Two days ago, the 2023 preseason polls were released for the upcoming baseball season. There are many familiar schools at the top of this year’s poll, like Tennessee baseball, which are expected to carry on their performance from last year. Baseball season is just around the corner, so let’s take a deeper look into the top 10 to find out each team’s strengths, weaknesses, and returning players.
The CFB National Championship gets me thinking about how under appreciated College Baseball is.
— MLB Metrics (@MLBMetrics) January 10, 2023
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No. 10: Vanderbilt Commodores
The Commodores will have 3 of their top 5 batters returning this year. Calvin Hewett, Enrique Bradfield Jr., and T.J. McKenzie all had a batting average above .300 last year and will be returning for the 2023 season.
However, their 2 best bats have graduated and will not be returning this year. The biggest loss to Vanderbilts’ offense is Dominic Keegan, who had a .371. batting average led the team in slugging last year.
Another positive for the Commodores is Sophomore left-handed pitcher Devin Futrell. Devin led the team with 9 wins last year and will likely be their ace coming into this year’s season.
No. 9: Oklahoma State Cowboys
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Coming in at No. 9 are the Oklahoma State Cowboys. The Cowboys are returning with three big bats this year that all bat over .300. Zach Ehrhard, Marcus Brown, and Ian Daugherty are among the returning starters.
However, Oklahoma State is suffering a huge loss by the name of Jake Thompson. Jake graduated this year and will be heavily missed by all Cowboy fans. Thompson led the team last year with an astounding .350 batting average and had a slug of over .600.
The Cowboys will need to rely on the backs of some of their younger players this year, as they have a very strong younger class that should help them plenty this year.
No. 8: Arkansas Razorbacks
Coming in at No. 8 are the Arkansas Razorbacks. Arkansas finished the season last year with a 46-21 record. They were very dominant last year, and will continue to dominate this year too
The Razorbacks are returning this year with several returning starters. Peyton Stovall and Brady Slavens are among two of the returning younger starters who should be able to make an immediate impact in the 2023 season.
A notable loss for the Arkansas Razorbacks this year is Chris Lanzilli. Chris led the team last year with a .326 batting average and over a .500 slug.
No. 7: Florida Gators
The Gators come in at number 7 in this year’s 2023 preseason rankings. The gators were electric last year, finishing out the season with a 42-24 record.
The Florida Gators have several returning starters this year:
Wyatt Langford, BT Riopelle, and Josh Rivera are among the many returning starters for the Gators this year. All three of these returners posted above a .250 batting average. The big returner for the Gators this year is Junior Wyatt Langford. Langford was the leadoff batter for the Gators last year and was a huge factor in such a successful 2022 season.
Langford is a 6-foot-1-inch right-handed slugger out of Florida. He also has the following awards following the season last year, 2022 First Team All-American (D1Baseball), 2022 Second Team All-American (Baseball America, NCBWA, Perfect Game, ABCA/Rawlings), 2022 Southeast-ABCA/Rawlings First Team All-Region, 2022 USA Collegiate National Team Member, 2022 USA Today First Team All-SEC, 2022 Second Team All-SEC, 2022 SEC All-Tournament Team, and 2022 SEC Academic Honor Roll.
Florida will be stacked this year with talent and is a big threat to the SEC.
No. 6: Wake Forest Demon Deacons
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons enter the 2023 season ranking number 6. The Demon Deacons are likely going to be led by Sophomore infielder Tommy Hawke.
Hawke had an amazing freshman season last year for Wake Forest. He tallied 52 total runs last year, and led the team with a .380 batting average. Hawke will likely be the leadoff hitter this year, and with more experience, he should be able to shine even more than he did last year.
No. 5: Texas A&M Aggies
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— Texas A&M Baseball (@AggieBaseball) January 18, 2023
Finally entering into the top 5, we begin with the Texas A&M Aggies. The Aggies are coming off one of their best seasons in 2022 and will look to continue their success into 2023.
The junior infielder from Colorado, Jack Moss, will likely lead the Aggies into yet another successful season. Moss finished the season last year with a .380 batting average and notched 50 runs. He was their best and most reliable hitter last year and will be looking to continue that going this year.
Another returner from last year’s team is the Senior infielder, Austin Bost. Bost was an impact player last year and batted a .360. He also was able to help contribute alongside Moss by producing 52 runs.
Texas A&M is going to be dangerous this year and is a team to look out for.
No. 4: Ole Miss Rebels
The number 4 ranked team coming into the 2023 season are the Ole Miss Rebels.
The Rebels have suffered two tremendous losses following the 2022 season, Justin Bench and Tim Elko. These two were the only batters that had over a .300 batting average and will not be returning this year for the Rebels. They are going to have to rely on young guns and new players to step up this upcoming season to have as good of a season as they did last year.
No. 3: Stanford Cardinals
The Cardinals finished the season last year with a 47-18 record and were one of the best teams in all of baseball.
Stanford is returning with one big player named Tommy Troy. Tommy was one of the best players for the Cardinals last year with a .339 batting average, 34 runs, and 62 hits.
Unfortunately for the Cardinals, they are losing Brett Barrera, their best player last year. Brett led the team with both hits and batting averages and will leave a big hole in the Stanford offense this year.
No 2: Tennessee Volunteers
Tennessee baseball is ranked No. 2 in the preseason top 25 poll for the 2023 season coming off a historic campaign last year finishing 57-9.
Tennessee will have multiple incoming transfers on the roster: shortstop Maui Ahuna (Kansas), right fielder Colby Backus (Walters State), third baseman Zane Denton (Alabama), and catcher Jack Alexander (Austin Peay and Notre Dame).
The big returner from last year’s team is center fielder Seth Stephenson. Seth was a dominant player for the Volunteers last season and posted a .339 batting average while driving in 46 runs.
Look for a hungry Tennessee baseball team this season as they look for redemption after last year’s tragic ending.
No. 1: LSU Tigers
LSU is coming into the 2023 season as the Number 1 seed with all of the hype surrounding them. LSU added five players from the transfer portal, including two All-Americans, and gained the Minnesota Twins pitching coach Wes Johnson.
Center fielder Dylan Crews, outfielder Josh Pearson and first baseman Tre Morgan are all talented returning players who should make up the majority of the top of the lineup.
Crews had a .349 batting average, 73 runs, and 87 hits. Pearson had a .300 batting average, 34 runs, and 44 hits. Finally, Morgan had a .324 batting average, 50 runs, and 82 hits last year. All three of these returners should make a huge impact, and with a little help from the rest of the team, have the best shot of winning the championship.