SEC Baseball Power Rankings, Week 7: The Week After Everybody Was 4-2
By Joe Cox
Published:
If you have a favorite SEC baseball team, they’re probably 4-2 in league play.
On the other hand, your potential rival is probably also 4-2.
OK, so it’s only 7 of the SEC’s 16 teams that are 4-2 in league play. But 14 of the 16 SEC squads are between 4-2 and 2-4.
Nobody is out of things, nobody has created a cushion. Which means that the weekly power rankings feel more than a little up for grabs. Here’s the rundown of the SEC heading into Week 7 of college baseball.
16. Mizzou (17-9 overall, 1-5 in SEC)
Winning a game at Tennessee was a step forward, but a 10-4 midweek loss to Lindenwood means the Tigers aren’t going anywhere.
15. South Carolina (13-13, 1-5)
After just over a year, the Paul Mainieri experiment came to a hasty end for the Gamecocks. A 22-6 loss to Arkansas was apparently the final straw, but there are issues aplenty with this team. South Carolina is hitting .199 in league play and has a 7.68 team ERA in conference. The Gamecocks were heading nowhere fast and Mainieri’s firing just confirms that.
14. LSU (17-9, 2-4)
Here? The defending champions? Well, yes. LSU has looked absolutely half-asleep so far this season. In 6 SEC games, LSU is hitting .242 and allowing a 6.55 team ERA. There’s still plenty of season left, but if LSU wants to make a run, winning its first series at home against Kentucky would be a good start.
13. Vanderbilt (14-12, 2-4)
Vandy was swept at Mississippi State by a combined 28-11 margin. Frankly, Vandy would be 14th had it not just won a series from LSU. But a 10.61 team ERA in SEC play won’t cut it. Opponents are hitting .313 while Vanderbilt is hitting .227 in SEC play.
12. Texas A&M (19-5, 2-4)
The Aggies took a second-straight losing series to open conference play. The good news is both losses came to top-10 opponents, and with Mizzou and Vandy upcoming, Texas A&M should start winning weekend series battles in a hurry. The bad news is an 8.10 ERA in conference play. The Aggies have also been very station-to-station at the plate, with 5 home runs in conference play and a single stolen base.
11. Tennessee (18-7, 3-3)
Missouri gave the Vols a chance to get some momentum and Tennessee grabbed a series win. With Vandy and LSU ahead, Tennessee is catching some normally imposing opponents at a good time. The pitching staff remains solid, with Tennessee tied for the fewest walks allowed in the league.
10. Florida (20-6, 3-3)
Florida was swept at Alabama by a combined 28-11 margin. Arkansas and Ole Miss in the next 2 weeks should give a good barometer for UF — as opposed to that SEC-opening sweep of South Carolina that now got reversed by Alabama.
9. Alabama (19-7, 3-3)
The Tide made a nice jump with a sweep of Florida en route to a 4-0 week. A week ago, pitching was a concern, but Alabama gave up just 13 runs in 4 games to right the ship and look very impressive. Obviously, credit due to Tyler Fay for no-hitting the Gators with 13 strikeouts on Friday!
8. Kentucky (20-4, 4-2)
The Wildcats dropped a series at Ole Miss in part due to some pitching depth issues. Nor surprisingly, Kentucky is 1 of 5 SEC teams already into double digits in stolen base totals. A series at LSU is a good chance for Kentucky’s bats to stay sharp.
7. Ole Miss (19-7, 3-3)
The Rebels are talented but inconsistent. They won their series with Kentucky but lost a mid-week game to Memphis. Ole Miss should hit better than its .227 mark in conference play, and the Rebels will need to do so to hang with Mississippi State this weekend.
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6. Oklahoma (19-6, 4-3)
Oklahoma started its series with Texas early and probably wished it hadn’t after a 14-0 loss. The Sooners scored just 9 runs in winning their series with LSU, so the Sooner bats are a little suspect.
5. Auburn (20-4, 4-2)
The Tigers fade a bit off a series loss to Texas. The bats deserted the Tigers, as they scored just 10 runs in the 3 games. The power game has been a concern, with just 3 homers in SEC play… but the league’s top ERA in conference (2.78) is a great sign.
4. Mississippi State (21-4, 4-2)
MSU blasted Vanderbilt by a combined 28-11 margin in its sweep. The Bulldogs not only lead the SEC in batting average in league play, their .303 mark is almost 20 points ahead of second-place Georgia. The series at Ole Miss is always an epic SEC battle, and this year should be no exception.
3. Georgia (20-6, 4-2)
The Bulldogs won their series at A&M, but then lost a midweek game to Kennesaw State. The bats have been sharp, but Georgia’s pitching didn’t have much of a week (6.53 team ERA in SEC play). A home series with South Carolina should be a good opportunity to sharpen up. Daniel Jackson and Kolby Branch’s combined 28 homers is a fun story to watch.
2. Arkansas (19-7, 4-2)
Arkansas got Paul Mainieri fired, but then did drop a game to South Carolina. The issue is offensive inconsistency — last week, the Hogs scored 22, 3, 4, and 15 runs, respectively. A home series with Florida could tighten up the Arkansas attack.
1. Texas (21-4, 5-2)
The Horns started the weekend a day early and grabbed the SEC’s top spot with a 14-0 win over Oklahoma. A series win at Auburn was impressive, but a midweek loss to Houston hurts a bit. Still, Texas looks balanced and sharp.
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.
