An SEC Baseball Weekend Recap: February 28-March 1

ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE

Series Result:
W vs. Harvard 15-3
W vs. Harvard 10-5
W vs. Harvard 6-3

Alabama is still among the nation’s unbeaten after this weekend of action. The Crimson Tide soundly defeated the Harvard Crimson, earning yet another sweep in weekend play. The Tide overpowered the Crimson, beating them 31-11 on aggregate with two occasions in which they scored 10 or more runs. Peyton Wilson, who earned Freshman of the Week honors, went 4-for-10 in the two games he played in during this series. It was another strong showing for them, as they’ve entered the Top 25 this week.

— Chris Novak

ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS

Series Result:
L vs. Oklahoma 6-3
L vs. Texas 8-7
L vs. Baylor 3-2

It was certainly a forgettable weekend for the Razorbacks at the Shriners College Classic at Minute Maid Park in Houston. Arkansas returned to Fayetteville without a win in three tries last weekend, losing to old SWC foes Texas and Baylor by one run, as well as a late-inning collapse against Oklahoma to start the weekend. Casey Martin’s struggles were a focal point for the Hogs offense, going just 1-for-9 in the first two games, and was benched for the finale against Baylor. Arkansas returns to Baum-Walker Stadium for six straight games before opening SEC play on the road at Mississippi State later this month.

— Chris Turner

AUBURN TIGERS

Series Result:
W vs. Wright State 7-2
W vs. Wright State 20-6
W vs. Wright State 6-0

Auburn flipped the results from last weekend this week, as they swept the Horizon League’s Wright State Raiders. The Tigers made mince meat of them, outscoring them 33-8 on aggregate with a 6-0 shutout and a 20-6 rout. Ryan Bliss may not be Five Feet of Fury, but Bliss did hit two homers in Saturday’s rout of the Raiders. He also cranked out a double in Sunday’s 6-0 victory, his sixth of the season. Tanner Burns threw eight strikeouts in five innings of work meanwhile during Friday’s 7-2 win.

— Chris Novak

FLORIDA GATORS

Series Result:
W vs. Troy 3-2
W vs. Troy 10-7
W vs. Troy 7-1

After seeing two of their games get postponed last week, the rust didn’t affect Florida negatively over the weekend. They still swept Troy decisively to remain in the ranks of the unbeaten. They won 3-2 on Friday, 10-7 on Saturday and then finished the weekend off with a 7-1 rout. UF erupted for a 3-run inning in the 7th on Friday, thanks to an RBI single from Austin Langworthy and then a single by Kirby McMullen that brought Langworthy and Nathan Hickey. Florida again trounced the Trojans in the 7th inning on Saturday, as they exploded for six runs to overtake them after being down 7-4. Sunday’s win came a lot easier, as they held a lead from end to end. Hunter Barco highlighted on the mound as he tossed nine strikeouts in five innings of work on Sunday afternoon.

— Chris Novak

GEORGIA BULLDOGS

Series Result:
W vs. Georgia Tech 6-5
W vs. Georgia Tech 12-0
W vs. Georgia Tech 9-3

The Top 5 Bulldogs continue to outclass their opponents in 2020. Georgia rolled over Georgia Tech with a three-game sweep of the Yellow Jackets, outscoring GT 27-8 in the series. Emerson Hancock opened the series with another impressive outing, striking out 10 batters over 5.2 innings of work. On Saturday, sophomore Cole Wilcox dazzled on the mound with seven scoreless innings and 11 strikeouts against GT. Add two scoreless innings from Justin Glover, and it was the first time since 1964 that Georgia had shut out Georgia Tech on its home field. The Bulldogs solidified a sweep Sunday with Ben Anderson and Tucker Bradley each tacking on three hits with two RBIs in a 9-3 win.

— Chris Turner

KENTUCKY WILDCATS

Series Result:
L vs. UNC Wilmington 8-0
L vs. UNC Wilmington 3-0
L vs. UNC Wilmington 7-4

Kentucky continues to have a rough go at it in the beginning of the season. After going on a run where they won five in a row, the Wildcats sunk back under the .500 mark after this weekend’s action. They were swept by UNC Wilmington, who fearlessly came into Lexington and walked away winners each time. The Wildcats offense was held scoreless for the first 20 innings of the series, and only scored four runs in 27 innings of action. Their offense is hitting just .247 this season, which probably tells you all you need to know about their struggles.

— Chris Novak

LSU TIGERS

Series Result:
W vs. Texas 4-3
L vs. Baylor 6-4
L vs. Oklahoma 1-0

LSU was relatively unsuccessful out at Minute Maid Park in Houston this weekend. Partaking in the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic, LSU was able to knock off 22nd-ranked Texas, but failed to defeat Baylor and 16th-ranked Oklahoma. The Tigers pulled ahead in the 6th inning against Texas thanks to a homer by Daniel Cabrera. But this unfortunately would be their only taste of success this weekend. They held a 4-0 lead heading into the bottom of the 6th inning of the game against Baylor. But the Bears struck for six unanswered runs to take the game 6-4 by night’s end. The game against OU was a struggle, as they failed to score any runs against the Sooners, who plated home just one run all afternoon. In fact, LSU was no hit by Dane Acker, who picked up the first no-hitter for the Sooners since 1989. And it marked the first time ever that LSU was no-hit in a game. Not exactly the right side of history you want to be on.

— Chris Novak

MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS

Series Result:
L vs. Long Beach State 4-0
W vs. Long Beach State 9-0
L vs. Long Beach State 6-2

Mississippi State was outdueled by Long Beach State over the weekend. The Bulldogs, who traveled out to Blair Field in Long Beach, took just one game in the three game set to drop them down to 7-4 on the season. They fell 4-0 on Friday, as they couldn’t figure out Adam Seminaris, who threw a gem, striking out 10 batters in eight innings of work with one hit allowed. The Bulldogs struck out 12 times in that one and picked up just that one hit throughout the game. They struck back on Saturday, earning a 9-0 victory. Justin Foscue smacked a solo home run, and Tanner Allen went 2-for-5 with a double and a triple, with three RBI. Six different Bulldogs collected RBI in the win, and the pitching staff allowed just four hits through the nine innings of work and struck out a combined 11 hitters. Sunday was just not their day though. They collected seven hits but only had two runs come across in the first inning. They were then held scoreless the rest of the way, as Long Beach State pulled off the ‘comeback’ win.

— Chris Novak

MISSOURI TIGERS

Series Result:
L vs. Baylor 4-2
W vs. Oklahoma 8-7 (10 inn.)
W vs. Texas 9-8

While Arkansas struggled in Houston, Missouri picked up two big wins against old Big 12 opponents at the Shriners Classic at Minute Maid. The Tigers opened the weekend with a loss to Baylor, and looked like they were heading for another after falling behind 5-0 vs. Oklahoma on Saturday. Mizzou chipped away at the Sooners lead before tying it up at 7-7 in the eighth inning. Senior infielder Peter Zimmerman was the hero in the 10th, ripping a walk-off ground-rule double to give the Tigers the 8-7 victory. In the weekend finale, the Tigers edged Texas after scoring five runs in the sixth inning to jump ahead of the Longhorns for good.

— Chris Turner

OLE MISS REBELS

Series Result:
W vs. High Point 6-2
W vs. Eastern Carolina 2-1
W vs. Indiana 9-5

Ole Miss continues to be one of the hottest teams in the SEC right now, winning three straight at the Keith LeClair Classic in Greenville, NC last weekend. That pushes the Rebels win streak to nine games. Mike Bianco’s squad picked up wins against High Point, Indiana, and a ranked Eastern Carolina team to continue their hot start to 2020. Sophomore Closer Braden Forsyth was named SEC co-Pitcher of the Week after an active week out the pen. He earned a save in three of the four Ole Miss wins last week, becoming the first reliever to win co-Pitcher of the Week honors this season.

— Chris Turner

SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS

Series Result:
L vs. Clemson 7-1
W vs. Clemson 8-5
L vs. Clemson 5-2

South Carolina was unsuccessful in their attempt to take down rival Clemson over the weekend. This battle of the Palmetto State went to the Tigers, who took two of three from the Gamecocks. Clemson went into Columbia and won 7-1 on Friday, never trailing in the game. Saturday’s result went to the Gamecocks, who were aided by a collaborative effort. Six different players drove in runs, with Jeff Heinrich driving in three of his own. Wes Clarke hit a homer, and Andrew Eyster hit a double and a triple. Sunday’s game looked like it would be a win for the Gamecocks. But a four-run 7th helped put the Tigers up for good. South Carolina is now 7-4 on the year as they head into March.

— Chris Novak

TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS

Series Result:
W vs. George Washington 7-1
W vs. George Washington 7-3
W vs. George Washington 10-0

Tennessee continues to roll right along through the early goings of the season. The Vols are still undefeated after sweeping George Washington. They allowed just four runs in the weekend series and pounced for 24 of their own. Luc Lipcius hit two homers in the series and the Vols hit six total over the weekend. Chad Dallas pitched very well on Friday, allowing six hits through seven innings with one earned run, one walk and seven strikeouts. The Vols are now 12-0 as they head into midweek action this week, and don’t appear to show any signs of slowing down.

— Chris Novak

TEXAS A&M AGGIES

Series Result:
L vs. Illinois 1-0
L vs. UCLA 10-2
L vs. Oklahoma State 8-5

It was tough sledding for Texas A&M this weekend in Frisco. The Aggies melted at Dr. Pepper Ballpark, losing to Illinois, UCLA and Oklahoma State. Illinois and A&M were deadlocked at zero for most of the game, but the Illini put up a run in the bottom of the 8th and eventually came away victorious. Against UCLA, the Aggies were down from the get go. And they just couldn’t keep up with the second-ranked Bruins. A&M was then up 4-1 on the Pokes on Sunday. But Oklahoma State rallied right back and pulled ahead later to take home an 8-5 win after scoring three in the top of the 9th. The series loss took them down to 10-3 on the season, so not all is bad in Aggieland at least.

— Chris Novak

VANDERBILT COMMODORES

Series Result:
W vs. Hawaii 5-1
L vs. Hawaii 3-1
W vs. Hawaii 7-5

The fifth-ranked Commodores scored a series win at Hawkins Field this weekend, soundly defeating the visiting Hawaii Rainbow Warriors two of three times. Vandy opened things up with a 5-1 victory on Friday. After a 3-1 loss on Saturday, the Commodores powered back into the win column with a 7-5 victory in extras on Sunday in the rubber match. That thanks to an Isaiah Thomas three-run bomb that walked ‘em off. The ‘Dores are now 10-3 on the season after this past weekend and will head into midweek play with a bit of momentum after this series W.

— Chris Novak