SEC Baseball Weekend Wrap-Up (2/27)

Another weekend of baseball concluded in the Southeastern Conference, and with this weekend's games, one thing has become evident: Arkansas and Ole Miss are no joke.

Both teams have managed to go undefeated in their first two weeks of the season and are slowly being recognized as a force to be reckoned with around the conference. As of right now, the Razorbacks sit at 6-0 with back-to-back series sweeps over Miami (OH) and most recently Bryant University. In their last four games, the Hogs have scored 10 or more runs against their opponents, more than doubling the other team's runs on two of those four occasions. This week they face their toughest opponents yet in the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. The Bulldogs are undefeated this season as well and will be looking to hand the Razorbacks their first loss.

Ole Miss also came away from this weekend unbeaten. The Rebels are now 7-0 with two series won against ranked opponents: The sixth-ranked ECU Pirates and as of this weekend, the 23rd-ranked UNCW Seahawks. Ole Miss will play one game against Memphis and one game against Baylor before taking on 10th-ranked Texas Tech this weekend.

To this point, perhaps one of the bigger surprises has been the start that Missouri has gotten out to. The Tigers are 7-1 and technically cling to a lead in the SEC East. Mizzou baseball has found it hard to find itself in the SEC after moving from the Big 12, but this hot start, if nothing else, can inspire confidence. Granted, their strength of schedule isn’t all too high, but teams are still in the thick of nonconference play. We’ll see if they can keep it going after defeating Texas A&M CC twice, Houston and rival Illinois.

Auburn also has been playing exceedingly well. The Tigers are on a five-game winning streak after taking care of Florida A&M last Wednesday and swept Holy Cross over the weekend. AU was able to win decisively, outscoring the Crusaders 24-4 including two shutouts of the 7-0 and 4-0 variety.

We had of course gone at length about the play of Jared Poche but LSU grasped complete hold of the series against the Terps on Sunday with their 9-5 victory. LSU has won their last four and are 7-1 on the season. Stay tuned for Friday when the Tigers square off with No. 1-ranked TCU.

Other Notables

• Florida, Tennessee and Texas A&M are all 6-1. To this point, the SEC has eight teams with no more than one loss. Not too shabby, eh?
• Alabama, Georgia and Kentucky unfortunately cannot get out of their own way. The Tide, Bulldogs and Wildcats are a combined 8-13 on the year with UK standing at a woeful 2-5.
• South Carolina, Vanderbilt and Mississippi State meanwhile continue to hang out in the middle of the pack. The Gamecocks, Commodores and Bulldogs check in at 5-3, 4-3 and 6-3.

Players of the Week

(via SEC)

Player of the Week: 1B/OF Brent Rooker, Mississippi State

Pitcher of the Week: Alex Faedo, Florida

Freshman of the Week: OF Justin Ammons, Tennessee