South Carolina baseball ranked inside Top 10 for first time since 2017 season

The South Carolina baseball team continues to climb in the national rankings.

The Gamecocks moved up from No. 11 to No. 9 in the latest D1Baseball Top 25 released on Monday. It’s the team’s first time inside the Top 10 since March 27, 2017.

South Carolina plays at The Citadel on Tuesday and then goes on the road for a three-game series at Mississippi State on Thursday to Saturday.

USC is coming off a three-game home sweep of Missouri over the weekend and is off to a 6-0 start in Southeastern Conference play. The Gamecocks are 23-2 overall, tying the best start since 2000 when they were also 23-2.

They’re one of six SEC teams ranked in the D1Baseball Top 10.

The Gamecocks lead Division I with 64 homers and already have passed last year’s season total of 58. Gavin Casas (13), Ethan Petry (12) and Will McGillis (10) lead the team’s power surge. Petry had a homer in each of USC’s games against Missouri and is hitting .444 with 37 RBIs.

D1Baseball Top 25

With last week’s ranking in parenthesis

1. LSU 21-3 (1)

2. Wake Forest 22-3 (2)

3. Florida 22-4 (3)

4. Vanderbilt 19-5 (4)

5. Virginia 22-2 (8)

6. Arkansas 20-4 (5)

7. Stanford 15-5 (9)

8. East Carolina 19-5 (10)

9. South Carolina 23-2 (11)

10. Tennessee 19-6 (12)

11. Louisville 19-4 (6)

12. UCLA 16-5 (7)

13. North Carolina 18-6 (15)

14. Boston College 17-5 (16)

15. Campbell 19-3 (18)

16. Florida Gulf Coast 21-4 (19)

17. Oklahoma State 20-5 (20)

18. Kentucky 21-3 (23)

19. Coastal Carolina 14-7 (NR)

20. Connecticut 16-5 (NR)

21. Texas 18-7 (NR)

22. Texas Tech 18-7 (14)

23. Miami 15-9 (17)

24. West Virginia 18-6 (24)

25. Iowa 19-3 (NR)

Dropped out: Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Missouri, Grand Canyon

Next four USC baseball games

Tuesday: at The Citadel, 7 p.m. (ESPN Plus)

Thursday: at Mississippi State, 7 p.m. (SEC Network)

Friday: at Mississippi State, 7 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)

Saturday: at Mississippi State, 3 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)