ACC baseball power rankings 4/12

Four weeks into the ACC baseball slate, the picture of which teams will be competing for an ACC crown at the end of the season grows clearer each day. To help distinguish the competitors, Tomahawk Nation will be providing a weekly power ranking of the entire conference, top to bottom.

1. Miami (25-4, 11-2 in ACC, no change from last week's rankings)

The Hurricanes' win streak carried on last week with a midweek shutout win at FGCU as well as a dominant victory in the only game they played against Notre Dame with the other two cancelled due to inclement weather. Their win streak now sits at 9 and in the newest D1 Baseball poll released Monday, the 'Canes took over the top spot.

This week: UM has a jam-packed week kicked off by midweekers against Nova Southeastern and UCF at home before traveling to Durham, NC for a three-game set against the Duke Blue Devils.

2. Florida State (22-8, 9-2, up one spot from last week)

FSU took back the No. 2 spot in the power rankings and moved up to No. 4 in D1's poll after splitting its midweek series with No. 22 Texas Tech (now ranked No. 14 after sweeping Oklahoma State) and taking two of three games from top-five Louisville, a team many experts picked to win the ACC before the season began. The Seminoles are heating up at the right time but face another stiff test this week.

This week: The Seminoles host No. 3 Florida for the third time this season as they look to avoid being swept by the Gators. After this, Florida State must go on the road to take on Wake Forest for a weekend series.

3. Louisville (24-7, 10-5, down one spot from last week)

Louisville had a midweek rivalry game against Kentucky postponed last week before losing two of three games on the road against Florida State. There's little denying that this UL team is amongst the most talented in the country but a 5-6 record away from home could prove to be too much to overcome in postseason play.

This week: The Cardinals have a full slate this week as they welcome in Western Kentucky on Tuesday, hit the road to make up the previously-postponed rivalry matchup against UK on Wednesday, and play host to the Clemson Tigers for three games this weekend.

4. NC State (22-9, 7-5, up two spots from last week)

A 4-0 week for the Wolfpack has shot them up two spots in the rankings, tied for the largest leap this week with two other schools. It's true that the four games were against not particularly impressive opponents, a single win over Charlotte and a sweep of Wake Forest at home, but teams near NC State in the rankings struggled and 4-0, regardless of the opponents, looks much better as a result.

This week: NCSU begins a road trip this week, stopping at Elon for a single game on the way down to Atlanta for a three-game set at Georgia Tech.

5. Clemson (23-9, 8-7, down one spot from last week)

A Clemson team heralded by many as one of the most surprising teams of the first half of the season crashed back down to Earth a bit last weekend. After a midweek win on the road at Georgia, the Tigers lost two of three games in their weekend series at Duke, who entered Friday with a 4-8 record in ACC play. Freshman slugger Seth Beer is among the contenders for National Player of the Year with 13 homers, 37 RBIs, and a .417 batting average just past the midway point but this series loss casts some doubt on the legitimate credibility of this Clemson squad.

This week: The schedule takes a big spike in difficulty this week as the Tigers follow up their Tuesday home game against Western Carolina with a three-game set on the road against the Louisville Cardinals.

6. North Carolina (23-9, 8-7, down one spot from last week)

UNC went 3-2 in the last week and fell one spot from their No. 5 mark a week ago. This is equal parts about their midweek loss to 9-24 UNC Asheville and their single loss to Virginia Tech in the series finale, snapping VT's 17-game losing streak. The Heels started strong but have struggled recently and it has hurt their spot in the power rankings.

This week: The Tarheels, ranked No. 15 in the latest D1 Baseball poll, begin their four-game week with a neutral-site game in Charlotte against South Carolina before trekking to Charlottesville for a weekend series with the Virginia Cavaliers.

7. Georgia Tech (23-8, 7-7, no change from last week)

Georgia Tech had a fairly productive 3-1 week but one weekend game being cancelled due to weather and splitting the other two games with Pitt prevented a further charge up the rankings. Before the split with Pittsburgh, the Ramblin' Wreck took a pair of midweek games against Mercer and Kennesaw State.

This week: The Yellow Jackets will spend the week at home, playing the first of three Tuesday games against the rival Georgia Bulldogs and welcoming in the NC State Wolfpack for a weekend series.

8. Notre Dame (16-12, 6-7, no change from last week)

The Fighting Irish had a week that saw three of their five games get either postponed or cancelled. The two games they were able to play proved to be polar opposites as they beat No. 17 Michigan on Tuesday before suffering a blowout loss at the hands of Miami on Sunday.

This week: Notre Dame stays at home once again this week, playing Chicago State on Tuesday, the rescheduled game against Valporaiso on Wednesday and a three-game series with Boston College over the weekend.

9. Virginia (20-14, 7-8, no change from last week)

I'm being kind with this placement for UVA. After all, the Cavaliers went 2-3 last week including a series loss to Boston College and a midweek loss to VCU. Still, moving either of the next two teams above UVA seems like an overreaction based on one week and so, the Cavs hold their spot... for now.

This week: Virginia gets four games, all at home, this week. First up is a single midweek game against Longwood before capping it off with a weekend set against ACC Coastal foe UNC.

10. Duke (17-15, 6-9, up two spots from last week)

The Blue Devils, who have struggled with consistency through their 2016 campaign, have re-emerged from the cellar thanks to a 3-1 week highlighted by a series win over a Clemson Tigers team that entered the weekend ranked in the top 20.

This week: Duke undergoes what will likely be its hardest test of the season so far this weekend when hosting the Miami Hurricanes after two midweek games against Davidson and NC Central.

11. Boston College (16-11, 5-8, up two spots from last week)

BC bounced back last week after a rough start to conference play, taking two games at home over the defending national-champion Virginia Cavaliers after their midweek game against Holy Cross was postponed on account of the weather.

This week: It's a packed slate for the Eagles this week as they travel to Harvard and host UMass during the week before roadtripping to South Bend for a weekend set against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

12. Wake Forest (19-14, 5-9, down two spots from last week)

It was not the best week for the Demon Deacons as they finished 1-3, narrowly defeating Davidson on the road before being swept by the NC State Wolfpack. This lackluster week results in Wake dropping two spots in the rankings, tied with one other team for the largest fall from last week.

This week: WF plays a home-and-home with UNC-Greensboro on Tuesday and Wednesday before welcoming the Florida State Seminoles to Winston-Salem for a three-game series over the weekend.

13. Pitt (14-13, 6-8, down two spots from last week)

Pitt dropped two spots from their ranking one week ago as a result of their 1-2 record which included being on the wrong side of a 7-0 shutout against in-state Penn State and splitting the two games played against Georgia Tech.

This week: The Panthers hit the road, first taking on West Virginia in Granville, WV before making their way down to Virginia Tech for three weekend games against the Hokies.

14. Virginia Tech (11-22, 2-13, no change from last week)

The good news for the Hokies? They won one of three games on the road against No. 11 North Carolina last weekend. The not-so-good news? It snapped their 17-game losing streak.

This week: VT plays four games this week, first taking on Radford on Wednesday and then welcoming in Pittsburgh for a weekend series between the two bottom teams in this week's rankings.