Opening Day for South Carolina is this Friday and it's time to preview the 2016 season and get excited about Gamecock baseball! We're starting out with a look at the preseason rankings and expectations for the Gamecocks. Below are the top 25 rankings for each of the five biggest college baseball polls. South Carolina's opponents are italicized.
D1 Baseball | Baseball America | USA Today Coaches Poll | Perfect Game | Collegiate Baseball | |
1 | Florida | Florida | Florida | Florida | Florida |
2 | Louisville | Louisville | Louisville | Louisville | Louisville |
3 | Vanderbilt | Texas A&M | Vanderbilt | Texas A&M | Vanderbilt |
4 | Texas A&M | Virginia | Texas A&M | Vanderbilt | Miami |
5 | Oregon State | Oregon State | LSU | LSU | Texas A&M |
6 | Miami | Miami | Miami | Oregon State | Louisiana-Lafayette |
7 | LSU | Vanderbilt | Virginia | Oklahoma State | LSU |
8 | Oklahoma State | California | Oregon State | California | Oregon State |
9 | California | Oklahoma State | UCLA | Virginia | Virginia |
10 | NC State | UCLA | Oklahoma State | Louisiana-Lafayette | UCLA |
11 | UCLA | LSU | TCU | Miami | Mississippi State |
12 | Southern California | Houston | California | Oregon | Cal State Fullerton |
13 | Virginia | Louisiana-Lafayette | Louisiana-Lafayette | NC State | California |
14 | Oregon | Oregon | Florida State | UCLA | Oregon |
15 | Mississippi State | Michigan | Oregon | Missouri | TCU |
16 | North Carolina | Southern California | Cal State Fullerton | Houston | Florida State |
17 | South Carolina | Florida State | Mississippi State | Mississippi State | Missouri State |
18 | Louisiana-Lafayette | TCU | Houston | TCU | Houston |
19 | TCU | NC State | NC State | Oklahoma | Tulane |
20 | Florida State | Mississippi State | Southern California | Florida State | Rice |
21 | Cal State Fullerton | Oklahoma | North Carolina | Coastal Carolina | Georgia Tech |
22 | Houston | Cal State Fullerton | Arkansas | North Carolina | North Carolina |
23 | Texas | Coastal Carolina | South Carolina | Michigan | Michigan |
24 | Coastal Carolina | Ole Miss | Rice | Notre Dame | Arkansas |
25 | Arkansas | Kentucky | Missouri State | Texas Tech | Oklahoma State |
It's no surprise that after last year's massive letdown, nobody is very high on the Gamecocks heading into the 2016 season.