On this episode of the D1 Daily podcast, Burkie addresses the alleged hypocrisy in his identifying a "predicted" player of the year candidate (Ace Reese). The guys also discuss the natural tension in adjusting (or not adjusting) early-season rankings for teams like Auburn, Mississippi State, and Vanderbilt. Finally, Kole Klecker of Arizona State is discussed among several "Hey Now" moments.

00:39 - Welcome Back

05:05 - Roons' Fence-Straddling Strategy

07:42 - Midweek 'Hey Now' Spotlight

10:10 - More Midweek 'Hey Now's'

12:17 - Rankings Volatility vs. 'Poll Mechanics': How Much Should Week 1 Matter?

15:28 - Early-Season Re-Ranking Examples

18:01 - So Should We Be More Aggressive With Our Early-Season Takes?

19:46 - Vanderbilt Weekend Takeaways

21:07 - Tennessee Reality Check

24:24 - "Real Dude" Alerts On Our Radar

26:32 - ACC & Poll Mechanics

28:10 - Florida's Kyle Jones Is Back

29:14 - A Look At Arizona State's Landon Hairston

32:34 - Big 12 Reassessment: Maybe It's Top-Heavy?

33:27 - Why College Baseball Hooks Fans

35:25 - Closing Thoughts

D1 Daily, a production of The D1Baseball Podcast, is presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors. At Academy Sports + Outdoors, they carry all the best gear from the top brands — all at prices you’ll love. And now shopping is more convenient than ever at Academy.com and on the Academy app. Enjoy free shipping on orders of $25 or more with sign-in. Plus, easy in-store or curbside pickup. Shop anytime, anywhere and find the widest selection of colors, styles, and sizes. From grills to fitness equipment to workout clothes, everything you need to have fun out THERE is right HERE at https://Academy.com.

Kerriston Coffee is proud to be the official coffee of D1Baseball. With over 30 years in the business, this family-owned roastery delivers fresh, small-batch coffee made for college baseball fans, coaches, and everyone in between. Kerriston Coffee ships nationwide, and as a listener to The D1Baseball Podcast, you can use code D1 at kerristoncoffee.com to receive 15% off your first order!

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With the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series [Weekend 2] coming up this weekend, the D1Baseball staff sat down with each of the six coaches playing at Globe Life Field in Arlington this weekend to preview their teams.

00:39 Butch Thompson - Auburn

12:48 Dan McDonnell - Louisville

22:50 Link Jarrett - Florida State

39:54 Will Bolt - Nebraska

48:39 Tracy Smith - Michigan

Unfortunately we had a lot of audio issues with Kansas State's head coach Pete Hughes. You can still watch what we were able to get from the interview on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrCChWFlo4M

College baseball fans kick off the 2026 season at Globe Life Field, home of the Texas Rangers, with three straight weekends of elite matchups, college baseball's premier early-season tournaments. Returned to Arlington for a sixth straight year, featuring the Shrin. Children's College Showdown, February 13th to the 15th, the Amee Bank College Baseball Series. February 20th to the 22nd and February 27th to March 2nd. This year's lineup is the biggest yet with 20 of the top programs in the country set to take the field. That includes 15 teams that participated in the 2025 NCAA Baseball Tournament. Become a college baseball VIP with Home Plate Reserve tickets. This premium offering features reserve seating behind home plate reserve parking. Early entry, a souvenir hat and cup, and more tickets are on sale now https://www.collegebaseballseries.com.

Use the code D1Baseball at checkout for 20% off your purchase of general admission tickets.

Kerriston Coffee is proud to be the official coffee of D1Baseball. With over 30 years in the business, this family-owned roastery delivers fresh, small-batch coffee made for college baseball fans, coaches, and everyone in between. Kerriston Coffee ships nationwide, and as a listener to The D1Baseball Podcast, you can use code D1 at kerristoncoffee.com to receive 15% off your first order!

SUBSCRIBE

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Burkie and Roons react to the opening weekend of the 2026 college baseball season. Their big takeaways include Southern Miss’ comeback series with UC Santa Barbara, Oklahoma’s strong showing at Globe Life, and the high-end feel of TCU vs. Arkansas, while noting Mississippi State and Florida looked unsettled early despite rebounding results. In a “low oxygen” check, they flag early struggles for Big 12 programs like Texas Tech, Arizona, and Oklahoma State, while highlighting TCU and West Virginia’s strong starts.

“Hey now” moments include Jackson Nystrom’s return to start for San Francisco after a cancer diagnosis, huge crowds (including Arkansas–TCU over 20,000), La Salle’s reinstated program going 3–0, standout small-school performances, Michigan going 3–0 in Surprise, and Tyce Armstrong hitting three grand slams in one game.

Their “real dudes” discussion spotlights Dee Kennedy’s monster weekend, Arkansas' Damian Ruiz reaching base 11 straight times, and Cam Johnson's six strong innings with 11 strikeouts.

00:00 Welcome back!

03:20 Top Weekend Takeaways: USM vs UCSB thriller + Oklahoma’s statement at Globe Life

04:41 TCU vs Arkansas: Felt Like June

06:31 Early Nerves? Mississippi State & Florida

08:48 Low Oxygen Zone: Louisville & Arizona

11:44 Big 12 Under The Microscope

15:11 Week 1's ‘Hey Now’ Moments

17:50 cold-weather teams shine + Michigan’s 3–0 "surprise" weekend

19:52 Georgia's Kenny Ishikawa & UCSB’s Jackson Flora

24:05 Three Grand Slams?! Armstrong’s Historic Day (Hey Now Moment)

25:28 Real Dudes Candidates: Dee Kennedy + Damian Ruiz

27:35 More Weekend Standouts: Tennessee, Kentucky, Wazzu, Vandy, Navy & Georgia Tech

30:49 Aggies & Cavs Loud Early

32:41 Burkie's "Real Dude" of the Weekend

34:00 Putting a Bow on Dee Kennedy

35:44 Roons' "Real Dude" of the Weekend

37:36 Final Notes & Sign-Off: Changeups, Mid-Majors Shoutouts, and Closing Thoughts

D1 Daily, a production of The D1Baseball Podcast, is presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors. At Academy Sports + Outdoors, they carry all the best gear from the top brands — all at prices you’ll love. And now shopping is more convenient than ever at Academy.com and on the Academy app. Enjoy free shipping on orders of $25 or more with sign-in. Plus, easy in-store or curbside pickup. Shop anytime, anywhere and find the widest selection of colors, styles, and sizes. From grills to fitness equipment to workout clothes, everything you need to have fun out THERE is right HERE at https://Academy.com.

Kerriston Coffee is proud to be the official coffee of D1Baseball. With over 30 years in the business, this family-owned roastery delivers fresh, small-batch coffee made for college baseball fans, coaches, and everyone in between. Kerriston Coffee ships nationwide, and as a listener to The D1Baseball Podcast, you can use code D1 at kerristoncoffee.com to receive 15% off your first order!

SUBSCRIBE

Apple: https://d1ba.se/Pod-Apple

Spotify: https://d1ba.se/40Ne9Dq

YouTube: https://d1ba.se/yt-sub

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.