No. 23 Tennessee Surges Late, Kentucky Falters Down the Stretch: Around the SEC

It was a long and grueling journey throughout conference play, but we have finally reached the end of the regular season. Of course, the campaign wrapped up with yet another slate of action-packed games with multiple teams jockeying for postseason positioning.

Leading the way was No. 4 Georgia, having already claimed the conference championship and No.1 seed in the SEC Tournament. Behind the Bulldogs, though, the rest of the standings were a jumble of teams fighting to secure as high of a finish as possible.

What came next was several key series, with game massive in value. This resulted in several slugfests between elite teams. From sweeps from teams who needed them to others needing to win but struggling, we present the final edition of the biggest winners and losers in the SEC.

Who were the biggest winners and losers in the SEC?

Texas Longhorns infielder Temo Becerra celebrates after recording an RBI base hit against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. | University of Texas Athletics

Biggest winners

No. 5 Texas Longhorns (40—12, 19—10)

Entering the last week of the regular season, the Longhorns found themselves tied for second in the standings with No. 10 Texas A&M. However, they were far from guaranteed to finish there and receive a coveted double bye in the SEC Tournament. A strong showing against Missouri would change that.

And that's exactly what they delivered. Taking care of business against the Tigers, they ended the regular season with a sweep and clinched the No. 2 seed in the SEC Tournament as a result. Beyond that, the sweep also very likely secured a national seed in the NCAA Tournament for Texas and a potential Super Regional in Austin.

No. 10 Texas A&M Aggies (39—13, 18—11)

The Aggies approached their last series of the regular season having certainly already locked in a College Station Regional. With that, they knew a good showing against No. 16 Mississippi State could propel them even further and solidify their résumé as a national seed.

It didn't look good after the opener, though, as they were handed an 18-11 loss. Bouncing back, they proceeded to win both the second game and finale to clinch the series. As well, Texas A&M solidified a double bye in the SEC Tournament as the No. 3 seed and now appear poised to earn a national seed in the NCAA Tournament as well.

No. 23 Tennessee Volunteers (37—19, 15—15)

Barring an absolutely disastrous result in their final series against Oklahoma, the Volunteers were going to safely find themeslves in the Field of 64. What they aimed to accomplish against the Sooners was a series win that would further increase their chances at heading to a favorable Regional.

Doing exactly that, they went on the road and won the first two games against the Sooners. This gave them another strong conference series win and boosted their postseason stock. Now, they are likely to be a No. 2 seed in a regional as opposed to a No. 3 seed and a team no one will want to have to face.

Biggest losers

Oklahoma Sooners (32—20, 14—16)

Meanwhile, it was a completely different story in the other dugout for the Sooners to conclude the regular season. Much like the Volunteers, they entered the weekend safely in the Field of 64 but wanted to improve their odds at a favorable draw. That would not be the case.

Dropping a pair against Tennessee, while not a season ender, certainly was not ideal for Oklahoma. Now, it finds itself a likely No. 3 seed in someone's Regional — a far cry from a few weeks ago when a Norman Regional was a strong likelihood.

Kentucky Wildcats (31—20, 13—17)

When conference play began, the Wildcats were a strong contender to make the NCAA Tournament and appeared poised to be a team in the upper half of the standings in the SEC. Unfortunately for them, however, that was not the case this season.

After an up-and-down campaign in conference play, they came into the final weekend knowing their postseason hopes were on thin ice and in need of a series win against No. 12 Arkansas. Instead, they dropped two of the three and now likely need to win the SEC Tournament to keep their season alive.

No. 17 Ole Miss Rebels (36—20, 15—15)

Much like the Sooners, the Rebels have hung around the fringe of potential Regional hosts throughout the season. As such, they walked into the series against No. 15 Alabama aiming to push their status even higher and all but guarantee an Oxford Regional.

The Crimson Tide had other plans, unfortunately. Suffering a pair of losses in the series, Ole Miss now finds itself in need of some serious help if it wants to host a Regional. Much more likely of an outcome for the Rebels will be being sent on the road in pursuit of a return to Omaha.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google