A dramatic, and somewhat chaotic, weekend of ACC baseball is over. Similar to last week,
there are seven teams in the USA Today Coaches Poll, with No. 25
Georgia Tech entering the poll and Virginia dropping out the only change to who is ranked. Florida State remains ranked fourth, with Clemson now one spot behind in fifth, a spot previously held by Georgia. Wake Forest dropped a spot to 14th, with North Carolina down three spots to be ranked 18th, one spot ahead of No. 19 Louisville. Stanford dropped eight spots to No. 22. There was a clinic of offensive firepower in the eight-conference series last weekend as winning programs outscored opponents 224-97. This weekend's schedule features some intriguing matchups, with the highlight being No. 5 Clemson (23-3) on the road against No. 25 Georgia Tech (20-4). With another weekend in the books, here's how the ACC baseball power rankings shape up.
1. Florida State
FSU remains in the top spot after a series win over Miami. While the Hurricanes stunned Jamie Arnold and the Seminoles on Friday with a 9-6 win, FSU still outscored
the Hurricanes 30-16 in the three games and showed little sign that the loss was anything more than an off night.
The Tigers continue to impress , and with a series win
over No. 14 Wake Forest , they almost took over the top spot in the rankings. Clemson won a crucial rubber match on Sunday 7-6 and continues to showcase why they are a top team in the country. Yes, Wake Forest lost its weekend series, and yes, they moved up in the rankings. With results elsewhere in the ACC and the series with No. 5 Clemson looking different had the baseball bounced a few different ways, the Demon Deacons sit third.
4. Georgia Tech
A sweep over Notre Dame and an entrance to the top 25 make Georgia Tech are biggest mover in the rankings. With a weekend home series against Clemson on the docket, the Yellow Jackets face the team's biggest test of the season so far. Lousiville remains fifth, though a series loss to Virginia Tech came as one of the surprises of the weekend. The Cardinals still have, statistically, a top-three offense in the ACC and have the potential to do serious damage when things are clicking.
6. North Carolina
Record: The Tar Heels are starting to steady the ship, picking up the team's first ACC series win of the year against Boston College. Hunter Stokely recorded five RBI in the series to lead North Carolina to the 2-1 series win ahead of a showdown with Miami. After storming out to a 5-1 record with series wins over North Carolina and
Duke , Stanford was swept by Cal. Consistent pitching remains a question mark for the Cardinal, especially if the offense isn't producing like it did against the Golden Bears.
8. NC State
NC State is starting to find the form it expected in the preseason after a sweep of Pitt. Dominic Fritton continues to impress on the mound with a 4-1 record and 1.50 ERA, ranked third in the conference, and the Wolfpacks' pitching staff is pushing the team in the right direction.
9. Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech's 2-1 series win over No. 19 Louisville was one of the surprises of the weekend, however, the
Hokies have slowly stacked quality wins and played good baseball, which culminated in the Louisville win. With a solid rotation and consistent offense, hitting .313, Virginia Tech could have a few more surprises before the season ends. Cal swept its West Coast ACC counterpart, Stanford, giving the Golden Bears its best series victory, and first in the ACC. After swiping games of Duke and Virginia, Cal put things together to shock the Cardinal, outscoring them 32-9. Duke swept Virginia in convincing fashion, showcasing the potential that many expected the Blue Devils to have in the preseason. Offensive output had been a question for Duke, and the sweep over the
Cavaliers could be the turning point. Virginia's struggles continued as the Cavaliers were swept by Duke over the weekend. Middle of the pack in the ACC with its offense and pitching rotation, the young Cavaliers have fallen out of the USA Today Coaches Poll top 25 after a preseason ranking of No. 4 The one bright side of Miami's weekend series loss to FSU? It picked up its first ACC win and did so against a potential top pick in the MLB Draft in Jamie Arnold. Other than that, the Hurricanes are still searching for answers with the bullpen struggling against the Seminoles.
14. Boston College
Boston College continues to find ways to steal wins in ACC play, stealing a win on Saturday against North Carolina. However, the
Eagles ' pitching concerns remain with a 7.13 team ERA, and it doesn't seem like there is a clear answer on how to fix them right now. The
Panthers were swept by NC State and pitching concerns remain with the team as it holds a 5.33 ERA and has allowed 71 extra-base hits (44 doubles, two triples, 25 home runs). Issues on the mound aren't helped by the 28 fielding errors Pitt has committed.
16. Notre Dame
It looks like Notre Dame is in for a long season in ACC play, and after being swept by Duke, the
Fighting Irish are rewarded with a three-game series against No. 4 FSU.