SEC Baseball Power Rankings, Week 4: Texas stands alone, Florida on the rise?
By Joe Cox
Published:
The upcoming week is the final week before SEC play arrives. Soon, the magical time arrives with no more wondering how bad Northwest Pineview State College is or whether a team that loses to an actually good team is better than a team that crushes an awful one.
We have, in spite of the disparity in competition, learned some things in the SEC season to date. Texas stands alone as the last undefeated team in the league, and there have been some truly humbling losses.
But in the last week before conference play, here’s how the 16 SEC baseball squads stack up.
16. Mizzou (11-2)
The Tigers have a much better record than a few of the teams ahead of them. But Missouri is the Show-Me State, so let’s pump the brakes on moving up the Tigers. A few concerns — Mizzou is 1 of 4 SEC teams yet to play a top 25 opponent. Mizzou’s 8 home runs (heading into Thursday’s game) are dead last in the conference. Missouri’s 51 walks allowed (again, that’s before Thursday’s game) ties for 13th in the SEC.
15. Vanderbilt (8-6)
Yes, Vanderbilt. A 4-game losing streak was surprising, with only 1 ranked team of the 4. Losses to UC-Irvine and Central Arkansas are more than a bit concerning. Vandy’s pitchers have allowed the most walks and home runs in the league and their hitters have the third most strikeouts in the conference. Not where anybody expected Vandy to be.
14. South Carolina (9-5)
Yes, the Gamecocks lost a series to Clemson, but not getting swept was a positive. The big issue so far for USC has been struggling at the plate — Carolina is last in the SEC in on-base percentage. And of course, not getting on base means making outs. The Gamecocks also still have the fewest stolen bases in the league (6).
13. Alabama (11-3)
The Tide got a quality win over Oregon State (their second top 20 win so far), but did take a loss to Houston. Still too much contact on the mound (opponents are hitting .247 against the Tide) and not enough at the plate (Alabama’s .261 average is last in the league and its 126 Ks at the plate tie for most in the conference).
12. Kentucky (11-2)
Kentucky remains 1 of the 4 SEC teams yet to play a top 25 opponent and its 3-game sweep of St. John’s by a combined 9-2 score is either a testament to great pitching or awful hitting. But Tyler Bell coming back is the best news of the week for the Wildcats.
11. Tennessee (10-3)
Rather than concern about the loss to UCLA, the wins over Arizona State and Virginia Tech suggest a Tennessee team that’s straightening itself out. The Vols are holding opponents to a .193 average, but still need to improve at the plate (.278 team batting average is 14th in the SEC).
10. Ole Miss (12-2)
A 7-run beatdown from Coastal Carolina and a loss to Baylor drop the Rebels back a spot. The pitching has been good — a 2.75 team ERA is second in the conference, as are 176 strikeouts. But 126 strikeouts at the plate ties for the most in the SEC as well. The 17 errors on defense won’t help things much either.
9. Texas A&M (11-1)
Yes, the Aggies were run-ruled by UCLA. But they picked up 2 run-rule wins and beat Arizona State by 6 runs. A&M is hitting .340 at the plate and continues to give by far the fewest walks in the SEC (19).
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8. Oklahoma (12-2)
Another week, another puzzling loss, this time 7-1 to Gonzaga. The pitching staff is sharp, but in its last 2 games, Oklahoma won by a combined 4-1 score. The 40 stolen bases are a good sign, because Oklahoma looks like a team that will have to manufacture runs to win games in the league.
7. Georgia (11-3)
A weekend of dominance took a bit of a lump because of a loss to Western Carolina. The offense has been massive (.352 average, 43 homers) and the pitching has been credible at least in the context of pre-conference play. Bear in mind, Georgia hasn’t played a top 25 opponent yet. Daniel Jackson (10 HRs, 24 RBIs) looks ready for anything.
6. Arkansas (10-3)
The Razorbacks dropped a 1-run decision to UT-Arlington, but then won the other 3 games by a combined 30-3 score. The pitching staff looks ahead of the hitters at the moment and the Hogs need to warm up at the plate to stick around the top of the league.
5. Auburn (10-2)
Auburn did take a loss, falling in extra innings to Nebraska by a run. But the Tigers won the other 2 games with the Huskers by a combined 20 runs. The pitching staff has been solid (and allowed just 28 walks) and the hitters are a bit shy on power (just 11 homers). The Tigers might have to learn to manufacture runs, but they should be ready for league play.
4. LSU (11-3)
A week ago, LSU dropped out of No. 1. Maybe there was something to that. The Tigers lost back-to-back games to Northeastern and UL-Lafayette — and by 3 and 5 runs, respectively. LSU is 15th in the SEC in ERA and has committed the second-most errors (16). The Tiger bats are fine, but they’re not good enough to pitch badly and field badly and roll to victories.
3. Mississippi State (11-2)
On the other hand, Mississippi State lost 2 straight games… but they came to No. 1 UCLA and No. 8 Southern Miss, and each was by a single run. These seemed like experience-growing games that will help State in conference play. State is hitting .342 as a team and will tighten up the bullpen as the season goes.
2. Florida (13-1)
The Gators rolled over Miami and since dropping the opener, have only played 2 games that they won by less than 4 runs. Florida’s pitching staff has allowed just 4 home runs so far, and while the team hasn’t had crazy power at the plate, they’ve been solid at bat. Florida could be the team to watch in the SEC.
1. Texas (12-0)
Texas continues to impress. The Longhorns rolled over a top-10 Coastal Carolina team, and Texas has more run-rule wins (4) than close games. The pitching is the story — a 1.71 team ERA, a .161 opposing batting average, and just 2 home runs allowed illustrate the situation. As does the 0.48 ERA of Dylan Volantis.
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.
