May 25, 2016 – #5 LSU vs #4 Florida
Florida has come back to take the lead in the East by a game over Kentucky after the Wildcats dropped two games against Georgia last weekend.
Meanwhile, Mississippi State is now in sole possession of first place in the West at 16-8.
For more information on what to look for in the final two weeks of the season, check out this article I wrote earlier in the week.
Right now 10 SEC teams projected in the field of 64, which I think is a bit high. They have South Carolina and Ole Miss in the tournament right now, but I don’t agree with that assessment. I think both of those teams still have some work to do in these final two weeks.
We have four SEC teams hosting a regional, and Florida is the only top eight projected seed right now.
However, there is still a lot to be decided before then, so let’s get into this weekend’s matchups.
Weekend Matchups:
Tennessee at Kentucky
Because of two rainouts in the past two weeks, Tennessee has an edge over Georgia for the final spot in the SEC Tournament. They are 7-15 to Georgia’s 7-17. The Volunteers picked up a couple of mid-week wins this week making their overall record a bit more respectable. However, they’re going to face a frustrated Kentucky team this weekend that somehow dropped two games to Georgia last week. Look for the Wildcats to go off on Tennessee this weekend.
Prediction: Kentucky 2-1
Mississippi State at Georgia
The Bulldogs of Mississippi State are all alone at the top of the SEC West now, and they get a chance to increase that lead against Georgia this weekend. The Bulldogs of Georgia are coming off an impressive series win over Kentucky as they try to sneak into the SEC Tournament. It’s really a shame that Tennessee had those rainouts because Georgia owns the head-to-head tie-breaker over them. Georgia has played much better baseball as of late, so I expect them to give Mississippi State some trouble at home.
Prediction: Mississippi State 2-1
Florida at Alabama
Both of these teams are coming off very impressive sweeps with Alabama pulling off the upset of the season by sweeping rival Auburn on the road. As I’ve said before, even when Alabama was losing they were in every game. Last weekend they just happened to be on top of those close games winning two games by one run and the third by two runs in a 15-inning affair. The Gators have won seven straight SEC games, and they had won nine in a row before losing to USF on Tuesday. Florida is heating up at the right time, and should continue that success in Tuscaloosa this weekend.
Prediction: Florida 3-0
Vanderbilt at Arkansas
I haven’t been able to figure out Vanderbilt all year, so I just give up. This team should be much better than they are, but they can’t find their groove. They’re back above .500 in conference, and they play an Arkansas team this weekend that has been struggling. The Razorbacks are just 3-5 in their least eight SEC games. We’ll see if Arkansas’ bats can heat back up at home against Vanderbilt’s pitching staff that has improved lately. I honestly can’t trust either of these teams right now, so I’ll go with the home team.
Prediction: Arkansas 2-1
South Carolina at Missouri
As I said earlier, somehow South Carolina is still considered in for the NCAA Tournament with an 11-13 conference record. If they don’t win at least two games this weekend against a sinking ship in Missouri, I don’t see how they get in. Their pitching is going to have to be lights out if they’re going to win the rest of the way. And that’s especially the case this weekend as they play at Missouri. While the Tigers have fallen on hard times, their offense can still be explosive.
Prediction: South Carolina 2-1
Texas A&M at Ole Miss
Much like South Carolina, Ole Miss is in desperate need of a series win this weekend to stay in the hunt for an NCAA Tournament bid. If they could have just won one game against Florida last weekend I would feel much better about their chances. Now they get a Texas A&M team coming off a heart-breaking series loss at home to Mississippi State. I still like what I’ve seen from the Aggies down the stretch and think they could become a dangerous tournament team.
Prediction: Texas A&M 2-1
Auburn at LSU
I don’t really know what to expect from this matchup. It should be the best matchup of the weekend, but not with the way Auburn has played lately. They were swept at home by Alabama last weekend, and then lost to UAB this week. They went from being a possible top eight seed, to not even hosting a regional. Meanwhile, LSU has won five of its last six SEC games and is just a game back of first place in the West. They also lost their mid-week game, but it was to quality opponent in South Alabama. Auburn really needs this series if they’re going to get back into the hosting conversation, and LSU needs this series to contend for the top spot in the West.
Prediction: LSU 2-1
