Five Thoughts on D1 Baseball’s 2024 Preseason Top 25 Poll
You know when D1Baseball releases their Top 25 Poll that means that college baseball is right around the corner. We are a little over four weeks from the start of the season, but it is never too early to look at some of these Big 12 teams.
There were four Big 12 schools (#5 TCU, #16 Texas, #21 Texas Tech, and #24 Kansas State) that cracked the Top 25.
The SEC is Still King
While many of us know that the SEC wins just about every football title, some may not realize just how good the SEC is in baseball. Last season, LSU took home the gold against Florida and once again, the SEC is loaded as four of the top six teams hail from the Southeastern Conference. Florida, LSU, and Arkansas are all ranked inside the top five while Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, and Tennessee are inside the top ten. The last four national champions have come from the SEC, and we are going to find out this season if they will make it five in a row.
Will TCU Get Back on Top?
While the Horned Frogs may have not won the regular season conference title, they did win the conference tournament and were the only team from the Big 12 to make it to the College World Series last year. The question is not if they can make it back but if they can win a national championship. This team returns key pieces from last year, such as Karson Bowen, Kurtis Byrne, and Anthony Silva. When you combine that great core with some great pitchers like Kole Klecker, Ben Abeldt, and transfer Ben Hampton, it is easy to see why TCU is the favorite in the Big 12.
Texas is Still a Threat
No matter what, the one school you can never count out is Texas. The Longhorns always seem to reload year after year and that is what they are going to have to do this season. Dylan Campbell is gone, as is Big 12 Pitcher of the Year and lefthander Lucas Gordon, along with a few others. Texas typically has young players step up and we are going to find out if the Longhorns have the right guys to make another postseason run.
Can Texas Tech Get to Omaha?
The Red Raiders haven’t made the trip to Omaha since 2019 but that doesn’t mean that they weren’t good enough. They have had some great seasons since then and even took Florida to the wire last year in the postseason. However, they just fell short due to some inconsistencies. I felt like they were never able to quite put it all together at times and that is why they finished with a .500 record in Big 12 play. There are position battles still being played out in Lubbock, but you just know that Tim Tadlock is going to get the best out of his guys.
Hello, Kansas State
For years, it seems like Kansas State has become one of the most underrated programs in the Big 12. They got screwed out of a postseason bid last season and this could be the year where they don’t need help from the committee to get in. The Wildcats have a three-headed monster coming back with Brady Day, Kaelen Culpepper, and Tyson Neighbors who is one of the best closers in college baseball. Pete Hughes has done an excellent job building this program and this may be the year where Kansas State makes some noise and shakes things up.
