Rankings 5/22/2023

[fryeguy93]

Penultimate regular season rankings

I'm actually surprised that Florida leapfrogged Stanford in the first 2 rankings. I thought the top-2 would actually be non-SEC teams

These rankings bode well for Tennessee as they are the 5th SEC team in both rankings. There is actually a greater gap between the Vols and Alabama and Kentucky than I expected. In fact, should UK go one-and-done on Tuesday, they may fall out those rankings. Based on these rankings, I believe Tennessee is relatively comfortable a host at 12-14 range. Which would likely allow the committee to pair Tennessee against Stanford, Clemson, or Coastal as the national seed.

 

[Aerie Vol]

Ky rpi remains a freaking joke.

 

[NorCalVol67]

We broke the cocks.

 

[fryeguy93]

It is insane to consider at the conference halfway mark, Tennessee was 5 games under .500 (5-10) and they finished the season 2 games over (16-14)
Had they played the entire season that well, they'd be 22-8 and again first place in league
Of course , the first half of the season included insane road trips to Baton Rouge, Fayetteville and home series against Florida

Still does not beat 2022's unreal 25-5 however.

 

[fryeguy93]

We broke the cocks.

They were kinda bent before we got to Columbia.

 

[txbo]

They were kinda bent before we got to Columbia.

Unranked with an RPI of 6...... That don't compute.

 

[TheMookieMonster]

Unranked with an RPI of 6...... That don't compute.

South Carolina is less of a mystery to me than Kentucky. I just mentioned it in another thread, but Kentucky lost 6 out of their last 7 (!) SEC series to close the season and were 4-6 overall in SEC series this season. How they are being considered for a national seed according to D1 is unfathomable. Sometimes I think we listen to “math” a little too much. Their RPI feels like an illusion to how good this team actually is.

 

[fryeguy93]

My censoring/embargo of Collegiate Baseball remains in place.
In fact, it may be even more in effect.
It's like the upside-down over there in Tucson.- or whatever hellhole they publish from.

 

[fryeguy93]

Perfect Game loves them some Tennessee

 

[fryeguy93]

Duh

 

[OffTackleVol]

They were kinda bent before we got to Columbia.

Yea, they limped through the back end of the season............

 

[spyfish007]

South Carolina is less of a mystery to me than Kentucky. I just mentioned it in another thread, but Kentucky lost 6 out of their last 7 (!) SEC series to close the season and were 4-6 overall in SEC series this season. How they are being considered for a national seed according to D1 is unfathomable. Sometimes I think we listen to “math” a little too much. Their RPI feels like an illusion to how good this team actually is.

I agree. To me, Kentucky does not pass the eye test.

 

[fryeguy93]

Tennessee is one of the biggest movers in the Coaches Poll, in jumping 6 spots
Texas is supposedly up 9 spots but were admittedly unranked last week and now appear at #22

I believe Texas is now ranked because the rankers need the Big12 champs to actually be ranked.

I'm watching the D1 nerdcast now to see their region host projections.

 

[volfannga]

Penultimate regular season rankings

I'm actually surprised that Florida leapfrogged Stanford in the first 2 rankings. I thought the top-2 would actually be non-SEC teams

These rankings bode well for Tennessee as they are the 5th SEC team in both rankings. There is actually a greater gap between the Vols and Alabama and Kentucky than I expected. In fact, should UK go one-and-done on Tuesday, they may fall out those rankings. Based on these rankings, I believe Tennessee is relatively comfortable a host at 12-14 range. Which would likely allow the committee to pair Tennessee against Stanford, Clemson, or Coastal as the national seed.

I would be ok with those 3 matchups myself

 

[fryeguy93]

All rankings posted

Tennessee is in the top-16 in all but 1 legitimate service. And that's the pro-ACC Baseball America poll where they're 18.

The big blemish is the road record but every other metric shows they should currently be in hosting situation

The Tuesday game between Alabama and Kentucky should eliminate one but who knows. As I've posted before, the hosts are very often chosen before the conference tourneys.

I just don't see Kentucky's body of work warranting a hosting slot. The RPI was the result of February and March games against mid-major teams that were expected to win their mid major conferences and played every one of those games at home. They only played Louisville (#40 RPI) once and this was their only meaningful OOC game after 3/14. Kentucky's best series win was against South Carolina (also at home) as the Gamecocks fell apart in May. They did take 2 at Alabama in March when Alabama was one of the worst teams in league. They lost 2 - at home to mediocre Texas A&M (#34). South Carolina was their only series win after April 2nd. Half their conference wins were in the first 3 weeks. (Miss State, Alabama, Missouri). In their last 7 weeks they averaged 1.1 wins per weekend. And- more importantly, anyone watching their games would know they did not look like a top8 or top-16 team.

The only way Kentucky hosts is if the committee grades them on a curve.

 

[OrngeJuiceJones]

All rankings posted

Tennessee is in the top-16 in all but 1 legitimate service. And that's the pro-ACC Baseball America poll where they're 18.

The big blemish is the road record but every other metric shows they should currently be in hosting situation

The Tuesday game between Alabama and Kentucky should eliminate one but who knows. As I've posted before, the hosts are very often chosen before the conference tourneys.

I just don't see Kentucky's body of work warranting a hosting slot. The RPI was the result of February and March games against mid-major teams that were expected to win their mid major conferences and played every one of those games at home. They only played Louisville (#40 RPI) once and this was their only meaningful OOC game after 3/14. Kentucky's best series win was against South Carolina (also at home) as the Gamecocks fell apart in May. They did take 2 at Alabama in March when Alabama was one of the worst teams in league. They lost 2 - at home to mediocre Texas A&M (#34). South Carolina was their only series win after April 2nd. Half their conference wins were in the first 3 weeks. (Miss State, Alabama, Missouri). In their last 7 weeks they averaged 1.1 wins per weekend. And- more importantly, anyone watching their games would know they did not look like a top8 or top-16 team.

The only way Kentucky hosts is if the committee grades them on a curve.

If UK hosts over us I will be pissed. They lost 6 of 10 SEC series. And we beat them head to head. Alabama or Auburn didn't face the gauntlet we did I don't think.

 

[TheMookieMonster]

If UK hosts over us I will be pissed. They lost 6 of 10 SEC series. And we beat them head to head. Alabama or Auburn didn't face the gauntlet we did I don't think.

The more damning stat is they’ve lost 6 out of their last 7 series. In what world is that deserving of being a host? People want to knock our road record, but to me this stat for Kentucky is far, far worse.

 

[dirytkirby]

The sweep in CoMo will haunt us if the don’t host…but we still should be 15 or 16 if we win 2+ in Hoover

 

[tennesseeduke]

Penultimate regular season rankings

I'm actually surprised that Florida leapfrogged Stanford in the first 2 rankings. I thought the top-2 would actually be non-SEC teams

These rankings bode well for Tennessee as they are the 5th SEC team in both rankings. There is actually a greater gap between the Vols and Alabama and Kentucky than I expected. In fact, should UK go one-and-done on Tuesday, they may fall out those rankings. Based on these rankings, I believe Tennessee is relatively comfortable a host at 12-14 range. Which would likely allow the committee to pair Tennessee against Stanford, Clemson, or Coastal as the national seed.

D1, USA & Perfect Game have it the closest.

 

[fryeguy93]

Guys. I’ve posted before that host selections are often made by committees before the conference tourneys are played.

In fact, a P5 school playing themselves “into the field” from a conference tourney is more rare than one would think. Playing into a hosting position is even more rare. A P5 bubble team is more likely to be excluded due to a mid major season champ losing in their own tourney than anything the bubble team did in their own.

Ole Miss didn’t light the world on fire in Hoover last season and still made it in field.

If Tennessee hosts - or doesn’t host, it did not come down to a Tuesday afternoon game with both teams using a fifth starter on a rain soaked field.

It was likely made on an icy, crappy field in CoMo or a Saturday afternoon salvage game in Baton Rouge.

And I have to admit, this is all fair. I believe a team should be judged by a 56 game schedule and not a Tuesday-Thursday series a game with guys on the mound who rarely pitch. Schools have 3 months to make their case. To cram for the test at the end. I can make concessions for teams performances over the last 10-20 games more than the the firs 10-20 games.

I say this to tell you guys, don't be surprised if Tennessee is still listed as a host when hosts are announced Sunday night.

 

[vol66]

Guys. I’ve posted before that host selections are often made by committees before the conference tourneys are played.

In fact, a P5 school playing themselves “into the field” from a conference tourney is more rare than one would think. Playing into a hosting position is even more rare. A P5 bubble team is more likely to be excluded due to a mid major season champ losing in their own tourney than anything the bubble team did in their own.

Ole Miss didn’t light the world on fire in Hoover last season and still made it in field.

If Tennessee hosts - or doesn’t host, it did not come down to a Tuesday afternoon game with both teams using a fifth starter on a rain soaked field.

It was likely made on an icy, crappy field in CoMo or a Saturday afternoon salvage game in Baton Rouge.

And I have to admit, this is all fair. I believe a team should be judged by a 56 game schedule and not a Tuesday-Thursday series a game with guys on the mound who rarely pitch. Schools have 3 months to make their case. To cram for the test at the end. I can make concessions for teams performances over the last 10-20 games more than the the firs 10-20 games.

I say this to tell you guys, don't be surprised if Tennessee is still listed as a host when hosts are announced Sunday night.

I hope you are right! But yeah, I will be shocked, if for nothing else than our road/neutral record.

 

[Volstylexx]

I know ranking don’t matter right now, but it’s interesting that D1 baseball dropped TN 8 spots to 21st after losing one game to a team they now have in the top 25

 

[preacherman20]

They have to protect their projections now. Understand they are connected to NCAA and are the NCAA rankings so they protect each other to every extent, even when they look silly.

 

[NorCalVol67]

Number 7 in the final D1 rankings.

 

[UT_VOLS13]

College Baseball: 2023 Final Rankings (msn.com)