ACC Baseball Power Rankings entering Week 12

With the regular season winding down, each game across college baseball feels more and more important. As we enter Week 12, our ACC baseball power rankings have been updated with quite a few changes.

Of course, there were eight ACC series this past weekend. Four of them ended in series sweeps. Two of the teams that got swept were in the top five of last week’s power rankings, bringing even more changes this week.

Just five teams in the ACC are above the .500, while one is exactly .500 in league play. Outside of the top teams, the league is completely wide open. In On3’s latest Field of 64 projections, the ACC had three teams hosting a regional and nine teams in the NCAA Tournament field.

Here’s how our ACC baseball power rankings look. As we prepare for Week 12, there’s a lot at stake down the stretch.

1. North Carolina

Previous Ranking: No. 1
Overall Record: 36-9-1 (17-7 in ACC)
Upcoming Week: vs. Duke (Sunday)

North Carolina was on the road last weekend, starting an away series at Duke on Thursday. The Tar Heels won the opener 3-1, but lost 3-1 in the second game of the weekend on Friday. That created a rubber game on Saturday, where the UNC bats erupted in a 22-5 victory to clinch the series. This weekend is UNC’s “off” weekend in ACC play, though they’ll play Duke in a non-conference game on Sunday.

2. Georgia Tech

Previous Ranking: No. 2
Overall Record: 37-7 (19-5 in ACC)
Upcoming Week: vs. Xavier (Friday-Sunday)

Georgia Tech was at home against Wake Forest last weekend, sweeping their way through the series. The Yellow Jackets won 6-5 on Friday before clinching the series with a 14-11 victory on Saturday. Going for the sweep on Sunday, they won 6-5 once again to finish it off. Now at 19-5 in ACC play, Georgia Tech is atop the ACC standings but No. 2 in this week’s ACC baseball power rankings. They’ll host Xavier this weekend.

3. Boston College

Previous Ranking: No. 4 (+1)
Overall Record: 34-14 (16-8 in ACC)
Upcoming Week: at Clemson (Friday-Sunday)

A tremendous year continues for Boston College. After losing Friday’s series opener at Notre Dame, they bounced back with a 16-1 win on Saturday to even the series and a 7-6 win on Sunday to clinch the weekend. Now at 16-8 in ACC play, Boston College is at No. 3 in this week’s power rankings. They’ll be on the road again this weekend, this time at Clemson.

4. Florida State

Previous Ranking: No. 3 (-1)
Overall Record: 30-14 (12-9 in ACC)
Upcoming Week: vs. Pitt (Friday-Sunday)

Florida State was on the road last weekend, and it was a series to forget. The Seminoles were at Stanford, and suffered a sweep. After falling 4-3 on Friday, they were walked off in an 8-7, 11 inning game on Saturday. In Sunday’s finale, FSU held a lead entering the ninth but got walked off again, losing 7-4 to drop the series. They’ll look to get back on track this weekend at home against Pitt.

5. Miami

Previous Ranking: No. 6 (+1)
Overall Record: 32-12 (12-9 in ACC)
Upcoming Week: at NC State (Friday-Sunday)

Miami keeps creeping up higher and higher, and they’re into the top five in this week’s ACC baseball power rankings. The Hurricanes just took the series from California, winning 4-3 on Saturday and 4-1 on Sunday after falling 9-2 in Friday’s opener. Up to 12-9 in ACC play, Miami is hoping to continue its surge. They’ll be on the road at NC State this weekend.

6. Virginia

Previous Ranking: No. 5 (-1)
Overall Record: 30-16 (12-12 in ACC)
Upcoming Week: vs. Radford (doubleheader on Sunday)

Virginia was on the road at Pitt last weekend, and they stumbled. After a 7-5 loss on Friday, they fell 11-0 on Saturday to lose the series in blowout fashion. In Sunday’s series finale, Virginia lost 7-3, suffering a sweep to fall to .500 in ACC play. They drop one spot this week, and are in need of a turnaround to get back in the hosting mix. They’ll host Radford for two games on Sunday, but are otherwise off the rest of the weekend.

7. Wake Forest

Previous Ranking: No. 7
Overall Record: 29-17 (11-13 in ACC)
Upcoming Week: vs. Louisville (Thursday-Saturday)

Wake Forest was one of the ACC teams that got swept this weekend. But still, they don’t fall in this week’s ACC baseball power rankings. The Demon Deacons were at No. 3 Georgia Tech and hung pretty close, suffering a 6-5 loss on both Friday and Sunday, and a 14-11 loss on Saturday. Now 11-13 in ACC play, Wake Forest needs to get back on track this weekend. They’ll host Louisville starting on Thursday.

8. Pitt

Previous Ranking: No. 10 (+2)
Overall Record: 28-15 (10-11 in ACC)
Upcoming Week: at No. 14 Florida State (Friday-Sunday)

All of a sudden, Pitt is back in the postseason mix and just short of .500 in ACC play. The Panthers hosted No. 10 Virginia this past weekend and came away with a sweep, winning 7-5 on Friday, 11-0 on Saturday and 7-3 on Sunday. It came at the perfect time, and they now crack the top half of this week’s power rankings. Pitt will be on the road this weekend, looking to stay hot at No. 14 Florida State.

ACC Baseball Power Rankings: 9-16

9. Virginia Tech
10. NC State (-2)
11. Louisville (+4)
12. Stanford (+4)
13. Notre Dame (-2)
14. Duke (-2)
15. California (-1)
16. Clemson (-3)

Virginia Tech won its series against NC State over the weekend, but they stay just short of the top half of this week’s ACC baseball power rankings. NC State falls two spots below them down to No. 10, while Louisville and Stanford are each up four spots. Louisville swept Clemson, while Stanford swept Florida State. Notre Dame and Duke both drop two spots after series losses to Boston College and UNC, while Cal drops one spot after a series loss to Miami. Clemson takes over the last place spot after falling to 6-15 in league play.