SEC Baseball Power Rankings: A new No. 1 emerges

Two weeks into conference play and there’s a new name atop On3’s SEC baseball power rankings. Well deserved, too, after Tennessee took to the road for a dominant sweep of the Ole Miss Rebels.

Tennessee will also likely find itself at No. 1 in the D1Baseball Top 25 when the rankings are released on Monday morning. With a huge win for the Volunteers comes high expectations, as well as a must-see rivalry series coming up next weekend, as Tennessee takes to Hawkins Field to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores in a three-game weekend series.

Ahead of that weekend, here’s a look at where the rest of the conference stacks up in On3’s SEC baseball power rankings.

SEC Baseball Power Rankings

 1. Tennessee Volunteers

Record: 23-1 (6-0)

Previous ranking: 4

There’s a new No. 1 in On3’s SEC baseball power rankings, a well-deserved honor for the Tennessee Volunteers after they took to the road and swept Ole Miss 12-1, 10-3 and 4-3. A team once slotted as high as No. 2 in the power rankings previously had an asterisk for one reason: strength of schedule. The Volunteers scheduled plenty of less-than-challenging nonconference opponents, including Iona and Rhode Island, and it was hard to make much of their hot start given the teams they faced. Well, Tennessee put those concerns to rest in emphatic fashion over the weekend. The pitching was as dominant as it’s been all season, holding a powerful Ole Miss offense to season-low totals for a series, while the offense now has hit 64 home runs — by far and away the most in the country. Hats off to Tony Vitello, who appears to have built a very special team on the Rocky Top, and Tennessee now has a chance to take control of the in-state rivalry at Vanderbilt this weekend.

2. Arkansas Razorbacks

Record: 18-4 (5-1)

Previous Ranking: 1

After sweeping Kentucky in the opening weekend, Arkansas took two of three at Missouri in its second weekend. Even as a top team in the conference, it’s hard to win them all in baseball — one loss to Mizzou will hardly taint Arkansas’ resume in the SEC baseball power rankings. With the likes of Michael Turner, Chris Lanzilli and Cayden Wallace all hitting over .300, Arkansas should have no problem staying in the top-four of the SEC a year, but the schedule will get a bit tougher in the coming weeks. After starting with Kentucky and Mizzou, Arkansas will next face Mississippi State, Florida and LSU in SEC play.

3. Vanderbilt Commodores

Record: 19-4 (4-2)

Previous Ranking: 2

After losing two of three against Oklahoma State to start the year, Vanderbilt quietly went on an insane run, amassing an 18-game win streak through the start of SEC play. But this past weekend, the Commodores lost two of three at South Carolina. Vanderbilt was bound to lose at some point; perhaps the program would have rather it be against a top-ranked SEC team, not South Carolina. In any event, though, Tim Corbin tinkered with his rotation this past weekend, starting Carter Holton and Bryce Cunningham on Saturday and Sunday, and both pitchers struggled en route to two losses. Vanderbilt has a lot to figure out — and fast — as the program must solidify its starting pitching rotation before hosting one of the strongest offenses in the country in the Tennessee Volunteers.

4. Ole Miss Rebels

Record: 16-7 (2-4)

Previous Ranking: 3

Maybe Ole Miss should have fallen further than one spot in On3’s SEC baseball power rankings. The fact of the matter is they’re not the only high-powered team to fall this past weekend — the two teams in position to make a leap past Ole Miss, Florida and Georgia, both lost two of three this past weekend, so Ole Miss maintains its position. Rightfully so, too. Not only is Ole Miss a dominant, eventual regional-hosting team, but they didn’t get swept by a nobody; they got swept by the likely No. 1 team in the country. A team normally known for offense, the Rebels couldn’t get the bats going all weekend, scoring one run in the first game and three runs in the next two. Plus, the pitching hardly gave the Rebels a chance in the first two games. John Gaddis gave up six earned runs in 1.1 innings on Friday, which eventually turned into a 12-1 loss, and Jack Dougherty gave up six earned runs in 3.2 innings on Saturday, which ended in a 10-3 rout. Ole Miss will be back, though.

5. LSU Tigers

Record: 17-7 (3-3)

Previous Ranking: 7

LSU made a real statement this past weekend, as Jay Johnson’s squad — which started the season in ugly fashion, dropping two of three at home to Texas A&M — took to Gainesville to face the No. 8-ranked Florida Gators, where the Tigers managed to bounce back from a loss with two wins to take the series. Florida’s offense put on a clinic in the second and third games, winning 16-4 and 11-2 behind a 4-of-9, 9-RBI effort across two days by Brayden Jobert. LSU should keep the momentum going next weekend, as the Tigers host Auburn.

6. Florida Gators

Record: 17-7 (3-3)

Previous Ranking: 5

Florida, which dropped a series at home to LSU, certainly could have picked worse teams to lose to. While LSU may have struggled in the opening weekend of SEC play, the Tigers are still a top-25 team, and they looked the part in Gainesville. The fact of the matter is that while Florida couldn’t get any pitching Hunter Barco — who tossed a stellar seven-inning, two-hit, no-earned-run outing on Friday, only to followed up by two pitchers that couldn’t get through the fourth inning — that offensive showing simply won’t cut in SEC play. Some of Florida’s biggest names struggled in the second and third games, as the Gators lost 16-4 and 11-2. Given their 7-2 win on Friday, though, it’s clear that the Gators have what it takes behind the plate. They just need some consistency.

7. Georgia Bulldogs

Record: 18-6 (3-3)

Previous Ranking: 6

Georgia had a real chance at jumping up the SEC baseball power rankings this week, especially with the way Florida played in a series loss at home to LSU. But instead, the Bulldogs dropped two of three on the road to Kentucky, which boasts a much-improved offense in 2022. Georgia’s starting pitching — really, its bullpen, too — was abysmal in the two losses on Saturday and Sunday, as starters Garrett Brown and Bryce Melear combined for three innings pitched, while allowing nine earned runs in what ended as 10-8 and 18-5 losses.

8. South Carolina Gamecocks

Record: 12-11 (2-4)

Previous Ranking: 9

South Carolina is to SEC baseball as Alabama is to SEC basketball. In other words, to put it simply, I have absolutely no clue what to make of this team given its inconsistency. Two weekends ago, South Carolina made a massive statement, taking two of three games against then-No. 1 Texas. This weekend, the Gamecocks took two of three from Vanderbilt. But this same program lost 3-4 in a midweek game to The Citadel. And 15-7 in a midweek game to Xavier. And got swept in three games by in-state rivals at Clemson, and the Tigers have looked pretty terrible since then. South Carolina taking two of three from Vanderbilt would normally vault them further up the power rankings, but the Gamecocks remain ridden with inconsistencies. They could — and should — iron out those issues against a slumping Missouri program this weekend.

9. Mississippi State Bulldogs

Record: 15-10 (3-3)

Previous Ranking: 8

Mississippi State took two of three against Alabama, but the Bulldogs still fell a spot after South Carolina’s win over Vanderbilt proved much more impressive. Mississippi State needed a pair of walk-off wins to take the series in the first place, as RJ Yeager launched a walk-off home run in the 10th inning on Friday, and Tanner Leggett hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth on Saturday. Cade Smith even looked fine in the third game, as he allowed three runs in six innings and was relieved by good-enough relief pitching, but Mississippi State’s offense struggled on Sunday — Logan Tanner was the only Bulldog to record multiple hits, as he finished 2-for-4. After winning the national title last year, Mississippi State, at least through the first weekend, appears to be fighting for relevancy in an extremely competitive SEC.

10. Kentucky Wildcats

Record: 17-8 (2-4)

Previous Ranking: 10

Kentucky in the opening weekend of SEC play got swept by Arkansas, but the Wildcats still managed to keep at least two games relatively close — the offense simply took a step back. This weekend, however, the Wildcats’ bats came alive: after losing the first game 4-2, Kentucky bounced back to the tune of a 10-8 win and an 18-5 win to claim its first two SEC wins of the season. Kentucky certainly drew some attention after a big weekend, and rightfully so, as the Wildcats still have Chase Estep hitting .417, while Daniel Harris, Hunter Jump, Alonzo Rubalcaba and Jacob Plastiak all stand at .300 or better. They’ll have to do a bit more to prove they belong, though, but it won’t be too easy with starting pitcher Cole Stupp getting ruled out for the rest of the season following undisclosed forearm stiffness.

 11. Auburn Tigers

Record: 17-7 (3-3)

Previous Ranking: 11

Auburn was the only bottom-dwelling SEC team to win a series this weekend, but the Tigers did not move up in the SEC power rankings, given that they took a series from Texas A&M of all teams. The Aggies haven’t looked great in Jim Schlossnagle’s first season at the helm, and Auburn needed extra innings to win on Friday, then lost in 11 innings on Saturday. Auburn’s 13-9 win on Sunday was powered by catcher Nate LaRue, who had five runs batted in thanks to a 3-for-5 effort with a double and a home run. The schedule from here on out is tough sledding for Auburn, with an impending road trip to LSU followed by a home series against Vanderbilt.

12. Texas A&M Aggies

Record: 14-9 (3-3)

Previous Ranking: 12

First-year head coach Jim Schlossnagle started out his SEC career in emphatic fashion, as the Aggies took two of three on the road against LSU — an impressive showing for a program that struggled just one season ago. But as it turns out, that series may have been more of a fluke showing than anything else — Texas A&M, which faced Auburn this past weekend, won just one game and won it on a walk-off. The Aggies will face fellow SEC bottom-dwellers in Alabama this weekend, looking to right the ship. The schedule, however, is not all that easy, as it features a midweek against No. 8 Texas this week, then a midweek against No. 20 Texas State next week.

 13. Alabama Crimson Tide

Record: 14-11 (2-4)

Previous Ranking: 13

Alabama remains at No. 13 after losing two of three to Mississippi State on the road. Frankly, the Crimson Tide had a rough bout to SEC play thanks in part to the scheduling, as they faced Florida and Mississippi State in back-to-back weekends, but it doesn’t excuse the struggles to date: in addition to a 2-4 conference record, Alabama has dropped midweek losses to UAB, Southern Miss, North Alabama and UT-Martin.

14. Missouri Tigers

Record: 13-7 (1-5)

Previous Ranking: 14

Missouri, at least for now, appears on pace to be left out of the 12-team SEC Tournament field once again. And much like Alabama, the Tigers could use the schedule card to justify such a poor start to SEC play: there may not be a worse opening to the season than a road series at Vanderbilt, then a home series against Arkansas, but the Tigers have no choice but to continue through the gauntlet. They’ll face South Carolina and Tennessee in back-to-back weeks, the latter of whom was just named No. 1 in the country.