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SEC baseball: Early 2019 winners, losers and questions left unanswered

By Justin Strawn

GAINESVILLE, FL - FEB 22: Brady McConnell (13) of the Gators makes the throw over to first base during the college baseball game between the Miami Hurricanes and the Florida Gators on February 22, 2019 at Alfred A. McKethan Stadium in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
GAINESVILLE, FL - FEB 22: Brady McConnell (13) of the Gators makes the throw over to first base during the college baseball game between the Miami Hurricanes and the Florida Gators on February 22, 2019 at Alfred A. McKethan Stadium in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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CLEMSON, SC – JUNE 03: Vanderbilt and Clemson played against one another in the NCAA 2018 Division I Baseball Championship regional match up on June 3, 2018 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in Clemson, S.C. Ethan Paul (10) of Vanderbilt throws the ball to first base. (Photo by John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CLEMSON, SC – JUNE 03: Vanderbilt and Clemson played against one another in the NCAA 2018 Division I Baseball Championship regional match up on June 3, 2018 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in Clemson, S.C. Ethan Paul (10) of Vanderbilt throws the ball to first base. (Photo by John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Living up to the hype: Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, Auburn and Arkansas

Make no mistake, there will be other SEC baseball teams that could make this list before next weekend is over, but for now, these are the teams who have faced legitimate competition and done exactly what we expected them to do.

The Vanderbilt Commodores played a weak Pepperdine team this past weekend, but they opened the season with a three-game series against TCU, Cal State Fullerton, and Virginia. The Commodores took two of three of those games, and they followed it up with a dominant sweep at home over Pepperdine.

The Mississippi State Bulldogs had a tall task in Conference USA favorite Southern Miss this past weekend. The Golden Eagles have become an NCAA Regional fixture, and 2019 should be no different. The Bulldogs used strong pitching and timely hitting to take two of three in Starkville this past weekend.

The Auburn Tigers went on the road to one of the teams in the mix for the American Athletic Conference title when they went to Orlando to play the UCF Knights. Auburn unleashed an impressive offensive attack to take two of three from the Knights.

The Arkansas Razorbacks also went on the road this past weekend to take on the USC Trojans. It wasn’t surprising for Arkansas to win two of the three games against the Trojans, but to do so on the road is always impressive, especially since it was such a long way from home.

On the brink: Ole Miss, LSU and Tennessee