Top 25 Baseball Rankings Give Oregon A Timely Boost As USC Tumbles

The Oregon Ducks rise in the top-25 baseball rankings comes at a pivotal time.

Oregon outfielder Mason Neville, right, celebrates a home run with teammate Drew Smith as the Oregon Ducks host the Oregon State Beavers on April 25, 2025, at PK Park in Eugene. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The No. 14 Oregon Ducks baseball team is winning... literally and in the polls.

The Ducks put an explanation mark on their their 2026 regular season with an extra innings victory over the USC Trojans to lock up the series win. The victory extended a massive milestone: The Ducks have won 21 consecutive home series dating back to March of 2024.

Oregon coach Mark Wasikowski, center, points out features of PK Park to Indiana coach Jeff Mercer before their game at PK Park in Eugene March 13, 2026. | Chris Pietsch/The Register Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Top 25 Rankings Before Conference Tournament Week

The series win gave the Ducks a timely boost up two spots from No. 16 to No. 14 as USC tumbled in the top-25 rankings entering conference tournament week. The Trojans fell eight spots from No. 17 to No. 25 after suffereing two defeats at PK Park in Eugene. Here is the full rankings, with how the teams moved from last week:

1. UCLA
2. North Carolina
3. Georgia Tech
4. Georgia
5. Texas (+1)
6. Auburn (-1)
7. Oregon State
8. Southern Miss
9. West Virginia
10. Texas A&M
11. Florida State
12. Arkansas
13. Kansas (+1)
14. Oregon (+2)
15. Alabama (+3)
16. Mississippi State (-3)
17. Ole Miss (-2)
18. Florida (+1)
19. Oklahoma State (+2)
20. Nebraska (+4)
21. Arizona State (+1)
22. Cincinnati (+3)
23. Tennessee (NR)
24. Coastal Carolina (-4)
25. USC (-8)

Oregon’s Drew Smith, left, and Naulivou Lauaki Jr. celebrate a home run by Lauaki as the Oregon Ducks host the USC Trojans on May 14, 2026, in Eugene, Oregon. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After Oregon’s win on Sunday on a walk-off bunt, the Ducks improved their record to 38-15 on the season and 20-10 in Big Ten conference play. The game tied for the second longest game in Oregon modern era history, behind only a 17-inning game in 2011 against Wichita State.

Next up is the Big Ten conference tournament.

Oregon In Big Ten Tournament

With the win, the Ducks clinched the No. 3 seed in next week’s Big Ten Conference Tournament in Omaha, Neb. That means Oregon doesn’t play until Friday in the quarterfinal round (7 p.m. PT, B1G Network) which is single elimination.

Oregon will not know its opponent until the early rounds are complete. No. 6 seed Ohio State, No. 7 seed Michigan, No. 10 seed Rutgers and No. 11 seed Washington will compete Tuesday and Wednesday in the double-elimination portion of the tournament.

Michigan will face Rutgers in the first round, while Ohio State will play Washington. The Ducks will play whichever team wins its first two games.

The Ducks feel battle tested at the perfect time.

Oregon infielder Maddox Molony throws to first for an out as the Oregon Ducks host the Minnesota Golden Gophers Saturday, March 15, 2025, at PK Park in Eugene, Ore. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"What happens when you have a team that’s the way that we are, they’re really close, they love it here. They love being here," Oregon assistant coach Jack Marder said.

"They’re going to try their tail off. This game is like chess; baseball is different than other sports. You got to relax, you have to stay calm, you have to let your body move the right way. When you overtry, it’s going to get really difficult, especially when you’re facing great arms like we face. I was pumped that our guys kept saying that we were going to find a way to get this thing done, and we did," he continued.

NCAA Tournament Looms

There is still a lot of baseball to be played, but it looks like the Ducks have put themselves in a good position.

In the updated NCAA RPI rankings, Oregon is now No. 16 which gives the team a chance to host a regional in the NCAA Tournament.

The top 16 national seeds get to host, which are chosen by the committee based on team performance, RPI, and the ability to meet facility/financial requirements.

Oregon head coach Mark Wasikowski looks on as the Oregon Ducks host the Youngstown State Penguins on Feb. 19, 2026, at PK Park in Eugene, Oregon. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The NCAA Tournament is broken up into three parts: regionals, super regionals, and the College World Series. In the regional round, there are four teams that play in a double elimination tournament. The 16 winners advances to the super regional.

The winner of these eight super regional matchups then earns a spot in the College World Series. Oregon has not been to a College World Series since 1954, although they have been close in recent years. 

A strong showing in the Big Ten tournament would very likely lock of a hosting spot.

Oregon has a chance to make its sixth straight NCAA Tournament appearance, with each of thoseberths coming under coach Mark Wasikowski. The current five-year run is the longest streak of consecutive tournament appearances in program history.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.