Opening Day for South Carolina is this Friday and it's time to preview the 2016 season and get excited about Gamecock baseball! We're starting out with a look at the preseason rankings and expectations for the Gamecocks. Below are the top 25 rankings for each of the five biggest college baseball polls. South Carolina's opponents are italicized.
| D1 Baseball | Baseball America | USA Today Coaches Poll | Perfect Game | Collegiate Baseball | |
| 1 | Florida | Florida | Florida | Florida | Florida |
| 2 | Louisville | Louisville | Louisville | Louisville | Louisville |
| 3 | Vanderbilt | Texas A&M | Vanderbilt | Texas A&M | Vanderbilt |
| 4 | Texas A&M | Virginia | Texas A&M | Vanderbilt | Miami |
| 5 | Oregon State | Oregon State | LSU | LSU | Texas A&M |
| 6 | Miami | Miami | Miami | Oregon State | Louisiana-Lafayette |
| 7 | LSU | Vanderbilt | Virginia | Oklahoma State | LSU |
| 8 | Oklahoma State | California | Oregon State | California | Oregon State |
| 9 | California | Oklahoma State | UCLA | Virginia | Virginia |
| 10 | NC State | UCLA | Oklahoma State | Louisiana-Lafayette | UCLA |
| 11 | UCLA | LSU | TCU | Miami | Mississippi State |
| 12 | Southern California | Houston | California | Oregon | Cal State Fullerton |
| 13 | Virginia | Louisiana-Lafayette | Louisiana-Lafayette | NC State | California |
| 14 | Oregon | Oregon | Florida State | UCLA | Oregon |
| 15 | Mississippi State | Michigan | Oregon | Missouri | TCU |
| 16 | North Carolina | Southern California | Cal State Fullerton | Houston | Florida State |
| 17 | South Carolina | Florida State | Mississippi State | Mississippi State | Missouri State |
| 18 | Louisiana-Lafayette | TCU | Houston | TCU | Houston |
| 19 | TCU | NC State | NC State | Oklahoma | Tulane |
| 20 | Florida State | Mississippi State | Southern California | Florida State | Rice |
| 21 | Cal State Fullerton | Oklahoma | North Carolina | Coastal Carolina | Georgia Tech |
| 22 | Houston | Cal State Fullerton | Arkansas | North Carolina | North Carolina |
| 23 | Texas | Coastal Carolina | South Carolina | Michigan | Michigan |
| 24 | Coastal Carolina | Ole Miss | Rice | Notre Dame | Arkansas |
| 25 | Arkansas | Kentucky | Missouri State | Texas Tech | Oklahoma State |
It's no surprise that after last year's massive letdown, nobody is very high on the Gamecocks heading into the 2016 season.