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SEC Baseball Weekend Preview: LSU, Texas set for showdown in Austin

Mar 21, 2025 | 11:40 AM

(Photo credit: Nate Bell)

By Chris Marler

Here’s a sentence I never thought I’d write, say, or even think: 

I wish March Madness wasn’t going to get in the way of a regular season SEC baseball game/series. 

However, that’s exactly how I feel about the series in Austin this weekend. With that being said, here’s what to watch for this weekend in SEC baseball, including three top-15 matchups. 

Blue blood showdown in Austin 

There are three elite matchups this weekend in the conference. However, LSU heading to Austin feels like it’s on a much different level than everything else happening in college baseball this weekend. The series between No. 2 LSU and No. 8 Texas seems monumental for a number of reasons. I’m not sure if there’s another matchup like this across any sport in the conference. 

These are the two premiere college baseball programs in the country and have been for decades. Going on the road in college baseball isn’t as difficult as in football or basketball, but winning two of three against a top ten team won’t be an easy task for the Tigers. However, with the Vols losing back to back games heading into Friday, there’s a prime opportunity to take over the No. 1 spot in the polls. 

Alabama is one win away from no longer being a football school 

Our editor and Digital Media Director, Rivers Hughey, posed this question last night:

Is it weird that Alabama’s worst sport right now is probably football? 

The basketball team went to the Final Four last year and has been ranked in the top ten all year. The baseball team is currently 22-1 and has, arguably, the best player in America at shortstop, Justin Lebron. The Tide won the series opener on Thursday night 6-5, handing the Vols back-to-back losses for the first time this season. 

If Alabama can win against Tennessee on Friday or Saturday and clinch a series victory, that would be a massive win for the baseball program under a second year head coach. There’s also a very real possibility that by the end of the weekend the current state of each sport looks like this: 

Baseball: Series win over No. 1 Tennessee 

Basketball: Advanced to their third straight Sweet 16 

Football: A third-string quarterback from Washington could be Alabama’s starter this season after the program failed to win 10 games for the first time in nearly two decades and suffered its first loss to Vanderbilt in 40 years.

Thanks, Rivers. This was a super fun exercise in sadness. 

World’s largest outdoor walk-tail party 

Georgia and Florida will face off in Gainesville for a three game set starting Friday night. Georgia is currently ranked in the top five in nearly every national poll. Florida is coming off an 0-3 start to SEC play after their trip to Knoxville. This series should feature a lot of offense between the Dawgs and the Gators. 

Georgia has issued 136 free bases through 23 games. That was via 109 walks and 27 hit batters. To put the 109 walks into perspective, that not only leads the SEC, but is 20 more than the next closest team, South Carolina (89).

Check out more of our SEC coverage.