2024 Top 100 College Baseball Programs: 10-6
Analysis D1Baseball Staff - October 14, 202410. Florida State
2022 Rank: 13. 2019 Rank: 7. 2017 Rank: 7. 2015 Rank: 11.
The last five years have been something of a roller coaster for Florida State, at least by the program’s absurdly consistent historical standards. After FSU scrapped and clawed its way to Omaha in Mike Martin’s 2019 swan song, the Seminoles made regionals in both of Mike Martin Jr.’s two completed seasons as head coach, but both seasons were fairly pedestrian, as FSU saw its remarkable streak of 40 straight seasons with 40-plus wins snapped in the COVID-altered 2021 campaign, then followed it up with a 34-win season in 2022. Florida State quickly changed tack, replacing Martin Jr. with former FSU star Link Jarrett, fresh off leading Notre Dame to Omaha. Expectations were high for the Jarrett era, but his debut season was a disaster, as the Noles cratered to 23-31 overall and 9-12 in the ACC, snapping their streak of 44 consecutive regionals with a resounding thud. But year two was the polar opposite, as Jarrett quickly led FSU back to national prominence, guiding his rebuilt squad to a 49-17 record and a trip to Omaha. It’s safe to say Florida State is officially back, and under Jarrett’s leadership this program should remain an elite national powerhouse for many years to come. The tradition and culture are top-notch, the recruiting base is strong, the facilities are still attractive despite getting a bit long in the tooth, and the fan base is passionate. Florida State baseball remains a very powerful brand, and we expect this machine will keep on rolling now that it has regained its footing. — Aaron Fitt
9. Texas
2022 Rank: 12. 2019 Rank: 16. 2017 Rank: 20. 2015 Rank: 15.
A strong case can be made that Texas has a more glorious baseball history than any other program, with a record 62 regional appearances and 38 College World Series appearances (13 more than any other program), to go along with six national titles (behind only USC and LSU, which won its seventh last year). So it’s striking that Texas did not rank inside the top 10 in any of our previous Top 100 Programs lists since this exercise began in 2015. The program remained in the top 20, but clearly it started to slip in the final years of the Augie Garrido era, and the David Pierce era that followed had its ups and downs. But its fair to say there were more ups than downs, as Pierce led the Longhorns to Omaha in 2018, 2021 and 2022, along with a super regional in 2023 and regional trips in 2017 and 2024. Only 2019 was a failure, resulting in a last-place finish in the Big 12. Nonetheless, Texas decided to move on from Pierce after this past season, and made a big splash with the hiring of Jim Schlossnagle, fresh off a CWS runner-up season at arch-rival Texas A&M. That transition was filled with drama, but when the dust settled, Texas AD Chris Del Conte had his man, and there’s no questioning Schlossnagle’s status as one of college baseball’s elite head coaches, given his five CWS trips at TCU and his two trips in three years at A&M. Schlossnagle also brought star recruiting coordinator Nolan Cain and rising pitching coach Max Weiner with him from College Station, and kept Troy Tulowitzki from the previous staff, giving the Longhorns one of college baseball’s best coaching staffs. Combine that with everything else Texas has to offer — tradition, facilities, fan base, academics, brand power, recruiting base and now a move to the SEC — and it’s easy to see why Texas has returned to the top 10, even coming off back-to-back seasons that ended shy of Omaha. It’s the dawn of a new and exciting era in Austin. — Aaron Fitt
8. Mississippi State
2022 Rank: 3. 2019 Rank: 8. 2017 Rank: 16. 2015 Rank: 21.
Mississippi State is a tricky program to rank. The Bulldogs were riding high when last we conducted this exercise in 2022, one year removed from their first national title and three straight CWS appearances, along with four consecutive super regionals. We gave MSU a pass for its startling 9-21 SEC finish in 2022, chalking it up to a post-championship hangover — but then the Bulldogs matched that 9-21 SEC mark in 2023. It was a jarring fall from grace, but Mississippi State regained some momentum with a strong 17-13 showing in the SEC last year, getting back to regionals. So while MSU has clearly slid since 2021 — as reflected in its five-spot drop in these rankings — it feels like the Bulldogs have righted the ship and positioned themselves to get back to the sport’s pinnacle in short order. Certainly, this program has some incredible built-in advantages, even relative to the other SEC superpowers: Dudy Noble Field remains the crown jewel of college baseball facilities, and the enormous crowds this program draws make Mississippi State feel big-time in a way very few programs can rival. And the coaching staff of Chris Lemonis, Jake Gautreau, Kyle Cheesebrough and Justin Parker remains one of college baseball’s best. Add in that 2021 national title, on the heels of four straight years of excellence, and Mississippi State has just enough to remain ahead of rejuvenated historical powers Texas and Florida State. — Aaron Fitt
7. Texas A&M
2022 Rank: 11. 2019 Rank: 11. 2017 Rank: 10. 2015 Rank: 14.
Texas A&M would have been even higher in these rankings if not for the coaching upheaval that engulfed the program immediately after fell one win short of its first national title in June. Certainly, A&M reached incredible heights in Schlossnagle’s three years at the helm, making Omaha in 2022 and the CWS Finals in ’24, but his departure for Texas created just a bit of uncertainty. We are optimistic that Michael Earley is up for the task of taking over the head job after serving as Schlossnagle’s assistant, but it’s worth noting that A&M is the only program in our top 30 with a head coach who does not have any experience as a head coach. It’s natural to expect some kind of learning curve, although bringing on former Washington head coach Jason Kelly as associate head coach/pitching coach was a strong play, providing some stability. Of course, it’s entirely possible that the talented and charismatic Earley will simply hit the ground running and keep this program among the national elite. He certainly has every resource necessary to win, with perhaps the largest coffers of any college baseball program, which translates to a robust NIL program and more facility upgrades on the way to Blue Bell Park, which is already a marquee venue with one of the best atmospheres in college baseball. The in-state recruiting base remains an asset, and the Aggies are positioned to continue crushing the transfer portal, which has become such a critical part of success in the new landscape of college athletics. — Aaron Fitt
6. Virginia
2022 Rank: 15. 2019 Rank: 12. 2017 Rank: 5. 2015 Rank: 2.
In our inaugural Top 100 Programs list in 2015, Virginia was fresh off a national title and back-to-back trips to Omaha, resulting in a No. 2 ranking — and it was a coin toss with Vandy for the No. 1 spot. The program dipped a bit over the next four years, culminating in back-to-back seasons that ended without a trip to regionals in 2018 and 2019. But Virginia has stormed back to national prominence emphatically with three CWS trips over the last four years, re-establishing itself as the premier program in the ACC. With seven trips to Omaha and 18 regional appearances in 20 years as head coach, Brian O’Connor is already an ABCA Hall of Famer, and he’s still just 53 years old, which means he has many years left to lead this program with his steady hand. And associate head coach Kevin McMullan has been by his side for that entire span, giving this program unmatched leadership stability. The Cavaliers continue to lure blue-chip high school talent to Charlottesville and then develop stars year after year, and they have proven adept at nailing their evaluations in the transfer portal, even though they have not done much big-game hunting. Disharoon Park is a beautiful ballpark that keeps getting better, and Virginia has created perhaps the ACC’s best game-day atmosphere during O’Connor’s tenure, giving the program something else to sell recruits along with premier academics and a sterling track record of talent development. — Aaron Fitt
