As the calendar switches months, it’s just 3 weeks from conference play in SEC baseball.
Even before the league battles commence, the SEC is continuing to impress and there’s no reason to suspect that the conference’s annual “Meet Me In Omaha”-style dominance is going anywhere.
With the standard precautions in mind (plenty of weak opponents, hard to tell exactly how sharp the bats and arms are), here’s where the SEC stands entering the third week of college baseball.
16. Missouri (7-2)
Mizzou had a nice week and provided some good optics by run-ruling a couple of teams. But it’s an incredibly weak schedule (as it should be — the SEC will provide plenty of competition), so it seems premature to draw too many conclusions.
15. South Carolina (6-3)
There’s plenty of reason to be skeptical here. Losses to Northern Kentucky, Army, and Queens can’t leave Gamecock fans thrilled about the direction of their squad. Carolina hasn’t run (3 stolen bases) and has had issues with control (35 walks in 80 innings pitched). It could be a long season.
14. Alabama (7-2)
Alabama took care of some easy wins, but also got blasted (in run-rule form) by Southern Miss. That’s not a great sign and neither is being last in the SEC in batting average so far (.257).
The good news is that 4-1 record. The bad news is a .214 team batting average and 2-1 and 3-2 wins against Samford and Alabama State. Time to wake up the bats.
13. Kentucky (6-2)
The Wildcats took a loss to Evansville and eked out some close wins. Other than the injury to Tyler Bell, the other big picture concern is pitching issues, with the Wildcats sitting 15th in the SEC in ERA (4.06).
12. Tennessee (6-2)
The Vols take a big drop after losing a series to (gulp) Kent State. Not only did the Vols lose the series, their 1 victory was a 1-run triumph, so a sweep nearly came down the pike. The 55 runs scored by the Vols is 14th in the SEC. Josh Elander’s pitching staff might be fine, but they will need some help.
11. Vanderbilt (7-2)
A nice week for Vandy, with 3 run-rule wins and an 8-1 victory. It’s fair to wonder about the opposition, but give the Commodores credit for an impressive offensive start (25 home runs ties for best in the league with Georgia). Braden Holcomb was untouchable and Vandy could be a team on the rise in the league.
10. Texas A&M (8-0)
On the one hand, all they do is win. On the other hand, that included 1-0 and 2-1 wins over Penn. The most impressive facet of the start is that A&M has allowed just 9 walks so far, less than half of the number allowed by the second-best team (Auburn). That and a .357 team batting average could certainly lead to an unbeaten start, as it has.
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9. Ole Miss (9-0)
The Rebels have taken care of business. The only reason they’re this low is that the competition hasn’t been impressive and some of the teams above them have been a bit flashier. The Rebels need to cut down on the strikeouts — they have the third most in the SEC at the plate.
8. Oklahoma (8-1)
The Sooners have plenty to like, but did get a run-rule loss at the hands of Arizona State. A negative here is having the most walks allowed in the SEC (40). A positive is leading the league in stolen bases (31). A week ago, the Sooners looked like a pitching dynasty. The talent is there, but the results could use some fine-tuning.
7. Georgia (6-2)
A couple of run-rule wins were nice, but a surprising loss to Troy might have cost the Bulldogs a spot here. The bats have been impressive (25 homers, ties for league lead) and the pitching staff is getting plenty of swings and misses (third-most strikeouts in the league).
6. Florida (9-1)
The Gators lost their opener, but have not only not lost since, they haven’t been challenged really, with a 12-9 win over Kennesaw State the next closest game. The Gators are hitting .360, but the pitching staff hasn’t been exceptionally sharp (3.92 ERA, 13th in the SEC).
6. Auburn (7-1)
Not sure what to make of this team yet. A 1-run squeaker, a pair of easy victories, and then an 8-0 beatdown by Cincinnati. Auburn has hit just 2 homers so far and has the next-to-worst slugging percentage in the league.
5. Arkansas (7-2)
Arkansas State wasn’t kind to its in-state rival, beating the Razorbacks on Tuesday and losing 1-0 on Wednesday. The Hogs have hit just .273 so far on the young season, which could be signs of last year’s offensive struggles returning.
4. Mississippi State (9-0)
Two run-rule wins and 2 more easy victories leave the Bulldogs as 1 of 4 unbeaten teams left in the SEC. The weekend should bring a first real test for State. State is second in the SEC in ERA (2.61) and strikeouts (111). Add that to a solid start by a line-drive heavy offense and the Bulldogs are looking good.
3. Auburn (7-1)
The Tigers saw the biggest test so far for an SEC team and they aced it. Beating Florida State and Louisville by a combined 18-11 margin was a nice statement for the conference. Auburn has just 6 home runs so far, but it has put together enough runs to beat tough competition.
2. LSU (8-1)
No, a 1-run loss to McNeese State isn’t why LSU fell. The Tigers’ team 4.56 ERA (last in the SEC) is much more significant. Texas is looking untouchable on the mound and LSU is worst in the SEC. It’ll improve and the bats can carry the Tigers, but Texas has been just a bit more impressive.
1. Texas (8-0)
The ‘Horns making the jump is less a statement against LSU than in favor of an amazing Texas pitching staff. In 8 games, Texas has allowed 13 runs. Only 10 of the runs are earned, so Texas has a 1.36 team ERA. That’s barely more than half of the second-place SEC team (Mississippi State at 2.61).
Joe Cox is a columnist for Saturday Down South. He has also written or assisted in writing five books, and his most recent, Almost Perfect (a study of baseball pitchers’ near-miss attempts at perfect games), is available on Amazon or at many local bookstores.
