SEC Power Rankings Week 9: Texas A&M, Arkansas big movers after undefeated SEC weekends
Each week through the end of the 2026 college baseball season, HawgBeat will release weekly SEC power rankings based on team performance and overall strength of schedule. Here are where the 16 teams stand following Week 9.
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1) Texas A&M
Last Week: 4 (+3)
Overall Record: 27-7 (9-5)
Last week’s results: 2-1 (Midweek: Loss to Texas State, SEC: Won two games over Texas, third game cancelled)
With all the emotion heading into the series and former coach Jim Schlossnagle returning, Texas A&M handled themselves about as well as they could. Clayton Freshcorn was absolute nails closing out the first game. He got the final 9 outs and shook off back-to-back solo homers to seal a one-run win.
2) Georgia
Last Week: 1 (-1)
Overall Record: 29-8 (11-4)
Last week’s results: 2-2 (Midweek: Win over Presbyterian, SEC: Lost 2 out of 3 to Florida)
Georgia officially has a Sunday starter crisis. The Bulldogs pulled Kenny Ishikawa from the mound and stuck him in the lineup, turning to Matt Scott instead. Scott recorded 4 outs and gave up 3 home runs. Georgia’s offense was also held homerless for three straight games.
Predicted NCAA Tournament team: Yes
3) Florida
Last Week: 7 (+4)
Overall Record: 27-10 (9-6)
Last week’s results: 3-1 (Midweek: Win over Florida State, SEC: 2 out of 3 over Georgia)
Will the real Florida team please stand up? They won the opening game against Georgia ace Joey Volchko without Brendan Lawson in the lineup. Coach Kevin O’Sullivan also looks like a genius after swapping Aidan King and Liam Peterson in the rotation. The duo allowed 3 earned runs in 14 ⅔ innings pitched.
Predicted NCAA Tournament team: Yes
4) Texas
Last week: 2 (-2)
Overall Record: 27-7 (9-5)
Last week’s results: 1-2 (Midweek: Win over Incarnate Word, SEC: Lost two games to Texas A&M, third game cancelled).
Texas may have some serious bullpen issues that were masked earlier in the season by just how dominant the starters were. I’m willing to chalk up this week to a bad start from Luke Harrison and maybe a little bit of a regression to the mean from Ruger Riojas, although a second straight subpar start is less than ideal.
Predicted NCAA Tournament team: Yes
5) Ole Miss
Last Week: 9 (+4)
Overall Record: 26-11 (8-7)
Last week’s results: 4-0 (Midweek: Win over Alcorn State, SEC: Swept LSU)
The starting trio of Cade Townsend, Hunter Elliott and Taylor Rabe showed out this weekend. Also the offense only struck out 29 times against LSU in the series, which believe it or not, is a good weekend for the Rebels. They made up for it by hitting 5 home runs as a team and even run-ruled LSU in the middle game of the series to clinch it.
Predicted NCAA Tournament team: Yes
6) Auburn
Last Week: 6
Overall Record: 22-9 (8-7)
Last week’s results: 2-2 (Midweek: Loss to Jacksonville State, SEC: 2 out of 3 over Kentucky).
Things were looking rather precarious after the midweek game against Jacksonville State. Jake Marciano had his first blip on the radar really the entire season and the team still made it a one-run game in the ninth. Auburn still winning a series despite not getting their best start from their ace feels like good experience for a relatively young team.
Predicted NCAA Tournament team: Yes
7) Arkansas
Last week: 11 (+4)
Overall Record: 24-13 (8-7)
Last week’s results: 4-0 (Midweek: Win over Little Rock, SEC: Swept Alabama)
Arkansas trailed in all three of the games through 4 innings and twice through six. The Razorbacks feasted on an Alabama bullpen that made mistake after mistake. TJ Pompey, despite still having a ridiculous strikeout rate (41.2%), does have 8 home runs, including 2 this weekend. The promotion of both Cole Gibler and Tate McGuire to the starting rotation wasn’t perfect (just 7 ⅓ IP combined) but yielded much better results than Gabe Gaeckle and Colin Fisher, who moved to the bullpen.
Predicted NCAA Tournament team: Yes
8) Alabama
Last Week: 3 (-5)
Overall Record: 26-11 (8-7)
Last week’s results: 1-3 (Midweek: Win over Samford, SEC: Swept by Arkansas)
This feels like a little bit of regression to the mean that was inevitable, although Alabama is a few bullpen performances away from being in a tie for first with Georgia. Not having Justin Lebron going finally caught up to the Crimson Tide. He also made a key error late in game 2 that led to a 4-run inning, his 12th of the season.
Predicted NCAA Tournament team: Yes
9) Tennessee
Last Week: 14 (+5)
Overall Record: 24-12 (7-8)
Last week’s results: 4-0 (Midweek: Win over Northern Kentucky, SEC: Swept Mississippi State).
What a time for the Tennessee pitching staff to put the team on its back. Things haven’t really changed but the starters did enough so that coach Josh Elander only needed his top two arms (Cam Appenzeller and Brandon Arvidson) to get through the first two games. The two were terrific, combining for 8 innings of 2-run ball, striking out 11.
Predicted NCAA Tournament team: Yes
10) Oklahoma
Last Week: 10
Overall Record: 24-11 (7-8)
Last week’s results: 2-1 (Midweek: None, SEC: 2 out of 3 over Vanderbilt)
This was a good bounce back series against the Commodores for the Sooners. Oklahoma looks more like the team at the beginning of the season that took the league by storm.
Predicted NCAA Tournament team: Yes
11) Mississippi State
Last Week: 5 (-6)
Overall Record: 26-10 (7-8)
Last week’s results: 1-3 (Midweek: Win over UAB, SEC: Swept by Tennessee)
Mississippi State is in absolute freefall. A once powerful offense was held to just 13 runs across four games including the midweek. The offense was the team’s calling card and the squad is still missing Ryan McPherson, who won’t be back for “multiple weeks” still.
Predicted NCAA Tournament team: Yes
12) Vanderbilt
Last Week: 12
Overall Record: 21-16 (7-8)
Last week’s results: 2-2 (Midweek: Win over Eastern Kentucky, SEC: Lost 2 out of 3 to Oklahoma)
Vanderbilt’s pitching staff is down to Connor Fennell… and that’s it. It’s the second straight week running that Vanderbilt won the Fennell start and lost the series. The offense sure is trying though, losing 13-11 in one of the games.
Predicted NCAA Tournament team: Yes
13) Kentucky
Last Week: 13
Overall Record: 25-10 (7-8)
Last week’s results: 2-2 (Midweek: Win over Louisville, SEC: Lost 2 out of 3 against Auburn)
There are a lot of really good shortstops in the league with great draft upside, Tyler Bell might just be the best of them all. He now has a slash line of .354/.567/.569 with 32 free passes (22 walks, 10 hit by pitch) with just 17 strikeouts.
Predicted NCAA Tournament team: Yes
14) LSU
Last Week: 8 (-6)
Overall Record: 22-15 (6-9)
Last week’s results: 0-4 (Midweek: Loss to Bethune-Cookman, SEC: Swept by Ole Miss)
LSU’s pitching staff is an absolute mess. LSU has erased massive deficits in each of its last four wins and when the offense can’t pull it out of the fire, the result is a winless week. Gavin Guidry moved to the rotation and it seemed to only make things worse.
Predicted NCAA Tournament team: No
15) South Carolina
Last Week: 16 (+1)
Overall Record: 18–19 (5-10)
Last week’s results: 3-1 (Midweek: Loss to Charleston, SEC: Swept Missouri)
After yet another midweek loss, I really expected Missouri to take the series. Credit to Monte Lee, they took care of business and miracles can happen in the back half.
Predicted NCAA Tournament team: No
16) Missouri
Last Week: 15 (-1)
Overall Record: 20-17 (3-12)
Last week’s results: 1-3 (Midweek: Win over Missouri State SEC: Swept by South Carolina).
Missouri is still better than it was last year but now lacks the consistency of an SEC team. They won a midweek game over Missouri State that has a win over Arkansas before losing to South Carolina.
Predicted NCAA Tournament team: No
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