Tech. (39-17) | 480 | 8 |
| 9. North Carolina (44-12) | 478 | 16 |
| 10. Cal. St. Fullerton (37-14) | 477 | 10 |
| 11. Arizona St. (38-14) | 475 | 13 |
| 12. Florida St. (40-15) | 473 | 9 |
| 13. Texas A&M (38-18) | 472 | 11 |
| 14. Oklahoma (40-15) | 469 | 12 |
| 15. Connecticut (39-15-1) | 467 | 14 |
| 16. Miami, Fla. (34-20) | 463 | 15 |
| 17. UCLA (31-20) | 461 | 17 |
| 18. Clemson (39-17) | 459 | 18 |
| 19. U.C. Irvine (37-14) | 456 | 19 |
| 20. Rice (38-18) | 452 | 24 |
| 21. Southern Miss. (38-15) | 448 | 21 |
| 22. Arkansas (36-18) | 445 | 30 |
| 23. California (30-18) | 442 | 25 |
| 24. Coastal Carolina (37-18) | 439 | 26 |
| 25. Kent St. (39-14) | 436 | 28 |
| 26. Stanford (30-19) | 435 | — |
| 27. Fresno St. (37-14) | 433 | 20 |
| 28. St. John's (32-18) | 430 | — |
| 29. Troy (40-16) | 428 | — |
| 30. James Madison (37-17) | 425 | — |
Belcher, Gamecocks beat Georgia 7-2 in series opener
USC's Belcher to start SEC tournament
