The Windup: Previewing SEC baseball Week 12 slate (May 1-4)

Welcome to the last month of the regular season!

With the calendar flipping to May, we’re down to 3 weekends of regular-season action in the 2025 college baseball season. Later in the month, the SEC Tournament will be held in Hoover. And then comes Selection Monday with the full reveal of the 64-team NCAA Tournament field.

With 9 conference games to go, there’s a lot on the line around the SEC. Texas is chasing the regular-season SEC title and may lock up the No. 1 overall seed for the NCAA Tournament in the process. Arkansas and LSU are 5 games back in the standings, but won’t concede anything yet. At the other end of the standings, the pressure’s on for Florida, Texas A&M and Mississippi State to add more SEC wins.

Ahead of all the action Thursday-Sunday, The Windup is here to provide a quick glance at where each squad stands entering this weekend’s conference series.

RPI via Warren Nolan as of Wednesday evening

Alabama at Vanderbilt

Alabama at a glance:

• Overall record: 35-10
• SEC record: 12-9
• Home record: 23-6
• Road record: 8-4
• Streak: W5
• Last SEC series: W, 3-0 vs. Mizzou
• RPI: 13

Vanderbilt at a glance:

• Overall record: 32-13
• SEC record: 12-9
• Home record: 23-4
• Road record: 8-7
• Streak: W2
• Last SEC series: L, 1-2 vs. Ole Miss
• RPI: 3

Off the bat watchability rating: Off the wall

Vanderbilt tripped up last week, dropping the series to Ole Miss. The Vandy Boys are looking to bounce back at home, where they have been dominant. The Commodores are on track to host an NCAA Regional, but likely need a strong finish for a top-8 seed to control their Super Regional destination. Alabama, meanwhile, is on a 5-game winning streak as it tries to play its way back into the Regional hosting conversation.

Texas at Arkansas (Thursday-Saturday)

Texas at a glance:

• Overall record: 38-5
• SEC record: 19-2
• Home record: 24-3
• Road record: 9-1
• Streak: W10
• Last SEC series: W, 3-0 vs. Texas A&M
• RPI: 1

Arkansas at a glance:

• Overall record: 37-9
• SEC record: 14-7
• Home record: 27-3
• Road record: 7-5
• Streak: L1
• Last SEC series: L, 1-2 vs. Florida
• RPI: 6

Off the bat watchability rating: Over the wall

A few weeks ago, this series had tape-measure power written all over it when it looked to be for the top spot in the SEC standings. Arkansas was the top-ranked team in the land not too long ago, but Texas has since taken that spot and opened up a 5-game lead. The Razorbacks have stumbled lately, dropping 3 consecutive SEC series (Georgia, Texas A&M, Florida). The Longhorns have yet to lose an SEC series. If the Hogs are going to stop their skid, they have an opportunity to make a statement.

Auburn at Tennessee

Auburn at a glance:

• Overall record: 31-14
• SEC record: 11-10
• Home record: 21-6
• Road record: 4-8
• Streak: W2
• Last SEC series: W, 2-1 vs. Mississippi State
• RPI: 4

Tennessee at a glance:

• Overall record: 36-9
• SEC record: 13-8
• Home record: 25-5
• Road record: 8-4
• Streak: W1
• Last SEC series: L, 1-2 vs. LSU
• RPI: 10

Off the bat watchability rating: Off the wall

Is this the weekend Tennessee gets things right? After cruising through February and March, the Volunteers have now dropped 3 of the last 4 series, including 2 at home. Up next for Tennessee is an Auburn squad that is just 4-8 on the road this season. In April, Tennessee went 0-2 in home series and Auburn dropped its only road series. Someone’s fortune is about to change.

Florida at South Carolina

Florida at a glance:

• Overall record: 30-16
• SEC record: 8-13
• Home record: 24-8
• Road record: 6-7
• Streak: W1
• Last SEC series: W, 2-1 vs. Arkansas
• RPI: 19

South Carolina at a glance:

• Overall record: 26-20
• SEC record: 5-16
• Home record: 21-7
• Road record: 4-11
• Streak: W1
• Last SEC series: L, 1-2 vs. Kentucky
• RPI: 51

Off the bat watchability rating: Heading for the gap

Florida has everyone talking right now. The Gators were 1-11 in SEC play after the first 4 SEC series. They’ve since gone 7-2 to win 3 series and improve to 8-13. How will UF handle the pressure? With Texas and Alabama lurking, Florida really needs a series win or sweep at South Carolina to keep its NCAA Tournament hopes alive. The Gamecocks aren’t currently in the NCAA Tournament discussion, but they would almost certainly get something out of playing spoiler and raining on UF’s parade.

Georgia at Mizzou

Georgia at a glance:

• Overall record: 36-11
• SEC record: 12-9
• Home record: 27-3
• Road record: 6-8
• Streak: W3
• Last SEC series: W, 2-1 vs. Oklahoma
• RPI: 2

Mizzou at a glance:

• Overall record: 13-31
• SEC record: 0-21
• Home record: 8-13
• Road record: 1-15
• Streak: L8
• Last SEC series: L, 0-3 vs. Alabama
• RPI: 150

Off the bat watchability rating: Pop fly

The Windup hates to pick on Mizzou, but this series offers little interest to outsiders with the Tigers at 0-21 in SEC play. Georgia is safely in the NCAA Tournament and should be able to pad its resume for a top-8 national seed. UGA has an opportunity to get above .500 in true road games with a sweep in Columbia.

Kentucky at Mississippi State

Kentucky at a glance:

• Overall record: 25-17
• SEC record: 10-11
• Home record: 15-10
• Road record: 10-7
• Streak: L1
• Last SEC series: W, 2-1 vs. South Carolina
• RPI: 29

Mississippi State at a glance:

• Overall record: 26-19
• SEC record: 7-14
• Home record: 17-7
• Road record: 6-9
• Streak: W1
• Last SEC series: L, 1-2 vs. Auburn
• RPI: 43

Off the bat watchability rating: Over the wall

Sunday evening, this was not an over-the-wall series. Then, Mississippi State made the surprising decision to fire head coach Chris Lemonis on Monday with 3 regular-season series remaining. MSU is on the NCAA Tournament bubble and cannot afford to drop an SEC series at 7-14 in conference play. The Bulldogs put up 18 runs in 7 innings against Memphis on Tuesday night. How will they fare against a Kentucky team on track to make the field of 64?

LSU at Texas A&M

LSU at a glance:

• Overall record: 37-9
• SEC record: 14-7
• Home record: 28-4
• Road record: 5-5
• Streak: W2
• Last SEC series: W, 2-1 vs. Tennessee
• RPI: 5

Texas A&M at a glance:

• Overall record: 25-19
• SEC record: 8-13
• Home record: 19-9
• Road record: 5-8
• Streak: W1
• Last SEC series: L, 0-3 vs. Texas
• RPI: 38

Off the bat watchability rating: Off the wall

It has been a rollercoaster of a season for Texas A&M. The Aggies entered the season with high expectations and then stumbled out of the gate. Then they got red-hot. But most recently, they got swept by Texas. At 8-13 in SEC play, A&M is one of the last teams projected to make the NCAA Tournament. Up next, the Aggies get an LSU squad that is projected to be one of the top 3 national seeds after a home series win over Tennessee.

Ole Miss at Oklahoma

Ole Miss at a glance:

• Overall record: 32-13
• SEC record: 12-9
• Home record: 22-7
• Road record: 7-4
• Streak: W1
• Last SEC series: W, 2-1 vs. Vanderbilt
• RPI: 16

Oklahoma at a glance:

• Overall record: 30-13
• SEC record: 11-10
• Home record: 17-7
• Road record: 9-6
• Streak: L2
• Last SEC series: L, 1-2 vs. Georgia
• RPI: 22

Off the bat watchability rating: Off the wall

These teams are both solidly on track to make the NCAA Tournament, but there’s still a lot to play for this weekend. Neither team is hosting an NCAA Regional in the latest field of 64 projections from D1Baseball and Baseball America. The series winner will get a nice Quad 1 boost to its resume, but a sweep would really move the needle.

Andrew Olson

Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.