Paul Finebaum discusses the SEC's success in baseball, how it reached this level

SEC baseball is on another level. With LSU and Florida in the College World Series finals, the conference is only again showing its dominance. Paul Finebaum weighed in on how the SEC took command of college baseball.

“This isn’t an average sports league where you can get lucky. You can’t get lucky in college baseball, you have to have a number of things and I think it starts with facilities,” Finebaum said on “McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning.” “Ultimately, one school started spending money and then the next one did, and by the time you got around to [teams] 12, 13 and 14, you’re probably having to do it all over again.”

The cost of greatness

The domino effect has been evident in the conference’s success. The last three teams to win the NCAA Baseball World Series have been SEC programs: Ole Miss (2022), Mississippi State (2021) and Vanderbilt (2019). With Florida and LSU as the only two remaining options, that streak is set to increase.

SEC programs didn’t become titans in baseball on accident. The SEC is at the forefront of baseball investment. In the past five seasons, the SEC is the only conference averaging seven figures in baseball operating expenses, per Athletic Director U.

Paul Finebaum on unexpected help

While the SEC has earned its success, Finebaum believes some of its accomplishment are the result of uncontrollable factors.

“Weather plays a role. Not entirely, because Kentucky does not have an early spring like like Florida or LSU or Texas, but it is it’s the only league where a Friday night game in late March or early April feels like the NCAA Super Regional,” Finebaum said. “As a result of that, everyone is so prepared by the time you get to this point in the season.”

LSU and Florida are certainly prepared. The two teams have put on a historical series. In Game 1, LSU’s Ty Floyd hurled 17 strikeouts, the most in a CWS final. In Game 2, Florida fired back with 24 runs, the most-ever in a CWS game. Finebaum asserted the two teams’ excellence is a result of internal competition.

“These two were expected to get here. Last year, nobody expected Ole Miss and than Mississippi State had that run two years ago,” Finebaum said. “It’s a matter of the internal competition where — all being good means is, you’re average. You’ve got to be superb.”

Watch the two superb teams face off at 7 p.m. ET with the national title on the line. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.