Johnny Hummel labels the SEC as 'the best conference in Division I baseball'

With four teams out of the ACC and SEC each in the College World Series, there’s a worthy debate to be had over which conference is truly the top dog this season in college baseball.

Ahead of their first game against ACC foe, SEC representative Kentucky had a few players speak out on the conference discussion, of course taking up for their own league, which they won a share of in 2024. Pitcher Johnny Hummel didn’t take any reservations with his assertion.

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“The SEC is the best conference in Division I baseball,” he declared. “So competing against these other teams that we’re going to play on our side of the bracket has really helped us. We’ve competed against I think two of them that are in our bracket. Maybe one of them.”

The ‘Cats have already faced No. 1 overall Tennessee, as well as this surging Florida team, in regular season series. According to Hummel, those experiences help them to prepare for these CWS games.

“Being able to play them again maybe is just going to help us because we know the ins and outs, and we’re also just going to play our game.”

Infielder Mitchell Daly chimed in to add that most SEC games already feel like they’re played on the big stage.

“I would say in the SEC it feels like almost every game is a playoff atmosphere, playoff mentality going into it,” he said. “Every game is a grind. I don’t think we’re expecting anything less than that in this journey throughout playoffs and now into Omaha.”

Just like in the SEC, there’s no bad teams in Omaha, and Daly and Hummel have first-hand experience of how tough an out these CWS-caliber squads are.

“We know that every team here is good. They’re going to give us their A-game. We’re prepared for that, and we’re excited,” added Daly.

So far, as of Saturday morning, the SEC has the upper hand, with Tennessee having beat Florida State late Friday evening in a rather controversial ending; but controversial or not, the Volunteers advanced as FSU heads to the losers bracket. They’ll now face Virginia, who lost to North Carolina, in an elimination game — guaranteeing the ouster of at least one ACC team early on.

Kentucky gets their chance to show the SEC’s edge over the ACC on Saturday afternoon, as they kick off their first-ever College World Series run against NC State.