Ole Miss Climbing Fast in RPI Despite Modest Top 25 Ranking

The good times are rolling in Oxford.

Ole Miss baseball won eight straight games, including three SEC series, before falling to Tennessee on Sunday and the Rebels are starting look like a team nobody wants to see in a tournament setting.

That isn’t entirely depicted in the latest top 25 rankings, though.

The Rebels moved up to No. 17 in D1Baseball.com’s Top 25 Rankings and No. 22 in Baseball America’s Top 25 rankings. Here’s what Baseball America wrote about them.

“The Rebels secured a neutral-site midweek win over then-No. 20 Southern Miss before taking two of three at Tennessee. Ole Miss climbed six spots to No. 7 in RPI over the course of the week.

“Righthander Cade Townsend added to his first-round resume with six shutout innings, allowing one hit while striking out seven to two walks. He owns a 1.73 ERA with 61 strikeouts and just 10 walks over 41.2 innings.”

The top 25 rankings aren’t indicative of the reputation Ole Miss is building, but its RPI ranking is.

Ole Miss moved up seven spots in the all-important RPI rankings to No. 6 in the nation. That’s helped partially by the way the Rebels have played recently and having the fourth-hardest remaining schedule.

That schedule continues this week with an interesting midweek matchup against Murray State at Swayze Field. The last time Murray State was in Oxford, Dom Decker was playing for the Racers and winning last year’s Oxford Regional.

After that No. 5 Georgia will come to Swayze Field for a three-game weekend series.

D1Baseball.com Top 25 Rankings

  1. UCLA (36-3)
  2. North Carolina (33-7)
  3. Georgia Tech (32-7)
  4. Texas (30-8)
  5. Georgia (32-9)
  6. Oregon State (30-8)
  7. Texas A&M (31-7)
  8. Florida State (28-11)
  9. Coastal Carolina (28-11)
  10. Virginia (28-13)
  11. Auburn (27-12)
  12. West Virginia (27-9)
  13. Alabama (28-13)
  14. Oklahoma (27-12)
  15. Mississippi State (30-10)
  16. Kansas (29-11)
  17. Ole Miss (29-12)
  18. Southern Miss (28-12)
  19. Oregon (28-11)
  20. Nebraska (27-9)
  21. Florida (28-13)
  22. Boston College (31-12)
  23. Southern California (30-11)
  24. Arkansas (26-15)
  25. Arizona State (28-13)

Baseball America Top 25 Rankings

  1. UCLA Bruins (36-3)
  2. North Carolina Tar Heels (33-7-1)
  3. Texas Longhorns (30-8)
  4. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (32-7)
  5. Oregon State Beavers (30-8)
  6. Auburn Tigers (27-12)
  7. Georgia Bulldogs (32-9)
  8. Texas A&M Aggies (31-7)
  9. Oklahoma Sooners (27-12)
  10. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (28-11)
  11. Florida State Seminoles (28-11)
  12. Florida Gators (28-13)
  13. Mississippi State Bulldogs (30-10)
  14. West Virginia Mountaineers (27-9)
  15. Kansas Jayhawks (29-11)
  16. Southern Miss Golden Eagles (28-12)
  17. Boston College Eagles (31-12)
  18. Arkansas Razorbacks (26-15)
  19. Alabama Crimson Tide (28-13)
  20. Nebraska Cornhuskers (31-9)
  21. USC Trojans (30-11)
  22. Ole Miss Rebels (29-12)
  23. Arizona State Sun Devils (28-13)
  24. Virginia Cavaliers (28-13)
  25. Liberty Flames (28-11)