College baseball games of the week: SEC play heating up

SEC Conference play means elite matchups and an SEC-heavy edition of College Baseball Games of the Week. Who will make loud statements against ranked opponents? Read on to find out.

There is no rest in college baseball. Coming off a weekend loaded with top ten matchups is another week of college baseball’s giants slugging it out. The SEC continues its dominance, with nine of its 14 teams landing in the top 25 this week. Conference play has never been more fun.

No. 10 Auburn at No. 1 Mississippi State

Mar. 22-24

After struggling in their opening series against Georgia Southern (the three-game series had 35 total innings), Auburn has been on a tear. Current holders of a 12 game win streak and winners of 16 of their last 17, Auburn has proven to be a force in the SEC. Auburn ranks second on the county in shutouts with five, including one in the opening game of their series against No. 21 Tennessee.

Mississippi State remains the hottest team in baseball when they came away with a series win on the road against No. 5 Florida. They are 4-1 against ranked opponents including 3-1 on the road or at a neutral site in 2019. Amazingly, the pitching staff has yet to allow more than five runs in a game this season against offenses that rank 5th, 19th, 46th, and 47th in scoring this season.

It’s hot against hot in this weekend series. The Bulldogs look to be the firefighters, as they have been against Texas Tech and Florida this season already. Auburn pitching will have to seriously step up, as Mississippi State is averaging 8.7 runs per game (t-10th). No matter the outcome, this will be a statement win for either team.

No. 15 Florida at No. 5 Vanderbilt

Mar. 21-24

Florida, now 15-7, needs a statement series win. No.6 Mississippi State came into Gainesville and won two of three games this weekend to take the series. However, the Gators have still shown signs of dominance when they hung 20 runs on No. 10 Florida State at home. A win at Vanderbilt won’t be easy but is necessary for the Gators to get on track.

The Commodores were living up to their top ranking, until being upended at Texas A&M last weekend. The pitching, as always, has been the reason for their winning, and when it struggles, so does the team. In losses this season, they are giving up an average of eight runs. Vanderbilt is only 2-3 against ranked opponents this season and will have to drastically improve that record if they hope to compete in Omaha.

Great pitching versus great pitching will be the story of this one. The team with the better bats and the fewer mistakes will come out on top. The bottom line is, these are two elite SEC programs who are slugging it out for the top spot in the country.

No. 13 LSU at No. 12 Georgia

Mar. 22-24

To no one’s surprise, LSU has jumped out to a terrific first third of the season. The Tigers were on a tear and seemed unstoppable until they were swept by a powerful Texas Longhorns program. Since then, they are 7-2, complete with a sweep against Kentucky. And since that Texas series, the pitching has been top-notch, not giving up more than five runs in a game.

Georgia is nearly unbeatable at home, with a current 12-1 record in Athens. In fact, the Bulldogs are nearly unbeatable all-around, only dropping two games this season. Hosting LSU, though, is their biggest test so far. Georgia shut down No. 22 South Carolina on the road, completing the sweep this past weekend.

Will Georgia continue their tear and run for the top of the SEC? Or will LSU quiet the Bulldog bats, who are averaging 8.1 runs per game (27th)? Either way, the SEC conference play will be wildly entertaining with two great scoring teams duking it out.

No. 4 Arkansas at No. 9 Texas

Mar. 19-20

With the sting of last year’s College World Series outcome still fresh in their minds, Arkansas is out for blood. Their only losses this season came in a 10-inning battle with USC and a pitching slip up against Louisiana Tech. The Razorbacks completed the sweep of Missouri at home and have now moved to 17-2 on the season.

When focused, the Longhorns are a formidable program, capable of totally shutting down No. 8 LSU in a three-game sweep at home. However, Texas dropped three of four at Stanford and has sloppy losses against UTSA and Purdue. Texas again proved their ability to win big games as they closed out Texas Tech at home, winning two games of the series against the No. 11 team in the country.

This mid-week, two-game series is a treat for baseball fans. The Longhorns prove to be a different team at home and are likely thankful to be hosting Arkansas. The quick series comes sandwiched in between series against No. 11 Texas Tech and No. 21 TCU for the Longhorns, keeping them on their toes. Arkansas is looking to make their first statement against a ranked opponent this season.

South Carolina at Tennessee

Mar. 22-24

The Gamecocks had some serious expectations on their shoulders for the 2019 season. So far, they are trying to find a way to live up to those expectations, but have dropped some ugly games against Gardner-Webb and Liberty at home. South Carolina was able to win their rivalry series against No. 23 Clemson but was then swept two weeks later by Georgia. A little consistency would do this team some good.

Tennessee, on the other hand, is greatly exceeding expectations. The Volunteers’ pitching staff gave up just one run in their first six games and leads the nation with six shutouts. It wasn’t until March 10th when the Vols lost their first ball game. However, No. 18 Auburn swept Tennessee in Auburn, AL this past weekend. This series against South Carolina would be the perfect series to get back on the winning track for Tennessee.

Both teams are coming off sweeps to in-conference opponents and looking to correct back to the winning track. Both teams are also looking to prove that they belong in the top 25, and the winner of this series will likely find themselves back in the rankings. Talk about high stakes, look no further than this weekend series for an entertaining fight between two teams trying to stay alive.