SEC Baseball Weekend: Texas and Tennessee are mortal
05/05/2025
(Picture by Texas Athletics)
By Chris Marler
Texas was swept on the road by Arkansas, shaking their confidence but not their SEC lead. Meanwhile, Tennessee is sliding and Omaha hopes hinge on top-eight seeding.
Here’s a recap of a weekend in SEC baseball.
Texas’ confidence shaken, but it shouldn’t be
“Well, well, well. My how the turn tables.” – Michael Scott
Texas has been dominant this season and undeniably lucky. Now, for all the sensitive Texas fans who just read that sentence, relax: both can be true, but only one is earned.
Regardless, it is not debatable that Texas’ schedule has featured all of their toughest opponents at home instead of on the road. The Arkansas series this weekend was the first ranked opponent the Longhorns had to face on the road for a weekend set.
The end result? A three game sweep, and over the first two games, Texas looked like a night and day different team being held to season lows and miserable box scores.
BREAKING: Texas finally went on the road against a good team for the first time this season.
It went exactly how you expected it would.
Here’s a quick recap of their trip to Fayetteville through 2 games…#HookEm pic.twitter.com/LJJ2T6TL7r
— Chris Marler (@VernDumbquist) May 3, 2025
I’ve been critical of Texas’ schedule this season. What I will not be critical of is them still going 19-5 in the SEC through eight weekends, which still gives them a two game lead over any other team in the conference this season.
What is wrong with Tennessee
Since Tony Vitello stepped foot on campus two things have happened: females have started packing the park and following baseball more closely, and the Vols have been one of, if not the best, programs in the country.
That’s why the last five weekends have been so perplexing. The Vols started this year on a tear. They were 20-0 out of the gates and going 8-1 through their first three SEC series. Since then it feels like the wheels have fallen off. They’ve lost four of their last five series overall with three of the four series losses coming at home.
I’m starting to think the Tennessee-Texas A&M series in Knoxville five weeks ago was a Freaky Friday or Space Jam situation.
Abilities were exchanged. I’m convinced. pic.twitter.com/kcGFyKSrxC
— Wes Rucker (@wesrucker247) May 4, 2025
I don’t know what’s happened to the Vols, but it’s been a very Rick Barnes-esque late March, early April collapse that we’ve become accustomed to with the basketball program.
Tennessee is still very good and one of the best teams in the league. However, it won’t get any easier for them as their final two series will be against Vanderbilt and the country’s only 40 win team, Arkansas.
8 > 1
It’s nice to be No. 1 in the country no matter what month, but this season has reminded us all that being fixated on No.1 seems stupid until the very last rankings come out after Omaha.
The focus for teams wanting to make it to Omaha shouldn’t be aNo. 1 ranking, it should be playing at home. More specifically, the focus needs to be making it in the top eight teams and in a position to host regionals and super regionals.
That’s more important than winning the conference, than winning in Hoover, and being ranked No. 1 the second week of May.
NEW NCAA TOP 25 💥
For the fifth time this year, there’s a new No. 1 in college baseball. https://t.co/4zBKndZXk2 pic.twitter.com/5G9skiRwzz
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) May 5, 2025