SEC Baseball Power Rankings: Gamecocks headline risers after stealing series from No. 1 Texas

In a week where basketball dominated headlines, a jam-packed slate of SEC baseball may not have drawn your attention. Understandably so, with conference tournaments galore, Selection Sunday and March Madness about to get underway.

But it was an eventful week in college baseball, particularly in the SEC, which resulted in a number of shakeups in On3’s SEC baseball power rankings — especially after the previously No. 10-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks stole a series from the nation’s No. 1-ranked team.

Catch up on an exciting weekend of SEC baseball with On3’s latest installment of power rankings. Here’s where the 14 teams land:

SEC baseball power rankings

1. Ole Miss Rebels

Record: 13-2

Previous Ranking: 1

Truth be told, Ole Miss didn’t have to do a whole lot to hold down the No. 1 spot in On3’s SEC baseball power rankings heading into the first week of conference play. A 3-1 week — with a seven-inning, 16-1 victory over Alcorn State, followed by a 16-2 win over Oral Roberts, and a split in the final doubleheader against Oral Roberts — was good enough to maintain position. Tim Elko hasn’t quite hit for the average he’s hoped, maintaining just .271 through 15 games, but after driving in seven (!) RBIs in the midweek beatdown of Alcorn State, he’s now brought his total to a team-leading 23 runs batted in. Meanwhile, TJ McCants and Justin Bench have been frequent contributors in the lineup, hitting .364 and .340, respectively, with 26 combined RBIs. After a midweek game against Southeastern Louisiana, Ole Miss heads to Auburn for its SEC opener this week.

2. Arkansas Razorbacks

Record: 11-3

Previous Ranking: 2

Arkansas climbed from No. 3 to No. 2 in the On3 SEC baseball power rankings last week, and the Hogs have not lost a game since, climbing back from some early-season struggles. Arkansas prepares for SEC play fresh off a four-game sweep of UIC, as the Razorbacks took the series via a 12-4 and 5-4 doubleheader win, followed by a 10-1 win on Saturday and a 10-8 win on Sunday. What a week it was for third baseman Cayden Wallace, who went 6-for-18 in four games while amassing 13 RBIs. Chris Lanzili was once again a difference-maker for Arkansas as well, as he went 6-for-13 with six RBIs. Arkansas has two more tune-up midweek games against Grambling before getting into SEC play against Kentucky.

3. Vanderbilt Commodores

Record: 13-2

Previous Ranking: 3

It’s hard to deny Vanderbilt of the No. 3 spot, which it held last week, after the Commodores seemed to have figured out the one glaring inconsistency behind the plate — but then again, it was against lowly Wagner, which is 1-12 on the year and has allowed over 10 runs in nine of its losses. Vanderbilt has the arms to make a deep postseason run, highlighted by depth in the form of Chris McElvain, Thomas Schultz, Carter Holton, Patrick Reilly, Nick Maldonaldo and many more. Vanderbilt just needed more production behind the plate, and 40 runs in three games sure looks the part. Again, it wasn’t against much of a power opponent, but it must be reassuring that some names are beginning to shake off early-season rust. While Dominic Keegan (.442, 18 RBIs), Javier Vaz (.372, 14 RBIs) and Spencer Jones (.360, 12 RBIs) continue their hot starts to the year, Enrique Bradfield Jr. (.283, seven RBIs) and Tate Kolwyck (.315, 12 RBIs) are beginning to hit their strides. Vanderbilt has a critical midweek test against Michigan before opening up SEC play against a subpar Missouri team.

4. Tennessee Volunteers

Record: 15-1

Previous ranking: 5

It’s so hard to get a read on Tennessee. The Volunteers have scored runs at an absolutely ridiculous rate through 16 games, scoring just about 200. But many have come against the likes of Iona, which hardly looks much like a Division-I team. After Tennessee destroyed Iona in a three-game series, On3 put the Vols at No. 2, only to drop then down to No. 5 when they appeared to return to earth. But another week has come and gone, and Tennessee has yet to lose another game, beating James Madison twice and sweeping Rhode Island with 37 runs in three games. Rhode Island, like Iona, is abysmal and has not won a game this year, perhaps putting the runs in perspective. It’s been nearly impossible to get a read on the Volunteers while they beat up on poor nonconference teams, but a great test awaits Tony Vitello in the first weekend of SEC play, as the Vols host South Carolina — fresh off taking two of three from No. 1 Texas.

5. Florida Gators

Record: 13-4

Previous Ranking: 4

You can’t win them all in baseball, so it’s hard to expect Florida to sweep Seton Hall. But let’s be honest: Seton Hall, which is 1-12 on the season, should not have picked up its only win of the year against Florida. The Gators still won the first two games, 16-4 and 11-9, before the 6-4 loss, and Florida also picked up a 1-0 win in its midweek matchup with Jacksonville. But the Gators have plenty of opportunity to move up this coming week, as it hosts a midweek test against Florida State and travels to Alabama for its first SEC series of the year. Florida currently has five players sitting above .300 in Colby Halter, Wyatt Langford, Sterlin Thompson, BT Ropelle and Jud Fabian, with Colby’s .391 average and Fabian’s 19 RBIs leading the pack.

6. LSU Tigers

Record: 13-3

Previous Ranking: 7

Ranking LSU at No. 7 last week may have been a bit low, but the Tigers have since risen back up to No. 6 in the On3 SEC baseball power rankings after beating McNeese and sweeping Bethune-Cookman — but perhaps it was a bit closer than it should’ve been, at least on Friday, as Blake Money had a poor start, allowing four earned runs in 4.1 innings pitched. Dylan Crews and Cade Doughty continue to pace the offense for the Tigers, as Crews is hitting .406 with four home runs and 19 RBIs, while Doughty is sitting at .393 with six homers and 26 RBIs. Jacob Berry is providing both power and average, amassing eight home runs, 21 RBIs and a .382 average through 16 contests, and overall, the Jay Johnson era appears to be off to a nice start in Baton Rouge. LSU has a big midweek test before an easier SEC opener against Texas A&M, as the Tigers face off against Tulane — Tulane, which was a Top 25 team after picking up two of three on the road against Mississippi State, comes off four abysmal losses to Southern Missouri and Evansville, and the Green Wave will be hungry for a rebound.

7. South Carolina Gamecocks

Record: 9-6

Previous Ranking: 10

South Carolina, which has had its fair share of struggles to start the season, boasts the two best wins in the SEC — and it may stay that way for quite some time. The Gamecocks rolled the dice with some tough scheduling before SEC play, and it paid off this past weekend, as they beat the No. 1-ranked Texas Longhorns in two of three games to steal a huge series. After getting swept by Clemson and losing a midweek to Xavier, the Gamecocks looked like they were on pace to plummet down On3’s SEC baseball power rankings, but they rebounded by beating the best team in the country. Against a high-powered Texas lineup, South Carolina — which lost its first matchup to Texas on Saturday — saw Will Sanders turn in a four-hit, 2-run, six-strikeout, six-inning performance in the first win, only for Matthew Becker to one-up his teammate with 11 strikeouts, one hit and one earned run through six innings. Andrew Eyster, who is now hitting .400 with a team-high 21 RBIs, notched three RBIs across the two winning performances. South Carolina ended nonconference play in a huge way, and it has one final midweek tuneup against Gardner-Webb before traveling to play Tennessee in SEC play.

8. Mississippi State Bulldogs

Record: 10-7

Previous Ranking: 6

Mississippi State at No. 8! What’s crazier: I don’t even think it’s a stretch. All year, the defending national champions have hardly looked the part, which perhaps is to be expected — at least in some capacity — after losing so many key pieces to the MLB Draft. But it’s getting tiring to rank Mississippi State so high on its prestige alone, when the Bulldogs have looked OK all season. Sure, they swept Princeton in Starkville this weekend, but they split the far more important series (at least, in terms of resume) against Texas Tech, and that came after a series loss to Tulane. … Which came after a series loss to Northern Kentucky. … Which came after a series loss to Long Beach State. Let’s be honest: Mississippi State will have to lose a whole lot more to drop out of the Top 25, at least in the eyes of D1Baseball and other polls, but they’ll have to win a whole lot more to climb back up On3’s SEC baseball power rankings. Because right now, the rest of the SEC looks as dominant as usual, while the Bulldogs limp through what’s supposed to be the easy part of their schedule.

9. Georgia Bulldogs

Record: 13-3

Previous Ranking: 8

Georgia falls from No. 8 to No. 9 in On3’s SEC baseball power rankings, but that’s a byproduct of other teams climbing up higher. The Bulldogs did lose one midweek contest to Georgia Southern, 13-5, behind some ugly pitching, as Will Childers went one frame and allowed one earned run before relievers Michael Polk and Nolan Crisp allowed five and four earned runs, respectively, in a combined three innings pitched. Jake Poindexter put the game out of reach by allowing three more earned runs in one relief inning. But from there, Georgia quickly rebounded with a 5-1 victory to split with Georgia Southern, followed by a home sweep of Lipscomb. Georgia’s offense looked well-rounded this past weekend, and leadoff man Ben Anderson — who has a team-leading .375 average — continued to do damage with six RBIs in three weekend games.

10. Kentucky Wildcats

Record: 14-3

Previous Ranking: 9

Like Georgia, Kentucky didn’t fall because of its one midweek loss to Ohio University, as the Wildcats still managed to go 4-1 with a win over Murray State and a three-game sweep of High Point. But intsead, Kentucky fell because of other teams rising. So far, Kentucky’s offense has been far better than expected — which could be because of the weaker nonconference scheduling, or it could be because, finally, the Wildcats’ bats have simply improved year-over-year. At some point, one might expect Chase Estep to cool down, but that time has not come yet, as the junior is still hitting .476 with 21 RBIs, seven doubles and seven home runs. Maybe Kentucky really has improved this season. Only time will tell — and the Wildcats will truly get to show it this week, with a road midweek game against Indiana followed by a road SEC opener at Arkansas, arguably the toughest travel in the conference.

11. Alabama Crimson Tide

Record: 12-5

Previous Ranking: 12

Alabama beat Murray State, lost to North Alabama then swept Binghamton in a three-game weekend series, moving the Tide up just one spot thanks to the pitching — though Auburn and Alabama is a toss-up, the Crimson Tide pitching staff looks a bit more comfortable than Auburn’s, and there are far fewer questions on the bump. Garrett McMillan turned in seven innings, allowing just two hits and one earned run while striking out seven; Antoine Jean went six innings, allowing three hits, one earned run and striking out four; and Garrett Hitt allowed two earned runs on two hits through four innings, while strikeout out seven. McMillan and Jean look in position to give Alabama a legitimate fighting chance in its first two SEC games, week in and week out, which is something that can’t be said about Auburn, as the two teams trade spots in On3’s SEC baseball power rankings. Alabama opens the SEC season at home against Florida this weekend.

12. Auburn Tigers

Record: 13-4

Previous Ranking: 11

Yeah, Auburn swept Rhode Island in a four-game rout to put the Tigers at No. 11 last week. Yeah, the Tigers only lost two of four games this week. But Auburn losing two of a three-game series to Middle Tennessee isn’t a great look, especially now that it’s abundantly clear just how bad the 0-13 Rhode Island baseball program is this season. Auburn allowed eight runs in its first loss to Middle Tennessee, and Jordan Armstrong didn’t make it out of the first inning before allowing four earned runs on four hits. The relieving wasn’t much better. Even in a winning performance in the second Middle Tennessee game, Auburn allowed seven runs, and the Tigers needed to use seven relievers — and a two-inning save — to make it out with a 10-7 victory. Auburn better figure out those pitching woes and it better do it quickly, because an SEC opening series with Ole Miss looms.

13. Missouri Tigers

Record: 11-2

Previous Ranking: 13

Missouri went 2-1 on the week, as the Tigers lost 10-5 at home to Gonzaga on Wednesday, before beating San Francisco and Arizona State on the weekend. Gonzaga is a good team and the loss is hardly a stain on the resume — but beating San Francisco and Arizona State isn’t much to write home about. The Tigers look once again to be fighting for consideration in the SEC Tournament, and Mizzou will hope to make the 12-team field after missing the cut last season. Unfortunately, for the Tigers, things may not go as planned — at least early on — as Missouri travels to Nashville for a road series against Vanderbilt to start the SEC season. Just win one of those three and Missouri is off to a fine start; easier said than done, though.

14. Texas A&M Aggies

Record: 10-5

Previous Ranking: 14

Texas A&M was No. 9 in On3’s SEC baseball opening-week power rankings, and they’ve clearly fallen off. From No. 9, the Aggies fell to No. 13; last week, they moved to No. 14, which is where Texas A&M will be until it proves otherwise. After dismissing former head coach Rob Childress following 16 years at the helm, Texas A&M hired in-state, stealing Jim Schlossnagle from TCU, and the program received a boost in the first installment of On3’s SEC baseball power rankings for that very reason. No. 9 seemed about right for a team with Schlossnagle at the helm, but there’s a lot of work to be done for Texas A&M to even make the SEC Tournament. The Aggies took two of three against Santa Clara last weekend, and it beat Tartleton, too, but they have a tough week ahead with a midweek game against Houston and a three-game series at LSU.