SEC Baseball Power Rankings: Several teams off to hot starts
The SEC is typically well-represented at the College World Series. Last season, four of the eight programs that made it to Omaha were from the conference. Auburn, Arkansas, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M were the four schools to represent the SEC.
This season could be different as several other programs have gotten off to hot starts. Several of them being Alabama, South Carolina, and Missouri. All of which had failed to reach the NCAA Tournament a season ago.
The conference always seems to be competitive and well-respected among other conferences in college baseball. The last four of five College World Series’ have been won by an SEC school. Florida won in 2018, Vanderbilt won in 2019, Mississippi State won in 2021, and Ole Miss won in 2022.
Today, Roll Tide Wire breaks down the first SEC Baseball power rankings of the 2023 season.
Mississippi State Bulldogs (5-3)
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Last season, Mississippi State finished with a 26-30 overall record. The Bulldogs have already dropped three of their first eight games this season. Two of the three losses came against VMI and Louisiana-Monroe. The other came at the hands of Arizona State. It is early on in the season, but the Bulldogs better start cleaning up their mistakes pretty fast to stay in the pack with a top-heavy SEC.
Kentucky Wildcats (5-2)
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Kentucky did not have a lot of buzz surrounding the program heading into the 2023 season. However, the Wildcats have already dropped two games that should have been easy wins heading into the season. The Wildcats lost to Elon and Wright State, Nick Mingione’s squad will need to get back on the right track sooner rather than later.
Georgia Bulldogs (5-2)
Joshua L Jones
Outside of two losses, the Bulldogs’ offense has looked impressive. Georgia has scored 69 runs in seven games this season. In their two losses to Princeton and Jacksonville State, Georgia scored 16 total runs. The Bulldogs’ pitching seems to be the problem up to this point allowing close to six runs per game. Jonathon Cannon was Georgia’s best pitcher a season ago. It seems that Scott Stricklin’s squad is still trying to find its footing on the mound.
Texas A&M Aggies (4-3)
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Texas A&M had a lot of high expectations surrounding the program heading into the 2023 campaign. The Aggies have done everything but meet those expectations. Through seven games, the Aggies are 4-3. Jim Schlossnagle’s squad returned four of its top-five hitters from a season ago, but it has not helped thus far. During the Aggies’ three-game losing streak, they were held to just eight runs. If that trend continues, Texas A&M may be in trouble.
Arkansas Razorbacks (5-2)
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Arkansas is coming off of a World Series appearance in 2022. The Razorbacks lost several key players from a season ago but also returned some as well. The Razorbacks lost four of their five best hitters to the MLB draft. That has hurt the Hogs through the first two weeks of the season. Despite the early struggles, Arkansas will likely resolve the problem over the course of the season. Head coach Dave Van Horn seems to always find a way to string together a successful season.
Missouri Tigers (5-2)
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One of the most surprising teams this season has been Missouri. The Tigers have gotten off to an impressive 5-2 start after finishing last season with a 28-23 overall record. Missouri head coach Shane Bieser and his squad won two out of three games in the College Baseball Showdown. The Tigers knocked off Texas and No. 15 TCU.
Tennessee Volunteers (6-2)
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Tennessee had arguably the best team in the history of its program a season ago. Tony Vitello’s squad had several top draft picks whether it be a pitcher or a fielder. The key departures of Jordan Beck, Drew Gilbert, and Trey Lipscomb have seemingly led to an offensive struggle for the Volunteers so far this season. Tennessee dropped its first two games of the season to Arizona and Grand Canyon. To their credit, the Volunteers have won six games in a row. Tennessee’s next true test will come against Gonzaga this weekend.
Vanderbilt Commodores (5-3)
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Vanderbilt head coach Tim Corbin seems to always find a way to win. The talent may not be up to standard, but the Commodores have gotten off to a pretty good start to the 2023 season. The Commodores knocked off No. 9 Oklahoma State and No. 17 UCLA twice. The three losses have been rough, however. In Vanderbilt’s three losses, the team has scored just eight runs. Corbin will need to get his guys back on track in order to compete in the SEC.
Auburn Tigers (5-1-1)
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Auburn was one of the ‘cinderella’ stories in 2022. The Tigers were picked to finish in the bottom of the SEC but reached the College World Series. Auburn head coach Butch Thompson returned a lot of key players from a season ago. The experience has helped the Tigers early on this season. The Tigers won their series against USC and Indiana. The SEC has a lot of talent, and the Tigers could be in top half of the conference this season.
Florida Gators (7-1)
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Florida is a squad that really came on late last season. The Gators reached the SEC Baseball Championship and finished the regular season having won 10 of their last 12 games. Thus far, the momentum has seemed to carry over into the 2023 season. Kevin O’Sullivan’s squad is off to a 7-1 start with the sole loss coming against USF. The likelihood that Florida is a competitive team in the SEC this season is high.
Alabama Crimson Tide (8-0)
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Coming into the season, Alabama was thought to be a middle-of-the-pack team. The Tide failed to reach the NCAA Tournament a season ago and have struggled in recent years to find success. However, the Crimson Tide have mustered eight straight wins to kick off the 2023 season. Brad Bohannon’s squad has outscored their opponents 79-21. If Alabama can keep up the success at the plate, they could find themselves firmly in the mix to win the SEC this season.
LSU Tigers (6-1)
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LSU was ranked as the No. 1 team in the country heading into the 2023 season. While the Tigers are off to a good start, they did suffer an eight-run loss at the hands of an unranked Iowa team. That is my reasoning for having the Tigers at No. 3 in this week’s conference power rankings. Outside of that, LSU has made it look easy. Jay Johnson’s squad will be in the thick of the SEC by the end of the season.
Ole Miss Rebels (6-1)
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Ole Miss comes into the first conference power rankings with a 6-1 record. The Rebels have made it look easy in almost all of their contests outside of a lop-sided loss to No. 13 Maryland. Mike Bianco’s squad is poised to make another run in the NCAA Tournament after having won the 2022 College World Series. The path to Omaha may not be as easy this season for the Rebels as the SEC continues to improve.
South Carolina Gamecocks (8-0)
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I think the expectation was that South Carolina would be good. Not this good, though. The Gamecocks have outscored their opponents 94-17 this season. Gamecocks head coach Mark Kingston brought back several key position players Braylen Wimmer, Michael Braswell, and Kevin Madden. South Carolina also returned its top two pitchers in Cade Austin and Will Sanders. The Gamecocks come in at No. 1 in our first SEC Baseball power rankings.
