Preseason Top 25 Chat

Teddy Cahill: Today is an exciting day at Baseball America, with the release of our Preseason Top 25. It marks the start of all of our college preview content that will roll out over the next few weeks. It may be cold now, but Opening Day is just around the corner.

Frank (Bentonville): No love for Dave Van Horn and the Hogs this preseason. Where do you think they'll finish in the SEC? Are they a regional team?
Teddy Cahill: When we started our process of putting the Top 25 together, I thought Arkansas would make it. I think there’s a lot to like about the team coming off the trip to the College World Series last year. Obviously losing Andrew Benintendi, the College Player of the Year, leaves a significant hold in the lineup. But the pitching staff comes back strong with Jackson, McKinney, Taccolini and Teague. And they’ve got talent on offense. If a couple players take a step forward, this is a team that can be pretty good again. I think they’ll be in the NCAA Tournament and if made another run in the postseason, I wouldn’t be surprised.

Phil (Bethesda, Maryland): I'm a big Michigan baseball fan, but isn't 15 a bit aggressive?
Teddy Cahill: Michigan, last year’s Big Ten Tournament champion, checks in at No. 15. Is it aggressive? Yeah, you could probably say that. But I really believe in the Wolverines potential this season. There’s a lot coming back from last year’s team, especially on the pitching side where they’ll have Nutof and Adcock at the front of the rotation. And Carmen Benendetti is one of the best two-way players in the country. He’ll be good for them in the bullpen and in the lineup. Infielder Jake Bivens, the Big Ten freshman of the year, is back and outfielder Jonathan Engelmann could give the Wolverines back-to-back freshman of the year award winners. And the experience that the team got by winning the Big Ten Tournament and then playing well in the NCAA Tournament will be big. They’ve got some things to figure out still, but I think coach Erik Bakich has the program moving in the right direction and that they’re ready to take this step forward this spring.

Josh (DC): Michigan in the top 25 and no Maryland? Top to bottom Maryland has a much better roster. How was this determined?
Teddy Cahill: While we’re talking Big Ten, we might as well go all in. As I did with Arkansas, when we started the Top 25 process, I thought Maryland would make it. In the end, they just got squeezed out. When you start every weekend with Mike Shawaryn on the mound, as the Terps will again this season, you’ve got a chance to win any series. And Maryland has pretty good pitching following the big righty. They do lose a lot in the lineup, however, with guys like Brandon Lowe and LaMonte Wade going on to pro ball. The pieces are there for coach John Szefc to work with, but it may take Maryland a little bit of time to sort it all out. By the end of the season, however, I would look for Maryland to be near the top of the Big Ten standings.

Francisco (Atlanta, GA): Last few weeks I have seen Kyle Lewis being compare to Eric Davis, Mike Cameron, Adam Jones, Alfonso Soriano and Justin Upton.Is He a lock as a first Rounder ?
Teddy Cahill: Mercer outfielder Kyle Lewis has established himself as one of the best players in the country. He was the Southern Conference player of the year last season and then went out and raked in the Cape Cod League. I wouldn’t call him a lock to be a first round pick, but that’s mostly because it’s still January. If we put a mock draft together right now, he’d be in the first round.

Tom (Austin, Texas): After the 2015 debacle, Mississippi State opens the pre-season ranked. What do you think the ceiling and floor are for the Bulldogs, considering their tough SEC schedule and several ranked non-conference opponents? What impact do you expect from the change in pitching coaches?
Teddy Cahill: Mississippi State had a very disappointing 2015, finishing under .500 and missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010. But there’s definitely reason to believe the Bulldogs can bounce back this spring. There’s a lot of talent in Starkville and a lot of players had very good summers. The schedule is tough — the SEC is always challenging and Mississippi State adds in a series against Oregon and the Dodger Stadium Classic, which has a stacked field this year. But I wouldn’t be surprised if at the end of the year they were one of the best teams in the SEC. I think they have that kind of potential. There is certainly risk there, however. There are a lot of young players who they’ll be counting on, and some of the players who took a step forward in the summer or the fall have to prove they can do it consistently in the SEC. I got into this a little deeper during our podcast, which you can listen to here: https://www.baseballamerica.com/college/baseball-america-college-podcast-5/

Kevin (Chicago): I'm a bit baffled about the lack of national love for Tulane. Regional team that returns virtually its entire roster, has a couple highly rated juniors in Alemais & Rogers and adds a few transfers that could make a big impact. What's holding Tulane back from being a top 25 team? Are there any specific weaknesses?
Teddy Cahill: We can add Tulane to the list of teams that I initially thought would be ranked and wound up just outside the rankings instead. There’s a lot to like about the Green Wave, as you’ve outlined here. They were able to come out of a tough AAC last year and make regionals. I think we’re expecting to see the Green Wave in the rankings before long this spring.

jb (SC): Coach Lee and his staff are recruiting their tails off so I feel good about the upcoming years but how do you see year 1 of the Monte Lee era at Clemson looking?
Teddy Cahill: Lee takes over an interesting team this year. There’s some good returning talent in the lineup with guys like catcher Chris Okey and shortstop Eli White, and getting outfielder Seth Beer in school a year early will help them as well. But they are not overly experienced on the mound. Matthew Crownover, last year’s ACC pitcher of the year, is gone, as is Zack Erwin. They were Clemson’s two best starters last year and threw more than 200 innings. So the Tigers will have to find a couple players to step up on the weekends. There’s talent there, but Lee and his staff will have to figure out how to piece the pitching together.

Brent (Oklahoma): Oklahoma state is currently ranked the highest in the big 12.... Do you think they will win the conference? Also, do you think they can make it to the CWS?
Teddy Cahill: Oklahoma State begins the year at No. 9, and, yes, we do see the Cowboys as the team to beat in the Big 12. They aren’t the flashiest team, but they bring back a veteran team and coach Josh Holiday has done a good job of building the program the last few years. This could be the year Oklahoma State gets back to Omaha, where it hasn’t been since 1999.

Lloyd (Lakewood): Texas A & M and Virginia seems to have a lot of questions on the mound to be rated #3 and 4. Do you think they'll figure out their rotations by the time conference play starts?
Teddy Cahill: I am very bullish on Virginia’s pitching. Nathan Kirby, Brandon Waddell and Josh Sborz were all key pieces to last year’s team, and the Cavs will have to find a way to replace them. But having Connor Jones pitching on Friday nights is a great place to start. Adam Haseley showed during the CWS that he’s capable of taking on a bigger role on the mound. And Virginia has brought in some excellent recruiting classes that keep that staff in good shape. There may be a bit of a learning curve for those guys, but I think Brian O’Connor and pitching coach Karl Kuhn will figure it out. As for A&M, they also have talented arms to work with as they build their rotation. But the big thing is that the Aggies can shorten games with Mark Ecker and Ryan Hendrix pitching at the end of games. With that bullpen, A&M shouldn’t need the starters to work deep into games. In short, yes, I do think they will both be able to figure out their pitching.

DR (Baltimore): Vanderbilt basically has two Friday-Sunday rotations that would play at just about any school, right? Wright-Kilichowski-Sheffield; Bowden, Day, Everett Does any other Top 25 team match the Dores for starting pitching depth?
Teddy Cahill: Yeah. Vanderbilt is not hurting for depth on its pitching staff, it’s just a matter of figuring out how to use the incredible wealth of talent. I think Florida can match that depth, however. Shore, Puk, Faedo, Dunning, Anderson, Singer, Kowar is a pretty impressive group as well. Louisville is worth mentioning here as well. But I am very excited to see how Tim Corbin and pitching coach Scott Brown manage the Vanderbilt staff this year.

Dillon (Fort Dodge): Any consideration for Iowa and where do you think they will be this season as a team?
Teddy Cahill: I love all the Big Ten questions. I think that league will be good again this year. As for Iowa, I think they could be a regional team again. The Hawkeyes have some holes to fill, but Rick Heller has done a great job with that program. Getting two-way start Tyler Peyton back for his senior season was a big boost.

Bill (Alabama): What is your opinion about Vanderbilt this coming season?
Teddy Cahill: I think Vanderbilt will be very good again this season. They lost some hugely talented players that won’t be easy to replace, not just for their on-field contributions, but also their makeup and leadership. Dansby Swanson and Carson Fulmer were two of the best players in the country last year, and that does leave a void. But the good news for Vanderbilt fans is that the Commodores still have an incredible amount of talent on their roster. With guys like Bryan Reynolds, Jeren Kendall and Will Toffey back on offense, and the pitching depth I touched on earlier, Vanderbilt has the talent to just keep rolling along. The Commodores may take some lumps early on, but by the end of the year, I think you’re looking at another Omaha team.

Michael (Texas): How do you see the Ragin Cajuns stacking up against the competition in the Houston College Classic?
Teddy Cahill: Louisiana-Lafayette is one of three ranked teams in the Classic this season, joined by Houston and Texas Christian. They get a marquee matchup with TCU on Friday night and then face two solid teams in Texas Tech and Rice. It’ll be a good measuring stick for the Cajuns, but I expect them to show well in the event.

eric (Va): Who will be a suprise team?
Teddy Cahill: Let’s wrap it up here. I’ve already mentioned Arkansas, Maryland and Tulane as teams that we considered ranking, and I don’t think any of them are going to sneak up on anyone. I think Georgia Tech has a chance to be pretty good if some of the young pitchers they have are able to take a step forward. Winthrop and Kent State are two intriguing mid-majors. And, because the surprise team in college baseball so often comes from the Big Ten, I’ll throw out Indiana. The Hoosiers have a veteran team coming back and have quietly put together three-straight regional teams.

Teddy Cahill: Thanks to everyone for their questions today. If I didn’t get to your question, leave it in the comments and I’ll try to answer it later. And remember to keep reading BaseballAmerica.com over the next few weeks to see all of our college preview content leading up to Opening Day on Feb. 19.