SEC Baseball Power Rankings, Week 9: Georgia stays strong, Texas rebounds
By Joe Cox
Published:
The season of SEC baseball parity continues.
Heading into Friday, no fewer than 10 SEC teams have between 5 and 7 conference wins. Baseball America forecasts no fewer than a dozen SEC teams making it into the NCAA Tournament.
But here’s our weekly try to sort the unsortable — SEC Baseball Power Rankings, heading into the weekend that will set the midpoint of the conference slate.
16. Mizzou (20-15 overall, 3-10 in SEC)
Just when the Tigers had momentum off a series win over Kentucky and were poised to climb out of the cellar, they dropped the series opener to South Carolina on Wednesday. Win the next 2, and we’ll move the Tigers up.
15. South Carolina (16-19, 3-10)
The series-opening win over Texas was a nice moment — as was the series-opening win over Mizzou. But that .198 batting average in conference play makes wins hard to snag.
14. Tennessee (21-12, 4-8)
Tennessee seemed poised to climb off the scrap heap with a series win over an LSU team that was struggling almost as much as the Vols. But a bunch of big hits later, it’s safe to wonder if Tennessee will miss the NCAA Tournament. There’s not been anything exceptional about this team, except for an ability to lose leads late.
13. Kentucky (24-8, 6-6)
Since sweeping Alabama to open SEC play, Kentucky has struggled mightily, including dropping a series to Mizzou. A mid-week win over Louisville was a good sign, but Auburn will likely drop the Wildcats below .500 in conference play.
12. Oklahoma (22-11, 5-8)
OU is just 1-6 in its last 7 SEC games after giving up 10 runs to Vandy on Thursday. That will raise the 6.17 ERA in conference play heading into Thursday’s game even higher.
11. Arkansas (21-13, 5-7)
Arkansas is somehow also 1-6 in its last 7 SEC games. Suddenly, this weekend’s series at Alabama looks key to sticking around, even in the middle of the SEC pack. The Hogs need to improve on a .224 average in conference play.
10. Vanderbilt (21-14, 7-6)
Vanderbilt is making strides, opening the weekly slate with a win over Oklahoma. With 30 homers in 13 SEC games, Vandy tops the conference hitting numbers for power — which is an interesting contrast over days gone by and winning with small ball. Vandy opened this week unranked, but with a series win, it should climb back into the top 25.
9. Ole Miss (23-11, 5-7)
Ole Miss was reeling, but picked up a solid series win over Florida. Giving up only 8 runs over the 3 games was a good sign. The talented pitching staff can fight, but a .212 team average in SEC play shows a squad badly needing an injection of offense against LSU this weekend.
8. LSU (22-12, 6-6)
We’re climbing back off the ledge on LSU. A pair of series wins with some thunderous hitting could be a game-changer. The Tigers have scored double-digit runs in 4 of their last 6 games. Cade Arrambide’s 4-homer game is one for the ages. Keep that up and LSU will keep climbing.
7. Florida (25-9, 7-5)
Dropping a series to Ole Miss hurt a bit, but a mid-week win over Florida State was solid. The pitching will have to be strong at Georgia, but Florida could hop into the league’s top 5 with a series win.
6. Auburn (22-10, 6-6)
A series win over Arkansas might have gotten the Tigers trending upward again. Getting run-ruled by Jacksonville State midweek wasn’t great, but Kentucky gives Auburn a shot at getting above .500 in the league again. Don’t look for many homers though — the Tigers’ 6 in SEC play is last in the conference (and UK isn’t much higher with 10).
5. Texas A&M (25-7, 7-5)
After dropping the opener with Vandy, Texas A&M won the last 2 games by a 20-4 combined score. With 118 runs in 12 SEC games, A&M is 21 runs ahead of second-place Vandy (which has played 1 more conference game). Caden Sorrell could win the SEC triple crown. If the pitching can hold, the Aggies are in good shape.
4. Mississippi State (26-7, 7-5)
The bad news is that Mississippi State was swept by Georgia. But the good news is that the losses came by a total of only 6 runs. State’s pitching staff leads the SEC with 144 strikeouts in conference action, and a home set with Tennessee should see MSU back on track.
3. Alabama (26-8, 8-4)
Since getting swept by Kentucky to open SEC play, Alabama is 8-1. Against an Arkansas team that is trending the wrong way, the era of good feelings may continue in Tuscaloosa. Holding SEC hitters to a .208 mark is a promising sign.
2. Texas (27-5, 9-3)
After losing 9-1 to Carolina, Texas bounced back strong to hang a game behind Georgia in the SEC race. The Longhorns’ 18 stolen bases in SEC play is third in the conference, and with a pitching staff with the conference’s best ERA (3.25 in conference play), that will certainly help things out. Dylan Volantis and Ruger Riojas could spell trouble for NCAA opponents soon.
1. Georgia (28-6, 10-2)
A sweep of Mississippi State was impressive. A 28-3 win over Presbyterian made it 8 consecutive victories for UGA. Georgia’s 98 team homers are amazing, but only 25 of those have come in SEC play. With 4 hitters already with a dozen homers, it figures that a series with Florida could see some more long balls.
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.
