Power rankings: Four areas change hands

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Power Rankings: P | C | 1B | 2B/SS | 3B | OF | Coach

Sometimes change isn’t such a bad thing.

Only a few weeks into the season, there are four categories that have new leaders in the latest Rivls.com Power Rankings.

The categories include outfielder, third base, catcher and middle infielder.

Middle Tennessee State’s Bryce Brentz began the season atop the middle infielder category. He dropped from the top spot after opening weekend. But now Brentz is back on top after Virginia’s Jarrett Parker dropped a couple of spots.

Florida State’s Mike McGee dropped out of the outfielder rankings, while hot-hitting Auburn outfielder Brian Fletcher entered the rankings.

At third base, Oklahoma’s Garrett Buechele rose to the top spot after compiling amazing numbers the first few weeks of the season. Rice’s Anthony Rendon, meanwhile, dropped a few spots as he is off to a slow start at the plate.

Kansas’ Tony Thompson, who continues to rehab an injury, and Alabama’s Jake Smith dropped out of the rankings. UCLA’s Dean Espy and Louisville’s Phil Wunderlich are the new entrants.

Behind the plate, TCU veteran Bryan Holaday continues to do an amazing job both behind the plate and at the plate and climbed to the top spot this week. Ohio State’s Dan Burkhart only dropped a couple of spots, while UC Irvine’s Francis Larson and Western Kentucky’s Matt Rice dropped out of the rankings. The new entrants include Wichita State’s Cody Lassley and Georgia Tech’s Cole Leonida.

In the middle infield, Cal State Fullerton’s Christian Colon dropped from the top spot to completely out of the rankings after starting the season on an incredibly bad note at the plate. Florida State’s Stephen Cardullo, who is red-hot right now, moved to the No. 1 spot in the latest rankings.

Florida’s Josh Adams joins Colon as departures. The new entrants include Virginia’s Phil Gosselin and Georgia Tech’s Jacob Esch.

In the pitcher category, Arizona State’s Josh Spence, Coastal Carolina’s Cody Wheeler and Ohio State’s Alex Wimmers dropped out. However, the new entrants include UCLA’s Gerrit Cole, Florida State’s Sean Gilmartin and Louisville’s Thomas Royse.

At first base, Tennessee’s Cody Hawn and LSU’s Blake Dean still lead the way. However, plenty of players are making their marks so far this season. Fresno State’s Jordan Ribera and Florida Gulf Coast’s Zach Maxfield dropped out this week, while Auburn’s Hunter Morris, Vanderbilt’s Curt Casali and Mississippi State’s Connor Powers entered the rankings.

Lastly, the head coach category saw few changes this week. LSU’s Paul Mainieri and Virginia’s Brian O’Connor still lead the way. TCU’s Jim Schlossnagle replaced UC Irvine’s Mike Gillespie this week.

We release our power rankings every week throughout the season.

Power Rankings: P | C | 1B | 2B/SS | 3B | OF | Coach

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