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Weather wreaked havoc across the Southeastern Conference in Week 4 of SEC play. But the storms didn't stop the best teams in the league proving as much.
Even with the best teams showing out, there was plenty of shake up in the top half of the power rankings. Tennessee, the No. 1 team in the country, lost its series. Texas swept a top-five team. Arkansas scored more than 50 runs against the last-place team. LSU pulled a road sweep. Elite was elite.
The middle-of-the-pack teams did some solid NCAA Tournament resume-stacking, too. Plus, Texas A&M, the preseason No. 1 team in the whole country, found its way to their first series win.
Six weeks remain in what it sure to be another wild season in the best conference in college baseball.
Last week: 16
How rough are things in Columbia? Missouri is winless in the Southeastern Conference after four weekends, 0-12, and lost its three-game series to Arkansas by a combined score of 51-9. All three games were seven-inning affairs, including a 21-3 beatdown in the opener. When is football season?
Last week: 15
The other team located in a city called Columbia, holds tight at the No. 15-spot. South Carolina picked up a win in the opener of the weekend against Mississippi State but lost by seven runs in Game 2 and was shut out by six runs in the finale. The two worst teams in the SEC are clear this season...maybe.
Last week: 10
OK, the time has come to stop pretending Florida is going to turn things around. The Gators may be fighting with South Carolina and Missouri at the bottom after a sweep at the hands of Vanderbilt, a sweep in which the Gators scored a total of five runs. Florida now sits 1-11 through 12 league games. The last time UF failed to make the NCAA Tournament was in 2007, but it feels like that streak will be snapped this season.
Last week: 13
Mississippi State took care of business in Week 4 of league play, knocking off South Carolina in two of three. The Bulldogs also beat Memphis in mid-week play. Next week's series against Alabama suddenly feels like one that will establish whether MSU is closer to A&M or closer to the No. 14 spot.
Last week: 14
Texas A&M badly needed a series victory over Tennessee to keep its NCAA Tournament hopes kindling. The Aggies will still get the benefit of the doubt as they entered the season the No. 1 team in the country. But six games under .500 in SEC play is going to be tough to overcome.
Last week: 11
The Wildcats played a series of tight ball games against the Rebels this weekend. Kentucky beat Ole Miss in 10 innings, lost to Ole Miss in 12 innings, and lost 3-1 to the Rebels. Offense was at a premium, but the Wildcats look like an NCAA Tournament team again under coach Nick Mingione, even if they don't look like the College World Series team of last year.
Last week: 8
The hot start Oklahoma had to its inaugural SEC season has run into reality. The Sooners dropped all three games to powerhouse LSU over the weekend and are now below .500 in league play. The good news is that two of the three losses came by two runs or less. OU isn't a bad club.
Last week: 12
Auburn took two of three from Alabama over the weekend with the Tigers tossing a 10-0 shutout in the opener, then losing by one and clinching the series in a two-run win. Those results seem about right for a team still ranked highly, but middle of the pack - literally 6-6 - in the SEC.
Last week: 6
It's hard to knock Alabama too much for losing a series to Auburn. Rivalries are like that. In fact, Alabama and Auburn feel awfully similar, and when you look up at the standings, seeing them within a game of each other (7-5 for the Crimson Tide, 6-6 for Auburn) makes total sense.
Last week: 9
Things looked rough a week ago as Vanderbilt came off a sweep at the hands of Arkansas. But considering Arkansas didn't slow down in Week 4 and Vandy bounced back with a sweep of the Gators, the heart was shown, anyway. Vandy baseball remains a high-quality program.
Last week: 7
Ole Miss won its third straight SEC series, beating Kentucky two games to three. Throw in the fact that the Rebels are the only team to hand Arkansas a loss in league play, and they can start to smell a regional in Oxford.
Last week: 3
Georgia's bats simply couldn't get going against Texas as the Bulldogs plated just eight runs in the three-game sweep. That isn't to say Georgia is a bad team - not even close - but the weekend was a rough one for UGA down in Austin.
Last week: 4
LSU showed its mettle in two hard-won games against Oklahoma over the weekend. Add in the blowout, and it was an impressive weekend all around for the Tigers, who are clearly establishing themselves as a College World Series favorite.
Last week: 1
The No. 1 team in the country fell in two of three games to the preseason No. 1 team in the country. The series result says more about Texas A&M than Tennessee, though. The Volunteers remain a top-five, perhaps higher, team in the nation.
Last week: 4
The SEC series of the weekend turned into a showcase for the Longhorns. No. 5 Texas swept Georgia, the No. 3-ranked team in the country. The two schools will likely swap places in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll when it's released Monday. For now, Texas is tied atop the league standings with the next team.
Last week: 2
Arkansas fans are spoiled with top-five regular seasons. They want a national championship. But even they had to have been thrilled with what occurred against Missouri over the weekend. Such a showing puts the Hogs in the top spot here and perhaps even in the rankings come Monday.
This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: SEC Baseball Power Rankings after Week 4
Continue reading...
Even with the best teams showing out, there was plenty of shake up in the top half of the power rankings. Tennessee, the No. 1 team in the country, lost its series. Texas swept a top-five team. Arkansas scored more than 50 runs against the last-place team. LSU pulled a road sweep. Elite was elite.
The middle-of-the-pack teams did some solid NCAA Tournament resume-stacking, too. Plus, Texas A&M, the preseason No. 1 team in the whole country, found its way to their first series win.
Six weeks remain in what it sure to be another wild season in the best conference in college baseball.
16. Missouri Tigers
Last week: 16
How rough are things in Columbia? Missouri is winless in the Southeastern Conference after four weekends, 0-12, and lost its three-game series to Arkansas by a combined score of 51-9. All three games were seven-inning affairs, including a 21-3 beatdown in the opener. When is football season?
15. South Carolina Gamecocks
Last week: 15
The other team located in a city called Columbia, holds tight at the No. 15-spot. South Carolina picked up a win in the opener of the weekend against Mississippi State but lost by seven runs in Game 2 and was shut out by six runs in the finale. The two worst teams in the SEC are clear this season...maybe.
14. Florida Gators
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Last week: 10
OK, the time has come to stop pretending Florida is going to turn things around. The Gators may be fighting with South Carolina and Missouri at the bottom after a sweep at the hands of Vanderbilt, a sweep in which the Gators scored a total of five runs. Florida now sits 1-11 through 12 league games. The last time UF failed to make the NCAA Tournament was in 2007, but it feels like that streak will be snapped this season.
13. Mississippi State Bulldogs
Last week: 13
Mississippi State took care of business in Week 4 of league play, knocking off South Carolina in two of three. The Bulldogs also beat Memphis in mid-week play. Next week's series against Alabama suddenly feels like one that will establish whether MSU is closer to A&M or closer to the No. 14 spot.
12. Texas A&M Aggies
Last week: 14
Texas A&M badly needed a series victory over Tennessee to keep its NCAA Tournament hopes kindling. The Aggies will still get the benefit of the doubt as they entered the season the No. 1 team in the country. But six games under .500 in SEC play is going to be tough to overcome.
11. Kentucky Wildcats
Last week: 11
The Wildcats played a series of tight ball games against the Rebels this weekend. Kentucky beat Ole Miss in 10 innings, lost to Ole Miss in 12 innings, and lost 3-1 to the Rebels. Offense was at a premium, but the Wildcats look like an NCAA Tournament team again under coach Nick Mingione, even if they don't look like the College World Series team of last year.
10. Oklahoma Sooners
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Last week: 8
The hot start Oklahoma had to its inaugural SEC season has run into reality. The Sooners dropped all three games to powerhouse LSU over the weekend and are now below .500 in league play. The good news is that two of the three losses came by two runs or less. OU isn't a bad club.
9. Auburn Tigers
Last week: 12
Auburn took two of three from Alabama over the weekend with the Tigers tossing a 10-0 shutout in the opener, then losing by one and clinching the series in a two-run win. Those results seem about right for a team still ranked highly, but middle of the pack - literally 6-6 - in the SEC.
8. Alabama Crimson Tide
Last week: 6
It's hard to knock Alabama too much for losing a series to Auburn. Rivalries are like that. In fact, Alabama and Auburn feel awfully similar, and when you look up at the standings, seeing them within a game of each other (7-5 for the Crimson Tide, 6-6 for Auburn) makes total sense.
7. Vanderbilt Commodores
Last week: 9
Things looked rough a week ago as Vanderbilt came off a sweep at the hands of Arkansas. But considering Arkansas didn't slow down in Week 4 and Vandy bounced back with a sweep of the Gators, the heart was shown, anyway. Vandy baseball remains a high-quality program.
6. Ole Miss Rebels
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Last week: 7
Ole Miss won its third straight SEC series, beating Kentucky two games to three. Throw in the fact that the Rebels are the only team to hand Arkansas a loss in league play, and they can start to smell a regional in Oxford.
5. Georgia Bulldogs
Last week: 3
Georgia's bats simply couldn't get going against Texas as the Bulldogs plated just eight runs in the three-game sweep. That isn't to say Georgia is a bad team - not even close - but the weekend was a rough one for UGA down in Austin.
4. LSU Tigers
Last week: 4
LSU showed its mettle in two hard-won games against Oklahoma over the weekend. Add in the blowout, and it was an impressive weekend all around for the Tigers, who are clearly establishing themselves as a College World Series favorite.
3. Tennessee Volunteers
Last week: 1
The No. 1 team in the country fell in two of three games to the preseason No. 1 team in the country. The series result says more about Texas A&M than Tennessee, though. The Volunteers remain a top-five, perhaps higher, team in the nation.
2. Texas Longhorns
Last week: 4
The SEC series of the weekend turned into a showcase for the Longhorns. No. 5 Texas swept Georgia, the No. 3-ranked team in the country. The two schools will likely swap places in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll when it's released Monday. For now, Texas is tied atop the league standings with the next team.
1. Arkansas Razorbacks
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Last week: 2
Arkansas fans are spoiled with top-five regular seasons. They want a national championship. But even they had to have been thrilled with what occurred against Missouri over the weekend. Such a showing puts the Hogs in the top spot here and perhaps even in the rankings come Monday.
This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: SEC Baseball Power Rankings after Week 4
Continue reading...
