Top-ranked Oregon State swept defending Pacific-12 Conference champ Utah to extend its winning streak to 23 games, tying Arizona State’s 29-year-old Pac-12 record. The Beavers (28-1) remained atop the D1Baseball Top 25 rankings for the fourth consecutive week.
Each of the top six teams remained the same after going a combined 22-2 on the week. But there were plenty of shakeups after that, as 12 of the next 19 teams in the rankings lost their series. Arizona and Cal State Fullerton moved up two spots apiece to No. 7 and No. 8, respectively, after posting winning weeks. LSU also returned to the top 10, jumping four spots to No. 9 after winning a road series at No. 15 Arkansas.
A few teams were protected from falling much — or at all — by the vacuum that opened when all the teams behind them lost their series. Auburn, for example, remained at No. 11 despite a 1-3 week, partly because it owns head-to-head series wins against Florida (down five spots to No. 12) and South Carolina (down two spots to No. 14). And the Hogs held steady at No. 15 thanks in part to two midweek wins against WAC leader Grand Canyon, giving them a 3-2 record on the week.
#GoBlue Noteworthy:
— Michigan Baseball (@umichbaseball) April 8, 2017
Backed by a strong offensive and defensive effort, these guys combined to pitch Michigan's first one-hitter since 2012. pic.twitter.com/VxDQWwdRE7
Michigan (up five spots to No. 13), Stanford (up four places to No. 17) and Virginia (up five to No. 20) were the big climbers of the week.
Three teams entered the rankings: No. 19 Long Beach State, No. 21 Mississippi State and No. 23 Houston. The Dirtbags have won six straight games and 10 of their last 12, a stretch highlighted by a sweep of Cal State Fullerton. The Bulldogs have won three straight SEC series to move into a tie atop the conference’s overall standings (8-4) with Kentucky, Auburn and Arkansas. And the Cougars return to the Top 25 after bouncing back from a series loss to UCF by sweeping East Carolina.
Florida Gulf Coast, Florida State and Maryland fell out of the rankings after losing series to Stetson, NC State and Nebraska, respectively.
