2025 College Baseball Season Preview – Rankings, Top Players and Odds

Texas A&M opens the 2025 College Baseball Season No.1 In Top 25 Rankings  

Division I Baseball released its first top 25 rankings of the 2025 season on Jan. 13, awarding Texas A&M the No. 1 spot on NCAA.com.

The 2025 NCAA Division I regular season begins Feb. 14, with box scores and live updates available on D1Baseball.com. 

The College World Series of Omaha Inc. announced game start times for the 2025 NCAA Division I College World Series on Jan. 16. All games will be played at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb., from June 13-23, with a potential Game 3 in the national championship series. 

Times and Television have been finalized for this year's series!

???? @espn x @NCAABaseball #MCWS x #RoadToOmaha pic.twitter.com/rAcldw2Rvx

— College World Series of Omaha (@CWSOmaha) January 16, 2025

The ESPN family of networks and ABC will broadcast the entire College World Series through the final out of the championship series. 

The NCAA Division I College World Series is a double-elimination tournament, as are the Regionals and Super Regionals leading up to Omaha. 

2025 NCAA Division I Tournament Schedule Prior to Omaha:  

The road to the 2025 NCAA Division I College World Series begins with the Selection Show, which will air on Monday, May 26, at noon ET on ESPN2 and ESPNU. The Regionals will take place from Friday, May 30, through Monday, June 2, followed by the Super Regionals, scheduled for Friday, June 6, through Monday, June 9. 

Happy Opening Day!

Here's your College Baseball TV and Streaming for 2/14

Full Spreadsheet is here: https://t.co/mE2fAmIi6f

First Pitch from Cary, NC should be starting soon

Lots of Weather Adjustments already so keep your head on a swivel.

Enjoy#NCAABaseball #AUDeck pic.twitter.com/bGYUI4w4hC

— Plainsman Parking Lot (@AUPPL) February 14, 2025

Texas A&M finished as the runner-up to Tennessee in Omaha last season, getting swept in the championship series at Charles Schwab Field. 

Virginia enters the 2025 season ranked No. 2 after reaching Omaha last year but was eliminated in two games with losses to ACC rivals North Carolina and Florida State. 

LSU is ranked No. 3 after finishing 43-23 in 2024 but failing to reach Omaha. The Tigers ended the 2024 season unranked. 

Defending champion Tennessee starts the 2025 season ranked No. 4. 

Arkansas, ranked No. 5, was eliminated in the 2024 Regionals. 

Florida rounds out the top 10 after being eliminated by Texas A&M in the winner’s bracket at Omaha. 

Wake Forest is ranked No. 14 after a 38-22 record in 2024 and an early exit in the Regionals. The Demon Deacons finished last season unranked. 

Clemson is ranked No. 15 after falling to Florida in two games in the 2024 Super Regionals. 

Vanderbilt is ranked No. 16 after finishing 38-23 in 2024 and being eliminated in the Regionals. The Commodores ended last season unranked. 

No. 19 Texas and No. 20 Dallas Baptist enter the rankings after finishing last season unranked. Both teams were eliminated in the 2024 Regionals. 

No. 23 TCU, No. 24 Nebraska, and No. 25 Troy also finished last season unranked and complete the Top 25 rankings. 

The top five players to watch in College Baseball this upcoming season. 

1. Texas A&M OF Jace LaViolette- 

LaViolette, 21, enters his junior season as a 6-foot-6, 230-pound left-handed hitting outfielder with tremendous power. Over two seasons, he has belted 50 home runs while displaying the versatility to play all three outfield positions. 

He broke out last season with 29 home runs and 78 RBI, slashing .309/.449/.729 in 259 at-bats. LaViolette is currently projected to be the top pick in the 2025 MLB Draft. 

2. Florida State LHP Jamie Arnold – 

Arnold, 20, is a junior and a left-handed pitcher. The 6-foot-1, 188-pound southpaw ranked third in Division I last season with 159 strikeouts. He pitched 105.1 innings with a 2.98 ERA and was a semifinalist for the 2024 Golden Spikes Award. 

His fastball ranges from 94-97 mph, with a sharp slider as his second-best pitch. He also mixes in a changeup but uses it less frequently. 

3. UC Santa Barbara RHP Tyler Bremmer-

Bremmer, 20, is a junior right-handed pitcher. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound starter has worked both in the rotation and out of the bullpen over the past two seasons, making 17 starts and 19 relief appearances. 

His fastball sits between 95-98 mph, and he features a devastating changeup he can throw in any situation. His third and final offering is his slider. Last season, he pitched 88.2 innings, striking out 104 batters with a 2.84 ERA. 

4. Arizona OF Brendan Summerhill – 

Summerhill, 21, is a junior outfielder who can play all three spots. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound left-handed hitter is a strong defender with athleticism. 

Last season, he hit eight home runs, drove in 59 runs, and stole seven bases while posting a slash line of .324/.399/.550 in 239 at-bats. He also played in the Cape Cod League this past summer. 

5. Oregon State 2B Aiva Arquette – 

Arquette, 21, is a right-handed hitting junior listed at 6-foot-5, 220 pounds. He was drafted out of Saint Louis High School in Hawaii by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 18th round of the 2022 MLB Draft but chose to play college baseball instead. 

After transferring from Washington following the 2024 season, Arquette is set to replace Travis Bazzana, who was selected first overall by the Cleveland Guardians in the 2024 MLB Draft. Last season, Arquette hit 12 home runs with 36 RBI and six stolen bases while slashing .325/.384/.574 in 209 at-bats. He is projected to be a top-10 pick in the 2025 MLB Draft. 

Golden Spikes Award Ceasar’s Sportsbook Odds 

Caesar’s Sportsbook has released its early odds for the 2025 Golden Spikes Award, with the aforementioned Jace LaViolette leading the pack at +500 after a dominant sophomore season for Texas A&M. Florida State left-hander Jamie Arnold follows at +750, coming off a year in which he finished third in Division I with 159 strikeouts. Clemson outfielder Cam Cannarella, one of the ACC’s most dynamic offensive threats, is close behind at +850. 

Further down the board, Texas outfielder Max Belyeu (+1200) and Oklahoma State’s Noah Schubart (+1500) are positioned as strong mid-range contenders. Georgia Tech outfielder Drew Burress (+1800) and UC Santa Barbara right-hander Tyler Bremmer (+2000) also enter the season with solid odds, with Bremmer ranking as one of the nation’s top pitching prospects. 

Among the longshots includes two of our players to watch, Oregon State second baseman Aiva Arquette (+3000) and Arizona outfielder Brendan Summerhill (+3000) could rise with strong seasons, while Miami third baseman Daniel Cuvet (+4000) rounds out the notable names on the early betting list. 

For a full list of odds and additional betting insights, visit this Reddit post. 

MLB The Show Added College Baseball For 2025 

MLB The Show announced on Feb. 4 that NCAA Division I college baseball will be included in the game for the first time. The addition will feature a limited number of teams, though the full list has yet to be revealed. However, the eight teams shown in the initial preview include Tennessee, LSU, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Texas, TCU, UCLA, and Cal State Fullerton. 

The last standalone NCAA Division I college baseball video game was released in 2007 by EA Sports. EA previously launched a college baseball title in 2006, but the series lasted just two years before the company’s license expired in 2008. 

For more details on how MLB The Show is integrating college baseball, check out Matt Tallarini’s recent article.