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Only two weekends remain before the SEC baseball tournament begins in Hoover. We're in the final stretch of the regular season as the calendar flips to May, and that means in resume sharpening time.
A handful of SEC teams are slotted to host regionals in the NCAA Tournament, and a few will be lucky enough to host super regionals. Others are just fighting for a spot on the bubble. The bubble group includes LSU, which swept South Carolina over the weekend. But the Tigers have work to do if Jay Johnson's squad wants to make the dance.
Georgia keeps rolling at the top of the conference. The Bulldogs swept Missouri and now sit 2.5 games up in the SEC standings. Needless to say, Georgia will maintain its top spot in this week's power rankings. Wes Johnson's squad looks primed to make a deep tournament run, with MLB talent at the plate and on the mound.
Here's our complete SEC baseball power rankings:
Missouri and South Carolina have been at the bottom of the barrel all year. Both were swept again this weekend.
Vanderbilt falls after being swept. Vandy's lineup is decent, but the pitching staff has too many question marks.
LSU swept South Carolina over the weekend, but it's not enough to boost the Tigers' power ranking. There were a lot of encouraging signs from the Tigers -- Omar Serna and Cade Arrambide continue to mash and LSU's pitching staff was elite. LSU has a chance to make a statement at Georgia this weekend.
I was high on Tennessee last week and suggested the Vols were better than their record suggests. I still believe that, but it's hard to justify keeping Tennessee in the top-10.
Kentucky took two of three from Tennessee, but fell just short of completing the sweep. Kentucky ranks No. 5 in the SEC with a .267 batting average.
After dropping a series to Florida, Oklahoma is still .500 in SEC play. The Sooners are No. 19 in RPI and have eight quad-one wins under their belt.
Despite the series win over Ole Miss, I still have Arkansas a step below the Rebels. Arkansas is heading in the right direction, though. The Razorbacks are 5-1 in their last six SEC games. Dave Van Horn's team is always dangerous when the calendar turns to May.
Ole Miss dropped a series vs. Arkansas over the weekend, but the Rebels rank No. 13 in RPI and are still .500 in the SEC. Ole Miss doesn't have elite pitching, but it has enough arms it can trust. The Rebels have proven they can find clutch at-bats when needed.
The Crimson Tide make a leap after a sweep of Vanderbilt. Alabama now ranks No. 5 in RPI. The pitching staff is good, and while the lineup doesn't have power, the Crimson Tide hit for contact.
Florida took two of three from Oklahoma over the weekend and the conference ERA of 4.35 sits No. 3 in the SEC. The lineup is led by veteran Blake Cyr with a 1.011 OPS on the year.
The Bulldogs hold at No. 5 despite the series loss. Mississippi State ranks in the top three in the SEC in conference play in OPS and ERA. Brian O'Connor's team had a mid-season lull and is 9-9 in quad one games, but this is a complete baseball team with the talent to win the conference.
Texas A&M was nearly swept by Auburn, but it was the Aggies' first series loss in six weeks. Still, Texas A&M's lineup is one of the best in the SEC and the Aggie bats have enough firepower to beat any team in the country. A&M has pitching problems to figure out if it wants to compete for a national title, though.
Auburn took a series from Texas A&M over the weekend, scoring 18 runs in Game 1 on Friday night. Andreas Alvarez tossed a shortened complete game, striking out 11. Auburn ranks No. 4 in RPI and has 11 quad-one wins. All of Auburn's losses have either been to quad one or quad two teams.
Texas was at No. 3 last week, but I'm bumping them up to No. 2 after a series win over Mississippi State. The Texas pitching staff is elite and the Longhorns have the arms to make a run at Omaha. Sam Cozart continues to dominate out of the pen with a 1.14 ERA. Starter Dylan Volantis has a 2.06 ERA in SEC play.
Georgia isn't moving off the top spot. After a sweep of Missouri, Georgia is 18-6 in conference play. UGA is 10-6 in quad one games and second in the SEC with 177 runs scored in conference play. This year, Georgia has the pitching to match the hitting. Starter Dylan Vigue is one of the best in the SEC with a 2.63 ERA.
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: SEC Baseball Power Rankings: Does LSU climb after a sweep?
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A handful of SEC teams are slotted to host regionals in the NCAA Tournament, and a few will be lucky enough to host super regionals. Others are just fighting for a spot on the bubble. The bubble group includes LSU, which swept South Carolina over the weekend. But the Tigers have work to do if Jay Johnson's squad wants to make the dance.
Georgia keeps rolling at the top of the conference. The Bulldogs swept Missouri and now sit 2.5 games up in the SEC standings. Needless to say, Georgia will maintain its top spot in this week's power rankings. Wes Johnson's squad looks primed to make a deep tournament run, with MLB talent at the plate and on the mound.
Here's our complete SEC baseball power rankings:
16 and 15: Missouri and South Carolina
Missouri and South Carolina have been at the bottom of the barrel all year. Both were swept again this weekend.
14. Vanderbilt Commodores
Vanderbilt falls after being swept. Vandy's lineup is decent, but the pitching staff has too many question marks.
13. LSU Tigers
LSU swept South Carolina over the weekend, but it's not enough to boost the Tigers' power ranking. There were a lot of encouraging signs from the Tigers -- Omar Serna and Cade Arrambide continue to mash and LSU's pitching staff was elite. LSU has a chance to make a statement at Georgia this weekend.
12. Tennessee Volunteers
I was high on Tennessee last week and suggested the Vols were better than their record suggests. I still believe that, but it's hard to justify keeping Tennessee in the top-10.
11. Kentucky Wildcats
Kentucky took two of three from Tennessee, but fell just short of completing the sweep. Kentucky ranks No. 5 in the SEC with a .267 batting average.
10. Oklahoma Sooners
After dropping a series to Florida, Oklahoma is still .500 in SEC play. The Sooners are No. 19 in RPI and have eight quad-one wins under their belt.
9. Arkansas Razorbacks
Despite the series win over Ole Miss, I still have Arkansas a step below the Rebels. Arkansas is heading in the right direction, though. The Razorbacks are 5-1 in their last six SEC games. Dave Van Horn's team is always dangerous when the calendar turns to May.
8. Ole Miss Rebels
Ole Miss dropped a series vs. Arkansas over the weekend, but the Rebels rank No. 13 in RPI and are still .500 in the SEC. Ole Miss doesn't have elite pitching, but it has enough arms it can trust. The Rebels have proven they can find clutch at-bats when needed.
7. Alabama Crimson Tide
The Crimson Tide make a leap after a sweep of Vanderbilt. Alabama now ranks No. 5 in RPI. The pitching staff is good, and while the lineup doesn't have power, the Crimson Tide hit for contact.
6. Florida Gators
Florida took two of three from Oklahoma over the weekend and the conference ERA of 4.35 sits No. 3 in the SEC. The lineup is led by veteran Blake Cyr with a 1.011 OPS on the year.
5. Mississippi State Bulldogs
The Bulldogs hold at No. 5 despite the series loss. Mississippi State ranks in the top three in the SEC in conference play in OPS and ERA. Brian O'Connor's team had a mid-season lull and is 9-9 in quad one games, but this is a complete baseball team with the talent to win the conference.
4. Texas A&M Aggies
Texas A&M was nearly swept by Auburn, but it was the Aggies' first series loss in six weeks. Still, Texas A&M's lineup is one of the best in the SEC and the Aggie bats have enough firepower to beat any team in the country. A&M has pitching problems to figure out if it wants to compete for a national title, though.
3. Auburn Tigers
Auburn took a series from Texas A&M over the weekend, scoring 18 runs in Game 1 on Friday night. Andreas Alvarez tossed a shortened complete game, striking out 11. Auburn ranks No. 4 in RPI and has 11 quad-one wins. All of Auburn's losses have either been to quad one or quad two teams.
2. Texas Longhorns
Texas was at No. 3 last week, but I'm bumping them up to No. 2 after a series win over Mississippi State. The Texas pitching staff is elite and the Longhorns have the arms to make a run at Omaha. Sam Cozart continues to dominate out of the pen with a 1.14 ERA. Starter Dylan Volantis has a 2.06 ERA in SEC play.
1. Georgia Bulldogs
Georgia isn't moving off the top spot. After a sweep of Missouri, Georgia is 18-6 in conference play. UGA is 10-6 in quad one games and second in the SEC with 177 runs scored in conference play. This year, Georgia has the pitching to match the hitting. Starter Dylan Vigue is one of the best in the SEC with a 2.63 ERA.
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: SEC Baseball Power Rankings: Does LSU climb after a sweep?
Continue reading...
