Missouri at #1 Florida

The Tigers have done an excellent job of building off last year’s surprising success. They currently sit at 24-9, 6-6 in the SEC with an RPI of 26th, sitting in great shape to make a Regional. They get a chance to improve their seeding and make a statement in the process, facing the defending national champs.

Mizzou is going into Gainesville hungry, having dropped a series to a surging Alabama at home last week. They picked up a nice win against Missouri State on Tuesday.

The Gators on the other hand are doing what they do. 29-6, 9-3 in conference and the top-ranked RPI in the country. The best pitching staff in the country has carried this team yet again just as they did last year. Expect much of the same this weekend.

Prediction: Florida

#8 Kentucky at #18 Georgia

Georgia has burst onto the scene in a make-or-break year for coach Scott Stricklin. He has saved his job to say the least. They have swept South Carolina, taken a series from Texas A&M and gotten a win at Clemson. This team is legit and both teams will have their hands full this weekend.

Kentucky has, by many standards, underachieved in SEC play. This is a team that was two wins away from their first ever College World Series appearance last year. Sitting at 5-7 in conference play, they could really use a resume building series win. The Dawgs have been tough at home, though, and that will be the difference.

Prediction: Georgia

South Carolina at #3 Arkansas

This series kicked off last night and South Carolina got the win 3-2. This team may not make the postseason, but they will be a pest for teams the rest of the way, and the Razorbacks know that now.

The Hogs keep chugging along this year, ranked No. 3 in the country currently, 8-5 in conference, and 25-10 overall. Last week they swept Auburn before barely surviving against Grambling. Baseball. The Gamecocks snapped a six game Arkansas winning streak, setting up an intriguing final two games.

Prediction: Arkansas

Alabama at #22 Texas A&M

What a surge by the Crimson Tide the past couple of weeks. After getting swept by Tennessee, they have reeled off series wins against Kentucky and Missouri. This is the definition of a trap series for the Aggies. In fact, this is another series that started last night.

The Aggies took game one, 12-6. Good start for A&M, who got some momentum last week defeating LSU for their first conference series win of the season. Last night was a start to building off that momentum from last week, and they have the advantage the next few games.

Prediction: Texas A&M

#5 Ole Miss at #15 Vanderbilt

The series of the week in the SEC. Ole Miss just lost the baseball version of the Egg Bowl to their in-state rivals last week, their first conference series loss of the year. They do have series’ wins against Texas A&M and Arkansas this season, so not too much harm done last week. To top it off, the Rebs beat a very good Southern Miss team on Tuesday.

Vandy doesn’t have a very shiny record at 20-13, but they are ranked in the Top 15 and have series wins against Duke, Georgia and LSU. The wins are there, this team is better than that record. Not to mention it’s at home. This one will be a dogfight. Not much else to say other than sit back and enjoy!

Prediction: Ole Miss

Tennessee vs #23 LSU

After sweeping Alabama, it looked like the Vols were trending in the right direction. They still are, they beat Florida on Sunday after all, but they still are not there yet, and it’s questionable whether they have the firepower to beat LSU, especially on the road.

LSU, like Vandy, doesn’t exactly have a record that jumps off the page, at just 21-13. Keep in mind this same exact team played for a National Championship last year. That just shows how good and deep the conference is this year. Of course, the Tigers have battled through a multitude of injuries throughout the season, which contributes to that, but they are still good enough to make a run, and they will at some point.

Prediction: LSU

Mississippi State at Auburn

Two teams who came into the year with high expectations. The Bulldogs have had some off field problems, leaving them without a coach. The Tigers on the other hand got off to a great start, but then SEC play started. It’s been a tale of two seasons so far, being just 4-8 in conference play and 23-11 overall. Their RPI is still in more than fine shape at No. 12, but Auburn could start using some wins. They will get them.

Prediction: Auburn