Wake Forest selected No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports preseason baseball poll followed by LSU
We can’t say with certainty when the weather will start to feel like spring – rodent prognostications notwithstanding –, but we can say unequivocally that the season will eventually arrive, and with it the 2024 college baseball campaign. In that spirit, we unveil the preseason USA TODAY Sports coaches poll.
Wake Forest will open the year at No. 1. The Demon Deacons were picked first by 15 of the 31 voters on this season's panel.
After a third-place finish a year ago, the Demon Deacons have their sights set on returning to Omaha. Slugging first baseman Nick Kurtz and lefty starter Josh Hartle are back, and the arrival of Tennessee transfer Chase Burns should again give the Deacs one of the nation’s best pitching rotations. Seaver King, a Division II standout at Wingate, also enters via the portal to bolster the batting order.
TOP 25: Complete USA TODAY sports preseason baseball poll
Defending national champ LSU opens at No. 2, followed by last year’s runner-up Florida. The Tigers were No. 1 on 11 ballots, with the Gators getting the remaining five.
LSU also had to reload a bit after Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews went No. 1 and No. 2 in the MLB draft. But hard-hitting third baseman Tommy White returns, and transfer pitchers Luke Holman and Gage Jump should slide into the rotation immediately. The Gators, meanwhile, regain the services of two-way star Jac Caglianone and closer Brandon Neely.
Both the Tigers and Gators, however, will have to contend with a loaded SEC that boasts six teams in the preseason top 10. No. 4 Arkansas gives the league a third top-five representative, with Vanderbilt opening at No. 6, Tennessee at 8 and No. 10 Texas A&M. No. 17 Alabama and No. 21 South Carolina give the SEC eight ranked teams in all to start the year.
The ACC has six teams ranked with No. 9 Clemson the next highest after Wake Forest. No. 5 TCU is the top team of the three Big 12 squads that are in the rankings. No. 7 Oregon State leads the three members of the Pac-12.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Wake Forest leads preseason college baseball poll ahead of LSU
