Updated SEC baseball power rankings after week three action; Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina all rise
After another busy weekend in the SEC, we have a good amount of movement in the power rankings.
Florida has looked great, but Mississippi State has continued to struggle.
Let's take a look at our week four SEC baseball power rankings.
14. Kentucky Wildcats
Record: 9-2
Last Week's Rank: 14
Week Three Recap: While they went 4-0 on the week, Kentucky has not impressed me much. Their strength of schedule is awful, and they are beating mediocre teams by narrow margins. They still do have a decent pitching staff but haven't done enough to move from the last spot in the power rankings. With another weak schedule coming up this week, it will be hard for the Wildcats to move any time soon.
Week Four Opponents: Midweek: Tue Murry State, Wed Ohio. Weekend Series: Southern Illinois
13. Mississippi State Bulldogs
Record: 7-5
Last Week's Rank: 13
Week Three Recap: Mississippi State went 2-2 on the weekend with a win over at the time #25 Southern Miss. They then went on to lose to Ohio State, and Oklahoma then won their last game of the weekend over California. I thought the big win over Southern Miss could be the turning point for this Bulldog ball club, but that was not the case. Mississippis State needs to figure it out and figure it out quickly.
Week Four Opponents: Midweek: Valparaiso . Weekend Series: Lipscomb.
12. Missouri Tigers
Record: 9-2
Last Week's Rank: 11
Week Three Recap: Missouri had a good week winning four games scoring 48 runs, and only allowing 16. This Tiger team has played some bad teams since their big start to the season with wins over Texas and TCU, so it is still hard to get a feel for this team. We will have clarity soon enough, with SEC play only a few weeks away.
Week Four Opponents: Midweek: Western Illinois. Weekend Series: NJIT 4x
11. Georgia Bulldogs
Record: 8-3
Last Week's Rank: 12
Week Three Recap: It was a good week for Georgia as they blew out Presbyterian in their midweek matchup, then won the series over in-state rival Georgia Tech. This was a big series win, and is why they leapfrogged Missouri. Georgia can swing it, and I expect them to be a force in SEC play.
Week Four Opponents: Midweek: Tue/Wed Georgia Southern. Weekend Series: Charleston Southern
10. Auburn Tigers
Record: 9-1-1
Last Week's Rank: 10
Week Three Recap: Auburn went 4-0 on the week with a blowout win over FAMU in the midweek, then a series sweep of Lipscomb. This was a gritty sweep by Auburn as they trailed going into the eighth in two of these ball games but were able to come back and win in both. This team can really hit; it's all going to come down to whether or not they have enough pitchers to get through a weekend.
Week Four Opponents: Midweek: Tue UAB, Wed Jacksonville State. Weekend Series: Southeastern Louisiana
9. Alabama Crimson Tide (18)
Record: 12-0
Last Week's Rank: 7
Week Three Recap: Alabama went 4-0 on the week and exploded for 47 runs. This team is in the same boat as Kentucky since they have won a ton but haven't played any note-worthy opponents. This Crimson Tide team could be very good; we just need to see it play out when SEC play begins, and they start playing quality opponents.
Week Four Opponents: Midweek: Tue Samford, Wed Alabama State. Weekend Series: Columbia
8. Texas A&M Aggies (15)
Record: 7-4
Last Week's Rank: 9
Week Three Recap: The Aggies had a pretty good week going 3-1, with wins over #24 Texas Tech, Rice, and Houston Christian and a loss to #14 Louisville. This team just has a lot of bats that excite me, which is why they moved up a spot despite the ugly loss to Louisville. Although the season hasn't started the way many would have hoped for Texas A&M, I believe it will turn around soon.
Week Four Opponents: Midweek: Tue Incarnate Word, Wed @Rice. Weekend Series: Northern Kentucky
7. South Carolina Gamecocks (20)
Record: 11-1
Last Week's Rank: 8
Week Three Recap: South Carolina had a big week as they won their midweek then took two out of three from Clemson. This is a heated rivalry, so it was a big win for the Gamecocks. This was their first real test, so I was glad to see the bats showed up against a quality opponent. This team will win a lot of ball games in SEC play.
Week Four Opponents: Midweek: Tue The Citadel, Wed SC Upstate. Weekend Series: Bethune-Cookman
6. Arkansas Razorbacks (8)
Record: 9-2
Last Week's Rank: 6
Week Three Recap: Arkansas went 4-0 on the weekend and scored 40 runs. Pitching did allow 19 runs, so this is something the Hogs would like to see come down. Arkansas is a three-tool team since they can swing it, field it, and pitch it with the best of them. This team will be a serious contender to run all the way to Omaha.
Week Four Opponents: Midweek: Army. Weekend Series: Louisiana Tech
5. Vanderbilt Commodores (7)
Record: 8-4
Last Week's Rank: 4
Week Three Recap: Vanderbilt had a good weekend, winning their midweek then going 2-1 in Minneapolis. They lost to Nebraska but were able to knock off #18, Maryland, and Minnesota. They have a terrific leadoff hitter in Enrique Bradfield Jr., who is one of the best players in the SEC. Vandy, per usual, will be one of the teams projected to win the league, and for good reason.
Week Four Opponents: Midweek: Tue Tennessee Tech, Wed Evansville. Weekend Series: LMU
4. Florida Gators (6)
Record: 10-3
Last Week's Rank: 5
Week Three Recap: Florida's week got off to a rough start after splitting the midweek series with Jacksonville, but it got a lot better when the Gators took two of three from #22 Miami. Florida has an outstanding pitcher named Jac Caglianone, who hits 97mph on the mound and hits bombs at the plate. This young man is in the early running for SEC Player of the Year and has his Gators looking great.
Week Four Opponents: Midweek Tue/Wed FAU. Weekend Series: Siena
3. Ole Miss Rebels (4)
Record: 10-2
Last Week's Rank: 3
Week Three Recap: Ole Miss had a great week going 4-1. They split their midweek series with an excellent Louisiana Tech team. There was some controversy with the game that Ole Miss did win against Tech, which is warranted, but rules are rules. Ole Miss then won all three games they played over the weekend, including a win over #18 Maryland. This Ole Miss team has a real chance to repeat as National Champions.
Week Four Opponents: Midweek: Southern Miss. Weekend Series: Purdue
2. Tennessee Volunteers (3)
Record: 11-2
Last Week's Rank: 2
Week Three Recap: Tennessee had a great week winning five games and only allowed 16 runs. This Volunteer squad has an outstanding pitching staff and has some great bats to back it. Tennessee is going to be really good again this season and will go toe to toe with LSU for being the potential number-one team in the nation.
Week Four Opponents: Midweek: Boston College. Weekend Series: Morehead State
1. LSU Tigers (1)
Record: 10-1
Last Week's Rank: 1
Week Three Recap: LSU went 4-0 on the week with a midweek victory over Texas. The Tigers had two shutouts and only allowed six runs over the entire week. They also scored 54 runs leading to three blowouts. Paul Skenes has looked great for the Tigers and will continue to be one of the best arms in the SEC. This LSU team looks like a National Championship front-runner after the first few weeks of the season.
Week Four Opponents: Midweek: Mon Butler, Wed Lamar. Weekend Series: Samford
There are lots of good games in the SEC this week, so we will likely see a lot of movement in next week's rankings.
If you want to check out last week's SEC baseball power rankings, click here.
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