DALLAS (NCBWA) – The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association continues its tradition of NCAA Division I polls for the 28th year with its 2025 inaugural and weekly surveys, and Texas A&M is No. 1 for the first time in the history of these surveys.
The 2024 NCAA runner-up to initial NCAA champion Tennessee – both of the Southeastern Conference – in the NCAA World Series becomes the 15th different school to get the top nod in the NCBWA DI ratings and the sixth current SEC member to gain this No. 1 placement.
Defending champ Tennessee is No. 2 in the poll ahead of No. 3 Virginia of the Atlantic Coast Conference and 2023 NCAA champ LSU at No. 4. Arkansas rounds out the Top Five with the Nos. 6-10 Florida State, Oregon State of the Pac-12, North Carolina, Florida, and Clemson.
Wake Forest was No. 1 in the pre-2024 NCBWA rankings while A&M was No. 10 in that poll and Tennessee came in at No. 5. Previous No. 1 entries on the preseason NCBWA rankings have been LSU (1998, 2001, 2023), USC (1999), Miami (Fla.) (2000), Stanford (2002), Texas (2003, 06, 10, 22) Rice (2004, 07), Cal State Fullerton (2005, 14), Arizona State (2008), North Carolina (2009), TCU (2011, 17), Florida (2012, 18, 21), Arkansas (2013), Vanderbilt (2015, 19, 20), Wake Forest (2024) and Texas A&M (2025).
There are eight conferences represented in the first 30-team survey with the Southeastern leading the way with 10 squads among 305 schools competing in NCAA Division I this spring. The Atlantic Coast Conference is next with seven members in the pre-2025 poll. Last year, there were 12 different conferences with teams in the 17 polls, while the NCBWA season record remains 19 conferences represented in the 2019 surveys.
There are 71 schools from 16 conferences ranked or receiving votes among the first Top 30 survey in ‘25, and the poll will continue with Top 25 teams starting Monday, Feb. 17. In 2021 a NCBWA-preseason-record 83 schools nabbed votes in the first survey.
The final NCBWA poll will be released after the completion of the NCAA World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, June 13-23.
| 2025 PRESEASON NCBWA DIVISION I POLL (FEB. 3) | ||||
| Rk. | School | Conference | Record | Pvs. |
| 1. | Texas A&M | SEC | 53-15 | 2 |
| 2. | Tennessee | SEC | 60-13 | 1 |
| 3. | Virginia | ACC | 50-15 | 7 |
| 4. | LSU | SEC | 43-23 | 25 |
| 5. | Arkansas | SEC | 44-16 | 18 |
| 6. | Florida State | ACC | 49-17 | 3 |
| 7. | Oregon State | Pac-12 | 45-16 | 10 |
| 8. | North Carolina | ACC | 48-16 | 6 |
| 9. | Clemson | ACC | 44-16 | 9 |
| 10. | Florida | SEC | 36-30 | 5 |
| 11. | Duke | ACC | 40-20 | 24 |
| 12. | Oregon | Big Ten | 40-20 | 12 |
| 13. | Georgia | SEC | 43-17 | 11 |
| 14. | Vanderbilt | SEC | 38-23 | NR |
| 15. | NC State | ACC | 38-23 | 8 |
| 15. | Wake Forest | ACC | 38-22 | NR |
| 17. | Texas | SEC | 36-24 | NR |
| 18. | Oklahoma State | Big 12 | 42-19 | 19 |
| 19. | Mississippi State | SEC | 40-23 | 23 |
| 20. | DBU | CUSA | 45-15 | NR |
| 21. | Arizona | Big 12 | 36-23 | NR |
| 22. | UC Santa Barbara | Big West | 44-14 | 22 |
| 23. | TCU | Big 12 | 33-21 | NR |
| 24. | Nebraska | Big Ten | 40-22 | NR |
| 25. | Indiana | Big Ten | 33-26-1 | NR |
| 26. | Kentucky | SEC | 46-16 | 4 |
| 27. | Southern Miss | Sun Belt | 43-20 | NR |
| 28. | Troy | Sun Belt | 37-22 | NR |
| 29. | West Virginia | Big 12 | 36-24 | 13 |
| 30. | Oklahoma | SEC | 40-21 | 20 |
| Others receiving votes (listed alphabetically):Alabama (33-24), Arizona State (32-26), Auburn (27-26), Bethune-Cookman (32-27), California (36-19), Cal State Fullerton (16-38), Charleston (41-14), Coastal Carolina (36-25), Connecticut (35-26), Creighton (35-17), East Carolina (46-17), Evansville (39-26), Georgia Tech (33-25), Illinois (35-21), Indiana State (44-15), Iowa (31-23), Jackson State (35-20), James Madison (36-25), Kansas (31-23), Kansas State (35-26), Louisiana (42-20), Louisiana Tech , (45-19), Louisville (32-24), Maryland (34-22), Ole Miss (27-29), Penn State (29-24), Purdue (32-24), St. John’s (38-18-1), Samford (36-22), San Diego (41-15), South Alabama (31-25), South Carolina (37-25), Stanford (22-33), Texas Tech (33-26), UCF (37-21), UC Irvine (45-14), UCLA (19-33). | ||||
| Dropped out: No. 14 Connecticut, No. 15 Evansville, No. 16 Kansas State, No. 17 East Carolina, No. 21 UC Irvine. | ||||
| By conference: SEC 10, ACC 7, Big 12 5, Big Ten 3, Sun Belt 2, Pac-12 1, Big West 1, CUSA 1.. | ||||
Founded in 1962, the NCBWA is dedicated to the advancement of college baseball. Membership is open to writers, broadcasters and publicists of the sport. Members receive a membership card, directory, newsletter updates and official votes in the Dick Howser Trophy, Regional Players of the Year and NCBWA All-America voting. The NCBWA also sponsors Division I Players of the Week, the Stopper of the Year, and publication and writing contests.