Given the calendar and weather, it’s hard to believe, but college baseball is back.
As usual, the SEC flexes some massive preseason muscle. The 2025 season was not just the league’s sixth straight College World Series win (which, yes, means you have to back to 2018 to see a non-SEC CWS winner), but it was the sixth different team in a row to win.
Can that trend continue? Will Jay Johnson and LSU have the strength to repeat? Here’s a preseason guess or 3, starting with ranking the SEC.
16. Missouri
Hard to be too optimistic off a 3-27 SEC campaign and a 9.19 team ERA. Javyn Pimental is back from injury and will help on the mound, but Mizzou has a big gap with the rest of the SEC and it’ll take plenty of work and time to close it.
15. South Carolina
Paul Mainieri’s first season back was not a good one, and the Gamecocks figure to have their hands full in 2026. Likely No. 1 pitcher Jake McCoy is already gone for the season due to injury. Carolina’s offense will keep it in some games and Beau Hollins should be good for a nice season. But the arc for Mainieri is still not looking good.
14. Oklahoma
The Sooners have some punch at the plate, but are even thinner than Carolina on pitching. Oklahoma’s staff last season posted a solid 4.47 ERA, but with the entire rotation gone, if Skip Johnson can keep his team in the low-to-mid 5s in that department, then the upside could be higher than this expectations.
13. Texas A&M
There’s a definite talent jump after the bottom 3 of the SEC. The question for A&M is whether Weston Moss and Shane Sdao are ready to be the solid 1-2 punch in the rotation that A&M needs. Gavin Grahovac missed the 2025 season, but he’s an All-American level standout and should help a fairly transfer-heavy lineup adjust. This shouldn’t be read as a knock on the Aggies, who have an NCAA Tournament type roster. But somebody has to be ranked here.
12. Ole Miss
Ole Miss looked to be in pretty good shape until it got knocked out of its own NCAA Regional by Tournament Cinderella Murray State. Hunter Elliott is back and is one of the best arms in the league and with a pair of 20+ homer sluggers in Judd Utermark and Austin Fawley, there’s plenty of power. But the pitching depth is a concern and so is the program’s mojo after a shocking end to the 2025 season.
11. Alabama
The return of Justin Lebron was a massive win and will help an experienced Alabama team stay competitive in the league. Pitching is a bit thin, but that 5.13 ERA from a season ago tells the story. Pitching depth will be key and if the Tide improve on the mound, they’re a legitimate NCAA Regional host candidate.
10. Kentucky
Kentucky made the program’s first College World Series trip in 2024 couldn’t make it back in 2025, but with Tyler Bell and Ben Cleaver, the ‘Cats have a middle-of-the-diamond star and an ace pitcher that will get them back into the NCAA Tournament again, with hopes of a better outcome.
9. Georgia
Wes Johnson’s transfer-heavy team is expected to hang in the thick of the SEC, but it’s not a certain thing to plug a group of players into the SEC and expect instant results. Pitching is particularly iffy, but on the other hand, Tre Phelps will be a star at third base. Georgia’s transfers can lift it above the middle of the SEC, but also might not.
8. Florida
There’s plenty of talent on this Gator roster, but there’s plenty of reason for concern. Kevin O’Sullivan’s leave of absence leaves plenty of questions. Florida’s pitching duo of Liam Peterson and Aidan King is impressive, and Brendan Lawson at third base could be the best player in the SEC. Florida has a wide variety of possible outcomes, but presents a fair amount of red flags.
7. Vanderbilt
This looks to be another team in the Vanderbilt mold, full of pitching depth, solid defense, and competent hitting, but not necessarily with a ton of pop behind the swings. Brodie Johnston might be the top prospect to up his power game, and he could be the key to this team. Vandy doesn’t have to be the best hitting team in the SEC, but topping the 66 home runs from last season would be a nice start.
6. Tennessee
What happens in the post-Tony Vitello era? Henry Ford from Virginia was a massive transfer addition. Tennessee needs some development on the mound, but it’s safe to assume that the Vols will continue to mash at the plate. The bullpen is stout and if the rotation goes can hold up, Tennessee is a legitimate CWS contender.
5. Auburn
Butch Thompson’s Tigers are very much in play to finish at the top of the SEC. A super trio of Chase Fralick, Chris Rembert, and Bub Terrell headline an outstanding offense. While there’s a lot of pitching options, Auburn still has some work to do in deciding who will throw the most important innings. The core of a champion is very much present on this roster.
4. Mississippi State
Brian O’Connor will get a trial by fire in Year 1 in his job. But he’ll have Ace Reese (.352, 21 HRs) and a lineup assembled heavily from the portal. There’s an impressive amount of mound depth, although they’ve not all proven themselves over a long haul. The familiarity of the Virginia transfers via their former coach will be helpful and the Bulldogs could be a potential title winner.
3. Arkansas
Maybe it’s Dave Van Horn’s turn? The 1-2 offensive punch of returnees Kuhio Aloy (.317, 13 HRs) and Cam Kozeal (.333, 15 HRs) gives the Razorbacks a massive boost. Gabe Gaeckle has showed flashes of being an ace, and while there’s talent here, there’s still some juggling of roles going on. Marshall transfer Maika Niu starred in the Cape Cod League and could boost Arkansas back to the top.
2. Texas
The Longhorns have insane pitching, which elevates to otherworldly if Dylan Volantis can move his dominance into the starting rotation. A couple of key transfers in Notre Dame’s Carson Tinney (.348, 17 HRs) and Seton Hall’s Aiden Roberts (.422, 20 stolen bases) should jump-start the offense, and if the Longhorns can put up enough runs, they might be even better than this ranking.
1. LSU
The defending champs earn this privilege, but recent seasons teach us that the head the wears the crown tends to be very heavy. Derek Curiel (.345, 7 HRs) and Steven Milam (.295, 11 HRs) are important returnees, and with some transfers, the lineup is stout. The pitching is very solid, with Kansas transfer Cooper Moore a potential mound superstar. LSU has the players, but can it maintain the focus?
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.
