SDS Mailbag: An All-SEC QB baseball team, best SEC cities to live in, Super Regional predictions, and more

I’m heading to a wedding in Park City, Utah, in a couple of weeks, and it’s supposed to take place outside at one of the many mountain resorts in the area. However, when I checked my friend’s Instagram story the other day, it was snowing. In June.

Don’t get me wrong, I love snow. I lived in Park City for 4 years and took full advantage of all the skiing opportunities. But snow in June is ridiculous. The resorts usually close in late April or early May, so there’s nothing you can really do with June snow.

If it is still snowing the week of the wedding, I think I’m fully justified in skipping the ceremony and only going to the indoor reception afterward.

Anyway, we’ll see if it ends up being nice in Park City in a couple of weeks or if I need to pack the old ski jacket. Here are your questions for this week’s Mailbag:

@ChazPhillipsIV:

Create a baseball lineup with a starter and a closer using only SEC quarterbacks.

The SEC has some great athletes at the quarterback position, and honestly, it would be pretty interesting to see how a team of them fared on the baseball diamond. Here’s how I’d fill out the lineup card:

• C: Joe Burrow, LSU — Someone needs to catch, and Burrow is a tough guy who will do whatever it takes to help his team win.
• 1B: Jarrett Guarantano, Tennessee — He’s tall and athletic (No. 1 dual-threat QB in his class, remember). A good fit at first.
• 2B: Jake Bentley, South Carolina — I’d plug Bentley in here and not have to worry about this spot at all.
• SS: Kelly Bryant, Mizzou — He’s quick and has the arm to get the ball across the diamond in a hurry.
• 3B: Bo Nix, Auburn — The incoming freshman played baseball in high school. I’ll trust him to handle the hot corner.
• LF: Kellen Mond, Texas A&M — Just look at this outfield I put together. No one is running on these guys and not many balls are going to fall in for hits, either.
• CF: Terry Wilson, Kentucky — The fastest SEC quarterback will cover a lot of ground in center.
• RF: Feleipe Franks, Florida — The perfect combo of athleticism and arm strength to handle long throws to third base and home plate. Franks’ arm is so strong the Boston Red Sox actually drafted him this week — as a pitcher.
• SP: Jake Fromm, Georgia — He’s accurate. Might not have the strongest arm, but I see him as a Greg Maddux type.
• CL: Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama — He came in during the second half of the 2018 CFP title game and closed it out for the Tide. I trust him to do the same for this squad.

I’m not sure how well any of these guys can hit, but I definitely trust this defense and pitching to at least be competitive.

@Topper_Fan:

Will the SEC get 5 teams to Omaha for the College World Series?

The SEC has a record 6 teams in the Super Regional round of the NCAA Baseball Tournament, but since Arkansas and Ole Miss are playing in Fayetteville this weekend, only 5 SEC squads have a chance to advance to Omaha.

Other than Ole Miss, only Auburn doesn’t have the pleasure of hosting its regional. Instead, the Tigers will head to Chapel Hill to take on North Carolina. However, they went into Atlanta and knocked off No. 3 overall seed Georgia Tech, so they won’t be intimidated by UNC — the No. 14 overall seed.

I’m going to say no, the SEC will not get 5 teams into the College World Series. But I think they can get 4. I’ll pick Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Mississippi State and LSU — the 4 hosts — to advance to Omaha.

Once they get to the CWS, all bets are off, as home-field advantage won’t be in play. Whatever happens this weekend, it should be a lot of fun to watch!

@SChinni12:

What are the 5 SEC cities you’d most want to live in?

Wow, you’re really trying to get me in trouble with this one, but here we go …

1. Nashville — It’s a big city, has pro sports teams, country music, hot chicken and great bars. Enough said.
2. Columbia, Missouri — I lived here for 4 years in college, and it was awesome. Very underrated SEC city.
3. Athens — Close to Atlanta, but has a smaller city vibe. Seems like a great place to live.
4. Knoxville — Close to the mountains. I’ve been a couple of times and always enjoyed it.
5. Oxford — Seems like a beautiful smaller town and it’s close to Memphis.

So there you have it. I can’t wait to get blasted in the comments for these rankings from the 9 SEC cities that missed the cut.

@Dobbe8:

After listening to the SDS Podcast create a signature cocktail for each SEC stadium, what would be your ideal football-watching mixed drink?

To be fair, I usually prefer beer on game days, but in the spirit of the question, I’ll go with a cocktail. It was my signature cocktail at my wedding reception, so I clearly really enjoy it.

It’s a bourbon smash, and here’s how you make it:

• Muddle lemon wedges (3 or 4), a few mint leaves and ¾ of an ounce of simple syrup in a cocktail shaker.
• Add 2 ounces of bourbon and fill the shaker with ice.
• Stir thoroughly.
• Fill a rocks glass with ice.
• Strain the drink into the glass.
• Garnish with a mint sprig.
• Enjoy.

A nice bourbon smash is a cool, refreshing drink and always goes down smooth on a hot summer day.

Have a question for next week’s Mailbag? Tweet at us using #SDSMailbag or email me at ASpencer@SaturdayDownSouth.com.

Adam Spencer

Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.