As we wind down March, separations between programs have begun, and this weekend was no different. We have a three-team tier at the top, an eleven-team tier in the Southeastern Conference, and the bottom two. We saw all but one series this weekend end in a sweep, with Kentucky and LSU going all three games, with the Tigers taking the rubber match on Sunday. Obviously, as we have every weekend, there have been overreactions and praise for the teams and players who earned it. 

Like we do every week, let’s jump right into the thick of the action from week seven. 

Starting with Mississippi State and Ole Miss, Friday night was a classic, but past that, Mississippi State dominated Ole Miss over the weekend. This was one of those series in which two things can be true at the same time. Despite going 0-4 last week, Ole Miss is still a really good baseball team, with a lot of potential on the roster to finish out the season by hosting another Oxford Regional. On the other side, you have Mississippi State. Mississippi State is back and better than ever before. The Bulldogs are one of three elite teams at this point in the season that feel like they don’t at least reach the College World Series, then the season is a bust. Mississippi State is just so deep, it’s not just 1-9 that can beat you, it’s the 12th, 13th, etc., on the roster that provides the Bulldogs with depth and talent. There aren’t many programs, if any, that have that depth, and it will likely provide Mississippi State with an advantage in the postseason that nobody can compete with. 

Second, you have Texas and Georgia. The other two programs in the top three across the Southeastern Conference as we enter April. Like Mississippi State, both Texas and Georgia have been elite through the first part of the season. Georgia has had some midweek issues, but both are right there with Mississippi State in the pecking order. As of right now, it’s hard to place either one ahead of Mississippi State, but Texas swept Oklahoma at home this weekend, while Georgia earned the sweep over South Carolina inside the friendly confines of Foley Field. Georgia has a road series at Mississippi State this weekend in what could be the most anticipated series of the weekend. Georgia has the chance to earn the nation’s respect with a top-five matchup against Mississippi State. A win over the Bulldogs, and Georgia could very well be in the conversation for the respect they would have earned. 

Then there’s Alabama. Despite starting Southeastern Conference play 0-3 after falling victim to the Kentucky baseball machine, the Crimson Tide has rattled off back-to-back weekends of sweeping Florida and Auburn, which has landed the Crimson Tide back inside the top-25 ranking, coming into the new week ranked 16th in the country. We’ll see what Alabama is made of this weekend as they head to take on the 11th-ranked Oklahoma Sooners in Norman. Coming into the season, Alabama was one of those teams that had the potential coming into the season to be a threat, but struggled with an identity in the non-conference slate, but has since rallied to be one of the hottest teams in baseball over the last two weeks, showing what many people around the sport expected to see as a team that could be a threat to reach the College World Series. 

Down on the Bayou, it was the LSU Tigers taking two out of three over Kentucky, in the battle for overreactions from two rabid fan bases. Let’s start with Kentucky. Coach Mingione has a really good baseball team that fought hard these last two weeks but fell just short, and in the grand scheme of things, Kentucky will be just fine. Taking what Jason Jelkin did on Friday night, where he gave Kentucky eight complete innings, giving up two runs, five hits, while striking out seven batters. Jelkin, with his 2.81 ERA, has been a terror and gives Kentucky a solid Friday night starter. Losing back-to-back weekends isn’t the end of the world for Kentucky; the Wildcats will be just fine. For LSU, the Tigers have had a slow start, but we’ve seen flashes from this Tigers team, and honestly, I wouldn’t count out Coach Jay Johnson and the boys until proven otherwise. LSU is the defending champion for that reason, and it could be one of those seasons where LSU enters into a Regional somewhere as a dangerous two-seed with a roster good enough to make a return to Omaha. 

In one of the hardest weekend series to understand and make sense of, Florida was heading to Arkansas to sweep the Razorbacks. After a debacle the previous weekend at Alabama, the Gators faced adversity head-on, seized the opportunity, and earned a massive three-game sweep. As far as the sense of it, that’s baseball in the Southeastern Conference; every night is a war in itself. I’ve had my reservations about Arkansas not living up to the preseason hype, but either way, Florida came in and showcased Gators baseball and earned that series win. Florida will now return home, where they’ll welcome an Ole Miss baseball team desperate for a series win after going 0-4 on the week. 

Lastly, Vanderbilt will always be Vanderbilt. As long as Coach Tim Corbin is the Head Coach on the West End, then Vanderbilt will never be a team you can just count out. Vanderbilt got swept the weekend prior in Starkville, then responded this past weekend by taking all three over Tennessee. A true masterclass of never counting out Coach Corbin and the Vandy boys. Vanderbilt has now won two out of the first three SEC series of the season, and now faces a massive road opportunity at Texas A&M. If they can manage a road series victory over the 25th-ranked Aggies, then the Commodores could very well play their way back into the top-25 conversation. 

Overall, another fun weekend of Southeastern Conference baseball is behind us. We have midweeks on Tuesday, then all the conference action will get underway on Thursday night, with Easter Weekend allowing fans to enjoy a weekend of baseball before celebrating Easter with their families. 

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