NCAA Baseball: SEC Standings, News, and Updates
By Ryan Wright
Week nine in SEC action came and went with a few unforeseen surprises primarily when then No. 4 LSU lost their series to University of Vanderbilt.
Friday Kevin Gausman threw a complete-game five-hitter leading the Tigers to a 2-1 victory over the Commodores. Gausman struck out 11 batters walking one on 123 pitches. After Friday it was all Vanderbilt.
The resurgent Commodores are 7-3 since dropping a 2-1 series to lowly Alabama April 20-22. VU can claim quality wins during their run against top ranked Kentucky, in-state rival Tennessee, and LSU.
Once at the bottom of the SEC East, the Commodores have a chance to move and finish above .500 in conference should they best incoming Ole Miss this weekend.
LSU has all but wrapped up the SEC West. Trouncing No. 3 South Carolina on the road this weekend would help the Tigers cause in winning a top seed come NCAA Tournament time.
Even a 2-1 win for LSU could make life difficult for the NCAA once the SEC Tournament has been completed.
Four SEC teams are ranked in the top 10 in both major college baseball polls (Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball) and each team is currently ranked in the top 10 in RPI rankings- No. 1 Florida, No. 7 LSU, No. 8 South Carolina, and No. 10 Kentucky.
Oregon, Baylor, and Florida State will win top seeds based off their regular season. How the seeding committee views UCLA, North Carolina, Purdue, and Stanford will affect the number of SEC teams receiving a 1-8 seed.
Kentucky closes with Mississippi State, a very winnable series for the Wildcats, while Florida hosts Auburn. Kentucky should win the SEC East once the weekend is over.
The winner of the USC vs. LSU series should receive the third national seeding out of the SEC for the NCAA Tournament. A fourth team maybe deserving of a seed but it is highly doubtful they will receive that honor.
The other SEC shocker with national implications was Auburn’s 2-1 series win over the Razorbacks. Dave Van Horn’s squad tied a school record with 26 wins at Baum Stadium this season. What they needed and did not earn was the tie breaker 27th win.
The Razorbacks dropped out of Baseball America’s Top 25 poll as a result. Unless the Hogs are swept at Tennessee they should make the NCAA Tournament. The once assured position of hosting a NCAA Regional is all but gone. Perhaps a sweep of the Vols plus a SEC Tournament Championship could change those fortunes?
Auburn faces another tough pitching staff when the Gators storm into town. The Razorbacks did a good job in game 1 and 2 of their series against the Tigers of keeping their bats quiet. On Sunday Auburn broke out and showed why they are the top hitting team in the SEC (.317 team batting average) scoring 12 runs.
Florida’s staff should be able to keep the Tigers in check for three games. Arkansas went without one of their top pitchers, Ryne Stanek (back); the difference in their three game series? The Gators are rolling out the same three starters as last weekend- Hudson Randall, Brian Johnson, and Karesten Whitson.
Ole Miss helped their cause by sweeping Tennessee in a three-game series at home. The Rebels are now one game below .500 in conference.
Perhaps the Bulldogs were lucky they only got to play two against South Carolina or were the Gamecocks the lucky ones?
Georgia’s bullpen has been sharp over the last couple of weeks. USC has continued their winning ways after stumbling out of the blocks early in the conference season. Neither team lost or gained ground as a result of a 1-1 split due to the weather.
Week 10 SEC action will have all the drama a college baseball fan could want. Four different teams are vying for national seeds, three SEC East teams are mathematically alive for the SEC East crown, four SEC West (Arkansas, Auburn, Ole Miss, and Mississippi State) teams and two SEC East squads (Georgia and Vanderbilt) are fighting for an invitation to the NCAA Tournament. Each team should have a good idea of their fate by the end of Saturday’s closing games.
Results for SEC Weekend Series: May 10-13
Auburn at No. 13 Arkansas: Auburn won series 2-1; 3-2, 4-5, and 12-5
No. 3 USC at Georgia: Series split, USC won Friday 3-0, Saturday UG won 6-5
Vanderbilt at No. 4 LSU: VU won series 2-1; 1-2, 6-3, and 5-4
Tennessee at Ole Miss: UM 3-game sweep; 4-2, 7-4, and 4-2
No. 30 Mississippi State at No. 5 Florida; UF won series 2-1; 4-1, 0-2, and 2-1
Alabama at No. 7 Kentucky; 2-game sweep; 4-2 and 8-1
Baseball America Rankings
No. 2 South Carolina
No. 3 Florida
No. 4 Kentucky
No. 9 LSU
No. 25 Mississippi
Dropped Out: No. 20 Arkansas and No. 25 Mississippi State
Collegiate Baseball Rankings
No. 2 Kentucky
No. 3 South Carolina
No. 4 LSU
No. 5 Florida
No. 17 Arkansas
No. 30 Mississippi
Dropped Out: No. 30 Mississippi State
SEC East (Overall Record, SEC Record)
Kentucky41-12, 18-9
South Carolina 38-13, 17-9
Florida 38-15, 16-11
Georgia 30-22, 13-13
Vanderbilt 24-24, 13-14
Tennessee 24-28, 8-19
SEC West (Overall Record, SEC Record)
LSU 40-13, 17-10
Ole Miss 34-19, 14-13
Mississippi State 30-18, 13-14
Arkansas 36-17, 13-14
Auburn 29-24, 12-15
Alabama 19-33, 7-20
* Standings and records through May 16