SEC Baseball Power Rankings: Conference play brings ups and downs for Omaha hopefuls

Six weeks is plenty of time to learn about your baseball team. Since Feb. 14, some clubs have learned that they’re pretty darn good. Some are wishing that the season never started and that this game ceased to exist.

The beginning of SEC play has only accentuated those thoughts, for better and for worse. Conference play is already 20 percent complete and the time feels right to re-asses where things stand in the land of more.

Four SEC teams made the College World Series last season. Tennessee looks well-oiled and primed to return to Omaha. As for Kentucky, Florida and Texas A&M, those three are now, incredibly, a combined 2-16 in league play. The Gators and Aggies enter the final weekend of March winless at 0-6.

The Vols are one of four teams to win five of their first six SEC games this season, alongside Arkansas, Georgia and Texas. Six other teams sit at 4-2, all of which are bringing different undertones to the table.

While the season may still feel young, Hoover will be here in a flash. Here’s how I stack up the SEC, as of March 24:

1. Tennessee

Record: 22-2 (5-1 SEC)
Last weekend: 6-5 loss, 10-7 win, 9-2 win at Alabama

After dropping a midweek game to ETSU, then losing game one against Alabama in Tuscaloosa, the monstrous entity that is Tennessee baseball finally resembled something that could only be described as human. It didn’t last long, though.

In danger of dropping a series against a more-than-game Alabama squad, the Volunteers quickly morphed back into the fastball-mashing beast that has terrorized the country, scoring 19 runs across two games to pick up the series win. Tennessee outlasted Bama on the mound as third baseman Dean Curley, center fielder Hunter Ensley and designated hitter Dalton Bargo carried the load on offense.

Head coach Tony Vitello, the mad scientist puppeteering his roster on the road back to Omaha, has unlimited weapons at his disposal: Two elite starting pitchers, myriad go-to arms in the bullpen, power and production up and down the lineup. Tennessee is a complete bunch, even without right-hander AJ Russell and transfer first baseman Alberto Osuna. Good luck knocking the Vols off their pedestal.

Next Weekend: at South Carolina

2. Arkansas

Record: 23-2 (5-1 SEC)
Last Weekend: 12-2 win, 12-3 win, 11-4 win vs. South Carolina

In a welcomed twist, Baum-Walker Stadium is bearing witness to consistent offense. Arkansas’ bats thoroughly dismantled reeling South Carolina over the weekend. Left fielder and leadoff man Charles Davalan had seven hits in the series, giving twin sensations Wehiwa and Kuhio Aloy, along with right fielder Logan Maxwell, ample opportunity to crush. Six players are now hitting over .350 for Dave Van Horn.

The offensive cushion has given Arkansas’ pitching staff room for error, which it has taken advantage of at points. Righty Gabe Gaeckle, who entered the season considered one of the top arms in the SEC, now has a 6.57 ERA in 24-and-two-thirds innings and may be a bullpen candidate once starter Gage Wood returns from injury.

The Razorbacks are by no means perfect, but the talent is clearly Omaha-worthy and the results are backing that up.

Next Weekend: at Vanderbilt

3. Texas

Record: 19-3 (5-1 SEC)
Last Weekend: 8-2 loss, 11-7 win, 6-2 win vs. LSU

As Texas maneuvered through its non-conference schedule, it found ways to win games, though many of them weren’t pretty. Entering SEC play, there were plenty of questions about how the Longhorns would handle high-powered offenses across a three-game series.

After picking up two wins over LSU, it’s clear that Jim Schlossnagle’s club is capable of contending for the crown in its first year in the best conference in baseball.

In Sunday’s rubber match, Texas sent Ruger Riojas, the mustachioed junior who transferred in from UTSA, to the bump and he delivered five-and-two-thirds innings of two-run ball, setting the tone as his offense quickly jumped out to a five-run lead. Lefty Dylan Volantis slammed the door with three-and-a-third hitless innings to seal the series win. Volantis landed the save in each of Texas’ wins over the Tigers. The Longhorns compiled 24 hits across their victories, outdoing a stately group in LSU.

Texas is not going to be leading any statistical categories in the vaunted SEC, but it has a knack for winning baseball games, which just means…more, at the end of the day.

Next Weekend: at Missouri

4. LSU

Record: 22-3 (4-2 SEC)
Last Weekend: 8-2 win, 11-7 loss, 6-2 loss at Texas

As Texas duly noted after the fact, many experts were tailing LSU to come away with a series win in Austin. The Tigers struggled to piece things together on Saturday and Sunday, and the Longhorns took advantage.

The series loss presents no clear issues for Jay Johnson and Co. While right-handers Anthony Eyanson and Chase Shores weren’t terrific in their starts, there’s been no prior signs of potential implosion. The offense was far from stymied and will continue to feature potential Freshman of the Year Derek Curiel (.429/.575/.655) and All-SEC First-Teamer Jared Jones (.427/.513/.781).

The good news for LSU? No remaining road series — at Oklahoma, Auburn, Texas A&M and South Carolina — on paper, will be as tough as the task at Texas. Vibes should remain high in Baton Rouge as they continue to contend for the top spot in the conference.

Next Weekend: vs. Mississippi State

5. Georgia

Record: 24-2 (5-1 SEC)
Last Weekend: 8-7 win, 17-2 win, 15-4 win at Florida

Georgia baseball is the embodiment of Bamm-Bamm Rubble from ‘The Flinstones’. Not to put the fictional child in a box, but Bamm-Bamm knew how to swing his club and that was about it. Georgia knows how to swings its bats and that’s about it.

Right now, that’s working just fine.

Over the weekend, the Bulldogs went to Gainesville and shellacked Florida for a shocking sweep. Gators pitching allowed 13 home runs to Georgia. Once again, it was not a matter of if UGA would score, it was when.

Ryland Zaborowski (.467/.588/1.120) has now hit 14 home runs. Robbie Burnett is right behind at 13. Contributions continue to come from the entire lineup, all of whom are eating their Wheaties.

And to Georgia’s credit, the pitching was far better than usual, too. Tiring righty Brian Curley is a ball of energy and he threw five scoreless innings in his first start. Righty Leighton Finley stepped up on Sunday for what was easily his best outing of the season, throwing five innings, allowing one run on two hits.

All the Bulldogs need to be on the mound is mediocre. The bats will clearly take care of the rest.

Next Weekend: vs. Auburn

6. Alabama

Record: 22-3 (4-2 SEC)
Last Weekend: 6-5 win, 10-7 loss, 9-2 loss vs. Tennessee

Game two starter Riley Quick lasted just two innings and righty Bobby Alcock was chased in the third on Sunday. As Alabama got a savory taste of what Tennessee’s offense can do in a flash, it still fought the nation’s No. 1 team hard and pulled out a big win on Thursday night to keep its hot start to the year going.

Despite fanning nine times, Alabama got to Tennessee ace lefty Liam Doyle for six hits and six runs in its gritty 6-5 win to open the series. It was a five-run second inning that did the trick, headlined by a three-run double from phenom shortstop Justin Lebron.

Rob Vaughn and his staff are beginning to find out who they can count on in crunch time in the Bama bullpen, though the Tide’s arm depth could prove crucial down the stretch if Quick and Alcock struggle to consistently go deep into games. The offensive production is there, though, keeping them in the contender category heading into April.

Next Weekend: vs. Oklahoma

7. Ole Miss

Record: 18-5 (4-2 SEC)
Last Weekend: 9-6 win, 17-10 win, 14-6 win at Missouri

Congratulations Ole Miss, you are the first team to successfully depart Columbia, Missouri with three wins. Four more teams will head that way this season, but not all will leave unscathed.

The Rebels simply overpowered Mizzou’s pitching, made it work and capitalized on mistakes, belting 10 homers across the three games. The outfield trio of Isaac Humphrey, Ryan Moerman and Mitchell Sanford all had a big series, among others.

After dropping two of three at home to Arkansas in the first weekend of SEC play, Ole Miss is back on track and in position to push for an Oxford Regional this summer. Opportunities will be plentiful for the Rebels, will their offense continue to answer the bell?

Next Weekend: vs. Florida

8. Oklahoma

Record: 20-3 (4-2 SEC)
Last Weekend: 2-1 loss, 13-11 win, 7-3 win vs. Mississippi State

Winning a series is all that matters, and Oklahoma has won each of its first two battles in the SEC against South Carolina and now Mississippi State. The Sooners have an elite Friday-night arm in Kyson Witherspoon (1.80 ERA in 35 innings) and five everyday starters that are currently hitting over .320.

It remains to be seen just how good this team is, though. Winning weekends against two teams near the bottom of the league did not come easy, whether it be via pitching or hitting not being up to par on the day. A brilliant outing from Witherspoon on Friday was all for not as OU managed just four hits in a 2-1 loss. It then allowed 17 hits on Saturday and barely scraped by in a slugfest.

There is clear upside in Oklahoma’s lineup, but what happens when it has to face off against an elite pitching staff? Three consecutive ranked matchups will help bring an answer to that question.

Next Weekend: at Alabama

9. Auburn

Record: 19-5 (4-2 SEC)
Last Weekend: 8-7 win, 8-7 win, 6-0 loss at Kentucky

Lexington treated Auburn athletics well over the weekend. For Butch Thompson and AU baseball, it took a pair of gut-wrenching mistakes by Kentucky to propel the Tigers to a series win.

Returning from injury, utility star Ike Irish delivered a five-hit, two-homer game in Saturday’s 8-7 win, including the go-ahead solo home run that proved to be the difference in the 11th inning. Pitching was not stellar, but the Wildcats were far from sharp in the first two games of the series, too.

Auburn has managed to win most, if not all of its “coin-flip games” to this point. The law of averages suggest that some tight losses will eventually come down the road, but the Tigers can try and nullify that with better back-end outings and continued run support from an impressive freshmen cast, as well as Irish and first baseman Cooper McMurray (.360/.478/.640).

Next Weekend: at Georgia

10. Vanderbilt

Record: 19-5 (4-2 SEC)
Last Weekend: 5-3 win, 3-1 win, 8-5 win vs. Texas A&M

Waxing poetic about Vanderbilt’s ceiling after sweeping Texas A&M would be like labeling a mid-card boxer as a future champion because they knocked out someone who didn’t have any hands. It’s just not the time.

The Commodores took care of business and should feel good about it, though. Connor Fennell got his first start of the season in game one on Thursday night and delivered, allowing two runs while striking out eight across three-and-two-thirds innings. Vandy racked up nine hits on A&M ace lefty Ryan Prager and Sawyer Hawks proceeded to lock things up with four near-flawless innings, allowing just one hit while striking out six.

Two late runs on Saturday and a six-run seventh inning on Sunday flattened the Aggies. Star center fielder RJ Austin, third baseman Brodie Johnston and first baseman Riley Nelson create a formidable trio in the Dores’ lineup.

The next few opponents will be much more stout. They’ll have hands, too.

Next Weekend: vs. Arkansas

11. Kentucky

Record: 15-7 (2-4 SEC)
Last Weekend: 8-7 loss, 8-7 loss, 6-0 win vs. Auburn

A dropped popup from shortstop Tyler Bell on Friday and a more-than-questionable attempt to steal home with two outs in the bottom of the 11th inning on Saturday left Kentucky with a pulsating, bird-swirling knot on the top of its head. Auburn found itself looking for a sweep at Kentucky Proud Park.

The starry-eyed Wildcats managed to push the knot down and held the Tigers to just two hits in a bounce-back 6-0 win on Sunday. Coming out of the weekend, though, UK has now lost both of its SEC series, both of which it was right on the cusp of claiming. Such is life in this conference.

Kentucky is Wile E. Coyote at the moment. The rest of the league is the Road Runner. Good luck in College Station…just don’t try the fake tunnel.

Next Weekend: at Texas A&M

12. Florida

Record: 18-8 (0-6 SEC)
Last Weekend: 8-7 loss, 17-2 loss, 15-4 loss vs. Georgia

You couldn’t have picked a worse team to be light on pitching against if you were Florida over the weekend. With ace right-hander Liam Peterson not on the mound and other arms remaining on the shelf, it was a feeding frenzy for Georgia in Gainesville.

Still, the Gators were relatively shutdown on Saturday and Sunday at the plate — a somewhat concerning sign. For the first time since 2001, Florida has been swept in consecutive SEC series — a very concerning sign.

Compared to some of the others at the bottom of the league thus far, though, it feels too early to write Kevin O’Sullivan’s team off as a flop. Injuries have hit UF particularly hard and neither of its two opening SEC matchups have been very friendly. It’s not like things are going to get that much easier, though.

Florida is in the danger zone, but it has the pieces to get itself out. The next two weeks will be crucial.

Next Weekend: at Ole Miss

13. Mississippi State

Record: 15-9 (1-5 SEC)
Last Weekend: 2-1 win, 13-11 loss, 7-3 loss at Oklahoma

If not for an electric six-inning, 10-strikeout outing from lefty Pico Kohn on Friday, Mississippi State is likely winless in SEC play. The Bulldogs have competed hard with Texas and Oklahoma, but they just haven’t been up to snuff when it matters most.

MSU is hitting .315 as a team, good for fifth in the SEC. Senior two-way spark plug Noah Sullivan is now slashing .410/.540/.667. Ace Reese is up to a team-high 34 RBIs. Nolan Stevens is hitting .364. There are good bats in this lineup, but it’s just not coming together on a weekly basis.

Pressure will continue to build around head coach Chris Lemonis. The upcoming schedule isn’t particularly favorable, either.

Next Weekend: at LSU

14. South Carolina

Record: 17-8 (1-5 SEC)
Last Weekend: 12-2 loss, 12-3 loss, 11-4 loss at Arkansas

It was never going to be a stupefying first campaign under Paul Mainieri, but South Carolina was absolutely walloped over the weekend in Fayetteville, cementing the growing pains that will likely plague this season.

The Gamecocks simply don’t have the pitching capable of delivering stress-free weekends in the SEC. At the plate, Nathan Hall (.404/.482/.574) and Ethan Petry (.356/.477/.644) are doing their part, but only Texas A&M has a worse team batting average in the SEC right now.

The good news for South Carolina? Opportunities to turn things around will continue to come in conference play. The bad news? Here comes No. 1…

Next Weekend: vs. Tennessee

15. Texas A&M

Record: 11-12 (0-6 SEC)
Last Weekend: 5-3 loss, 3-1 loss, 8-5 loss at Vanderbilt

Texas A&M continues to bring a woeful approach to the plate and has been flat-out bad for weeks. If not for excellent starting pitching, these deficits would be much greater, because scoring runs on a consistent basis is not currently an option for this offense.

Can things get better? Absolutely. The talent-level on the A&M roster remains ridiculous, even if it was obviously over-valued heading into the season. Lefties Ryan Prager (2.17 ERA in 37-and-a-third IP), Justin Lamkin (2.52 ERA in 35-and-two-thirds IP) and Myles Patton (2.41 ERA in 33-and-two-thirds IP) will continue to give them chances to win games.

Will things get better? Let’s look at the remaining schedule: Kentucky, at Tennessee, South Carolina, at Arkansas, at Texas, LSU, Missouri and at Georgia.

Buckle up.

Next Weekend: vs. Kentucky

16. Missouri

Record: 8-14 (0-6 SEC)
Last Weekend: 9-6 loss, 17-10 loss, 14-6 loss vs. Ole Miss

In all fairness to Missouri, it has scored 38 runs in its six conference games. The Tigers have made LSU and Ole Miss pitching fight hard for their sweeps, which isn’t exactly something that Texas A&M can say about its last two weekends.

However, Mizzou pitching has allowed 69 runs in those six games. That really speaks for itself, doesn’t it? Kerrick Jackson and his staff are up against it trying to compete in the SEC. It’s a nearly-impossible task.

First baseman Cayden Nicoletto (.371/.444/.565) and shortstop Jackson Lovich (.366/.404/.610) are producing, but no team in the SEC has struck out more thus far. A team ERA of 7.35 is good for No. 222 in Division I. Tough-sledding for the Tigers, in short.

Next Weekend: vs. Texas