Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Our early 2027 college baseball rankings are out, highlighting the SEC's continued dominance after another national title win.
- Multiple programs are reshaping rosters through the transfer portal, with some teams losing key players to the MLB draft.
- The battle for the top spot promises to be intense, with several programs poised to challenge for the national championship in Omaha.
Yet again, the SEC is on top of the college baseball world. With Oklahoma taking Game 3 of the 2026 College World Series, the conference has won it all in Omaha for the seventh consecutive season. That’s obviously huge for the SEC, but it’s even bigger for the Sooners, which just won their first national title in over three decades.
As with all things, there’s a ton that can change between now and when the 2027 season kicks off next winter. There are transfer portal classes to get on campus and MLB Draft picks to be sent off to continue their careers at the next level with hopes if making it all the way up to the big leagues. But that won't stop us from already trying to predict what the top 25 should look like.
No. 25-21
No. 25: Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
Just how good of a coach is Chris Lemonis really? How good of a recruiter is he? How much will he be able to sustain the sort of success that Coastal Carolina is used to without having the same sort of recruiting budget that he enjoyed in Starkville with the Mississippi State Bulldogs? The Chanticleers have already done some work in the transfer portal, but a lot of players have left following the coaching change as well.
No. 24: Oregon State Beavers
Just how healthy will Dax Whitney be? How soon will he actually be available for the Beavers? If he’s truly sidelined for a year (or more), then Oregon State might not meet its usual standard. They could still be very, very good, but Whitney would really help elevate them to a different level.
No. 23: South Carlina Gamecocks
Getting Kevin Schnall was huge for the South Carolina baseball program. There’s no guarantee that the Gamecocks are a powerhouse immediately next season, but there’s going to be some talent that arrives in Columbia thanks to the transfer portal. Adding Hayden Johnson and Evan Bottone was wise; that’s a decent amount of talent to start building a team with.
No. 22: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Like the UCLA Bruins and the Auburn Tigers, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets underachieved once we got to the NCAA Tournament. And there’s a chance that Georgia Tech loses quite a bit in the MLB Draft. That said, there’s some interesting potential in adding Jordan Lodise from UCF and Mercer’s Eli Stephens (who just hit 20 home runs this season).
No. 21: Virginia Cavaliers
Losing Brian O’Connor changed a lot about this program, but it’s clear the Cavaliers would like to drastically improve in a hurry. Right now, Virginia’s transfer portal haul involves seven players, including three pitchers. If that group can gel together, then UVA might be a fun team to keep up with in the ACC this coming season.
No. 20-16
No. 20: Oregon Ducks
So far, the Oregon Ducks haven’t been able to pick up anyone in the transfer portal. That can still change, and it doesn’t mean that they won’t be able to at any point in the future. Mark Wasikowski has been able to elevate the Ducks steadily in recent years, and they did a really solid job of making it to the Austin Super Regional this season.
No. 19: North Carolina State Wolfpack
How far will the Wolfpack go in 2027? Right now, this is a team that hasn’t added much in the transfer portal (though Hunter Warren from Wright State is a great addition), but they haven’t lost much either. It’s possible the MLB Draft impacts this group a bit, but it’s also possible that NC State has the talent necessary in 2027 to cause headaches in the ACC.
No. 18: Auburn Tigers
Look, the Auburn Tigers and Butch Thompson underachieved in the NCAA Tournament, but there’s no reason to think that they won’t be pretty decent again this coming season. Potentially losing Chris Rembert to the MLB Draft won’t help, but getting another season of Chase Fralick hitting home runs will be fun for Auburn fans.
No. 17: Kansas Jayhawks
One of the true breakouts of this past season, Kansas really had an exciting run to the Super Regional. And sure, things didn’t end well, but the Jayhawks showed that they can have a very serious program in Lawrence. They haven’t added a ton in the transfer portal, but Jamie Palmese has hit 24 home runs in his career for ETSU and will be interesting to watch in the Big 12.
No. 16: West Virginia Mountaineers
The Mountaineers were such a fun story to keep up with throughout the season, and their run to the College World Series was a thrill. With RHP Chansen Cole back for another season and the addition of Zak Whitney, expect West Virginia to make folks in the Big 12 miserable once again.
No. 15-11
No. 15: UCLA Bruins
What a way for the Bruins to end a magical season. One of the best teams in the country just went cold at absolutely the wrong time, and as a result they got bounced early. That’s just part of college baseball. But, the Bruins should be good again in 2027— maybe not quite as good as this past season, as they lose Roch Cholowsky and others, but they do pick up Isaac Wachsmann after he hit 14 home runs for Creighton this season.
No. 14: Georgia Bulldogs
How will the Bulldogs do as they wrestle with players considering going into the MLB Draft? There’s a chance that many of UGA’s key contributors move on, but Wes Johnson has shown that he can bring in plenty of talent and build a roster as needed. Will he be able to really elevate the potential that Cristofer Cespedes and Cooper Walls (the former Big West freshman pitcher of the year) bring?
No. 13: Alabama Crimson Tide
Losing Justin Lebron to the MLB Draft isn’t going to be fun for Alabama baseball fans who have enjoyed seeing the Crimson Tide dominate of late, but there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the future of this program. Garrett Lambert and Michael Senay are among the transfers headed to Tuscaloosa, and Myles Upchurch was consistently impressive as a freshman on the mound for the Crimson Tide.
No. 12: Vanderbilt Commodores
It’s weird to not see the Commodores competing in the NCAA Tournament, but Tim Corbin’s teams are typically capable of bouncing back pretty quickly and effectively. Vandy managed to pick up some outfielders thanks to the transfer portal and there’s a really solid foundation to build upon here.
No. 11: Florida Gators
Kevin O’Sullivan is pretty good at his job. Yes, Florida baseball fans obviously want more from him, but he’s done a fine job of assembling talent and there’s an interesting group arriving in Gainesville this offseason. Snagging Trey Morris from Oregon State was a wise move after he posted a 1.98 ERA through 59 innings pitched this season. Jon Embury from FGCU hit 17 home runs in 2026, and now he’s going to be playing for the Gators.Â
No. 10-6
No. 10: Florida State Seminoles
So far, Florida State has already lost a number of players to the transfer portal (or maybe they’re intentionally turning over their roster a bit in Tallahassee). But the No. 10 national seed and the host of the Tallahassee Regional is already picking up some talented high school recruits while also adding Cayden Suchy, who was solid on the mount for UConn.
No. 9: Texas A&M Aggies
I don’t think anyone is going to be surprised to see that the SEC is loaded with talent again next season. While the Aggies didn’t make it as far as they wanted to this season, and they’re losing a bit of talent, getting Nate Savoie to transfer from Clemson is huge. This will be Savoie’s second time transferring, but he’s going to be so much fun to watch against SEC pitchers after hitting 36 home runs in his first two collegiate seasons.
No. 8: Ole Miss Rebels
Mike Bianco truly does not get enough recognition from folks for what he has done throughout his career. While I suspect the Rebels won’t be quite as good as they were this season, it really does look like this is a program that is primed to sustain their success into the future. The Rebels have already been active in the transfer portal working to assemble a pretty solid roster.
No. 7: Arkansas RazorbacksÂ
Okay, look, the Razorbacks weren’t able to get past the Jayhawks in the Lawrence Regional, but Arkansas does the ability to pull in a significant amount of talent via the transfer portal — like Michael Malki, for example. Expect Dave Van Horn’s team to make things interesting in the SEC this season.
No. 6: North Carolina Tar Heels
It’s going to be fun to see if the Tar Heels are able to continue the sort of success that we saw from them this season. It certainly doesn’t hurt that they added James Voorhies and Jamie Laskofski in the transfer portal.
No. 5-1
No. 5: Mississippi State Bulldogs
In Brian O’Connor’s first season in Starkville, the Bulldogs probably should’ve accomplished more. That said, it’s hard to be too upset over a run to a Super Regional. How far can MSU get in year two? Well, they’re bringing in a pretty solid haul in the transfer portal, including Zach Russell from South Carolina.
No. 4: Tennessee Volunteers
Tennessee has managed to hit the transfer portal and pick up a number of intriguing young pitchers to help build a staff that’ll cause problems in the SEC. Which is probably the perfect sort of response for a team that got bounced out of the Chapel Hill Regional pretty quickly. Brody Trosclair and Ricky Ojeda will likely make an immediate impact for the Vols.
No. 3: Texas LonghornsÂ
As with any season, it’s always worth keeping an eye on the Longhorns. Texas hasn’t been able to win a College World Series in over a couple decades now, but there’s a considerable amount of talent in Austin. Dylan Volantis will almost certainly be among the best prospects available in the 2027 MLB Draft and there are big names all over the roster.
No. 2: Oklahoma Sooners
National champs. The best team in the country in 2026. Don’t be shocked to see the Oklahoma Sooners competing amongst the best teams in the country again next season. Yes, there are some players who will likely be lost to the MLB Draft, but Cord Rager is just a freshman. Nick Wesloski is just a freshman. There’s a really solid pitching staff set in Norman for the next few years.
No. 1: LSU TigersÂ
Things went south in a major way for LSU this past season, but that doesn’t mean that they’re going to stay down for very long. The Tigers have been investing in high-profile transfer talent like Bino Watters from Notre Dame, and this program looking to reestablish itself at the top of the college baseball world once again.
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