Vanderbilt Commodores

How Do SEC Teams Stack Up in RPI Rankings? SEC Daily, April 22, 2025

SEC baseball teams have set new records the last two years for teams getting into the NCAA Tournament and if RPI is any indication, it'll happen again.
Taylor Hodges|
Georgia's Robbie Burnett (10) celebrates with Daniel Jackson (25) after Burnett hit a home run off Vanderbilt pitcher Connor Fennell during the fourth inning of an NCAA college baseball game at Hawkins Field Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn.
Georgia's Robbie Burnett (10) celebrates with Daniel Jackson (25) after Burnett hit a home run off Vanderbilt pitcher Connor Fennell during the fourth inning of an NCAA college baseball game at Hawkins Field Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. | Mark Zaleski / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

One of the key things the NCAA Baseball Tournament selection committee will look at when making its selections is the Rating Percentage Index, better known as RPI.

RPI is a stat used to rank teams based on their overall performance and strength of schedule. It’s calculated using a team’s own winning percentage, the combined winning percentage of their opponents and the combined winning percentage of their opponents' opponents.

It’s a good tool to use when trying to rank teams beyond a win-loss record because it allows us to easily compare teams. But it’s also a good tool to use when trying to determine how many SEC teams will make the NCAA Tournament.

SEC’s baseball teams have set a new record for most teams from one conference to make the tournament the last two seasons. The conference sent 10 in 2023 and 11 in 2024. Can they keep the trend going and get 12 in this year?

It’s very likely, especially when looking at where the SEC teams rank in RPI. SEC teams make up 12 of the first 30 in RPI and all but one team (Missouri) is ranked in the top 64 (the number of teams that make the NCAA Tournament).

And if the national seeds were determined solely on RPI, half of the NCAA Regionals would be played at SEC schools.

The biggest caveat, though, is there are 31 teams that automatically qualify for the NCAA Tournament as their conference’s champion. Some of those schools will be outside of the RPI’s top 64 teams, which is how teams like Mississippi State and Florida end up on the NCAA bubble.

But still, don’t be surprised if the SEC sets a new record…again.

SEC Teams RPI Rankings

  1. Georgia (1)
  2. Texas (2)
  3. Vanderbilt (3)
  4. Auburn (4)
  5. Arkansas (5)
  6. LSU (6)
  7. Alabama (9)
  8. Tennessee (12)
  9. Oklahoma (19)
  10. Ole Miss (22)
  11. Florida (23)
  12. Kentucky (30)
  13. Texas A&M (37)
  14. Mississippi State (43)
  15. South Carolina (51)
  16. Missouri (153)

Did You Notice?

Here are this week's SEC Baseball Players of the Week:

Co-Player of the Week: Kimble Schuessler, Texas
Co-Player of the Week: Jace LaViolette, Texas A&M

Pitcher of the Week: Nic McCay, Kentucky

Co-Freshman of the Week: Brendan Lawson, Florida
Co-Freshman of the Week: Drew Dickerson, Oklahoma

More SEC News:

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Taylor Hodges
TAYLOR HODGES

Award-winning sports editor, writer, columnist, and photographer with 15 years’ experience offering his opinion and insight about the sports world in Mississippi and Texas, but he was taken to Razorback pep rallies at Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth before he could walk. Taylor has covered all levels of sports, from small high schools in the Mississippi Delta to NFL games. Follow Taylor on Twitter and Facebook.

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