By Chris Marler
Only two more midweek slates remain in the 2025 regular season. Tuesday’s slate is the best of either one, and it’s not particularly close. A total of eight SEC teams will be in action on Tuesday night. Three of the eight will be facing Power Four programs as well. Here’s a look at this week’s non-conference SEC midweek report.
Best Matchup: Vanderbilt vs Louisville
Vanderbilt heads to horse country for a game against a good Louisville team who’s been one of the more consistent programs in the country. It’s a great matchup for a number of reasons, but primarily because it’s a matchup of strength versus strength.
Vanderbilt ranks 14th in the NCAA with a 3.41 ERA. Louisville ranks 17th in the NCAA with a .313 average. Louisville is 2-1 against the SEC this season including a win over Texas in their season opener.
Non-SEC Player to Watch: Brady Ballinger
Ballinger is a baller, plain and simple. This kid has raked all season long. The 6-foot-2, 220 pound first baseman hits in the two hole for the Jayhawks. On the season, he’s hit .372 with 14 home runs and 46 RBIs. He faced the Tigers a week ago and went 2-for-4, scoring two runs in a 9-3 win over Mizzou.
There are 299 D1 Baseball teams. Missouri’s pitching staff ranks No. 285 in the country with a 9.35 ERA. Missouri has 13 players who have thrown more than ten innings this season. The lowest ERA among all 13 is 6.09 with only two players on their entire pitching staff holding a winning record on the mound this season.
Who’s on upset alert?
Alabama. It may not even be an upset. Alabama heads to Troy for a road game against No. 19 Troy. Troy has been good this season and already has one win over an SEC school, Mississippi State. They’re 1-2 on the season against SEC schools and 1-3 against Power Four schools this season. However, all three losses came by a combined five runs.
