By Chris Marler
(Photo credit: LSU Athletics)
Best Matchup: Arkansas Pitching vs LSU Hitting
LSU’s offense continues to struggle over the last few weeks. Last weekend against Texas A&M, the Tigers scored seven runs total on the entire weekend. Over their last six conference games, they’ve gone into the ninth inning with five or more runs just once.
Arkansas is coming off their best series of the year after sweeping Texas at home. The Hogs were incredible on the mound in the first two games of the series holding Texas to just one run on seven hits while striking out 29. LSU’s pitching has been great for most of the season, but the bats will need to not go quiet for the first several innings against a team like Arkansas who’s playing with arguably more confidence than any team in the league after last weekend.
Under the radar series: Ole Miss at Mississippi State
Ole Miss has lost three of its last four series in SEC play. Mississippi State has won four straight and has also won the last four series between these two in Starkville. Mississippi State is projected to make the tournament by nearly every major publication. However, they are currently a three seed in most regionals. Ole Miss is entrenched as a two seed in whatever regional they end up at as of now.
I’m not sure how much more Mississippi State can climb seeding-wise, but a series win would be huge for the Bulldogs, and not just for their postseason hopes.
Stat of the Week
Here’s a wild stat heading into the second to last conference weekend. Only two teams currently have a winning streak over three games in the conference.
- No. 1 UGA (6 Straight Wins)
- Head Coach-less Mississippi State (4 Straight Wins)
No. 1 UGA facing Alabama? What could go wrong?
Playing Alabama while being ranked No. 1 hasn’t gone particularly well for UGA in football. Lucky for UGA, Nick Saban and Jalen Milroe should be nowhere near Sewell-Thomas stadium this weekend. There are still plenty of concerns though.
Prior to last week’s series against Missouri, UGA had lost their last seven road games. On the year, they’re just 9-8 on the road. That’s not ideal heading to Tuscaloosa and facing a team that desperately needs a series win to lock down a regional hosting spot in the postseason.
Battle for Tennessee
Blue Blood vs New Blood Part 2 happens in Knoxville this weekend. Tennessee’s series loss to Auburn last weekend felt like a fever dream. Or a bad dream at the very least. This weekend they slipped to No. 15 in the rankings and are currently projected to not be a top eight national seed.
Then again, maybe that’s a good thing considering the Vols have lost four of their last five series including three at home.
Regardless, this feels like a good spot for Tennessee to get their mojo back. Vanderbilt is one of the worst offensive teams in the SEC while Tennessee leads the conference in ERA at 3.47.
