SEC baseball power rankings after 1st weekend of conference play
The SEC is the best conference in college baseball, and it is not close. Look at the rankings every week, watch these teams play and see the talent that gets drafted from this conference each season.
In trying to power rank the league’s teams, it becomes clear just how dominant the SEC is. The No. 7 team on this list has an 18-2 record this season. Even the team that is last in the conference has a record above .500.
There will be some spicy matchups this coming weekend as No. 1 LSU goes toe-to-toe with the No. 7 Arkansas Razorbacks in Baton Rouge, No. 3 Ole Miss welcomes the No. 5 Florida Gators to Oxford, Mississippi, and Missouri travels to South Carolina.
In the meantime, here’s how the league teams stack up in our power rankings entering the second series of SEC play.
LSU Tigers (18-2, 2-1 SEC)
Syndication: The Daily Advertiser
Despite blowing a lead in Game 3 against Texas A&M, I still believe that the LSU Tigers are not only the No. 1 team in the SEC, but they are also the No. 1 team in the country. The pitching staff has some kinks to work through to solidify themselves but the batting order is insane. This team can hit 1-9. They are never out of any game. This weekend against Arkansas will be a fun matchup.
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Florida (18-4, 2-1 SEC)
Cyndi Chambers/ Gainesville Sun
Let’s get these two things out of the way before I talk about the Gators.
They have one of the best players in the country in Jac Caglianone.
They may have the best uniforms in the conference. The one in the photo above is top-notch.
The Gators lead the SEC in almost every hitting category as we head into Week 2 of conference play. They went 2-1 against a good Alabama team last weekend, and their matchup this week against Ole Miss will be full of fireworks.
Arkansas Razorbacks (18-2, 3-0 SEC)
Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports
The Razorbacks have won 13 games in a row after sweeping the Auburn Tigers at home last week. They showed why they are a top-five team and will remain that way heading into their showdown on the bayou against LSU.
Vanderbilt Commodores (16-5, 3-0 SEC)
Syndication: The Tennessean
It has been a little difficult to gauge just how good the Vandy boys are this season. They dropped a couple of games that I think they should’ve won, but that’s just baseball for you. After their series sweep against No. 3 Ole Miss last weekend, I’d say Vandy is still at the top of its game.
Missouri Tigers (16-3, 3-0 SEC)
Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports
The Missouri Tigers have been a pleasant surprise for me this season. After finishing last season just over .500 at 28-23, I didn’t know what to expect from them. They have come out swinging so far. They are 16-3 after sweeping the Tennessee Vols last weekend.
South Carolina (20-1, 3-0 SEC)
Gary Cosby Jr.-The Tuscaloosa News
The Gamecocks’ strength of schedule is not as good as the other conference powerhouses, but they have beaten the teams they were supposed to beat. Carolina has the best record in the conference at 20-1 after sweeping Georgia last weekend. Its matchup against Missouri this weekend will determine its spot in the pecking order.
Kentucky Wildcats (18-2, 3-0 SEC)
Syndication: The Montgomery Advertiser
This goes to show just how talented the SEC is this season. Kentucky is No. 7 in this list of conference power rankings, but they have an 18-2 record. The Wildcats fall into the same category as South Carolina as far as strength of schedule is concerned. They are coming off a sweep of the Mississippi State Bulldogs last weekend.
Alabama Crimson Tide (17-4, 1-2 SEC)
Syndication: Tuscaloosa News
Alabama comes into this week at 17-4. It lost two out of three games to Florida last weekend. The reason I have the Tide here is that they lost a series to the 6-9 Columbia Lions, and in Game 3 they lost 15-3. That doesn’t bode well for ‘Bama, though everyone has an off day. It’ll face Kentucky this weekend.
Tennessee Volunteers (15-6, 0-3 SEC)
Syndication: The Knoxville News-Sentinel
Don’t get me wrong, I still think the Vols are a great baseball team, but Missouri sweeping them last weekend is what landed them in this spot. The Vols had a slow start this season as they dropped their first two games against good teams (Arizona and Grand Canyon). They dropped a game to Boston College in extra innings, and then Missouri trounced them in Columbia last weekend.
Ole Miss Rebels (14-6, 0-3 SEC)
Syndication: The Clarion-Ledger
The defending National Champions find themselves in a similar situation to Tennessee. They are a good baseball team but right now they are in a slump. Last week was an awful week for the Rebels. They dropped a non-conference game to Jacksonville State and then got swept by Vanderbilt by a combined score of 27-4. This team is still searching for its identity.
Texas A&M Aggies (14-6, 1-2 SEC)
Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports
The Aggies have been struggling this season, yet they still have a 14-6 record. They had a rough stretch of games where they lost to Lamar and then dropped a series to Portland. Their only other losses were to Louisville and losing the series to LSU last weekend. Hopefully for the Aggies, they can use the momentum from their Game 3 win against the Tigers to go on a run.
Auburn Tigers (13-6, 0-3 SEC)
Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports
Auburn is sitting at 13-6 on the season, and the Tigers have shown a TON of resiliency. They never give up. They have run into a rough patch recently dropping five out of their last six games after losing a series to Southeastern Louisiana and getting swept by the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Georgia Bulldogs (13-7, 0-3 SEC)
Joshua L Jones
Georgia is 13-7 so far this year after getting swept by South Carolina in its first conference series. I’m not sure what to think about the ‘Dawgs. They had a good series win against Georgia Tech but they have dropped a few games that they should’ve won.
Mississippi State Bulldogs (13-8, 0-3 SEC)
Syndication: The Clarion-Ledger
Mississippi State has the worst record in the SEC at 13-8. It was outscored by Kentucky 35-11 as the Wildcats swept them last weekend. State is still trying to figure things out, but its schedule doesn’t get any easier as it welcomes Vandy into Starkville this weekend.
