Despite entering the season as the defending National Champions, Jay Johnson’s LSU baseball team will begin 2026 with some bulletin board material.
The Tigers came in ranked #2 in the D1Baseball Preseason Top 25, which was released on Monday. They capped their College World Series run off with a title win over Coastal Carolina, finishing the season 53-15.
The UCLA Bruins were ranked in the top spot, coming off of a CWS appearance and a 48-18 record.
The SEC has three of the top five teams, with Texas at #3 and Mississippi State at #4 behind LSU. Overall, the conference comes in with 11 of the top 25 teams.
Defending National Runner-Up Coastal comes in at #6. They are joined by Sun Belt Conference mate Southern Miss at #20.
The full D1Baseball Preseason Top 25 is as follows:
| Ranking | Team | 2025 Record | Final 2025 Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UCLA | 48-18 | 5 |
| 2 | LSU | 53-15 | 1 |
| 3 | Texas | 44-14 | 17 |
| 4 | Mississippi State | 36-23 | NR |
| 5 | Georgia Tech | 41-19 | 24 |
| 6 | Coastal Carolina | 56-13 | 2 |
| 7 | Arkansas | 50-15 | 3 |
| 8 | Louisville | 42-24 | 6 |
| 9 | Auburn | 41-20 | 11 |
| 10 | TCU | 39-20 | NR |
| 11 | North Carolina | 46-15 | 9 |
| 12 | Oregon State | 48-16-1 | 4 |
| 13 | Florida | 39-22 | NR |
| 14 | Tennessee | 46-19 | 12 |
| 15 | Georgia | 43-17 | 19 |
| 16 | Florida State | 42-16 | 10 |
| 17 | NC State | 35-21 | NR |
| 18 | Kentucky | 31-26 | NR |
| 19 | Clemson | 45-18 | 23 |
| 20 | Southern Miss | 47-16 | 22 |
| 21 | Wake Forest | 39-22 | NR |
| 22 | Miami | 35-27 | 16 |
| 23 | Vanderbilt | 43-18 | 18 |
| 24 | Arizona | 44-21 | 7 |
| 25 | Texas A&M | 30-26 | NR |
The LSU Tigers begin the 2026 season against Milwaukee on February 13th. You can once again listen to the action all season long on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette 104.1 Lake Charles.