Fansided

SEC baseball power rankings: Bulldogs own top 2 spots

By Justin Strawn

STARKVILLE, MS - SEPTEMBER 10: Dudy Noble Field at Polk-Dement Stadium on the campus of the Mississippi State Bulldogs before a game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Davis Wade Stadium on September 10, 2016 in Starkville, Mississippi. The Bulldogs defeated the Gamecocks 27-14. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
STARKVILLE, MS - SEPTEMBER 10: Dudy Noble Field at Polk-Dement Stadium on the campus of the Mississippi State Bulldogs before a game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Davis Wade Stadium on September 10, 2016 in Starkville, Mississippi. The Bulldogs defeated the Gamecocks 27-14. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /
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GREENVILLE, NC – JUNE 02: South Carolina pitcher Cody Morris (49) throws a pitch during the NCAA Baseball Greenville Regional between the East Carolina Pirates and the South Carolina Gamecocks at Lewis Field at Clark-LeClair Stadium in Greenville, NC on June 2, 2018.(Photo by Greg Thompson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
GREENVILLE, NC – JUNE 02: South Carolina pitcher Cody Morris (49) throws a pitch during the NCAA Baseball Greenville Regional between the East Carolina Pirates and the South Carolina Gamecocks at Lewis Field at Clark-LeClair Stadium in Greenville, NC on June 2, 2018.(Photo by Greg Thompson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

The South Carolina Gamecocks were supposed to bounce back to a level closer to the norm in 2019 than they were in 2018. So far, the bounce back has not come to fruition. South Carolina was swept by the Georgia Bulldogs in their SEC opener, and they followed it up with a series loss to Tennessee. The Gamecocks problem isn’t power. They lead the SEC in home runs and are second in slugging percentage. The problem is they usually don’t have anyone on base when they hit those home runs. South Carolina is dead last in the SEC in batting average and on-base percentage.

Ole Miss continued to demonstrate the same problems they have shown all season long this past week. The Rebels are a great hitting team, but they struggle with their pitching. Ole Miss ranks toward the bottom in almost every pitching stat in the SEC. The Rebels and their fans probably looked at their schedule to start the SEC season and thought they would be 5-1 or possibly 6-0 in SEC play with two of the worst teams in the SEC on the schedule in Missouri and Alabama. The only time the schedule will let up for the rest of conference play is when Ole Miss takes on Kentucky. In every other series, they likely are not the favorite to win any of those series.

My things have changed for the Tigers since last week. Missouri looked to be the doormat of the SEC, but then they get a big series win over the Ole Miss Rebels, and as a result, are the biggest movers in the power rankings. The Tigers still have problems. They pitch decently, but they are dead last in the SEC in runs scored. If they can figure out a way to put runs on the board, they might have a chance to make some noise during the 2019 SEC baseball season.