SEC Baseball Power Rankings, Week 11: Arkansas, LSU lead league battle for second

While it might be premature, it seems like the SEC is fighting for second place. Texas has a 3-game lead over Arkansas and a 4-game lead over LSU and Tennessee.

But as usual, outside of a settled first and last place, there’s plenty of competition within the SEC. Second through eighth places are separated by just 3 games– a weekend series worth.

Here’s our rundown of SEC baseball squads. Again, we’re working with 3 major categories, although there’s been plenty of movement within those categories.

The No-Hopers

Forget about the NCAA Tournament for these teams:

16. Missouri (13-27, 0-18)

At this point, the question is will Missouri go winless? Hard to bet against a team with an ERA of over 13 in SEC play not losing a bunch more games. Brutal.

15. South Carolina (24-18, 4-14)

A series win over Ole Miss is a rare highlight for USC. Still, given the slate to come, an NCAA Tournament appearance still projects to be out of the realm of possibility.

14. Mississippi State (24-17, 6-12)

A series loss to Florida demonstrates how mediocre this team is. State does still have Missouri ahead on the schedule, so a 13-17 mark (likely projection for what will be required to make the NCAA Tourney) could still be an outside possibility.

13. Florida (28-15, 6-12)

Off a series win, is Florida an NCAA hopeful? Frankly, no. Series matchups with Arkansas and Texas remain ahead on the schedule. Even winning a game from each set would leave Florida with plenty of work to do otherwise.

The Hopefuls

These are the teams that look solid for the NCAA Tournament, but are still either trying to solidify that standing or to move to the realm of NCAA Regional Host and perhaps even Super-Regional Host.

12. Texas A&M (24-16, 8-10)

On the other hand, unlike Florida, Texas A&M might be for real. The qualifier here is might — the next 2 weekends match up A&M with Texas and LSU. The Aggies will stack up as an NCAA Tournament team, but those weekends could be tough and hurt the overall chances of postseason play.

11. Kentucky (23-15, 8-10)

After Kentucky was dropped to the no-hope category, the Wildcats won a series at Tennessee and bested a ranked Louisville team easily. Maybe the big offensive output is a needed sign. If nothing else, big hitting might slow down gadget plays that had hurt Kentucky early in the season. Upcoming series matchups with South Carolina and Mississippi State could enhance this upward bump.

10. Auburn (28-13, 9-9)

Fresh off a sweep of LSU, Auburn came back to the ground in getting swept by Texas. Mississippi State and South Carolina remain ahead on the schedule, so the Tigers are likely to right the ship in a hurry.

9. Alabama (32-10, 9-9)

Alabama lost its series with LSU, but now gets to play Missouri, which should jump-start momentum around the program. Bama’s regular-season finale against Florida could be simultaneously pivotal for Florida’s postseason hopes and Bama’s chances at a super regional hosting gig.

8. Oklahoma (29-11, 10-8)

Oklahoma has a fairly rough schedule after the mandated beatdown of Missouri. There are no light foes left for the Sooners, who figure to hang around .500 when all is said and done.

7. Ole Miss (29-12, 10-8)

Losing a series to South Carolina was brutal, but the Rebels are still in decent shape, albeit less so for Super Regional hosting. The guess here is that an 18-12 record would get Super hosting. That’s in reach for the Rebels by winning 2 of 3 from every remaining series. Next up is Vanderbilt at home.

The Likely Super-Regional Hosts

This one means what it says. These are teams that are tracking to potentially host NCAA Super Regional matchups.

6. Georgia (33-10, 10-8)

Georgia seems about to slip out of this group. The Bulldogs have been swept twice in the last 2 weeks and the homer-ball of the early season seems a bit broken. But Mizzou remains ahead on the schedule so the 18-win conference mark still feels within reach.

5. Vanderbilt (30-11, 11-7)

Not only did Vandy sweep Georgia, it allowed only 10 total runs. The offense isn’t glamorous, but its good enough to keep things moving when the Commodores get the type of pitching improvement the program has experienced. Looking good.

4. Tennessee (34-7, 12-6)

After a brilliant start, UT is 4-5 in its last 3 SEC series matchups. That includes series losses to Kentucky and Texas A&M, each at home. It’s certainly still far from a bad team, but the murder-them-all-let-God-sort-it-out Vols of 2024 are feeling a long way away.

3. LSU (34-8, 12-6)

After getting swept by Auburn, the Tigers rebounded with a series win over Alabama. Tennessee and Arkansas still remain ahead on the schedule, but this is a very solid team that’s as well positioned as anyone not named “Texas.”

2. Arkansas (35-7, 13-5)

A series loss to A&M was surprising. The remaining sets are tough — a fighting-for-life Florida, Texas and at LSU are all coming up soon. But Arkansas’s .330 batting average in league play is 45 points higher than second-place Mississippi State. The Hogs will be ready for postseason play.

1. Texas (34-5, 16-2)

The Longhorns have been incredible in basically all phases of the game. The Jim Schlossnagle battle with A&M this weekend is a must-watch series.

Joe Cox

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.