(Photo by Texas A&M Athletics)
By Chris Marler
It’s May, which means it’s time to pretend, y’all.
It’s time for us to pretend like we know how to bet on horses in Kentucky, pretend like we care about Cinco de Mayo (and not just margaritas), and most importantly, pretend like we know who’s gonna close out the final month of the regular season in college baseball and get to Omaha next month.
We’ve got a great weekend of SEC baseball to start the month, so let’s get to it.
LSU vs Texas A&M, Back to Back Super Bowls for the Aggies
Texas is 1000% the arch rival of the Texas A&M Aggies. That being said, outside of defending why male cheerleaders doing jazz hands is a legit tradition, there are few things they seem to care about more than LSU. There’s a reason why they made commemorative cups over a regular season con-job, I mean “win,” against the Tigers in 2018.
This will be a big series for both teams. The Aggies were on fire before last weekend’s sweep against the Longhorns. Yes, they’re an unranked team, 13th in the SEC standings, and just 8-13 in conference play this season. But, winning a series at home against No. 2 LSU would be massive for the Aggies and their postseason hopes. The Aggies are currently listed as one of the last four teams in the field of 64, according to On3.
The bad news is that this series could not be more catered to the current LSU baseball team. The Tigers are coming off back-to-back series wins over top 15 Alabama and Tennessee, and have scored 27 runs in their last two games. They will face an A&M rotation that boasts three lefty starters. That’s great news for LSU, as the Tigers lineup features seven right-handed hitters and are 15-3 against left handed pitchers as a team this season.
Texas faces their biggest test yet – a flight
Texas has been the best team in the SEC this season. They’ve also been the best team in America. Going 19-2 through the first seven weekends in their first year of the SEC has been incredible to say the least. They’ve also done all that without one of their best players Max Belyeu who was the 2024 Big 12 Player of the Year and has been out since March 28. They lead the SEC in ERA at 3.07, and have routinely won one run games, blowouts, and everything in between.
The one frustration from fans outside of Austin is they have yet to face a true elite SEC road environment.
To be fair, and to be clear, it’s not like Texas made their own schedule and any of that is their own fault. However, it’s still frustrating for some fans that were hoping to dunk on the Horns with a “Welcome to the SEC” moment.
Through seven series the Longhorns have faced three top ten teams. All three were at home. They also faced their arch rival Texas A&M at home. The road games? They traveled to Kentucky, Mississippi State, and 0-21 Missouri. This week they head to No. 11 Arkansas. The Razorbacks have lost three straight series but Fayetteville and Baum-Walker should be rocking this weekend.
You gotta fight…for your right…to host
This week’s biggest matchup may not be in Fayetteville but actually in Nashville between Alabama and Vanderbilt. Starting Friday No. 18 Alabama and No. 15 Vanderbilt will face off in a three game set. It could go a long way in determining if one, both, or neither end up as a top 16 national seed and all important selection to host a NCAA regional.
As of Wednesday April 30, D1Baseball has Vanderbilt securely in the top 16 as the No. 9 overall seed and hosting a regional. Alabama however is currently projected as a 2 seed headed to the Clemson regional against the potential ACC Champs and consistently top ten ranked Tigers. A series win on the road in Nashville would go a long way in solidifying a spot to host the first round of this year’s tournament. A sweep would all but seal it for either.
Best Matchup of the Week – Auburn at Tennessee
Tennessee will host arguably the biggest surprise of the SEC this season, the Auburn Tigers. Auburn is only ninth in the SEC standings, but they’ve had a lot of impressive highs this season and plenty of brags to add to their resumé. The Tigers have won five of seven series in conference play this year including a sweep over No. 2 LSU as well as three ranked wins combined in their non-con slate over Oregon State and Georgia Tech.
Where have they struggled? The road, especially in SEC play.
This weekend they’ll travel to Knoxville to take on No. 12 Tennessee. The Vols have lost three of their last four series in SEC play including two home series against unranked Kentucky and Texas A&M. However, outside of those four losses against the Aggies and Wildcats the Vols are 25-1 at home in Lindsey Nelson Stadium this season.
The Tigers are 9-3 in the SEC at home this season, but are just 2-7 on the road against the conference. That includes seven straight losses and two straight series sweeps against UGA and Texas away from Plainsman Park.
Postseason Watch
It’s officially May, so it’s time to start including some consistent updates on what the postseason picture should look like and who will be playing after the annual trip to Hoover.
As of Thursday May 1, here’s a look at where SEC teams fall in postseason projections. The regional seed is on the left and their national seed is in parentheses.
D1Baseball
1 – Texas (No. 1)
1– LSU (No. 2)
1 – Arkansas (No. 4)
1 – Tennessee (No. 6)
1 – Vanderbilt (No. 9)
1 – UGA (No. 10)
1 – Auburn (No. 14)
2 – Ole Miss
2 – Oklahoma
2 – Alabama
2 – Kentucky
3 – Florida
Baseball America
1 – Texas (No.1)
1 – UGA (No. 2)
1 – LSU (No. 3)
1 – Auburn (No. 5)
1 – Arkansas (No. 7)
1 – Vanderbilt (No. 8)
1 – Tennessee (No. 9)
1 – Alabama (No. 15)
2 – Oklahoma
2 – Kentucky
2 – Ole Miss
3 – Florida
3 – Texas A&M
