Kent State did the unthinkable this past week. After pushing LSU to the edge in Baton Rogue in a midweek matchup, the Golden Flashes took that momentum with them into Knoxville and won a road series against Tennessee. And as a result, the Vols took a big slide in this week’s rankings, dropping seven spots to No. 20.
How will the Vols respond? Well, they’re facing the top team in the country in UCLA on Friday, so they’ll have to bounce back fast. The Bruins, and the four teams behind them, held steady in the rankings after dominant performances, but after that there were more shakeups.
TCU had a rough week overall. After losing its midweek game to UT Arlington, it got swept by UCLA in Los Angeles, causing the Horned Frogs to drop 11 spots. The week’s biggest risers were Southern Miss and Oklahoma, which each climbed up eight spots. Louisville fell out of the rankings completely, paving the way for Ole Miss to break through at No. 25.
Here are how the entire top 25 rankings look as of Feb. 23, plus our favorite plays and what we’re watching in the week to come.
Top plays
Not that LSU needs anymore power than it already has, now it has Jake Brown launching home runs like this.
Jake Cannon Brown Everybody 💣@JakeBrown_14 | SECN + pic.twitter.com/WTy1th1r6v
— LSU Baseball (@LSUbaseball) February 17, 2026
And how about another home run? This one from UCLA’s Roch Cholowsky. He certainly is living up to all the hype he had before the season started.
Roch goes dead center 🤯
📺B1G+#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/zXXISgXcrM
— UCLA Baseball (@UCLABaseball) February 22, 2026
Player to watch
Jackson Flora, RHP, UCSB
Flora has been rising up draft boards, and for good reason. The junior, who Kiley McDaniel has at No. 4 in his MLB draft rankings, touched 100 MPH in his 2026 debut and he has kept up the heat since then. Does he have enough to over take Cholowsky for the No. 1 pick? We’ll just have to wait and see.
FLO-STATE 🌊
Back-to-back strikeouts for Flora as he escapes the bases loaded jam!
T2 | Pilots 0 – Gauchos 1
📺 ESPN+
🎧 https://t.co/TYosww6CZU#GoChos pic.twitter.com/HXE196J0xl— UC Santa Barbara Baseball (@UCSB_Baseball) February 21, 2026
Games to watch
No. 10 Florida at No. 17 Miami
Game 1: 7 p.m. on Friday (ACC Network Extra)
Game 2: 6 p.m. on Saturday (ACC Network Extra)
Game 3: 1 p.m. on Sunday (ACC Network Extra)
We can’t get enough of these early top-ranked series, and an in-state one makes this all the better. Miami has been solid to open the season, and though the Canes are ranked behind Florida, they do sport a perfect 7-0 record for the year, while the Gators have already dropped one game. Florida will have to be ready for Miami’s Alex Sosa, who has been dominant this season so far with five home runs and 17 RBIs. And if he wasn’t a tall enough task, there’s Daniel Cuvet right behind him with five homers himself to go along with 13 RBIs. It looks to be a high-scoring affair in Coral Gables this weekend.
Updated top 25
Here are D1baseball.com’s latest rankings, plus information on each team’s next game.
All times Eastern.
1. UCLA Bruins
Previous rank: 1
Record: 6-1
Next game: vs. Tulane, 8 p.m. on Tuesday
2. LSU Tigers
Previous rank: 2
Record: 8-0
Next game: vs. McNeese, 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday (SEC Network+)
3. Texas Longhorns
Previous rank: 3
Record: 7-0
Next game: vs. UTRGV, 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday (SEC Network+)
4. Mississippi State Bulldogs
Previous rank: 4
Record: 8-0
Next game: vs. Austin Peay, 5 p.m. on Tuesday (SEC Network+)
5. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Previous rank: 5
Record: 8-0
Next game: at Georgia State, 4 p.m. on Tuesday (ACC Network Extra)
6. Arkansas Razorbacks
Previous rank: 8
Record: 6-1
Next game: vs. Arkansas State, 4 p.m. on Monday (SEC Network+)
7. Auburn Tigers
Previous rank: 9
Record: 6-1
Next game: vs. West Georgia, 7 p.m. on Wednesday (SEC Network+)
8. North Carolina Tar Heels
Previous rank: 10
Record: 6-1-1
Next game: vs. NC A&T, 4 p.m. on Tuesday (ACC Network Extra)
9. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
Previous rank: 6
Record: 5-2
Next game: vs. Campbell, 4 p.m. on Tuesday (ESPN+)
10. Florida Gators
Previous rank: 12
Record: 7-1
Next game: vs. FIU, 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday (ESPN+)
11. Georgia Bulldogs
Previous rank: 14
Record: 6-1
Next game: vs. Troy, 3 p.m. on Wednesday (SEC Network+)
12. Southern Miss Golden Eagles
Previous rank: 20
Record: 6-1
Next game: vs. Alabama, 7 p.m. on Tuesday (ESPN+)
13. Oklahoma Sooners
Previous rank: 21
Record: 7-0
Next game: vs. Arizona State, 5 p.m. on Tuesday (SEC Network+)
14. NC State Wolfpack
Previous rank: 17
Record: 5-1
Next game: vs. Richmond, 3 p.m. on Tuesday
15. Clemson Tigers
Previous rank: 19
Record: 7-0
Next game: vs. Presbyterian, 4 p.m. on Tuesday (ACCNX)
16. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Previous rank: 22
Record: 6-1
Next game: at UNCG, 5 p.m. on Tuesday (ESPN+)
17. Miami Hurricanes
Previous rank: 23
Record: 9-0
Next game: at FAU, 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday
18. TCU Horned Frogs
Previous rank: 7
Record: 2-5
Next game: at Loyola Marymount, 4 p.m. on Monday
19. Oregon State Beavers
Previous rank: 11
Record: 4-3
Next game: at Houston, 3 p.m. on Friday
20. Tennessee Volunteers
Previous rank: 13
Record: 5-2
Next game: vs. Bellarmine, 4 p.m. on Tuesday (SEC Network+)
21. Florida State Seminoles
Previous rank: 16
Record: 4-2
Next game: vs. North Florida, 5 p.m. on Wednesday (ESPN+)
22. Kentucky Wildcats
Previous rank: 18
Record: 5-2
Next game: vs. Western Kentucky, 4 p.m. on Tuesday (SEC Network+)
23. Texas A&M Aggies
Previous rank: 24
Record: 7-0
Next game: vs. Lamar, 7 p.m. on Tuesday (SEC Network+)
24. West Virginia Mountaineers
Previous rank: 25
Record: 5-1
Next game: vs. Ohio, 1 p.m. on Wednesday (ESPN+)
25. Ole Miss Rebels
Previous rank: NR
Record: 8-0
Next game: vs. Southeast Missouri State, 5 p.m. on Tuesday (SEC Network+)