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Baseball Power Rankings ahead of the College World Series

Taylor Jones
·6 min read
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The most wonderful two weeks in College Baseball are among us, it is time for the College World Series.

This year’s field features more parity than expected, as many teams pulled upsets to get to Omaha. Out of the 16 national seeds, only four are remaining. Also, in last weekend’s Super Regionals, only two teams, Stanford and Texas A&M punched their tickets in front of their home fans.

The Southeastern Conference takes the crown for most teams competing for a national championship with four. The most surprising fact about that statistic is the SEC champion, Tennessee is not among those that will be playing in Omaha.

Because so many surprising stories are still being written, we at Auburn Wire have built our list of power rankings ahead of this weekend’s action. In our power rankings, we used overall record, national seeding, and win/loss records against teams in the College World Series bracket.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Jamar Coach/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

  • Record: 40-15

  • Lost in ACC Championship game

  • Record against CWS Field: 0-0

  • Did not receive a national seed

  • Why they are there: Lack of resume.

Notre Dame has certainly proved that they are an Omaha-caliber team, most notably by beating No. 1 overall seed Tennessee in the Knoxville Super Regional. However, they have played a total of zero games against this year’s College World Series field, which makes it hard to measure their potential success.

Ole Miss Rebels

Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

  • Record: 37-22

  • Lost in one game at SEC Tournament

  • Record against CWS field: 4-5 (Texas A&M, Auburn, Arkansas)

  • Did not receive a national seed

  • Why they are there: Uncertain potential

The Rebels were ranked No. 1 through their first SEC weekend series. where they took two-of-three from fellow College World Series opponent, Auburn. However, the Rebels went on to lose four of their next five series and took an early exit from Hoover. However, the Rebels are a perfect 5-0 in NCAA Tournament play and seemed to have found their groove. Could the Rebels continue their hot play? Or will they fall into another valley in Omaha?

Auburn Tigers

Jun 6, 2022; Auburn, Al, USA; Celebration between Auburn and UCLA at Plainsmen Park. Grayson Belanger/AU Athletics

  • 42-20 record

  • Eliminated in first round of SEC Tournament

  • Record against CWS field: 4-6 (Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Arkansas)

  • No. 14 national seed

  • Why they are there: Lack of success in Omaha

Auburn has been a consistent team all season long and has played well up to this point in the NCAA Tournament. The foundation has been laid by head coach Butch Thompson, as he is leading Auburn to their 2nd College World Series appearance since 2019, and their 6th overall. However, their history in Omaha is very short, as they have not played more than three games in the College World Series since their first appearance in 1967. Auburn gets another chance to see how well they stand up in the grueling stretch that is the College World Series

Arkansas Razorbacks

Gary Cosby Jr.-The Tuscaloosa News

  • 43-19 record

  • Eliminated in the double-elimination portion of SEC Tournament

  • Record against CWS Field: 5-5 (Stanford, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Auburn)

  • Did not receive a national seed

  • Why they are there: They are peaking at the right time

Everyone is asking the question… is this the year? Arkansas is getting ready to play in their 11th College World Series but does not have a national title to show for it. After a rough end to the regular season, the Razorbacks battled through a tough Stillwater Regional, defeating the host Oklahoma State Cowboys to advance to the Super Regionals. Arkansas went on to defeat ACC champion North Carolina in two games to move on to Omaha. The Hogs may not have the most impressive resume, but they are definitely the team to watch.

Texas Longhorns

Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

  • 47-20 record

  • Lost Big 12 title game

  • Record against CWS field: 2-3 (Oklahoma, Texas A&M)

  • No. 9 overall seed

  • Why they are there… Wins speak for themselves

The Longhorns enter the College World Series with 47 wins, which is tied with Stanford for the most wins in this year’s field. “Winning” goes beyond this season, as Texas will be competing in their 38th College World Series, and have won six National Championships. It’s easy to see why Texas is usually a favorite when they visit Omaha.

Oklahoma Sooners

Brad McClenny/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK

  • 42-22 record

  • Big 12 tournament champion

  • Record against CWS field: 3-2 (Auburn, Texas)

  • Did not receive a national seed

  • Why they are there: to play the role of the dark horse

Oklahoma has the best resume of any team that did not receive a national seed. The Sooners won the Big 12 tournament, and have a winning record against teams that are competing in the College World Series. Because they didn’t earn a national seed, Oklahoma has gotten it done on the road. Look for Oklahoma to continue their streak in Omaha.

Stanford Cardinal

Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

  • 47-16 record

  • Pac-12 Tournament Champion

  • Record against CWS Field: 1-0 (def. Arkansas)

  • No. 2 overall seed

  • Why they are there: They are the strongest to survive

Stanford joins Texas A&M as the only top-5 national seeds to earn a trip to Omaha. Their 47 wins say a lot about Stanford, but the quality of those wins draws questions. The Cardinal has only played one mutual College World Series team this season, defeating Arkansas 5-0 during the Round Rock Classic in Texas in February. Coincidentally, they will open their stay in Omaha against the Razorbacks. There will be many questions regarding Stanford that will be answered during the College World Series.

Texas A&M Aggies

Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports

  • 42-18 record

  • SEC Tournament semi-finalist

  • Record against CWS field: 6-4 (Ole Miss, Auburn, Arkansas, Texas)

  • No. 5 overall seed

  • Why they are there: They check all of the boxes

Seabiscuit, the Mighty Ducks, and Texas A&M Baseball… all three great comeback stories. Last season, the Aggies missed the SEC Tournament after finishing 9-21 in conference play. The disappointing season resulted in the termination of  Rob Childress, and the hiring of TCU’s Jim Schlossnagle. Under Schlossnagle, the Aggies have made a 180-degree turnaround. They won the SEC West, have hosted a Regional and Super Regional, and hold a winning record against the College World Series field. The Aggies check all of the boxes and will be hard to stop in Omaha.

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