SEC Baseball Power Rankings: Texas A&M shines in opening series

The opening weekend of the 2024 college baseball season is now complete, and it seems as if the SEC is going to be just as strong as it was last year.

There were eight teams from the SEC that were represented in the initial USA TODAY Sports Baseball Coaches Poll, with six of them being in the top 10. Those top programs show how talented the conference is in general, but there are many others looking to make a push into the rankings.

While many of the top-ranked teams like Arkansas, Vanderbilt and Tennessee dropped one of their games, they still proved to be a tough out. Others like Texas A&M and LSU, who went undefeated in the first series showed the power they have in their bats.

Here is a look at this week’s SEC Baseball Power Rankings through one week of play.

Ole Miss

Record: 2-2

The Ole Miss Rebels are at the start of the season’s rankings. After winning it all in 2022, Mike Bianco’s team has fallen off considerably, not even making the tournament The Rebels did not have the greatest weekend, especially from the offensive side of things. They split a four-game series with Hawaii, winning the first two but then dropping the latter half. Ole Miss did not score more than five runs in any of the games.

There are a few signs of offensive life from Bo Gatlin and Ethan Lege, but there will have to be huge improvements made if the Rebels want to move up. They will look to do that with a midweek game against Arkansas State on Wednesday and a weekend series against High Point.

Florida

Record: 0-1

It’s safe to say that having two of the three games in your opening series be canceled is not ideal, but losing your only playable game as well just adds insult to injury. Florida was supposed to play St. John’s for three games, but instead lost to the Johnnies 9-5 on Opening Day and did not play again.

Starting pitcher Cade Fisher got the loss, giving up six runs in just two innings pitched on 54 pitches. The Gators used five pitchers from their bullpen after Fisher’s exit. Gator fans do not need to worry yet, but it was not a great first look.

For more Florida baseball news, visit Gators Wire.

Missouri

Record: 2-1

Missouri got off to a little bit of a rocky start, but bounced back quickly on the road at Cal Poly. The Tigers lost their first game and won the second 3-1. The third game brought an offensive explosion from both squads as Missouri took the series with a 12-8 victory. Thomas Curry and Jackson Lovich both batted over .400 on the weekend, providing the offensive spark that the Tigers needed to take the series.

Missouri will stay on the West Coast as it prepares to compete in the Tony Gwynn Legacy Tournament which starts Thursday, Feb. 22.

Mississippi State

Record: 2-1

The Mississippi State Bulldogs are a team that looks to have a bounce back year in 2024 after not making the tournament last season. They began that quest with an up-and-down weekend series against Air Force, in which the Bulldogs were victorious in the book end games, outscoring the Falcons 18-6 in those matchups.

Mississippi State will have more time to find consistent offensive production, but have an early shining from both Dakota Jordan and Bryce Chance, who batted .417 in the series.

Kentucky

Record: 3-0

Kentucky started out the season strong with three wins at Kentucky Proud Park in Lexington. The Wildcats outscored USC Upstate 23-10 in the series sweep, collecting three hits from Grant Smith to go along with his four RBIs. Emilien Pitre was also very disciplined at the plate, drawing three walks.

Kentucky shined in a big way in the field, tying for first in the conference with a fielding percentage of .991 and showing their defensive precision in a big way.

Visit UK Wildcats Wire for more news on the Kentucky Wildcats. 

Auburn

Record: 3-0

The Auburn Tigers’ offense was lethal in the sweep of Eastern Kentucky over the weekend. The bats were able to help the Tigers score 32 runs in the opening series, placing them third amongst the SEC. Sophomore standout Ike Irish picked up where he left off last season, picking up five hits and including a double, triple and home run. The Tigers also lead the conference in triples, picking up four on the weekend.

Auburn is hopeful that pitcher Carson Myers continues to impress as the season goes on, as he was named SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week after his debut on Sunday.

Georgia

Record: 3-0

The Georgia offense was put on display in the Bulldogs’ opening series against UNC Asheville. The men in red and black mercy ruled the opposing Bulldogs twice throughout the series, but also scored 10 or more runs in all three games. They put up 38 runs on 34 hits and hit 10 home runs in the process, which topped the SEC.

Georgia will have more opportunities to improve its offensive stock as it plays in-state foe Georgia State on Tuesday and Northern Kentucky in a three-game series this weekend.

For more Georgia athletics news, visit UGA Wire. 

Alabama

Record: 3-0

Alabama took care of business on both sides of the ball in its series sweep of Manhattan, making new head coach Rob Vaughn’s debut a success. The Crimson Tide’s pitching staff took care of the Jaspers with ease, shutting them out twice behind great starts from Ben Hess and Riley Quick. Alabama put out the second-lowest ERA of opening weekend in the SEC with a 1.08.

Justin Lebron stood out on the offensive side of the field, racking up four hits, three RBIs and four walks. He leads the league in batting average after the opening weekend.

For more Alabama baseball news, visit Roll Tide Wire.

Tennessee

Record: 2-1

The Tennessee Volunteers started the season with three games against Big 12 opponents at the Shriners Children’s College Showdown in Arlington. Tony Vitello’s squad won two and lost one over the weekend, defeating Texas Tech and Baylor, while losing in extras to Oklahoma. Tennessee’s offense did not put on a particularly stellar performance, but saw strength from Billy Amick and Dylan Dreiling, who each got in on the long ball action.

They did pose a threat on the defensive side though, being very disciplined and putting themselves tied at the top in fielding percentage with a .991. Look for the Volunteers’ defense to be potent and help them win games.

Visit Vols Wire for more news on Tennessee baseball.

Vanderbilt

Record: 2-1

Vanderbilt’s offense is back and as good as ever after the opening weekend. While the Commodores did not win all three games, but scored more than 10 runs in games one and three. Johnathan Vastine and RJ Austin both picked up where they left off last year, each batting over .400 and driving in five or more RBIs.

Conserving energy will be a big task, though. Vanderbilt has two midweek games against Dayton and Eastern Kentucky, which precede its weekend series when they host Gonzaga.

4. Arkansas

Record: 3-1

Arkansas got off to a solid start to its 2024 campaign, winning three out of four games in its opening series against James Madison. For the most part, the Razorback pitching staff held the Dukes in check. Colin Fisher made a great impression in his season debut, pitching five innings of scoreless baseball. Brady Tygart also pitched five innings in his first start, only giving up one run in the process.

Arkansas now travels out to Arlington to participate in the Kubota College Baseball Series, where it has a chance to pick up some quality wins at a neutral site over No. 7 Oregon State, Oklahoma State and Michigan.

For more Arkansas baseball news, visit Razorbacks Wire. 

South Carolina

Record: 3-0

The South Carolina Gamecocks came to life in their season opening games as they swept Miami (OH) last weekend. They were very disciplined at the plate, drawing the most walks of anyone in the SEC at 33. The same was not entirely true for the bats in general, as the Gamecocks only had 24 hits total throughout the three games, putting them tied for 12th in the conference.

The pitching was superb though, only allowing the opposing bats to hit .136 on the weekend, which tops the SEC. They’ll look to do that again in their next five games over the course of the week.

LSU

Record: 3-0

Well, the defending national champions seem to have not lost any of the strength that they had in 2023. The Tigers won two games against VMI over the weekend to go along with a win over Central Arkansas. The offense exploded in all three games, topping the conference with 44 runs on 52 hits, 40 RBIs, and a .380 batting average across the team.

The pitching staff also shined brightly as well, as the starters of Javen Coleman, Luke Holman and Kade Anderson combined for 19 of the 49 strikeouts that the LSU pitching staff put up.

For more LSU baseball coverage, check out LSU Tigers Wire.

Texas A&M

The Texas A&M Aggies were ranked in the top 10 in many preseason polls, and they proved why they should be there with an outstanding performance over the weekend. It may shock some that they are at the top of the power rankings, but the Aggies’ offense strung together two double-digit shutouts, while the pitching staff only ever gave up one run. Texas A&M scored 31 runs over the weekend, showing just how powerful its offense can be.

The boys from College Station will look to improve on that fantastic outing against Incarnate Word on Tuesday and in a series with Wagner this weekend.

For more Texas A&M news, visit Aggies Wire. 

Story originally appeared on Auburn Wire