ACC Baseball is Taking Over as the Postseason Nears

After Virginia’s 2016 College World Series victory, the ACC has struggled to claim the title of College World Series Champions. They’re eliminated in regionals, supers, and the ones who do make it to Omaha can never seem to take down the SEC team standing in front of them at the end of it all. Look at Wake Forest in 2023. They had everything going right for them until LSU claimed the series-winning game that pushed them into the championship series against Florida. 

This year, though, the ACC is looking strong. Three ACC teams have taken comfortable spots in the top 10 for quite a few weeks now. UNC and FSU, the most consistent of the three, are comfortably in the top five. While it could take a miracle for this Texas team to give up its top-ranked spot, FSU is looking much stronger than it did last season in Omaha. There are only two more weekends of regular season play, and it will be a defining time for these ACC teams.

This weekend, the Tar Heels will face their in-state rival, the NC State Wolfpack. The Wolfpack have been cruising through the rankings recently after taking down ninth-ranked Clemson in a recent series. A series win is crucial for the Heels here. So, close to the top three in the country, yet one mistake could have them dropping in the rankings just before the ACC Championships. 

The Heels and Wolfpack also made an impressive postseason run in the 2024 season, which landed them both in Omaha. While the SEC arguably has a stronger conference altogether, this year’s ACC teams have proven that they can outplay some of the best of the best. The real test will be the regional competition. Each of these ACC teams in the top 10 has proven that they can take down an SEC team when necessary. UNC did it in walk-off fashion last season with Gavin Gallaher’s walk-off grand slam against LSU. That kind of competitive play will put the ACC right up there with the SEC teams, who have dominated this sport for so long.