If you had Kentucky, Auburn and Arkansas leading the SEC after seven weeks of baseball, then you’re either a psychic or a liar – most likely the latter.
No one saw this start to the SEC baseball season coming, but it’s been fun to watch.
I’ve seen the Wildcats a lot this season and I am a firm believer in that team. They had a tough loss to Louisville this week, but they’re competitive in every game they play.
Vanderbilt, Texas A&M and Ole Miss all have losing records in the SEC right now, while Florida and LSU are just 5-4 in conference play.
It’s been an interesting start to the SEC season for sure, but the parity makes every weekend exciting.
Weekend Schedule
Tennessee at Florida
Florida may have had the most impressive weekend of anyone in the country last weekend sweeping Missouri on the road. Now they have the pleasure of hosting the worst team in the SEC in Tennessee. The Volunteers hosted the former worst team in the conference last weekend in Georgia and lost 2-of-3. This should be an easy sweep for the Gators at home where they are pretty much unbeatable.
Prediction: Florida 3-0
Vanderbilt at South Carolina
It looked like maybe the Commodores were turning a corner, but then they dropped 2-of-3 at Kentucky last weekend. Now they travel to face a South Carolina team that also lost 2-of-3 on the road last weekend. The Gamecocks lost a couple of 1-run games to Auburn, including a loss Sunday on a walk-off 3-run home run. This is obviously an important series for both teams in the SEC East. South Carolina leads the SEC in ERA, while Vanderbilt is sixth. This should be a very low scoring series.
Prediction: South Carolina 2-1
Missouri at Georgia
Missouri is really struggling after a hot start, but they’re in luck against Georgia this weekend. The Bulldogs actually impressed me a little last weekend by winning 2-of-3 on the road against Tennessee. Still, Georgia is not a very good team and Missouri needs to take advantage of this road series. Georgia is 12th in ERA and last in batting average in the conference. Missouri is fourth in both of those categories.
Prediction: Missouri 2-1
Kentucky at Mississippi State
Two of the hottest teams in the SEC will face off this weekend. The Wildcats got a big series win at home over Vanderbilt last weekend, while Mississippi State swept its rival Ole Miss on the road. Just when I thought the Bulldogs were dead, they’ve jumped back into this SEC race. Now they host Kentucky with another chance to make a statement in the SEC. Expect to see a lot of runs in this series as they are first and third in the conference in average. This one is going to be a lot of fun.
Prediction: Kentucky 2-1
LSU at Arkansas
LSU has lost five of its last eight games and really needs a good weekend against Arkansas. They blew a 3-0 lead to Texas A&M on Sunday or I think we view this LSU team a little differently right now. The Razorbacks are quietly on top of the SEC West with a record of 22-6 (7-2). Arkansas hasn’t played the toughest schedule, but they’ve remained steady and haven’t lost back-to-back games all year. They’re in the middle of the pack stats-wise in the SEC, but they have the potential to change any game quickly because of their power bats. LSU needs a big weekend to assert themselves as leaders in the SEC East again.
Prediction: LSU 2-1
Alabama at Ole Miss
I thought Alabama had a chance to impress last weekend at home against Arkansas, but they dropped the series on Sunday. Meanwhile, Ole Miss was embarrassed by Mississippi State at home. Every time I think this Ole Miss team is up, they are down and vice versa. I guess that means they should be back up this weekend. The Rebels are in desperate need of some wins, and they should get them against Alabama this weekend.
Prediction: Ole Miss 2-1
Auburn at Texas A&M
Auburn just keeps on trucking. Even after losing Keegan Thompson they managed to win the series against South Carolina last weekend thanks to a dramatic walk-off home run on Sunday. Now they travel for just their second road series all year to face a Texas A&M team that bounced back with a series win over LSU last weekend. With Alabama and Tennessee looming ahead, Texas A&M has a chance to pick up some major ground in the next couple of weekends. The Friday night matchup between Casey Mize and Brigham Hill should be fun to watch. If you haven’t seen Casey Mize pitch yet you are missing out. He might be the best pitcher in the conference right now.
Prediction: Texas A&M 2-1
