Quick one this week.

Two series got pushed back due to weather — South Carolina at LSU and Auburn at Texas A&M are both postponed and will play doubleheaders today. So we’ve got a lighter recap than usual, but the games we did get were full of storylines.

Let’s get into it.

#24 Alabama Takes the Series Over Vanderbilt

Alabama wrapped up the series yesterday, taking it two games to none after winning game one on Friday night and closing it out 5-0 on Saturday.

Friday night was the more dramatic of the two. Connor Fennell was pitching really well — and then Tim Corbin pulled him after 70 pitches on what felt like a questionable decision. Alabama tied it immediately after he came out and won it on a walk-off home run in the ninth inning. Tyler Fay did his job, kept Alabama in the game, and the bullpen did the rest.

Saturday was a lot cleaner. Zane Adams went six shutout innings with six strikeouts and looked really sharp. Justin LeBron went 2-for-4 to pace the offense. Alabama handled business, 5-0, and took the series convincingly.

Rob Thompson had the guys ready, and this was a big series win for them.

#5 Georgia 4, Missouri 0

Closer than people probably expected, but Georgia got the job done.

Josh McDevitt actually pitched really solid baseball for Missouri — 6 1/3 innings of quality work. But Joey Volchko outdueled him completely. Six shutout innings, nine strikeouts. He walked a few guys and let some runners on, but he controlled the game from the first pitch and never let Missouri get comfortable.

Georgia tacked on one in the seventh and two in the eighth to put it away. Volchko was the story, and this was exactly the kind of start you want from him.

Kentucky 9, Tennessee 2

This one was a shock.

Tegan Kuhns had been absolutely dominant recently — back-to-back great starts, moving into that Friday night role and looking like a legitimate ace. And then Kentucky got to him. He got hit around, and it just wasn’t his night.

On the other side, Ben Cleaver had the best start of his season. Seven shutout innings, four strikeouts. He was really, really good and completely controlled the game.

Kentucky takes game one of the series, 9-2, and now controls things heading into today, with Jaxon Jelkin going in game two. Genuinely one of the more surprising results of the weekend so far.

#22 Arkansas 12, #17 Ole Miss 2

Ole Miss came in ranked and with real momentum. Arkansas made a statement.

Hunter Dietz continues to be one of the most reliable Friday night arms in the entire conference. Six innings, one earned run, nine strikeouts. He has been dominant ever since moving into that Friday night role.

Kuhio Aloy went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs to lead the Arkansas offense, and it was never really close after the early innings. A 10-run win over a ranked Ole Miss team is a big deal. Arkansas is playing their best baseball of the year right now.

#15 Oklahoma 4, #25 Florida 3

Oklahoma came from behind and stole one.

Florida led 3-1 heading into the bottom of the eighth, and Oklahoma put up three runs to walk it off, 4-3. Jason Boden got the win in relief. Connor Larkin went 2-for-4 and was a big part of the offensive push.

On the other side, Aidan King left with the lead after seven solid innings again. He’s been one of the most consistent Friday night arms in the SEC all year. Florida just couldn’t hold it in the end.

Oklahoma gets a big home win and takes game one of the series.

#4 Texas 3, #10 Mississippi State 1

Dylan Volantis. Six shutout innings. 12 strikeouts.

That’s the whole story.

He has been absolutely dominant since taking over that Friday night role, and last night was more of the same. Mississippi State’s Valincius wasn’t bad — five innings, three earned runs, five strikeouts — he just ran into the wrong guy on the wrong night.

Sam Kozart came in and got the save in relief. Aiden Robbins went 1-for-4 with the lone RBI for Texas. Texas just continues to look like a complete, well-built baseball team that beats good opponents consistently.

Mississippi State fought, but Texas is just operating at a different level right now on Friday nights.

Looking Ahead to Today

Two series to keep a close eye on today beyond the normal game twos — South Carolina at LSU and Auburn at Texas A&M are both playing doubleheaders after last night’s postponements. A lot of baseball to be played, and both of those series have major postseason implications.

Should be a full, chaotic, great Saturday of SEC baseball.

We’re into the part of the season where every weekend matters. The bubble teams are sweating. The contenders are trying to separate. And this week’s slate has a little bit of everything — a prime time Friday night opener, a couple of must-win series, and what might be the most intriguing pitching-versus-hitting matchup of the entire season.

Let’s get into it.

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Vanderbilt at #24 Alabama — ESPN2, 7PM ET Thursday Night

This is a great way to kick off a weekend. Prime time, ESPN2, two teams with something serious to prove.

Connor Fennell vs Tyler Fay and two teams with different “must-win” scenarios.

Here’s what I know — this is a must-win weekend for Alabama if they have any aspirations of hosting this postseason. And Vanderbilt is fighting for their postseason lives. So both teams are coming in with their backs against the wall in different ways.

I give Alabama the slight edge. They have the statistical advantage in nearly every pitching category, they’re at home, and home field matters in this conference. My one concern with Alabama is their defense and whether their offense is going to be consistent enough. Vanderbilt’s offense is potent — Jason Esposito has done a really nice job with that group.

But in a series this close, I’ll take the home team with the pitching edge.

Prediction: Alabama takes the series

Missouri at #5 Georgia

This is a get-right weekend for Georgia, and I think they know it.

Pad the stats time. Joey Volchko needs to go out and have a dominant performance, and this feels like the right matchup for him to do it. There are also reports that Dylan Vigue could be easing back from injury this weekend, and if that’s the case, this is a good spot to bring him back on a pitch count and get him some comfortable innings.

Georgia is at home, they’re the better team, and Missouri has really struggled in SEC play. I think Georgia is motivated to put together a clean, dominant series and I think they probably sweep if we’re being honest about it.

Prediction: Georgia sweeps

Tennessee at Kentucky

I read somewhere that Kentucky has lost nearly every series this year — maybe all but one. And even though Tennessee is on the road, I still think they take this one.

Here’s why. This Tennessee team is getting more experienced every single week. The young pieces that were shaky earlier in the year are starting to figure it out, and their pitching staff is throwing the ball as well as anyone in the country right now.

Tegan Kuhns has some of the best stuff on any staff in the league and is throwing the bell extremely well right now. Evan Blanco has been very solid in the Sunday role, and has been bumped up to Saturday this weekend. And then you’ve got Cam Appenzeller out of the pen — potentially the freshman of the year — along with other quality weapons behind him.

Kentucky just isn’t playing well right now. And Tennessee’s pitching staff at this moment is too good to overlook, even away from home.

Prediction: Tennessee takes the series on the road

#17 Ole Miss at #22 Arkansas

This was a tough one to pick. Arkansas at home is no joke, and I genuinely wrestled with this one.

But I keep coming back to Ole Miss’ pitching, and I can’t get away from it.

When you look at what Joel Mangrum has done with that staff in just one year — coming in from the Cleveland Guardians’ minor league system as their pitching coordinator and bringing that professional development approach to Oxford — the results have been real. Hunter Elliott, when healthy and commanding, is one of the best arms in the conference. The raw stuff across that entire rotation with Cade Townsend and Taylor Rabe is legitimately special.

Arkansas has an offense that can be streaky and still has some pitching question marks of their own. Ole Miss’ pitching is too good to bet against, even on the road.

I think it’ll be close. But I’m taking Ole Miss.

Prediction: Ole Miss takes the series at Arkansas

#25 Florida at #15 Oklahoma

I have too many question marks around Oklahoma right now.

Don’t get me wrong — they’re a battle-tested, gritty team. Skip Johnson is one of the best coaches in the country. They’re at home, and that counts for something. And LJ Mercurius and Cam Johnson are capable of having a big weekend at any time.

But I think Florida comes in and takes care of business here. This is a weekend where Florida needs to start separating themselves if they have any real aspirations of hosting. And I think they know that.

Oklahoma still has some things to figure out on both sides of the ball, and for some reason Kevin O’Sullivan has convinced me he will have his team playing well at the right now, and this is one of those weekends. Give me Aidan King and Liam Peterson to go on the road and take care of business.

Prediction: Florida takes the series

South Carolina at LSU

This one is genuinely tough because South Carolina is playing really good baseball right now.

I think South Carolina has the starting pitching advantage in this series. There are reports that Casan Evans may be banged up and could miss this weekend, and if that’s the case, that’s a huge blow to LSU’s rotation.

But here’s where I land — LSU at home, with everything they’ve been through this year, I think there’s going to be some youthful energy and some pride on the line. Playing at home in Baton Rouge in front of their fans, I think they respond. I think they take two out of three against South Carolina.

That said, if Evans doesn’t go this weekend, keep a close eye on this one. South Carolina’s pitching could make things very uncomfortable for LSU.

Prediction: LSU takes 2 of 3 at home

#10 Mississippi State at #4 Texas

Texas is just too good right now, and the eye test backs it up.

Dylan Volantis has looked electric since sliding into that Friday night role. Two dominant starts in a row. I expect more of the same this weekend as Texas looks to defend their home field and make a statement in the SEC standings.

Mississippi State is a good team — and if Ryan McPherson comes back from injury this weekend, as some reports have suggested, that completely changes their ceiling. If he’s healthy and going, this series gets very interesting very fast.

But even accounting for that, I think Texas has the edge. They’re at home, their pitching has been dominant, and this feels like a weekend where they can separate themselves a little bit in the SEC picture.

Prediction: Texas takes the series

#8 Auburn at #7 Texas A&M

Save the best for last.

This is the Alabama-Vanderbilt series on steroids. Auburn has — in my opinion — the best pitching staff in the league. Texas A&M has — in my opinion — the best offense in the league. And the Aggies are at home, playing as well as anyone in the country right now.

I know I keep going back to it, but I genuinely believe good pitching beats good hitting. I’ve believed it all year. And I’m probably going to look crazy for picking against Texas A&M again, but I’m doing it.

Auburn on the road. Statement win for the Tigers. A result that sets them up for national seed consideration and real postseason positioning.

Their pitching staff is too good. I’m riding with them.

Prediction: Auburn takes the series on the road

Weekend Picks

Alabama over Vanderbilt

Georgia sweeps Missouri

Tennessee over Kentucky

Ole Miss over Arkansas

Florida over Oklahoma

LSU over South Carolina

Texas over Mississippi State

Auburn over Texas A&M

Week eight. This is where it gets real. The hosting picture is starting to take shape, the bubble is getting smaller, and teams can’t afford to give away series anymore. Should be an incredible weekend across the board.

We’re deep into SEC play now, and every start means that much more.

The arms that have been consistent are proving it week after week. The ones that have been inconsistent are starting to fall — and in some cases, fall fast. After another loaded weekend across the conference, there’s movement all over this list.

Let’s get into it.

SEC Starting Pitcher Power Rankings — Week 7

1. Aidan King — Florida (Ranking unchanged)

Season: 7-2, 60.2 IP, 40 H, 20 R, 12 ER, 13 BB, 61 K, 1.78 ERA

Past week: 8.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K

Eight innings, zero walks, against Texas A&M and that loaded offense. That’s Aidan King.

He didn’t miss as many bats as usual, but he didn’t need to. He pounded the zone all night, let his defense work, and went as deep into the game as any starter in the SEC did this weekend. The ERA creeps up ever so slightly, but at 1.78 on the season, he’s still the best starting pitcher in the conference and it’s not particularly close, for me right now. He’s been the most consistent arm in the SEC all year, and a dominant start against one of the SEC’s best offense’s only enhances that statement.

2. Dylan Volantis — Texas (↑ from No. 5)

Season: 6-0, 56.2 IP, 41 H, 14 R, 13 ER, 17 BB, 80 K, 2.06 ERA

Past week: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 11 K

Dylan Volantis moves up to No. 2 this week, and honestly, it’s hard to argue against it at this point. He’s 6-0. He’s got 80 strikeouts on the season. His ERA sits at 2.06. And this week he went six innings against a Vanderbilt team that’s been much better offensively lately, gave up one run, and struck out 11.

He’s been a dominant Friday night arm in the SEC since he has moved into the number one spot for Texas.

3. Tegan Kuhns — Tennessee (↑ from No. 11)

Season: 3-3, 59 IP, 50 H, 21 R, 19 ER, 11 BB, 73 K, 2.90 ERA

Past week: 8.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K

Tegan Kuhns makes a massive jump this week and he’s earned every bit of it. Kuhns went eight innings, allowed three hits, no runs, one walk, nine strikeouts against Alabama. And he gets a complete game since they won in eight innings.

Last week4, he went five and two-thirds against Ole Miss without allowing an earned run. Now he follows it up with this. Two dominant starts in a row for Tegan Kuhns, and I’ve been saying all year — this kid is going to be pitching in the big leagues for a long time. He’s got the stuff, he’s got the command, and now he’s putting together the kind of back-to-back performances that move you up a power rankings list in a hurry.

4. Andreas Alvarez — Auburn (↑ from No. 10)

Season: 7-2, 52.2 IP, 41 H, 17 R, 13 ER, 18 BB, 69 K, 2.22 ERA

Past week: 6.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K

Andreas Alvarez bounces back after his rough outing a couple weeks ago, and the overall body of work is still really impressive. He’s 7-2 with a 2.22 ERA and 69 strikeouts. Last week’s blip was the outlier, not the trend, and this week he reminded everyone why he belongs in the top five.

The Auburn rotation as a whole continues to be the best in the league — and Alvarez is a big reason why.

5. Hunter Dietz — Arkansas (↑ from No. 6)

Season: 5-2, 59.2 IP, 49 H, 28 R, 24 ER, 19 BB, 92 K, 3.62 ERA

Past week: 7.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 8 K

Hunter Dietz leads the SEC in strikeouts. He now has 92 on the year, and he just went seven innings against a Missouri team that has some bats, giving up three runs with only one walk and eight more punchouts.

He’s the leader in the clubhouse in K’s, and even though the ERA sits right around 3.62, the strikeout total alone makes him one of the most important starters in the conference. He continues to be a nice development for Arkansas, and he’s been really good since taking over that Friday night role.

6. Alex Petrovic — Auburn (↑ from No. 8)

Season: 7-1, 60.1 IP, 42 H, 20 R, 19 ER, 14 BB, 61 K, 2.83 ERA

Past week: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K

Alex Petrovic is quietly having one of the best seasons by a Sunday starter in the country. He’s 7-1 with a 2.83 ERA in over 60 innings. The strikeout total isn’t flashy, but he goes deep into games, eats innings, and wins. That’s what a Sunday starter is supposed to do.

He didn’t miss as many bats this week as you’d like, and the three walks are a tick higher than normal for him, but two runs in six innings on the road is still a quality start. Auburn keeps winning when he takes the mound, and that’s the bottom line.

7. Aiden Sims — Texas A&M (↑ from No. 13)

Season: 8-0, 60.0 IP, 43 H, 25 R, 23 ER, 17 BB, 64 K, 3.44 ERA

Past week: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K

Aiden Sims is 8-0. Let that sink in for a second.

He didn’t have his best stuff this week — five innings, two runs — but he didn’t walk anybody and he punched out seven. That’s the profile of a pitcher who knows how to compete even when he’s not at his sharpest. His breakout sophomore year continues, and he’s been one of the most reliable arms in the SEC all season. A&M is going to need him to keep this up if they want to make a serious postseason run.

8. Cade Townsend — Ole Miss (↓ from No. 2)

Season: 4-1, 41.2 IP, 33 H, 15 R, 12 ER, 12 BB, 68 K, 2.33 ERA

Past week: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 7 K

Cade Townsend drops a bit this week after his first real rough outing of the season. Four and two-thirds innings, four earned runs against Georgia — it’s not what you expect from him, and he’s better than that line shows.

But here’s the thing — even with this start factored in, he still has a 2.33 ERA on the season and 68 strikeouts in under 42 innings. The stuff is still electric. He’s still one of the most exciting arms in the conference and a guy I think should be a top-20 pick in this draft. One bad start (against the best offense in the SEC) doesn’t change any of that. I expect him to bounce back.

9. Tomas Valincius — Mississippi State (↓ from No. 4)

Season: 7-1, 63.1 IP, 50 H, 21 R, 15 ER, 14 BB, 87 K, 2.13 ERA

Past week: 3.2 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K

Valincius has a rough week and drops a few spots, but zoom out for a second. He’s 7-1 with an 87-strikeout season and a 2.13 ERA. That overall body of work is still elite and he’s one of the best arms in the SEC.

The stat line looks rough — 8 hits in 3.2 innings — but only three of those seven runs were earned, which tells you the defense didn’t do him any favors. I don’t think this is a trend. He’ll be back in the top five when he takes the mound next weekend.

10. Jake Marciano — Auburn (↓ from No. 3)

Season: 3-3, 56.2 IP, 38 H, 17 R, 12 ER, 9 BB, 82 K, 1.91 ERA
Past week: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K

Jake Marciano drops a few spots this week, but it’s not because he pitched badly — it’s because some guys above him were just better. Two earned runs in five innings against Oklahoma is still a quality start, and his season ERA of 1.91 is still one of the best marks in the league.

Auburn’s rotation top to bottom continues to be the best staff in the SEC in my opinion, and Marciano has been at the heart of it all year. He’s still very much in the top 10.

11. Ruger Riojas — Texas (↓ from No. 9)

Season: 5-2, 55.2 IP, 52 H, 24 R, 24 ER, 12 BB, 89 K, 3.88 ERA

Past week: 3.0 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 6 K

Ruger Riojas had a tough weekend, getting tagged for five runs on eight hits in just three innings against Vanderbilt. He drops back down the list after jumping into the top 10 last week.

That said, 89 strikeouts on the season is ridiculous. He leads Texas in punch outs and is one of the most electric arms in the conference. The contact allowed this week was a problem, but the strikeout ability is always there and the zero walks show he wasn’t losing the zone. Sometimes you just get hit. He’ll be fine.

12. Liam Peterson — Florida (↑ from No. 14)

Season: 1-4, 55 IP, 50 H, 28 R, 24 ER, 28 BB, 76 K, 3.93 ERA

Past week: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 5 K

Liam Peterson had a tough week, giving up five against A&M, and his record drops to 1-4. But I’ve said it all season — the record doesn’t tell the full story with this guy. He’s got 76 strikeouts in 55 innings, and when his stuff is right, he’s one of the nastiest arms in the conference.

The walk numbers have been a problem at times this year, but this week he only issued one. The hits were the issue. He’s a great No. 2 for Florida, and I expect him to settle back in.

13. Taylor Rabe — Ole Miss (↑ from No. 21)

Season: 3-2, 40.1 IP, 39 H, 19 R, 19 ER, 5 BB, 47 K, 4.24 ERA

Past week: 6.0 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 6 K

Taylor Rabe bounces back in a big way this week. Six innings, three runs, zero walks and scattered nine hits against Tennessee — and his strikeout-to-walk ratio on the season is still one of the best among SEC starters. Five walks in 40 innings is elite command.

He had a couple rough weeks that knocked him down this list, but this is the Taylor Rabe we’ve been watching all year. The No. 3 spot in that Ole Miss rotation is critically important, and he reminded everyone why he’s the right guy for it.

14. Evan Blanco — Tennessee (↑ from No. 24)

Season: 5-2, 61 IP, 48 H, 30 R, 26 ER, 20 BB, 75 K, 3.84 ERA

Past week: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 9 K

Evan Blanco makes a nice jump this week. Six innings, three runs, one walk, nine strikeouts against Alabama — that’s a quality start, and the strikeout total shows the stuff was really working.

75 strikeouts on the season for Blanco, and Tennessee has quietly been getting a lot out of that middle-of-the-rotation spot. He’s been better than his ERA suggests, and this week he showed it.

15. Cole Gibler — Arkansas (↑ from Unranked)

Season: 4-1, 43.1 IP, 32 H, 16 R, 14 ER, 18 BB, 37 K, 2.91 ERA

Past week: 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K

Cole Gibler jumps in this list in a big way. This weekend he went six innings, allowed one hit, gave up zero runs against a Missouri team that swings it decently. That’s one of the best lines of the weekend across the entire SEC.

I’ve gone back and forth on Arkansas’ arms all year — I said last week they have all the pieces, they just need to figure out where they all go — and this week Gibler showed exactly what he’s capable of. The walks are still a little high for my taste, but when you’re holding an offense to one hit in six innings, it doesn’t matter much. A 2.91 ERA in the SEC deserves respect.

16. Joey Volchko — Georgia (↓ from No. 22)

Season: 6-2, 56.0 IP, 49 H, 27 R, 25 ER, 30 BB, 67 K, 4.02 ERA

Past week: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 5 BB, 10 K

Joey Volchko does it again — 10 strikeouts, and yet still manages to work himself into trouble. Five walks in 5.2 innings is the issue, and it keeps being the issue. The swing-and-miss is elite. The stuff is real. But the walk rate is among the highest of any Friday night starter in the SEC, and that’s going to keep him from climbing this list until he cleans that up.

The ERA is now at 4.02, and with 30 walks in 56 innings, his WHIP is still one of the higher marks in the conference. He’s better than these results when he’s locked in — we’ve seen that — but Friday night starters for top-five programs have to go deep in games, and that’s hard to do when you’re piling up pitches with free passes.

17. Jaxon Jelkin — Kentucky (↓ from No. 7)

Season: 6-2, 58.2 IP, 57 H, 36 R, 28 ER, 16 BB, 69 K, 3.96 ERA

Past week: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 2 BB, 3 K

Jaxon Jelkin has a really rough week and drops significantly on this list. Eight runs — seven earned — in five innings against Vanderbilt. That’s a tough outing for a guy who had been one of the most consistent arms in the top 10 all season.

The ERA climbs to 3.96, and the hit rate this week was a problem. He’ll bounce back — I still think he’s a first-round talent and he’s been in our top 10 for most of the year — but that was a performance that cost him, especially since I wanted him to set the tone for the weekend, and instead they lost their series at South Carolina.

18. Zane Adams — Alabama (↓ from No. 15)

Season: 4-3, 59.1 IP, 58 H, 30 R, 27 ER, 19 BB, 63 K, 4.10 ERA

Past week: 5.1 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 4 K

Zane Adams comes back down to earth after a couple of really nice starts in a row. Five and a third innings, six runs, four walks against Tennessee — that’s a tough line, especially considering how well he’d been pitching the last two weeks.

His ERA climbs back to 4.10, and the four walks are a concern after he’d done a nice job limiting free passes in recent starts. He’s still a solid SEC arm, but this was a step back against a young Tennessee team.

19. Dylan Vigue — Georgia (↓ from No. 12)

Season: 3-1, 43 IP, 24 H, 53 K, 25 BB, 2.51 ERA

Past week: Didn’t Pitch

Dylan Vigue drops a bit this week, and it’s not really about his performance — it’s just that he didn’t pitch. Wes Johnson said he wanted to rest him another weekend, but definitely something to monitor.

That said, he still leads the SEC in opponent batting average, and that’s something. When he’s out there, hitters can’t square him up. Georgia has clearly been experimenting with how they deploy him, and I think there’s still a lot of value here. We just need more innings to rank him higher.

20. Tyler Fay — Alabama (↓ from No. 23)

Season: 7-3, 65.0 IP, 54 H, 35 R, 34 ER, 16 BB, 71 K, 4.71 ERA

Past week: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K

Tyler Fay has had a stretch of games where he’s been fighting it a little bit, and the ERA reflects that at 4.71. Five innings, four earned runs against Tennessee this week — it’s not terrible, but it’s not what you’d want from your Friday night guy either.

What I will say is that Fay has been durable all year. 65 innings is a lot, and he’s continued to take the ball every week for Alabama. He’s 7-3, he has 71 strikeouts, and the stuff is still there. This is more of a rough patch than a concern about who he is as a pitcher.

21. Cam Johnson — Oklahoma (↑ from Unranked)

Season: 6-1, 47.2 IP, 33 H, 22 R, 16 ER, 34 BB, 62 K, 3.02 ERA

Past week: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 5 BB, 4 K

Cam Johnson puts together another strong outing — five and two-thirds innings, three hits, no runs against Auburn. Two weeks in a row now of really good starts, and that’s exactly what I said I needed to see from him last week.

The walk rate is still a problem — five in under six innings — but when your stuff is good enough to strand those runners all night and keep zeros on the board, that’s something. He’s got a 3.02 ERA and the best pure stuff on the Oklahoma staff. If he can string a third one together, he’ll move back into the top 15.

22. Josh McDevitt — Missouri (↑ from Unranked)

Season: 3-4, 59.1 IP, 41 H, 34 R, 27 ER, 33 BB, 78 K, 4.10 ERA

Past week: 6.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 11 K

Josh McDevitt makes his first appearance on this list and he earns it. Six and a third innings, 11 strikeouts against an Arkansas team that leads the SEC in punch outs themselves — that’s an elite performance.

The season ERA of 4.10 and the 33 walks keep him from ranking higher, but 78 strikeouts in 59 innings is a legitimate stat line, and this week showed what he’s capable of when his stuff is right. Missouri has been a bit of a wild card in the SEC this year, and McDevitt has been a big part of why they’re still competitive. Keep an eye on him.

23. LJ Mercurius — Oklahoma (↓ from No. 18)

Season: 6-5, 52.1 IP, 50 H, 34 R, 31 ER, 18 BB, 73 K, 5.33 ERA

Past week: 3.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K

LJ Mercurius drops back down after giving up four runs in three innings against Auburn. After a couple bounce-back starts, this was a step in the wrong direction. The ERA is back up to 5.33, and three innings against a good Auburn lineup isn’t what you’re looking for.

He still has 73 strikeouts on the year, so the swing-and-miss is real. But right now he’s in a stretch where the inconsistency is catching up with him, and that’s tough to overlook this deep in the season.

24. Shane Sdao — Texas A&M (↑ from Unranked)

Season: 3-3, 56.2 IP, 71 H, 38 R, 36 ER, 13 BB, 66 K, 5.72 ERA

Past week: 3.2 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

Shane Sdao is fighting it right now. Three and two-thirds innings, eight hits — the contact allowed is just too much at this point in the season. The ERA sits at 5.72, which is the highest of any arm in this top 25.

What keeps him on the list is the zero walks. He’s got 13 walks in 56.2 innings, which is genuinely impressive command for an SEC arm. The problem is he’s leaving the ball in the zone too often and hitters are punishing it. He’s on this list because he is a solid Friday arm that they can rely on to go deep into games while their offense goes to work. I wouldn't be surprised if A&M eventually goes with Sims on Friday, but for now— if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

25. Hunter Elliott — Ole Miss (↓ from No. 19)

Season: 4-1, 52.1 IP, 52 H, 31 R, 30 ER, 28 BB, 75 K, 4.82 ERA

Past week: 3.2 IP, 9 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Hunter Elliott has one of his worst outings of the season — nine hits, eight earned runs in under four innings against Georgia. That’s a tough number to swallow for a Friday night arm.

He still belongs in this conversation because he’s been a bulldog for Ole Miss all year and that body of work matters. But this was rough, and it’s the kind of start that raises questions heading into the back half of the season. The stuff is good enough to bounce back — he’s done it before — and I fully expect him to. But this week cost him.

Storylines / Notes

Myles Upchurch — Alabama

Myles Upchurch just misses the top 25 this week after another solid outing. Five innings, three earned runs, four strikeouts — it wasn’t his best, but for a true freshman in SEC play, the fact that he’s in this conversation at all is impressive. The walks remain the thing to watch, but when he’s spotting his fastball and working his off-speed, he’s a legitimate piece for Alabama’s weekend.

Tennessee’s Weekend

Tennessee had a really interesting weekend. Tegan Kuhns was absolutely dominant. Evan Blanco had a quality start. And the Vols took the series from Alabama. When those two guys are rolling like that, Tennessee is dangerous. The question is whether Landon Mack — who just missed this list again — can get it together as the third piece, because when he’s on, that rotation can compete with anyone.

Auburn’s Rotation

I’ll keep saying it — Auburn’s rotation is the best in the SEC. You’ve got Alvarez, Marciano, and Petrovic all in the top 10. All three with ERA’s under 3. That’s not normal. That’s a postseason rotation.

The Ole Miss Question

Ole Miss has a real question mark heading into the back half. Cade Townsend and Hunter Elliott both had rough outings this week, and Taylor Rabe bounced back. When all three are clicking, they’re a top-three staff in the league. But this week showed that when two of those guys are off on the same weekend, it can get ugly fast.

Final Thoughts

We’re at the point of the season where the résumé is mostly built.

The arms that have been consistent are locked in. The ones on the fringes of this list are running out of weekends to make their case. And with conference tournament positioning tightening up, every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday start carries more weight than it did a month ago.

This is what the back half of the SEC looks like.

And it is not for the faint of heart.

A doubleheader, a walk-off in extra innings, and a couple of openers that went sideways in a hurry.

Thursday and Friday gave us a full slate of drama across the SEC, and by the time everything settled, there were some results that nobody really saw coming. Here’s how it all went down.

Tennessee 10, #13 Alabama 0 — Game 1

Tennessee got a huge break with the weather and turned a doubleheader into a statement.

Teagan Kuhns was the story in game one. Eight innings. Complete game shutout. Nine strikeouts. This is back-to-back really strong starts for him now, and he’s settling into what looks like a legitimate arm to anchor this staff.

Alabama’s Zane Adams struggled as he walked four guys, gave up four or five runs, and Tennessee jumped on him early and never looked back. Once Kuhns was dealing and the offense was rolling, this one was over early.

Tennessee 11, #13 Alabama 4 — Game 2

Tennessee carried every bit of that momentum into game two.

Evan Blanco went six innings, allowed three earned, and punched out nine. Trent Grindlinger was the offensive standout — three for five with three RBIs and a home run. Tennessee controlled this one wire to wire.

Alabama just couldn’t find an answer in either game once things started rolling against them.

Big weekend win for Tennessee, and a series result that was a little surprising for me. But when you play a doubleheader and one team is riding that kind of momentum, you see what happened. Tennessee takes the series.

#15 Mississippi State 12, LSU 10

This one had everything.

Casan Evans was a late scratch for LSU, and Jay Johnson went bullpen by committee in game one with Tomas Valincius going for Mississippi State. LSU actually had the lead in the ninth inning. Mississippi State was down to their last strike — two outs, two strikes — before a base hit tied the game with a runner on second.

The only reason that runner was on second and not a double play that ends the inning is because Steven Milam missed second base on what should have been a double play. Instead, the game continued, and Mississippi tied it a few pitches later.

Then in the bottom of the eleventh, Mississippi State walked it off with a two-run home run.

Wild game. The kind that swings series. And LSU has to be sick about how it ended given the circumstances.

#11 Auburn 6, #14 Oklahoma 4

Auburn did exactly what they needed to do.

Andreas Alvarez went six and two thirds innings, allowed three earned, and struck out six. Another strong outing for him — this kid continues to look the part. They went straight to Jackson Sanders out of the bullpen, which is becoming their signature move, and he finished it out. Two and a third innings, one run, four hits and now the bullpen is rested heading into the rest of the weekend.

On the Oklahoma side, LJ Mercurius was up and down again. Three innings, five hits, four earned, three walks, two strikeouts. The command issues showed up again.

And now Jake Marciano gets the ball for Oklahoma in game two today, so OU has their work cut out for them today.

#21 Florida 9, #7 Texas A&M 2

Aiden King was absolutely dominant.

He went eight innings allowed two earned runs and had six strikeouts. He set the tone from the jump and shut down one of the most electric offenses in the conference. The game was close for a while, but Florida broke it open with four runs in the bottom of the eighth and took a commanding series opener.

Now A&M has to turn around and face Liam Peterson in game two, so the task doesn’t get any easier for the best offense in the league. But King gave the Gators everything they could have asked for, and Florida heads into today with serious momentum.

South Carolina 10, Kentucky 9

A wild one in Columbia.

South Carolina got to Jaxon Jelkin early and never let Kentucky fully settle in. Jelkin went five innings but gave up eight runs, seven earned, on six hits. That’s not the version of him that gives Kentucky a chance to win.

On the other side, Amp Phillips only lasted one and a third innings. Four hits, five earned, four walks. He struck out all four of his outs, but obviously didn’t do his thing. The command wasn’t there.

Cooper Parks came in and bailed South Carolina out — three and two thirds shutout innings. That was the difference.

It was a 10–9 final in a game that was chaotic throughout, but South Carolina gets the series opener and sets up an interesting rest of the weekend.

#4 Texas 11, Vanderbilt 4

Texas came out and took care of business in a hurry.

They jumped out to an 11–0 lead after five and a half innings and never looked back. Dylan Volantis was the story on the mound — he went six innings, allowed one earned run, and had 11 strikeouts. Dominant performance.

The other big headline for Texas was Adrian Rodriguez returning from injury and going three for four with a home run and three RBIs. Getting him back healthy is huge for this lineup.

On the Vanderbilt side, Connor Fennell gave up twelve hits in five innings. That’s not the version of him Vandy needs to see, and it made for a very long night in Nashville. Texas looked really good, and they’re in great shape heading into the rest of the series.

#24 Arkansas 6, Missouri 0

Arkansas took care of business and has now clinched the series after taking both games.

Cole Gibler started and went six shutout innings, striking out five. Missouri managed just two hits on the night — a completely dominant pitching performance.

Maika Niu went two for four with an RBI to pace the Arkansas offense. This is a team that’s been building momentum, and they backed it up again here.

Two series are now officially decided — Tennessee wins their series over Alabama, and Arkansas wins their series over Missouri. Both wrapped things up early and won’t have to sweat the rubber game.

Georgia/Ole Miss Postponed

Worth noting before you get into Saturday’s action — Georgia and Ole Miss had their Friday night opener postponed due to weather.

They’ll play a doubleheader today instead, so that series is going to be one of the more interesting ones to track on Saturday. Keep an eye on it.

Final Thoughts

A lot to digest from Thursday and Friday.

Tennessee sweeping Alabama in a doubleheader is the headline. The Mississippi State walk-off in extras is the gut-punch play of the weekend so far. Aiden King continuing to be one of the most reliable arms in the SEC is a storyline worth following. And Texas looked as good as anyone this weekend in a dominant game one win.

Saturday is loaded. Two series already decided, a full card of game twos, and a Georgia/Ole Miss doubleheader that could tell us a lot about both of those teams in a compressed window.

Should be a great one.

We’re already two games deep into this weekend, and both of them told us something.

The rest of the slate tips off today with a full card of high-leverage SEC baseball, and after this weekend, we’ll have a really good feel for who’s trending in the right direction and who’s running out of time to figure it out.

Here’s how I see it.

#13 Alabama at Tennessee

This one’s already underway, and game one was a barn burner.

Alabama took it 12–8 in a game that really told the story of where both of these teams are right now. Tyler Fay was okay — gave up four earned runs but went five innings and kept Alabama in a position to win, especially with the run support they got. That’s all you can really ask.

The story on the Tennessee side was the free passes. Sixteen of them. Ten walks and six hit batters. That’s not sustainable against anybody, let alone a team like Alabama.

Here’s the thing though — I actually think Tennessee is the more talented team. But talent and execution are two different things, and right now Alabama is the more experienced team. Rob Vaughn has them ready to play every single weekend, and that matters.

Tennessee’s younger lineup and their high-upside arms have been a double-edged sword all year. The ceiling is real, but so is the inconsistency. And at home this year, they’ve really struggled to put it all together.

Until they clean up the free passes and the younger pieces start playing with more consistency, I don’t see them bouncing back enough to win this series.

Prediction: Alabama takes 2 of 3

Arkansas at Missouri

Arkansas took game one 5–3 on a late eighth-inning go-ahead, and Hunter Dietz was really the story of that game.

He gave up three runs in the first inning, and I’ll be honest, that’s the version of him that gives you pause. But then he locked in, settled in, and gave Arkansas seven innings with eight strikeouts. That’s the Dietz that can be a really reliable piece for this staff.

Arkansas has been putting together a little bit of a streak right now, and that matters. Cole Gibler goes today, and then we’ll see how the rest of the weekend plays out. But I do think Arkansas needs to sweep this one more than anything else. The schedule gets tougher, and they need to bank wins when they can.

Missouri has enough on the mound to be a nuisance, but I still think Arkansas is the better team overall.

Prediction: Arkansas takes at least 2 of 3, sweep potential

LSU at #15 Mississippi State

The Friday night game got pushed up to 4:00 today, so we may already know something by the time you’re reading this.

But here’s where I stand.

I think LSU is a little overmatched here. Casan Evans and William Schmidt can absolutely dominate a game — we’ve seen that. But we’ve also seen this LSU team find ways to lose games even when they’re pitching well. The defense has been a problem. The bullpen has been a problem. The free passes have been a problem. It’s just been a lot of things, and against a Mississippi State team at home, that catches up to you.

Now — and this is important — Mississippi State has lost six straight home games. So I would not shock me if LSU comes out and steals this series. I want to be transparent about that.

But when I look at both rosters and both trajectories right now, I still lean Mississippi State.

Prediction: Mississippi State takes 2 of 3

#7 Texas A&M at #21 Florida

I’ve been wrong about Texas A&M all year, so take this with a grain of salt.

But I think Florida wins this series.

Here’s the thing — good pitching beats good hitting. And Florida has some of the most talented arms in this conference. The Jekyll and Hyde stuff has been real all year, but they’re at home, and history tells you something here too. Florida fell last weekend, and if we’re following the pattern, they bounce back.

Texas A&M has been electric offensively all year — near the top of the league in just about everything. But the law of averages in baseball tells you at some point that offense is going to have a cold weekend. And if this is that weekend, Florida’s bats are more than enough to capitalize, and their pitching is good enough to keep Texas A&M in check.

I think Florida is ready for this one.

Prediction: Florida takes 2 of 3

#14 Oklahoma at #11 Auburn

These two teams are really similar to me.

Both depend heavily on their pitching. Both have offenses that can show up in spurts and then go quiet for stretches. The difference for me comes down to where they’re playing and who has the edge on the mound.

Auburn plays extremely well at home, and I think they have the pitching advantage in this series. There have been some question marks with LJ Mercurius and Cam Johnson — we’ve talked about that — but they’ve put together a couple of solid weekends in a row, and that gives me a little more confidence.

If they revert to some of the inconsistency we saw earlier in the year, Oklahoma is the kind of team that can make you pay. They’re patient, they manufacture runs, and they pressure you. But if Auburn’s pitching shows up the way it has recently, I think the home advantage pushes them over the top.

Prediction: Auburn takes the series

#4 Texas at Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt has some magic when they play at home. We’ve seen it all year. And if Connor Fennell comes out and throws strikes and sets the tone in game one, I think they have a real path to sneaking a game in this series.

But ultimately, I think Texas is just too good.

Texas is the better team overall, and I think that quality wins out over the course of the series. Vanderbilt can make it interesting, especially at home, and I wouldn’t be stunned if they steal game one. But taking two out of three against this Texas team is a really tall order right now.

Prediction: Texas takes 2 of 3

#5 Georgia at #17 Ole Miss

I know this might sound a little crazy, but I’m taking Ole Miss here.

And the reason is simple — good pitching beats good hitting. Georgia has one of the best offenses in the league, maybe the best, but I think Ole Miss has a distinct advantage in the starting pitching department, and I think that carries the weekend.

I’ve talked about Dylan Vigue being one of my favorite arms in the league — he holds opponents to barely anything. And Joey Volchko is the same way. He limits damage, but he also tends to give away too many base runners, and if Ole Miss can work counts and stay patient, they can take advantage of that.

On the Ole Miss side, Hunter Elliott is the key. If he comes out and throws strikes, limits the command issues that have popped up at times, and sets the tone in game one — I think Ole Miss wins this series pretty handily.

Prediction: Ole Miss takes 2 of 3

Kentucky at South Carolina

This is a curveball series for me, and I’ll be honest about it.

South Carolina has a real path here. Amp Phillips is moving into the Friday night role, and I like that move. He’s had a breakout year and has been pretty dominant in SEC play. If they can beat Jaxon Jelkin in game one and steal the opener, their path opens up. Brandon Stone has been solid, and they’re at home — that matters.

But at the end of the day, I trust Kentucky more.

I trust Nick Mingione and his staff. I trust their experience. I trust the way they play baseball. They’re an older, more veteran team, and that leadership tends to show up in close series on the road.

South Carolina will make it interesting. But I think Kentucky’s the better team.

Prediction: Kentucky takes 2 of 3

Weekend Picks

Alabama over Tennessee

Arkansas over Missouri

Mississippi State over LSU

Florida over Texas A&M

Auburn over Oklahoma

Texas over Vanderbilt

Ole Miss over Georgia

Kentucky over South Carolina

We’ve got some really telling series this weekend. A lot of teams with something to prove, and a lot of series where the wrong result could really shift where you’re sitting when we get into the back half of the conference schedule. Should be a great one.

We’re officially into the second half of SEC play, and at this point, the picture is starting to sharpen.

Before we get into this week’s rankings, I want to address something quickly.

Last week, I mentioned that I was going to roll out full SEC pitching staff rankings—and that’s still coming. I started diving into it, and honestly, I went a little deeper than I expected. Once you really start breaking down how different programs deploy their arms, how bullpens are being used, and how roles are evolving weekend to weekend, it opens up a completely different layer of analysis.

It’s something I want to do right, not rushed.

So that piece is still in the works. No set timetable, but it’s coming.

In the meantime, the Starting Pitcher Power Rankings continue—and they matter even more now.

Because this is where roles start to solidify.
This is where separation happens.
And this is where you begin to see who can truly carry a staff into the back half of the season.

With six weeks in the books, we’ve got enough information to evaluate performance, adjust expectations, and start projecting forward.

And after another wild weekend across the league, there’s movement all over this list.

SEC Starting Pitcher Power Rankings — Week 6

1. Aidan King — Florida (Ranking unchanged)

Season: 6-2, 52.2 IP, 36 H, 18 R, 10 ER, 13 BB, 55 K, 1.71 ERA
Past week: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K

Aidan King continues his dominance of the SEC, and although Florida lost the weekend, he did his job again with another incredible quality start. He continues to miss bats and dominate as Florida’s Game 1 starter.

2. Cade Townsend — Ole Miss (Ranking unchanged)

Season: 4-1, 41.2 IP, 28 H, 11 R, 8 ER, 10 BB, 61 K, 1.73 ERA
Past week: 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K

To me, Cade Townsend is one of the most exciting arms in the SEC. Every time I watch him pitch, I don’t understand how we’re not talking about him as a top-15, top-20 pick in this year’s draft.

His stuff is so electric, and with Hunter Elliott being the Friday night guy and a true bulldog, this Saturday arm is a scary combo for Ole Miss. He dominated again this weekend, allowing only one hit and no runs in six innings.

3. Jake Marciano — Auburn (↑ from No. 4)

Season: 3-2, 56.2 IP, 38 H, 17 R, 12 ER, 7 BB, 77 K, 1.91 ERA
Past week: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K

Jake Marciano continues to dominate the SEC, and this weekend he was used almost as an opener, with Jackson Sanders coming in and finishing it out. That little duo with Jake Marciano and Jackson Sanders is pretty scary.

That Auburn rotation continues to be the best in the league, in my opinion, and Jake Marciano has been at the front of it all season.

4. Tomas Valincius — Mississippi State (Previous: No. 5)

Season: 7-1, 59.2 IP, 42 H, 14 R, 12 ER, 13 BB, 83 K, 1.81 ERA
Past week: 6.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 11 K

Tomas Valincius continues to dominate as well, and his overall body of work is so impressive. I think he’s only second in the SEC to Hunter Dietz in strikeouts, and he pitched solid again this weekend, having another double-digit strikeout performance for Mississippi State.

5. Dylan Volantis — Texas (Previous: No. 19)

Season: 5-0, 50.2 IP, 37 H, 13 R, 12 ER, 16 BB, 69 K, 2.13 ERA
Past week: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 12 K

Dylan Volantis jumps up this week because of his dominant performance in that Friday night role for Texas. He continues his dominant run, striking out 12 against Alabama and setting the tone for them this weekend in a big series win.

6. Hunter Dietz — Arkansas (Ranking unchanged)

Season: 4-2, 52.2 IP, 42 H, 25 R, 21 ER, 18 BB, 84 K, 3.59 ERA
Past week: 5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K

Hunter Dietz continues to dominate for Arkansas since moving to Friday night, and he’s the leader in the SEC in strikeouts, which alone is a statement piece. It continues to be a really nice development for Arkansas.

And let’s mention that he faced the Georgia offense, which gives him even more credit.

7. Jaxon Jelkin — Kentucky (Ranking unchanged)

Season: 6-2, 58.2 IP, 51 H, 28 R, 21 ER, 14 BB, 66 K, 3.22 ERA
Past week: 8.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 9 K

Jaxson Jelkin dominated this weekend and has been a staple in our top 10 all year. He continues to look like a true big leaguer out there and took care of business for Kentucky on the road this weekend.

He faced a really good Vanderbilt offense, so he gets a lot of credit for that too, and he continues to miss bats and look like a first-rounder for me.

8. Alex Petrovic — Auburn (↑ from No. 11)

Season: 6-1, 54.1 IP, 38 H, 18 R, 17 ER, 11 BB, 58 K, 2.82 ERA
Past week: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K

Alex Petrovic faced a good Florida team at Florida and continues to be probably the best Sunday starter in the country with a sub-3 ERA.

It was another rubber-match game and another really important start for him and Auburn.

9. Ruger Riojas — Texas (↑ from No. 13)

Season: 5-1, 52.2 IP, 44 H, 19 R, 19 ER, 12 BB, 83 K, 3.25 ERA
Past week: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 11 K

Ruger Riojas jumps back into the top 10 after an 11-strikeout performance in five innings. His pitch count was kind of high, but he still limited damage against Alabama in that middle game and was a deciding factor in the series win for Texas.

10. Andreas Alvarez — Auburn (↓ from No. 2)

Season: 6-2, 46.0 IP, 36 H, 14 R, 10 ER, 17 BB, 63 K, 1.96 ERA
Past week: 2.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K

Andreas Alvarez drops a bit after one of his first bad outings of the year. Still, the overall body of work is very, very impressive, and he belongs in the top 10 because he’s near the top of most of the statistical categories in the SEC.

11. Tegan Kuhns — Tennessee (↑ from No. 21)

Season: 2-3, 51.0 IP, 47 H, 21 R, 19 ER, 10 BB, 64 K, 3.35 ERA
Past week: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 K

Tegan Kuhns makes a nice jump this weekend after a 10-strikeout performance against Ole Miss, a very good Ole Miss team, and didn’t allow any runs in 5 and 2/3 innings.

I think Tegan Kuhns is going to be pitching in the major leagues for a very long time and continues to show why he’s up here.

12. Dylan Vigue — Georgia (Ranking unchanged)

Season: 3-1, 43.0 IP, 24 H, 53 K, 25 BB, 2.51 ERA
Past week: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K

There were some reports of Dylan Vigue having cramps and leaving the game early, although it worked out okay for Georgia because Caden Aoki came in and dominated for five innings.

It seemed like Dylan Vigue almost worked as an opener, which Georgia has done before, so there’s still some reporting there. But Vigue leads the SEC in opponent batting average, which I think is really impressive for a kid transferring from Michigan, so he stays here this week.

13. Aiden Sims — Texas A&M (↑ from No. 16)

Season: 7-0, 55.0 IP, 39 H, 23 R, 21 ER, 17 BB, 57 K, 3.44 ERA
Past week: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K

Aiden Sims jumps up as his body of work continues to round out in a great breakout sophomore year. We heard earlier in the year about him making a huge jump from Year 1 to Year 2, and his season is really impressive.

He went into LSU and pitched seven innings and only gave up two runs while punching out six.

14. Liam Peterson — Florida (↑ from No. 15)

Season: 1-3, 50.0 IP, 43 H, 23 R, 19 ER, 27 BB, 71 K, 3.42 ERA
Past week: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K

Liam Peterson, one of the best arms in the SEC, had another nice outing this week. Anytime he limits base runners via the walk, I’m happy with that.

He only had two walks in five innings. He did give up seven hits, but anytime your stuff is that electric, you can get a strikeout and get out of it at any time. Even though he’s 1-3 on the year, his body of work is still pretty impressive, and he’s a great number two starter for Florida.

15. Zane Adams — Alabama (Previous: No. 23)

Season: 4-2, 54.0 IP, 51 H, 24 R, 22 ER, 15 BB, 59 K, 3.67 ERA
Past week: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K

Zane Adams jumps up this week after putting together a couple nice starts in a row and a really impressive start at Texas this week where he didn’t give up any runs in six innings and only allowed five hits.

16. Duke Stone — Mississippi State (Previous: Unranked)

Season: 6-1, 47.1 IP, 46 H, 23 R, 19 ER, 18 BB, 70 K, 3.59 ERA
Past week: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 12 K

Duke Stone had probably one of the most impressive performances of the weekend at South Carolina, where he struck out 12 in six innings and didn’t allow a run.

He continues to be a nice number two for a good Mississippi State team and will be an important piece for them if they want to make a legit postseason run.

17. Myles Upchurch — Alabama (Previous: Unranked)

Season: 5-2, 41.0 IP, 26 H, 14 R, 14 ER, 28 BB, 50 K, 3.05 ERA
Past week: 5.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 4 K

Miles Upchurch jumps up into the top 25 after struggling in the SEC to start. The true freshman has made two really nice starts back to back, and he got the Sunday win against a top-five Texas team that has a ton of big leaguers in the lineup.

He went five and a third, allowing only one hit and no runs. The walks have been a little bit of a plague for him this year, but when he misses bats so much, it allows him to limit damage, and that’s why his ERA sits at 3.05 as a true freshman.

18. LJ Mercurius — Oklahoma (↑ from No. 25)

Season: 6-4, 49.1 IP, 45 H, 30 R, 27 ER, 15 BB, 71 K, 4.93 ERA
Past week: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 9 K

LJ Mercurius bounces back again this weekend. He’s putting together a couple nice starts and slowly lowering his ERA.

His body of work is still pretty impressive this year with 71 strikeouts in under 50 innings. He went six innings this weekend, didn’t walk anybody, and struck out nine in a get-right weekend for Oklahoma against Missouri.

19. Hunter Elliott — Ole Miss (↓ from No. 18)

Season: 4-1, 52.1 IP, 43 H, 23 R, 22 ER, 28 BB, 73 K, 3.78 ERA
Past week: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K

Hunter Elliott stays around where he is because he’s just such a bulldog in that Friday night spot for Ole Miss. He had a quality start, allowing three earned runs in six innings and striking out five against Tennessee, setting the tone for them in that first game.

20. Amp Phillips — South Carolina (↓ from No. 9)

Season: 3-5, 53.2 IP, 39 H, 20 R, 15 ER, 23 BB, 59 K, 2.52 ERA
Past week: 4.0 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

Amp Phillips drops a little bit this weekend after giving up some runs, but his body of work still speaks for itself, and his stuff has been pretty impressive. I really like his development this year.

21. Taylor Rabe — Ole Miss (↓ from No. 10)

Season: 3-2, 34.1 IP, 30 H, 16 R, 16 ER, 5 BB, 41 K, 4.19 ERA
Past week: 3.0 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

Taylor Rabe falls a little bit after having his worst start of the year, but again, his body of work and his strikeout-to-walk ratio are still pretty silly, and that number three starting spot for Ole Miss is critically important.

22. Joey Volchko — Georgia (↓ from No. 8)

Season: 6-2, 50.1 IP, 46 H, 23 R, 21 ER, 25 BB, 57 K, 3.75 ERA
Past week: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 8 K

Joey Volchko drops down again for me just because he keeps allowing so many base runners. The stuff is all there, and the swing and miss is there, and the strikeouts are there, but he just continues to allow too many base runners.

His WHIP is among the highest of SEC starters, and on Friday night you’ve got to really go deep into games. That’s one of my concerns for Joey, but he’s still a top-25 arm and a solid Friday night starter for a top-five team in the country.

23. Tyler Fay — Alabama (↓ from No. 14)

Season: 6-3, 60.0 IP, 48 H, 31 R, 30 ER, 14 BB, 65 K, 4.50 ERA
Past week: 5.1 IP, 12 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Tyler Fay has had a couple of rough starts in a row, but his body of work still speaks for itself in the league, so we’re looking for him to get back on track next weekend.

24. Evan Blanco — Tennessee (Previous: Unranked)

Season: 4-2, 55.0 IP, 47 H, 23 R, 23 ER, 19 BB, 66 K, 3.76 ERA
Past week: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 8 K

Evan Blanco had a nice rubber-match appearance against Ole Miss and saved the sweep for Tennessee. He had a quality start in six innings and struck out eight against a very good Ole Miss team.

25. Connor Fennell — Vanderbilt (Ranking unchanged)

Season: 3-1, 57.0 IP, 51 H, 32 R, 30 ER, 14 BB, 70 K, 4.74 ERA
Past week: 6.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K

Connor Fennell rounds out the top 25. In three of his last four starts, he’s gone six-plus innings and gotten deep into ballgames while limiting hits and runs.

With a Vanderbilt team that’s struggled all year, I give him a lot of credit for sticking it out, being the Friday night starter, and being a solid arm for them all season.

Storylines / Notes

LSU

There are no LSU arms in this. After Casan Evans and William Schmidt had kind of been in the top 25 all year, they were there a lot because of stuff, and then William Schmidt had been pitching well, but the last couple weeks they’ve both been struggling.

I was really looking for them to take charge this past weekend against Texas A&M, a potent offense, and try to get LSU back on track, and they’re just not doing that right now. William has walked a lot more guys in SEC play than he did in non-conference, and Casan just has continued to struggle.

Landon Mack

Landon Mack just missed the top 25, but continues to be a nice number one arm for Tennessee, and his stuff is among the best in the league and probably a first-round arm next year.

Cam Johnson

Cam Johnson had another really nice start for Oklahoma and was close to getting back into the top 25. I want to see him string together another one, but if he does, he can get back toward the top of the list because he has such electric stuff and upside.

Arkansas

And Arkansas continues to be a curveball for me because I fall in and out of love with their arms so many times. Gabe Gaeckle is probably going to be a top 50 pick and at times he absolutely dominates, and then other times gets hit around and walks guys. Same for Cole Gibler and Colin Fisher. They have all the pieces, I just think they need to figure out where they all go.

Final Thoughts

At this point in the season, it’s no longer about flashes—it’s about consistency.

The arms that are still standing here in Week 6 are the ones that have shown they can handle the grind of SEC play. They’ve taken the ball in big spots, faced elite lineups, and found ways—whether it’s stuff, sequencing, or just pure competitiveness—to keep their teams in games.

And now, with the second half officially underway, everything tightens.

Every inning matters more. Every decision matters more. And the margin for error on the mound gets even smaller.

Next up, we zoom out.

We stop looking at individuals and start evaluating the full picture—SEC pitching staffs, 1 through 16, how they’re being deployed, and which ones are built to carry teams into postseason play.

Because from here on out, it’s not just about who has the best arm.

It’s about who has enough of them.

We’re halfway through the SEC season, and now we actually have real data.

With that said, there’s a huge logjam in the middle of the league. The level of play is high across the board, and teams are beating up on each other. There’s a lot of unpredictability right now, but it sets up for a really fun weekend.

We’ve got two games starting Thursday, and then the rest of the slate rolls into Friday.

Here’s how I see it.

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#13 Auburn at #20 Florida

This is a tough one for me.

I picked both of these teams to go to Omaha earlier today, so this one’s hard to break down.

Florida has just been back and forth all year. It feels like every time you think they’re about to turn a corner, they go the other way. They lost a midweek game on the road this week, but Kevin O’Sullivan mentioned they threw a lot of younger arms and were just trying to get guys innings. Bethune-Cookman is also a solid midweek team, so I don’t put too much stock into that loss.

Still, the inconsistency is there.

On the other side, Auburn’s starting pitching has been pretty electric all year, and that’s what gives me the slight edge here. It feels weird to say that because Florida has two of the better starting pitchers in the league and a really strong bullpen, but I trust Auburn’s staff just a little bit more right now.

I could absolutely see Florida winning this series at home and breaking that pattern, but based on how they’ve played all year, I lean Auburn.

Prediction: Auburn takes the series

#5 Georgia at #16 Arkansas

Another great one to start the weekend.

Arkansas is coming off a road sweep at Alabama where they looked really good. They shuffled their rotation, and it paid off, but I still have some questions about how that pitching lines up against Georgia’s offense.

Georgia has been playing really good baseball, and I haven’t picked them to win a series all year.

Ironically, I’m picking them here.

And I don’t feel great about it.

I’ve been burned before taking teams into Arkansas, and that’s one of the toughest environments in the country. But I think Georgia’s pitching is starting to come together. Wes Johnson has done a really good job mixing and matching his arms, and Valsko and Vigu give them a solid one-two.

Then you look at the bullpen — Justin Bird, Caden Aoki, and potentially Scott — they have enough pieces to piece together games.

If they can handle that environment, I think they can win the weekend.

Prediction: Georgia takes the series

Vanderbilt at Kentucky

I don’t really know what to make of this one, but I keep coming back to Kentucky.

I just think they’re the better team right now.

They’ve got leadership, they’re 16–3 at home, and that matters. Jaxon Jelkin didn’t have a great line last weekend, but there was some bad luck in there — soft contact, plays that didn’t get made — so I expect him to bounce back.

If they can get a decent start out of one of the other two guys and find a way to win game one against Connor Fennell, I like their chances.

Prediction: Kentucky takes the series

#25 Ole Miss at Tennessee

This is one of the better pitching matchups of the weekend.

If you’re ranking pitching staffs, both of these are probably in the top five in the league for me. The rotations are strong, and both teams have really good bullpen pieces.

Tennessee just swept Mississippi State on the road, but then turned around and lost a series at home to LSU where the bullpen gave away leads in all three games.

So the question becomes — how do they respond?

And on the other side, how does Ole Miss handle that environment?

This feels like a really tight series where pitching is going to dictate everything.

Prediction: Toss-up, but slight lean Ole Miss

#17 Mississippi State at South Carolina

Mississippi State is limping into this one.

And if there was ever a pressure series for them, this is it.

They need to find a way to win this weekend.

The problem is, South Carolina is playing good baseball right now. They just swept Missouri on the road, and I like what they’re getting on the mound. Brandon Stone has been good on Friday, Amp Phillips has been solid on Saturday, and they’ve got a good bullpen piece in Valentin. Josh Gunther has also had some really strong starts.

So this is not a great time for Mississippi State to be running into them.

But with that said, I still think Mississippi State is the better team overall.

Prediction: Mississippi State takes it

#10 Texas A&M at LSU

This is one I’m really excited about.

It’s going to be a hostile environment, and for LSU, this feels like a must-win weekend.

Texas A&M is coming off a huge series win against Texas, but I think LSU’s offense at home can get to their pitching.

It starts on Friday with Casan Evans. He’s shown that he can rise to the occasion in big games, and this is one of those spots.

Then with William Schmidt, the stuff last weekend at Ole Miss was some of the best I’ve seen from him all year. The key for him is just limiting the walks.

If LSU’s starters can hold down Texas A&M’s offense, I like their chances at home.

Prediction: LSU takes the series

#11 Alabama at #4 Texas

I just feel bad for Alabama going into this one.

They got swept at home, and now they go on the road to Texas after a tough showing against Texas A&M.

Texas is making a move with Dylan Volantis going to Friday night after not pitching last weekend. I really like that move, especially with Ruger Riojas having a couple of hiccups. Sliding him to Saturday could take some pressure off.

We’ve seen that work for other teams this year.

Alabama has responded well after losses before, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they compete, but I think Texas is the better team here.

Prediction: Texas takes the series

Missouri at #14 Oklahoma

I expect Oklahoma to take care of business here.

They just went on the road and won two out of three at Vanderbilt, and now they come back home against Missouri.

The big thing I’m watching is their rotation.

LJ Mercurius and Cam Johnson have both had weekends where they’ve struggled to get past the second inning. If they can both put together quality outings in the same weekend, that’s a big step for Oklahoma.

This feels like a good opportunity for them to get right.

Prediction: Oklahoma takes the series

Weekend Outlook

Every weekend at this point is giving us more clarity.

We’re halfway through the SEC slate, and now we’re really starting to shape the picture of who’s hosting, who’s fighting for positioning, and who’s still trying to figure it out.

It’s still chaotic in the middle of the league, but after this weekend, we should have an even clearer sense of where things stand.

We’ve officially reached the halfway point of the SEC baseball season.

And now, for the first time all year, we have real information.

Five full weeks of conference play gives us a true sample size—not just of individual performances, but of how pitching staffs are being built, deployed, and trusted in high-leverage situations. You can start to see which programs are separating themselves, not just by talent, but by how they’re using that talent.

Some teams are still relying on traditional Friday–Saturday–Sunday structures. Others are mixing and matching, leaning on swing arms, or asking certain starters to simply get them through key pockets of a lineup before turning the game over.

That’s where this thing starts to evolve.

So while this week we’re locking in the Top 25 starting pitchers in the SEC, next week we’re going to zoom out and rank the entire pitching staffs 1–16, breaking down usage, depth, roles, and projecting how those staffs will hold up over the second half of the season.

Because at this point, it’s not just about who the best arms are.

It’s about which staffs are built to win series.

Top 25 SEC Starting Pitchers

1. Aidan King — Florida (↑ from No. 4)

Season: 5-2, 1.74 ERA, 46.2 IP, 33 H, 47K / 11BB
Past Week: 7.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 6 K

Aidan King continued his dominance of the SEC and stepped into the Friday night role in a pivotal weekend for Florida.

Going into Athens against Georgia, in his first Friday night start of the year after moving from Saturday, he was perfect through six innings. He ended up going seven and two-thirds, allowing just two hits and two runs with two walks and six strikeouts.

On the season, he’s now 5-2 with a 1.74 ERA in 46 and two-thirds innings, allowing just 33 hits with a 47-to-11 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

He continues to look like a true stopper at the top of that rotation.

2. Andreas Alvarez — Auburn (↑ from No. 3)

Season: 6-1, 1.24 ERA, 43.2 IP, 30 H, 60K / 15BB
Past Week: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 5 K

Andreas Alvarez had another solid outing and continues to show consistency every single week.

Against a good Kentucky team, in a game where Auburn gave him early run support, he went six innings, allowed just three hits and two runs, walked three, and struck out five.

On the season, he’s now 6-1 with a 1.24 ERA, and in 43 and two-thirds innings, he’s allowed just 30 hits with a 60-to-15 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

He just continues to put Auburn in position to win late in games.

3. Cade Townsend — Ole Miss (↑ from No. 7)

Season: 3-1, 2.02 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 35.1 IP, 27 H, 54K / 8BB
Past Week: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 8 K

Cade Townsend makes another jump this week and continues to put everything together.

We’ve talked about him all year—his stuff, his profile, his upside at the next level—and now the production is matching it consistently. Against LSU this weekend, he went six innings, allowed six hits and two runs, struck out eight, and walked just one.

On the year, he’s 3-1 with a 2.02 ERA, a 0.98 WHIP, and in 35 and a third innings, he’s allowed just 27 hits with a 54-to-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

If not for the brief injury hiccup earlier in the season, he’d be right there at the top of almost every statistical category in the SEC.

4. Jake Marciano — Auburn (↓ from No. 2)

Season: 3-2, 1.88 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 52.1 IP, 34 H, 71K / 7BB
Past Week: 4.0 IP, 8 H, 5 R (4 ER), 0 BB, 7 K

Jake Marciano drops a bit this week, but this is one where you can’t overreact.

Even after allowing eight hits and five runs (four earned) in four innings against Kentucky, his body of work still speaks for itself. He still struck out seven and didn’t walk a batter.

On the year, he’s 3-2 with a 1.88 ERA and a 0.78 WHIP in over 52 innings. He’s allowed just 34 hits and has a 71-to-7 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Even in his toughest outing of the year, he didn’t give free passes—just got hit a little bit. That’s the first time a team has really gotten to him, and it’s not enough to move him too far.

5. Tomas Valincius — Mississippi State (↓ from No. 1)

Season: 6-1, 1.53 ERA, 53 IP, 36 H, 72K / 12BB
Past Week: 6.0 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 6 K

Tomas Valincinus comes in at number five after another solid outing, even though he gave up a few more hits and runs than we’ve seen.

He went six innings, allowed eight hits and three runs, walked one, and struck out six. While that’s a step back from his usual dominance, it doesn’t change the overall profile.

On the year, he’s 6-1 with a 1.53 ERA in 53 innings, allowing just 36 hits with a 72-to-12 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

He continues to look like a true number one starter with elite stuff and a high draft profile, even as Mississippi State has struggled a bit around him.

6. Hunter Dietz — Arkansas (↑ from No. 10)

Season: 3-2, 3.61 ERA — 47.1 IP, 37 H, 78K / 17BB
Past Week: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 9 K

Hunter Dietz moves into the Friday night spot for Arkansas and continues to trend in the right direction.

He’s been pretty solid all year, originally as their Saturday starter, and has been near the top of the league in strikeouts all season. We’ve never questioned the stuff—it’s always just been about whether he could command it consistently.

Now, it looks like he’s really starting to gel and put it together at the halfway point. This weekend, he went six innings, allowed three hits and two runs, walked three, and struck out nine.

On the year, he’s 3-2 in 47 and a third innings, has allowed 37 hits, and has a 78-to-17 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He’s starting to look like a true ace for Arkansas down the stretch.

7. Jaxon Jelkin — Kentucky (↓ from No. 5)

Season: 6-1, 3.38 ERA — 50.2 IP, 45 H, 57K / 13BB
Past Week: 2.0 IP, 7 H, 8 R (3 ER), 3 BB, 3 K

Jelkin drops a bit after his first real tough outing of the year.

It was a rough one—two innings, seven hits, eight runs—but even then, only three of those runs were earned. Despite that outing, the overall body of work still stands strong, and he remains one of the more impressive arms in the league.

He’s here because of that body of work, but also because of the upside. The way he carries himself, the way he competes, and the way he looks on the mound—he looks like a big leaguer every time he takes the ball.

On the year, he’s 6-1 with a 3.38 ERA in over 50 innings and continues to be a key piece for Kentucky.

8. Joey Volchko — Georgia (↑ from No. 16)

Season: 6-1, 3.38 ERA — 45.1 IP, 41 H, 49K / 21BB
Past Week: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R (0 ER), 2 BB, 7 K

Joey Volchko continues to give Georgia a solid Friday night presence, and now everyone who thinks I hate Joey, can get off my back since he’s in the top ten!

He went six innings against Florida, allowed just two hits, one run (unearned), and struck out seven. He also did a better job limiting base runners, which has been a focus on him all year, for me.

Even in a loss, going head-to-head with Aiden King, he gave Georgia a chance to win. With that offense, that’s exactly what they need and he has put together a couple solid outings in a row now where his stats are lining up with his stuff.

9. Amp Phillips — South Carolina (↑ from outside Top 25)

Season: 3-4, 2.17 ERA, 1.11 WHIP — 49.1 IP, 33 H, 56K / 22BB
Past Week: 8.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 10 K

Amp Phillips makes a big jump after a dominant performance this weekend.

On the road at Missouri, in a sweep for South Carolina, he went eight innings, struck out 10, allowed just five hits, and didn’t give up a run. That’s one of the better outings we’ve seen this season.

The body of work has been solid all year, even on a South Carolina team that hasn’t been at the top of the standings. On the year, he’s got a 2.17 ERA and continues to show really impressive stuff.

It was all on display this weekend, and he continues to trend in a really strong direction.

10. Taylor Rabe — Ole Miss (↑ into Top 10)

Season: 3-1, 3.16 ERA, 0.93 WHIP — 31 IP, 24 H, 37K / 5BB
Past Week: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 K

Taylor Rabe jumps into the top 10 and continues to solidify Ole Miss’s rotation.

In Game 3 against LSU, he was dominant early—didn’t give up a hit through six innings, before running into a little trouble in the seventh. He finished with six innings, two hits, two runs, one walk, and five strikeouts.

It’s pretty scary that all three Ole Miss starters are showing up at this level right now.

On the year, he’s 3-1 with a 3.16 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP, and continues to transition from the bullpen into a starting role. The stuff is some of the most electric in the league, and he’s starting to harness it.

11. Alex Petrovic — Auburn (↑ from No. 15)

Season: 6-1, 2.66 ERA, 0.93 WHIP — 47 IP, 35 H, 53K / 9BB
Past Week: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K

Alex Petrovic continues to be a dominant force on Sundays for Auburn.

He went seven innings this weekend, gave up five hits, didn’t allow a run, had eight strikeouts, and didn’t walk a batter. He just continues to fill up the zone and rack up wins on the weekends for Auburn.

On the season, he’s 6-1 with a 2.66 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP in 47 innings, allowing just 35 hits with a 53-to-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

12. Dylan Vigue — Georgia (↑ from No. 18)

Season: 3-1, 2.63 ERA, 1.15 WHIP — 41 IP, 23 H, 49K / 24BB
Past Week: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 7 K

Dylan Vigue continues to solidify himself in Georgia’s rotation.

He’s bounced back and forth as a swing guy, but it looks like he’s locking into that number two starter role. This weekend, he went six innings, allowed just two hits and one run, struck out seven, and walked three against Florida.

On the season, he’s 3-1 with a 2.63 ERA and has allowed just 23 hits in 41 innings. He’s made the transition from the Big Ten to the SEC really well.

13. Ruger Riojas — Texas (↓ from No. 6)

Season: 4-1, 3.40 ERA — 47.2 IP, 41 H, 72K / 11BB
Past Week: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 4 K

Ruger Riojas drops again after a second straight outing where he got hit around a bit.

This weekend, he went five innings, allowed five hits and five runs, walked two, and struck out four. His ERA has now jumped to 3.40 on the year.

Even with that, he still limits base runners overall and continues to profile as an elite Friday night guy for Texas, but this is the first stretch all year where we’ve seen some vulnerability.

14. Tyler Fay — Alabama (↓ from No. 13)

Season: 6-2, 3.79 ERA — 54.2 IP, 36 H, 63K / 14BB
Past Week: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K

Tyler Fay continues to be a very strong number one option for Alabama.

Even in a weekend where they got swept, Fay did his job. He went six innings, allowed just four hits and one run, walked two, and struck out four.

On the season, he’s thrown over 54 innings, allowed just 36 hits, and has a 63-to-14 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He continues to look the part of a Friday night starter.

15. Liam Peterson — Florida (↑ from No. 22)

Season: 1-2, 3.60 ERA, 1.36 WHIP — 45 IP, 36 H, 66K / 25BB
Past Week: 7.0 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K

Liam Peterson had a really nice bounce-back outing this weekend.

In his first Saturday start for Florida against a really good Georgia offense, he went seven innings, scattered eight hits, allowed just one run, and—most importantly—did not walk a batter.

We’ve talked about his command being the biggest factor for him, and this weekend showed exactly what he looks like when he has it. No walks allowed him to go deeper into the game and put Florida in a great position for the weekend.

On the year, he’s 1-2 with a 3.60 ERA and continues to show one of the highest ceilings in the SEC.

16. Aiden Sims — Texas A&M (↓ from No. 8)

Season: 6-0, 3.56 ERA, 1.06 WHIP — 48 IP, 36 H, 51K / 15BB
Past Week: 4.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 3 K

Aiden Sims continues to be Texas A&M’s solid number two starter.

This weekend against a really good Texas team, he did get hit around a bit but limited damage. He went four and two-thirds innings, allowed four hits and three runs, had three strikeouts and two walks.

On the season, though, he’s put together a really strong body of work. He’s 6-0 with a 3.56 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP in 48 innings, allowing just 36 hits with a 51-to-15 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He continues to complement that elite A&M offense perfectly.

17. Landon Mack — Tennessee (↓ from No. 9)

Season: 3-2, 3.75 ERA — 48 IP, 50 H, 64K / 17BB
Past Week: 4.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 6 K

Landon Mack is now the Friday night starter for Tennessee and continues to show why.

He went into Mississippi State this weekend and looked solid. Tennessee clearly had a plan to get through the lineup once or twice with Mack and then go quickly to Appenzeller—and that’s exactly what they did.

Mack did his job. He went four innings, scattered six hits, allowed three runs, didn’t walk a batter, and struck out six in a hostile environment. He set the tone for a series-opening win that led to a sweep.

On the season, he’s 3-2 with a 3.75 ERA in 48 innings with a 64-to-17 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

18. Hunter Elliott — Ole Miss (↑ from No. 20)

Season: 3-1, 3.69 ERA — 46.1 IP, 37 H, 68K / 27BB
Past Week: 6.0 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 8 K

Hunter Elliott put together a really strong outing this weekend against LSU.

After walking the first hitter of the game, he settled in nicely and didn’t walk another batter the rest of the outing. He went six innings, scattered eight hits, allowed two runs, and struck out eight.

He led the charge for Ole Miss in a weekend sweep, and when he’s limiting walks like that, he’s as good as anyone on Friday night.

On the season, he’s 3-1 with a 3.69 ERA in 46 innings, with 68 strikeouts. If he continues to hone in the command, his combination of stuff, experience, and competitiveness makes him one of the toughest matchups in the league.

19. Dylan Volantis — Texas (↓ from No. 12)

Season: (unchanged from prior week — did not pitch)

This is a respect spot for Dylan Volantis.

He didn’t get a chance to start this weekend because Texas’s third game was rained out, but I can’t take him out of the top 25 based on his body of work.

If he had pitched and performed well, he could easily be much higher. He’s been one of the more reliable arms in the SEC all year, and this is more about where I trust him going into the second half.

20. LJ Mercurius — Oklahoma (↑ from No. 23)

Season: 5-4, 4.98 ERA — 43.1 IP, 39 H, 62K / 15BB
Past Week: 6.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 13 K

LJ Mercurius bounces back after two really tough outings.

He dominated early this weekend against Vanderbilt, going six and a third innings, allowing five hits and three runs (with some inherited runners scoring), and striking out 13.

The swing-and-miss stuff looked like it did earlier in the year, and this was a start he badly needed.

Even though the bullpen couldn’t hold it, this was a really positive sign for Oklahoma moving forward.

21. Tegan Kuhns — Tennessee (↑ from outside Top 25)

Season: 2-3, 3.77 ERA, 1.13 WHIP — 45 IP, 42 H, 54K / 9BB
Past Week: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 7 K

Tegan Kuhns is back in the rotation for Tennessee and continues to produce.

He had a really solid outing at Mississippi State, going six innings, allowing four hits and two runs, striking out seven, and walking just one.

On the season, he’s 2-3 with a 3.77 ERA, but the 54-to-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio stands out. He continues to look like a top-50 draft prospect with elite upside.

22. William Schmidt — LSU (↓ from No. 11)

Season: 4-3, 3.22 ERA, 1.19 WHIP — 44.1 IP, 35 H, 63K / 18BB
Past Week: 3.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 BB, 7 K

William Schmidt struggled a bit at Ole Miss this weekend, but the stuff might have been the best it’s looked all year.

He was consistently 96–98 mph, and his average fastball was up a full tick. But for some reason, he leaned more on the slider than the fastball (see more below), which seemed to put him in some bad counts and led to walks and damage.

He went three and two-thirds innings, allowed four runs, struck out seven, but walked four.

On the season, he’s 4-3 with a 3.22 ERA. The stuff is trending up, but the pitch usage and command will determine how high he climbs in the second half.

23. Zane Adams — Alabama (↓ from No. 17)

Season: 4-2, 4.13 ERA, 1.23 WHIP — 48 IP, 46 H, 52K / 13BB
Past Week: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R (3 ER), 2 BB, 4 K

Zane Adams continues to provide quality starts for Alabama.

He went six innings this weekend, allowed five hits and four runs (three earned), and continues to be a very reliable number two option behind Tyler Fay.

As Alabama pushes toward the postseason, that one-two punch is a big strength.

24. Shane Sdao — Texas A&M (↑ from No. 25)

Season: 3-2, 5.77 ERA — 48.1 IP, 57 H, 58K / 12BB
Past Week: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 6 K

Shane Sdao remains in this group because of fit more than pure numbers.

He pitched against Texas this weekend and was solid enough to start the weekend strong. The ERA and hit totals are high, but he throws strikes and gives A&M innings.

With that offense, that matters. He may give up hits, but he doesn’t beat himself with walks, and that’s why he continues to profile as the right Friday night starter for them.

25. Connor Fennell — Vanderbilt (↑ from outside Top 25)

Season: 3-1, 5.15 ERA — 46 H allowed, 67K / 12BB
Past Week: 7.1 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 10 K

Connor Fennell had a really nice bounce-back outing this weekend.

He went seven and a third innings, scattered seven hits, allowed three runs, didn’t walk a batter, and struck out 10. Early in the game, he was going head-to-head with LJ Mercurius in a really strong pitching matchup.

On the season, the ERA is still elevated, but the strikeout-to-walk ratio is excellent. This is the version of Fennell Vanderbilt needs on Friday nights.

Around the League — Notes, Trends & Developing Arms

I don’t even want to call this an “honorable mention” section, because a lot of these guys are either right on the edge of the Top 25 or are playing really important roles on really good teams. So this is more about just giving these arms the recognition they deserve and highlighting what’s going on around the league.

Casan Evans for LSU continues to develop into a legitimate Friday night option for them. I really like the way he’s trending and how he’s growing into that role, giving them someone they can trust in Game 1. My only concern right now is pitching calling/sequencing and maybe a slight drop in velocity, especially the second and third time through the order. Nothing alarming, but something I’m watching closely, and the reason he just missed the Top 25 for me this week.

Josh McDevitt continues to be a solid Game 1 option for Missouri. Obviously, they’re not one of the top teams in the league, but I don’t want his starts to go unnoticed because his body of work this season has been strong and he’s consistently given them a chance.

Evan Blanco is part of what I think is one of the top two or three rotations in the SEC with Tennessee. He might not have the flashiest or most electric stuff, but he’s a competitor, he’s experienced, and he just knows how to pitch. On a lot of other teams, he’s probably a Friday or Saturday guy.

Myles Upchurch had a really nice outing this weekend for Alabama, and his upside is what excites me the most. As a true freshman in this league, he’s handled himself really well, and his numbers and overall body of work for Year 1 are really impressive.

Matt Scott continues to be a really solid option for Georgia. He got the start on Sunday this weekend, and while it wasn’t his best outing, his role and what he means to that pitching staff is important. Georgia continues to mix and match, and he’s a big part of that flexibility.

Brandon Stone has now moved into the number one starting role for South Carolina and had another solid outing this weekend that set the tone for their series sweep. He was really close to landing in the Top 25 for me. His ERA and overall numbers are very strong, and he’s definitely someone I’ll be watching closely going forward.

Cold Notes & Things to Watch

There are also a few situations around the league that we have to talk about, even if they’re not the most fun.

Cam Johnson struggled with command again this weekend and didn’t get out of the first inning. That one is tough for me because I really like him and think his upside is tremendous. But right now, it’s clearly a command—and probably mental—battle when it comes to throwing strikes.

Kentucky’s rotation is becoming a bit of a concern. Ben Cleaver and Nate Harris have been very up and down—Jekyll and Hyde—and it’s hard to know what you’re going to get start to start. That inconsistency is something to monitor as we head into the second half.

Arkansas is doing something really interesting with their pitching staff. Gabe Gackle came out of the bullpen this weekend and picked up two wins, which is a notable shift. At the same time, Cole Gibler started Game 2 and Tate McGuire started Game 3. They swept the series, so clearly it worked—but it’s something to watch in terms of how they continue to deploy their arms.

Florida’s Sunday situation is also worth keeping an eye on. Russell Sandefer had a tough outing this weekend, but his overall body of work has been solid. If he continues to develop, that could stabilize that third spot in their rotation.

And then for Texas, Luke Harrison—who’s been really steady all year—had a tough outing and didn’t make it out of the first inning. Just one of those weekends, but something to note given how consistent he’s been up to this point.

Final Thoughts — The Separation Point

At the halfway point of SEC play, this is where things start to get real.

The numbers matter. The results matter. But more than anything, roles start to solidify.

You start to see who the true Friday night guys are.
Who can go win you a series opener.
Who can stop momentum.
And who you trust when everything is on the line.

At the same time, you also start to see the cracks.

Which rotations have real depth.
Which teams are piecing it together.
Which programs are leaning on swing arms, matchups, and high-leverage bullpen pieces just to get through a weekend.

Because in this league, it’s not just about having one guy.
It’s about getting 27 outs, three different ways.

And that’s what makes the SEC different.

What’s Next

With five weeks in the books and a full sample size now established, the next step is zooming out.

The rest of this week, we’re shifting the focus from individual arms to the bigger picture:

SEC Pitching Staff Power Rankings (1–16)

We’re going to break down:

• Which staffs have true weekend stability

• Which teams are surviving with depth and flexibility

• How bullpens are being deployed in high-leverage situations

• And which programs are best positioned to win series down the stretch

Because at this point in the season, pitching staffs—not just starters—win championships.

And we’re finally at the point where we have enough information to start projecting exactly how that plays out.

Thursday and Friday night across the SEC gave us a little bit of everything — early explosions, bullpen swings, and a few arms starting to separate themselves as real tone-setters heading into the heart of conference play.

With a couple of series already underway Thursday night, the league didn’t ease into the weekend — it jumped right into it.

Here’s how things unfolded.

#16 Oklahoma 5, Vanderbilt 10 (Thursday)

Vanderbilt pulled away late in a really competitive opener.

LJ Mercurius gave Oklahoma a much-needed bounce-back start, but the Commodores chipped away late, scoring one in the sixth, three in the seventh, and five in the eighth to take control.

Connor Fennell continued his strong season, going seven and a third innings, allowing three earned runs while striking out ten to improve to 3–1.

Oklahoma’s bullpen just couldn’t hold the line late.

#16 Oklahoma 13, Vanderbilt 11 (Friday)

This one was chaos from the start.

Oklahoma scored five runs in the top of the first, only for Vanderbilt to answer with eight in the bottom half.

Cam Johnson didn’t make it out of the first inning, walking four of the five batters he faced — a return to the command issues that have shown up at times this season.

Camden Johnson had a massive night for Oklahoma, going 3-for-5 with two home runs and seven RBIs.

South Carolina 5, Missouri 1 (Thursday)

South Carolina 1, Missouri 0 (Friday)

South Carolina quietly handled business to open the weekend.

On Thursday, Brandon Stone set the tone with four strong innings, allowing just one earned run while striking out seven. Patrick Evans led the offense, going 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs.

Then on Friday, it turned into a true pitching clinic.

Amp Phillips dominated, throwing eight shutout innings with 10 strikeouts as South Carolina locked down the series with a 1–0 win.

Florida 8, #4 Georgia 2

One of the more surprising results of the night came in Athens.

Aidan King continued his breakout season, throwing seven and a third innings, allowing just two earned runs with six strikeouts.

Florida jumped out early after two Georgia errors and never really looked back. King was perfect through six innings before Florida broke the game open with a seven-run seventh.

A very controlled road win against one of the hotter teams in the country.

Tennessee 6, #9 Mississippi State 5

Mississippi State has now dropped four straight SEC games at home.

Landon Mack was solid early for the Bulldogs, but Tennessee turned to freshman Cam Appenzeller, who once again looked like a major weapon.

The freshman went five innings, allowing just two runs while striking out eight to improve to 5–0. He continues to show the profile of an elite swingman — a guy who can impact games in multiple roles.

Tomas Valincius continued to look the part of a dominant SEC pitcher, striking out 6 in 6 solid innings, scattering eight hits and three runs, but credit to Tennessee for taking the series opener in from tof 13,000+ fans.

Kentucky 5, #15 Auburn 12

Auburn didn’t waste any time in this one.

They put up six runs in the first, then added two more in both the second and third innings to take full control early.

Jackson Jelkin was hit hard from the jump, and Kentucky never recovered.

Andreas Alvarez improved to 6–1 with another solid outing, going six innings and allowing two earned runs while striking out five. Ethan Bingaman led the offense, going 3-for-3 with three RBIs.

#22 Arkansas 7, #8 Alabama 5

Arkansas flipped this game late.

Alabama held a 3–1 lead heading into the eighth inning before Arkansas erupted for six runs to take control.

Hunter Dietz made his first start of the year, and Gabe Gaeckle came out of the bullpen to pick up the win, throwing an inning while allowing one earned run.

A big late-inning swing in a game that felt like Alabama had under control.

#24 LSU 3, #25 Ole Miss 6

Ole Miss took advantage of late-game execution.

Both teams traded runs early, with Ole Miss holding a 3–2 lead before LSU tied it in the seventh.

But the game turned in the eighth.

LSU’s defense struggled, with the first three Ole Miss hitters reaching without the ball leaving the infield — plays that needed to be made. Ole Miss capitalized, scoring three runs and taking control.

It’s an area that’s shown up before for LSU, and it cost them again here.

Texas A&M 9, Texas 8

The series of the weekend delivered right away.

In Jim Schlossnagle’s return to College Station, the game lived up to the moment.

Ruger Riojas and Shane Sdao both gave their teams solid outings, and the game went back and forth throughout.

Texas A&M ultimately grabbed control late, adding what proved to be a crucial insurance run in the eighth.

Texas made a push in the ninth with back-to-back home runs to make it 9–8, but the Aggies held on.

A high-level, high-energy game that sets the tone for the rest of the series.

Final Thoughts

This is what SEC weekends look like when they get going early.

Late-inning swings, bullpen exposure, and small mistakes turning into big innings. A few arms continue to separate themselves, but just as many games are being decided by execution in the margins.

With multiple series already in motion and momentum starting to build, Saturday becomes a pivotal day across the league.

And if this was just the start, there’s a lot more coming.

We’re getting to the point in the SEC season where things start to become a little more clear.

We’re about halfway through the conference slate after this weekend, and this is where you really start to figure out who’s for real, who’s still figuring it out, and who’s going to be in the mix when it comes to hosting and postseason play.

There are a couple Thursday starts again this weekend, and a lot of really telling matchups across the board.

Here’s how I see it.

#16 Oklahoma at Vanderbilt

This is a big one for me.

I’ve been high on both of these teams at different points this year, but more recently I’ve been leaning Oklahoma — at least until the last couple weeks.

Now I’m starting to have some questions again, especially with LJ Mercurius at the top of the rotation. Cam Johnson has righted the ship the last two weekends, so I’m looking for that to continue, but LJ has had some inconsistencies.

On the other side, Vanderbilt’s offense has been one of the better ones in the league, and with the fences coming in and the way they play at home, that matters. They’ve also won seven of their last SEC games at home in walk-off fashion, so that environment is real.

For me, I need to see Oklahoma go on the road and win a series like this before I’m fully back in on them as a top 10/15 team.

Prediction: Vanderbilt takes the series

South Carolina at Missouri

This is the two basement teams going at it.

Both teams have some upside on the mound, but I think Missouri’s offense is a little better, and playing at home gives them the edge for me.

I do think South Carolina is probably the more talented team overall, and if this series were flipped and played at South Carolina, I might feel differently.

But with it being at Missouri, I lean their way.

Prediction: Missouri takes 2 of 3

Florida at #4 Georgia

This is a really good one.

Florida is coming off a solid midweek win against Florida State after getting beat two out of three at home by Ole Miss. Georgia, on the other hand, swept Mississippi State on the road and then won a 28–3 midweek game.

So Georgia is playing really well right now.

But for some reason, my gut tells me Florida takes this series.

They’re moving Aidan King to the Friday night spot and sliding Liam Peterson to Saturday, and I think that takes some pressure off Peterson and allows him to settle into what he can be.

If Aidan King continues to do what he’s been doing, that gives Florida a real shot to start the weekend strong.

I’ll be anxious to see how Georgia’s starters respond against a Florida team that’s a little banged up but still dangerous.

Prediction: Florida takes the series

Tennessee at #9 Mississippi State

I think this one comes down to offense versus pitching.

Tennessee has the edge in the starting pitching department for me with Landon Mack, Teagan Kuhns, and Evan Blanco. Mississippi State hasn’t fully locked in their rotation yet with McPherson out, although Tomas Valincius and Duke Stone have both been very solid.

After that, there are some question marks, for me.

But Tennessee’s issue is still the offense.

They’re just too inexperienced right now, and Mississippi State is the number three offense in the league.

Coming off getting swept at home last weekend, I don’t see Mississippi State dropping this one.

Prediction: Mississippi State takes at least 2 of 3

#22 Arkansas at #8 Alabama

I’ve been high on Alabama all year, and I still am.

Tyler Fay and Zane Adams give them a really strong one-two punch, and Myles Upchurch gives them a solid Sunday option, even though he’s had some command issues at times.

The offense has started to turn it on lately, and they’re playing good baseball.

On the other side, Arkansas still has some question marks for me offensively outside of Ryder Helfrick. And on the mound, Gabe Gaeckle and Hunter Dietz have big-time upside, but both have been inconsistent.

That inconsistency is what leans me toward Alabama at home.

Prediction: Alabama takes 2 of 3

Kentucky at #15 Auburn

I think Auburn is just going to be too much for Kentucky, especially at home.

Auburn’s starting rotation gives them the edge for me. On the Kentucky side, I still have some questions with Ben Cleaver and Nate Harris.

Jaxon Jelkin gives them a real chance to win game one, but after that it gets tougher.

This feels like a lower-scoring series overall, and I’d probably lean toward the under in most of these games.

But with Auburn at home and the edge on the mound, I think they take it.

Prediction: Auburn takes the series

#24 LSU at #25 Ole Miss

This is a really tough one to pick.

Both teams are very good, but neither has really played up to their full potential yet. So this weekend should tell us a lot about both.

There are real implications here in terms of hosting and positioning, so both teams should be motivated.

I give Ole Miss a slight edge in the starting rotation from a consistency standpoint.

Cade Townsend and Taylor Rabe match the upside of Casan Evans and William Schmidt, and Hunter Elliott brings experience and leadership at the top, even though he’s had some command issues.

If LSU can work counts and get Elliott deep into pitch counts, they could have success early. But overall, due to LSU’s struggles on defense and with walks and ERA, I lean Ole Miss.

Prediction: Ole Miss takes the series

#2 Texas at #18 Texas A&M

This is the series of the weekend.

It’s going to be a great one. A ton of energy, a ton of talent, and a rivalry that always brings something out of both sides.

But I think Texas is just the better team right now.

Texas A&M’s offense has been really good — near the top of the league in just about everything — but I still have some question marks about their pitching staff.

Aiden Sims has been solid, and Shane Sdao throws strikes and has real upside, but when you’re in the zone that much in SEC play, you’re going to give up hits and home runs. And against a Texas lineup like this, that becomes a problem.

Texas can match them from a talent standpoint, and I think they have the edge overall.

Prediction: Texas takes 2 of 3, with sweep potential

Weekend Outlook

This weekend should give us a lot more clarity.

We’re halfway through the SEC slate after this, and this is where you start to separate teams in terms of hosting, postseason positioning, and who’s actually built to sustain it over the long haul.

There’s still some volatility across the league, but after this weekend, we should have a much better idea of where everyone stands.

After four weeks of SEC play, we’re finally starting to get some real clarity.

You can see which teams are separating themselves—and more importantly, how they’re doing it on the mound.

Each week, as we gather more information, it becomes more and more interesting to watch how different coaches utilize their personnel. Some teams are built around traditional weekend starters. Others are mixing and matching, using swing guys, leveraging bullpens, and adjusting based on matchups, schedule, and game flow.

And as the stakes continue to rise, those high-leverage moments become everything.

You’re starting to see coaches deploy their best weapons earlier, in bigger spots, and with more intention—and that’s where games and series are being won.

So this week, we’re narrowing it down again to the Top 25 starting pitchers in the SEC, followed by a notes section and honorable mentions, where we’ll break down:

• Arms just outside the rankings

• Friday night guys who have fallen off

• Swing men and hybrid arms impacting winning teams

• The Georgia situation and how they’re piecing together innings

• And a few high-upside arms still trying to find consistency

Top 25 SEC Starting Pitcher Power Rankings

1. Tomas Valincius — Mississippi State (↑ from No. 2)

Season: 1.15 ERA, 0.83 WHIP — 6-1, 66K / 11BB (47 IP)
Past week: 7.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 10 K

Valincinus takes over the top spot after another dominant outing, even in a weekend where Mississippi State got swept.

Against one of the best offenses in the league in Georgia, he went 7.1 innings, didn’t walk a hitter, and punched out 10. The line speaks for itself, but more importantly, he set the tone in a tough environment and gave his team every chance to win that game.

When you pair that outing with his overall body of work—sub-1.20 ERA, elite WHIP, and a 66-to-11 strikeout-to-walk ratio—it’s hard to argue against him at number one right now.

2. Jake Marciano — Auburn (↑ from No. 5)

Season: 1.29 ERA, 0.68 WHIP — 3-1, 64K / 7BB (48.1 IP)
Past week: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 8 K

Marciano just continues to live in this range every single week.

Another great outing against a really good Arkansas team—seven innings, one run, and complete control of the game. That’s just what he does.

At this point, he’s probably the most steady and reliable starter in the SEC. He doesn’t beat himself, he commands the zone, and his numbers continue to sit at the top of the conference.

3. Andreas Alvarez — Auburn (↑ from No. 14 )

Season: 0.96 ERA, 1.05 WHIP — 5-1, 55K / 12BB (37.2 IP)
Past week: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 10 K

Alvarez makes one of the biggest jumps of the year after his first SEC start—and he didn’t skip a beat.

He set the tone in the Thursday opener against Arkansas, looked electric, and punched out 10. Auburn’s offense gave him run support, but more importantly, he controlled the game from the start.

With mid-90s velocity and a real breaking ball, he adds another legit piece to an already loaded Auburn rotation.

4. Aidan King — Florida (↑ from No. 12)

Season: 1.63 ERA, 1.03 WHIP — 4-2, 41K / 9BB (38.1 IP)
Past week: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K

King makes a big jump after a dominant outing in a tough weekend for Florida.

Seven shutout innings, no walks, and complete control. He continues to be that steady number two piece behind Liam Peterson.

With Peterson’s volatility at times, King’s consistency is extremely valuable for Florida, and he’s been one of the more reliable starters in the SEC all year.

5. Jaxon Jelkin — Kentucky (↓ from No. 4)

Season: 2.96 ERA, 0.99 WHIP — 6-0, 54K / 10BB (48.1 IP)
Past week: 7.0 IP, 8 H, 4 R (3 ER), 1 BB, 10 K

Jelkin continues to be one of the steadiest arms in the league.

Even in a weekend where Kentucky dropped two out of three, he gave them length and punched out 10. The stuff, the body, and the ability to pitch all pass the eye test.

For me, he still profiles like a first-rounder—similar to a Rick Porcello type with how he goes about it.

6. Ruger Riojas — Texas (↓ from No. 1)

Season: 2.74 ERA, 1.05 WHIP — (Record TBD), 68K / 9BB (42.1 IP)
Past week: 3.0 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 2 BB, 4 K

Riojas falls a bit after his first rough outing of the year.

South Carolina came out aggressive, attacked pitches in the zone, and got to him early. He only went three innings, which is uncharacteristic.

That said, the overall body of work still says he’s one of the most dominant arms in the SEC. He’ll have a big test next weekend against Texas A&M to bounce back.

7. Cade Townsend — Ole Miss (↑ from No. 22)

Season: 1.82 ERA, 1.04 WHIP — 2-1, 46K / 7BB (29.1 IP)
Past week: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 6 K

Townsend jumps back up after returning from injury and showing exactly why he belongs here.

Six strong innings, no walks, and complete control. The stuff is really, really good, and now that he’s back in the rotation, he’s going to be a big piece for Ole Miss moving forward.

8. Aiden Sims — Texas A&M (↑ from outside Top 25)

Season: 3.32 ERA, 1.04 WHIP — 6-0, 48K / 13BB (43 IP)
Past week: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K

Sims makes a big jump after a complete game to close out the series against Vanderbilt.

He’s been solid all year, and this weekend he put an exclamation point on it. With that offense behind him, his ability to throw strikes and keep them in games on Sunday is extremely valuable.

9. Landon Mack — Tennessee (↑ from No. 27)

Season: 3.48 ERA, 1.39 WHIP — 3-2, 58K / 17BB (44 IP)
Past week: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 10 K

Mack makes a huge jump after an electric outing against LSU.

At one point, he retired 14 straight hitters and looked completely in control. There were reports he was taken out for health-related reasons, but he could have kept going.

That’s the version of Mack that puts him near the top of this list.

10. Hunter Dietz — Arkansas (↑ from No. 19)

Season: 3.98 ERA, 1.18 WHIP — 2-2, 69K / 14BB (40.1 IP)
Past week: 7.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 11 K

Dietz jumps into the top 10 after a dominant outing against Auburn.

Seven innings, no walks, and 11 strikeouts—and now he leads the SEC in strikeouts.

With Gaeckle struggling a bit, you have to at least start asking the question if Dietz could slide into that Friday role, but either way, he’s been a huge piece for Arkansas.

11. William Schmidt — LSU (↓ from No. 6)

Season: 2.63 ERA, 1.12 WHIP — 4-2, 56K / 14BB (41 IP)
Past week: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R (2 ER), 3 BB, 7 K

Schmidt falls a bit after taking the loss at Tennessee, but overall didn’t pitch bad and continues to trend toward being an elite prospect.

The walks are really the separator right now. If he can limit those, he’ll cut down base runners and continue to climb. Still looks like a high-level number two starter for LSU with big upside.

12. Dylan Volantis — Texas (↓ from No. 8)

Season: 2.01 ERA, 1.07 WHIP — 4-0, 57K / 15BB (44.1 IP)
Past week: 5.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K

Volantis just continues to be very steady in that Sunday role.

In a weekend where Texas didn’t expect to need a deciding game, he stepped up and delivered. He’s been a consistent presence and a leader in that rotation.

13. Tyler Fay — Alabama (↓ from No. 3)

Season: 4.07 ERA, 0.90 WHIP — 6-2, 59K / 12BB (48.1 IP)
Past week: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 7 K

Fay falls a little after giving up some runs, but still did a solid job keeping Alabama in the game.

He continues to lead in multiple statistical categories and remains a strong Friday night presence for a surging Alabama team.

14. Luke Harrison — Texas (↓ from No. 7)

Season: 2.72 ERA, 1.12 WHIP — 4-0, 42K / 16BB (43 IP)
Past week: 5.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K

Harrison had another solid outing and continues to be a reliable number two starter for Texas.

In a weekend where they needed a stopper, he stepped in and gave them exactly what they needed.

15. Alex Petrovic — Auburn (unchanged)

Season: 3.12 ERA, 0.97 WHIP — 5-1, 45K / 9BB (40 IP)
Past week: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 4 K

Petrovic continues to give Auburn a solid number three option.

He and Jackson Sanders handled the entire game on Sunday in a pivotal rubber match, which says a lot about how much Auburn trusts him in that role.

16. Joey Volchko — Georgia (↓ from No. 15)

Season: 3.89 ERA, 1.48 WHIP — 6-0, 42K / 19BB (39 IP)
Past week: 5.0 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 3 K

Volchko had a solid outing against a good Mississippi State offense.

He still gives up a few too many base runners, but with Georgia’s offense, his job is to keep them in games—and he continues to do that.

17. Zane Adams — Alabama (↓ from No. 9)

Season: 4.07 ERA, 1.24 WHIP — 3-2, 48K / 11BB (42 IP)
Past week: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 7 K

Adams falls slightly after taking the loss against Oklahoma.

The walks were a little uncharacteristic, but overall, he and Fay still form a strong 1–2 punch for Alabama.

18. Duke Stone — Mississippi State (↓ from No. 17)

Season: 3.50 ERA, 1.25 WHIP — 5-0, 55K / 15BB (36 IP)
Past week: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R (1 ER), 3 BB, 10 K

Stone continues to deal with what I call the “Sunday starter dilemma.”

Still, 10 strikeouts in four innings shows the stuff is real. With McPherson out, he could easily slide into a bigger role moving forward.

19. Casan Evans — LSU (↓ from No. 18)

Season: 4.97 ERA, 1.27 WHIP — 2-1, 59K / 21BB (41.1 IP)
Past week: 5.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 6 K

Evans had a solid outing but didn’t get much run support early.

He’s still very capable, but like we’ve talked about, command and consistency will dictate how high he climbs.

20. Hunter Elliott — Ole Miss (↓ from No. 11)

Season: 3.79 ERA, 1.36 WHIP — 3-1, 60K / 26BB (40 IP)
Past week: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 9 K

Elliott continues to deal with command issues.

The strikeouts are there, but the walks continue to limit him and keep him from going deeper into games.

21. Cam Johnson — Oklahoma (↑ from No. 24)

Season: 2.97 ERA, 1.43 WHIP — 4-1, 52K / 24BB (36 IP)
Past week: 6.1 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 8 K

Johnson looks like he’s starting to right the ship.

Still some walks, but overall a much more controlled outing and a step in the right direction.

22. Liam Peterson — Florida (↓ from No. 13)

Season: 4.03 ERA, 1.40 WHIP — 1-2, 62K / 25BB (38 IP)
Past week: 3.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 7 K

Peterson continues to be one of the highest upside arms in the SEC.

But the command issues and base runners continue to hold him back. When it clicks, he’s elite—but it hasn’t been consistent enough yet.

23. LJ Mercurius — Oklahoma (↓ from No. 10)

Season: 5.11 ERA, 1.30 WHIP — 5-3, 49K / 14BB (37 IP)
Past week: 1.1 IP, 5 H, 7 R, 1 BB, 0 K

Mercurius probably has the biggest fall this week.

It was hard to keep him out of the top 10 even after last weekend, but he followed that up with another rough outing where he couldn’t get out of the second inning. The stuff just doesn’t look as sharp as it did early in the year, and that’s showing up in the results.

If he can get back to what he was early in the season, Oklahoma can regain that elite one-two punch, but right now, he’s searching a bit.

24. Josh McDevitt — Missouri (Previous: Unranked)

Season: 3.66 ERA, 1.27 WHIP — 3-2, 52K / 26BB (39.1 IP)
Past week: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 (ER), 3 BB, 7 K

McDevitt jumps into the rankings after helping Missouri take two out of three against Kentucky.

He put them in a really strong position in his start, and with how much Missouri has improved, he’s earned a spot in the top 25 this week.

25. Gabe Gaeckle — Arkansas (↓ from No. 17)

Season: 4.17 ERA, 1.64 WHIP — 3-3, 41K / 19BB (36.1 IP)
Past week: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 BB, 3 K

Gaeckle stays in the top 25 because of the upside and the role.

The results haven’t been consistent, but the stuff is still first-round caliber, and he continues to take the ball on Friday nights for Arkansas. There’s still a lot there, but he’s got to find a way to put it all together.

Notes Breakdown

As we move deeper into SEC play, this is where the conversation expands beyond just starting pitchers.

Russell Sandefer

Florida’s Sunday starter has had back-to-back strong outings and had a really nice outing against Ole Miss this weekend. That’s an important development for them moving forward as Walls moves to the pen.

South Carolina Arms

Amp Phillips continues to develop and shows real upside from a draft and professional perspective, while Josh Gunther has shown plenty of good to give them another good arm to compete on weekends.

Reliable Rotation Pieces

Evan Blanco continues to be a solid arm for Tennessee, and had another solid outing against LSU this weekend.
Wyatt Nadeau is putting together a really solid freshman campaign for Vanderbilt.
Cord Rager continues to give Oklahoma a strong true freshman presence in game three.

Friday Night Volatility

Shane Sdao (Texas A&M) and Connor Fennell (Vanderbilt) both have had ups and downs.

They throw strikes and get strikeouts, but they also give up a lot of hits, making them really interesting cases on Friday’s.

Swing / Hybrid Arms

Tegan Kuhns (Tennessee), Dylan Vigue (Georgia), Jackson Sanders (Auburn), Sam Cozart (Texas), and Taylor Rabe (Ole Miss) are all guys that can start, relieve, and impact games in multiple ways — they also have some of the best stuff so on any given night, these guys can be shut down arms.

For example, after being the Saturday starter all year, this weekend Jackson Sanders came in after Alex Petrovic and recorded a save, firing 4 scoreless innings, punching out eight and only allowing one hit.

Last weekend Dylan Vigue started Saturday, didn’t get out of the first inning, and came back out of the bullpen on Sunday. This weekend he started game two and pitched 5.1 innings.

These are some of the most important arms in the league right now.

Georgia Pitching Model

Speaking of Georgia — Caden Aoki, Justin Byrd, and Matt Scott continue to give the Bulldogs flexibility.

They pitch in multiple roles and give Wes Johnson a ton of options depending on how games unfold.

Upside / Development Arms

Myles Upchurch (Alabama) continues to have massive upside but is still developing consistency.

Bounce-Back Candidates

Colin Fisher (Arkansas) and Nate Taylor (Vanderbilt) have had strong outing and tough outings this year but still have opportunity to contribute to their teams on Sunday’s, imo.

Closing Thoughts

This is where the season really starts to take shape.

Not just who has the best arms—but who knows how to use them.

Different programs are showing different identities:

• Traditional rotations

• Hybrid usage

• Bullpen-heavy strategies

• Matchup-based deployment

And as we move into the middle of SEC play, that’s what’s going to separate teams.

Because in this league, it’s not just about having good pitchers.

It’s about knowing when to use them.

Friday night looked a little different across the SEC this weekend.

With the Easter schedule pushing most series to start on Thursday, we’re already staring at a slate of rubber matches — and even a few potential sweeps — as we roll into Saturday. It’s created a quicker-moving weekend, but the intensity hasn’t changed.

If anything, it’s ramped up.

Here’s a quick “in case you missed it” snapshot of where things stand heading into a pivotal Saturday.

#5 Georgia vs #4 Mississippi State

Georgia leads series 2–0

Georgia has quietly put together one of the most impressive starts of the weekend.

They took Thursday’s opener 10–9 behind a solid outing from Joey Volchko, who worked five innings, limited traffic, and did enough to keep Mississippi State’s offense from getting rolling early. The bullpen made things interesting late, but Georgia held on in a high-scoring game.

Then on Friday, Dylan Vigue set the tone early and Georgia’s bullpen took over from there in a 3–1 win.

Now Georgia sits one win away from a sweep in Starkville — and if they finish it off, you’re legitimately starting to talk about them as a potential No. 1 team in the country.

Missouri 5, #24 Kentucky 4

Series ongoing (2 games remaining)

Missouri grabbed the opener in a tight one.

Jaxon Jelkin actually settled in nicely after a slow start, finishing with 10 strikeouts over seven innings, but Kentucky couldn’t close it out late.

They tied the game late, only to give it back, and Missouri capitalized to take Game 1.

Still plenty left in this series, but that’s a tough one for Kentucky to let slip.

#2 Texas vs South Carolina

Series tied 1–1 (rubber match today)

This has been one of the more surprising series so far.

South Carolina jumped Texas early on Thursday, handing Ruger Riojas his most human outing of the season in a 9–1 win. They were on him from the start and never let Texas get comfortable.

Texas responded the way good teams do.

They bounced back with a 3–2 win behind another steady outing from Luke Harrison, who handed the ball off to Sam Cozart to finish it.

Now it sets up a clean rubber match with both teams having taken a shot at each other.

#16 Alabama vs #11 Oklahoma

Series tied 1–1 (rubber match today)

Alabama took the opener, getting to Oklahoma starter LJ Mercurius early before his brother Xander stabilized things out of the bullpen and kept the game from getting out of hand.

Then Oklahoma answered.

Cam Johnson delivered another strong SEC outing, going six and a third innings against a hot Alabama lineup and helping Oklahoma even the series with a 4–2 win.

Another high-level matchup heading into today.

#17 Arkansas vs #18 Auburn

Series tied 1–1 (rubber match today)

Auburn handled Arkansas on Thursday, jumping out early and controlling the game in a convincing win.

But Arkansas flipped it Friday night.

Auburn held a 2–1 lead for most of the game before Arkansas broke through late, taking the lead in the eighth and closing it out 3–2.

Momentum now swings back to Arkansas heading into a big Game 3.

LSU 7, Tennessee 5

Series ongoing (continues into Easter)

This one had everything.

Landon Mack was outstanding for Tennessee, retiring 14 straight hitters at one point and working seven strong innings. He left the game after 94 pitches with the lead, looking firmly in control.

Then things unraveled.

LSU broke through late, highlighted by a go-ahead grand slam from Derek Curiel that flipped the game. They added insurance in the ninth and held on for a 7–5 win.

This series continues through the weekend, including Easter — one of only a couple still extending past Saturday.

Ole Miss vs #21 Florida

Series tied 1–1 (rubber match today)

Another really balanced series heading into Saturday.

Ole Miss took the opener behind Taylor Rabe, getting to Liam Peterson a little bit and setting the tone early.

Florida responded with a strong pitching performance of their own, as Aidan King threw seven shutout innings in a 2–0 win to even the series.

Now it comes down to one game today, and I think Ole Miss may have the advantage because of the pitching match-up.

#20 Texas A&M wins series vs Vanderbilt (2–1)

We already have our first completed series of the weekend — and it didn’t take long to flip.

Vanderbilt took Thursday’s opener in a high-scoring game, controlling the tempo offensively and looking like they might carry that momentum into the rest of the series.

But Texas A&M responded in a big way on Friday.

The Aggies swept the doubleheader, first taking Game 2 with an 8–4 win before completely taking control in the finale, run-ruling Vanderbilt 12–0.

Aidan Sims was the story in the second game of the doubleheader, throwing a complete game shutout over seven innings and completely shutting down a Vanderbilt lineup that had looked dangerous the night before.

Offensively, Texas A&M did what we expected them to do in this series — they applied pressure, created traffic, and capitalized in big innings. The difference was their ability to pair that offense with dominant pitching on Friday.

After dropping the opener, Texas A&M didn’t just respond — they took control of the series.

Final Thoughts

With one series already in the books, the rest of the SEC now shifts into a true separation day.

Multiple rubber matches are on deck, a few sweeps are still in play, and the margin for error is only getting smaller as the weekend moves forward.

If Friday showed us anything, it’s that momentum can flip quickly — and the teams that respond best over the next 24 hours are the ones that will leave the weekend in control.

This weekend feels like one of those checkpoints in the SEC season where you start learning a lot more about who teams really are.

Some clubs are hot. Some are trying to bounce back. Some are still stuck in that in-between space where you can see the talent, but you still do not fully trust what is going to show up from game to game.

That is what makes this weekend so interesting.

There are a handful of series here where the biggest question is simple: which version of each team shows up? And like always in this league, so much of it starts with the starting pitching.

Here is how I see the weekend.

#5 Georgia at #4 Mississippi State

This is one of the best series of the weekend.

You have elite on elite here, and that is what makes it so much fun. Mississippi State has been one of the best offensive teams in the league, and Georgia is right there with them, especially when you look at the power numbers.

So for me, the first question is which offense wins out.

Then it comes back to the same thing it has for Georgia most of the year: which Joey Volchko do we get? He has allowed too many base runners at times, whether it is through hits or walks, and that becomes a real issue against a lineup like Mississippi State. Then with Dylan Vigue, we have seen both versions. We have seen him settle in and give length, and we have also seen him used a little more creatively when Georgia is chasing a weekend.

On the Mississippi State side, I still think they have the edge in the starting pitching department over the course of the series. When you combine that with the home field advantage at Dudy Noble, it gives them the slight lean for me.

Prediction: Mississippi State takes the series

LSU at Tennessee

Before the season, this looked like one of the headline series in the league.

It still matters a ton, but now it feels massive for a different reason. Both teams need it.

Tennessee is coming off getting swept by Vanderbilt in three straight walk-offs. LSU took two of three from Kentucky, but even that did not feel clean. It still feels like everything right now is hard for LSU, and Tennessee has had the same issue in a different way. When they pitch well, they do not swing it. When they swing it, they do not pitch. It is always something.

For me, this weekend comes down to Tennessee’s pitching staff against the LSU bats. Tennessee’s strength right now is still on the mound, but LSU does have the edge for me at the top of the rotation with the way Casan Evans and William Schmidt are throwing. Evans has had some command issues, but we have also seen flashes of a real Friday night guy, and the way he settled in recently mattered to me.

I also still like Gavin Guidry in that Sunday role for LSU. It did not work perfectly the first time, but I still like the idea.

I am a little nervous about LSU’s defense on the road in that ballpark, especially with how the ball can fly there. But overall, I think LSU has a little bit of a talent edge and a little more experience in the dugout, and I think they grind this one out.

Prediction: LSU takes 2 of 3

Ole Miss at #21 Florida

This is one of the tougher ones to trust because Florida has been such a swinging pendulum all year.

One week they look like they can beat anybody. The next week they fall flat. So the first question here is obvious: which Florida team shows up?

Then Ole Miss throws a little wrinkle into it with the rotation. They go with Taylor Rabe in game one, then Hunter Elliott, then Cade Townsend. That changed the way I looked at the series because it really does feel like a bit of a chess match. If you are Ole Miss, you may be looking at Liam Peterson in game one and saying, if he is on, it may not matter who we throw. So just keep it close, do not burn too many arms, and then attack the back half with Elliott and Townsend.

Oh, and Taylor Rabe is really good too — he might have some of the best pure stuff in the SEC and last weekend he threw 70+ pitches out of the pen, so it wouldn’t be crazy to see him go five plus and 80 pitches.

I actually kind of like that setup for Ole Miss.

They can really swing it, they have hit a lot of home runs, and if Liam Peterson has any of the command issues that have popped up at times, this could get weird for Florida in a hurry. Florida has enough arms to keep games alive even if Peterson is off, but this still feels like one of those weekends where Ole Miss can take advantage of the uncertainty.

Prediction: Ole Miss takes 2 of 3

Vanderbilt at #20 Texas A&M

This feels like one of the more important statement series of the weekend.

Both teams are hot, but both teams have also been a little bit Jekyll and Hyde this year, which is why it is hard to get a real read on them.

With Vanderbilt, the biggest question is still which Connor Fennell shows up. We have seen him look dominant, and we have also seen him get hit. So when you are facing a Texas A&M offense like this, that matters.

Because Texas A&M can really swing it.

At the same time, Vanderbilt’s offense has turned into one of the more dangerous ones in the league too, and that is what makes this series feel like it could turn into a shootout. Texas A&M throws to contact, does not walk many guys, and makes you earn it. That is why I still give Shane Sdao a lot of credit, even with the ERA being what it is.

The other factor here is Vanderbilt away from Nashville. They have really struggled on the road, and that matters in a series like this.

So while I think Vanderbilt will score, I trust Texas A&M a little more at home and I think this is the kind of weekend where we start talking more seriously about them if they win it.

Prediction: Texas A&M takes 2 of 3

#2 Texas at South Carolina

I do not think there is a complicated way to frame this one.

For South Carolina to have any chance, it starts with the pitching.

Josh Gunther has to look like the version of himself that showed up against Clemson and Florida. Amp Phillips has to be electric. Brandon Stone has to continue being solid. They have to find a way to keep the game tight because Texas is going to make life hard enough on South Carolina offensively as it is.

That is really the issue.

Texas is likely going to shut down South Carolina’s offense, so South Carolina’s best path is to score early somehow, keep games close, and hope the environment plays a role. But even then, it is hard to lean that way because Texas would really have to mess this up to lose the series.

South Carolina also switched things around with Alex Valentin getting game one, then Gunther, then Phillips, so maybe they are just throwing different looks at Texas and seeing what sticks.

But overall, this feels pretty straightforward to me.

Prediction: Texas sweeps

Missouri at #24 Kentucky

I think Kentucky takes care of business here, but there are still a couple things I am watching.

For Kentucky, the concern remains the starting pitching behind Jaxon Jelkin. You feel good about him, but after that it gets a little shaky. Ben Cleaver has not really gone deep into games, and Nate Harris has been up and down, so there is still some uncertainty once you get beyond that first spot.

On the other side, one of the things I have liked most about Missouri this year has actually been the starting pitching. That is the one area where I think they can stay competitive in this series.

Kentucky is a scrappy team. They feed off momentum and pressure. But if Missouri’s starters can take that away early, that is how they could steal a game.

That said, I have been high on Kentucky because I think they are more veteran and they know how to win baseball games, especially at home. So I think they handle the series, even if Missouri has enough on the mound to maybe make one game uncomfortable.

Prediction: Kentucky takes the series, likely a sweep, but Missouri could sneak one

#17 Alabama at #11 Oklahoma

This is a really tough series to pick because Alabama is playing really good baseball right now.

They have swept their last two SEC weekends after getting swept in the opening weekend, and Tyler Fay and Zane Adams are pitching as well as any one-two combo in the country right now. Oh and there’s a kid named Justin Lebron who is an above average player (that’s sarcasm since he is likely number one or two in the MLB Draft in a few months, for people reading fast).

That is what makes this difficult.

But there are still enough concerns for me to lean Oklahoma. Alabama is just 3-5 on the road, and now they are going into an Oklahoma team that has been really good at home. Then when you add in Alabama’s defensive issues, that becomes an even bigger factor against a team like Oklahoma.

Oklahoma is patient, athletic, and they are going to force you to play clean baseball. They manufacture runs, steal bases, bunt, and pressure you. If Alabama is loose defensively at all, Oklahoma is the kind of team that can make that snowball.

Then the other big question here is Cam Johnson. How does he bounce back, and what does he look like following up his impressive outing against Texas?

Overall, I just believe in Oklahoma as a whole at home in this matchup.

Prediction: Oklahoma takes 2 of 3

#17 Arkansas at #18 Auburn

This feels like a get-right weekend for Auburn.

Both teams are kind of limping into it, but I have had more questions about Arkansas recently, especially offensively and especially when it comes to Gabe Gaeckle on Friday night. I have said before that I think he might be better served as a Saturday starter, with Colin Fisher sliding into the Friday night role.

That is still part of how I see this series.

For me, one of the swing factors is simply which Gabe Gaeckle shows up. On the other side, I think Auburn has the edge in the starting pitching department, and that matters a lot here.

Then you add in the home field factor. Auburn has protected home field well, and Arkansas has been fine but not dominant on the road.

The other interesting wrinkle is Auburn moving Andreas Alvarez into the Thursday night role. When I went back and watched him, the stuff matched the numbers. He has been really good in midweek competition, including a 10-strikeout performance against Georgia Tech, so even though he has not done it yet against an SEC lineup, he has faced high-level talent and looked the part.

That, along with Auburn’s edge on the mound as a whole, gives them the lean for me.

Prediction: Auburn takes 2 of 3

Weekend Picks

Mississippi State over Georgia
LSU over Tennessee
Ole Miss over Florida
Texas A&M over Vanderbilt
Texas over South Carolina
Kentucky over Missouri
Oklahoma over Alabama
Auburn over Arkansas

This weekend feels like one of those turning points where separation in the SEC really starts to happen. The teams that handle their business now are the ones that put themselves in position later in the year. And with this many tight matchups, we should learn a lot about who’s for real and who still has questions to answer.

SEC Starting Pitcher Power Rankings — Honing in on Staff Identity

Once SEC play begins, everything starts to tighten up—not just with individual pitchers, but with entire pitching staffs.

Early in the year, you’re evaluating arms. Now, you’re evaluating roles.

You start to see how coaches want to deploy their staff over a three-game weekend. Some programs rely on traditional starting pitching—true Friday, Saturday, Sunday guys. Others are mixing and matching, leaning on swing men, bullpen depth, and high-leverage arms to piece together 27 outs.

You have teams like Auburn that can roll out four legitimate starters. Then you have teams like Georgia, who rely on one true starter and piece together the rest of the weekend with guys like Dylan Vigue, maximizing matchups and leaning on offense to stay in games.

So as this list evolves, we start to value different things.

We’re not just ranking stuff—we’re ranking role, dependability, and how a pitcher fits into a winning formula for his team.

And as we continue to gather more information, the next layer of this will be bullpen evaluation—identifying high-leverage arms and how staffs are really built at the back end of games.

After a wild weekend that saw seven sweeps in eight SEC series, there was a lot of movement. * Please read my notes at the end of the article on Mississippi State’s Duke Stone, who I accidentally left out of the rankings. When I added Alvarez at 14, I meant to put Stone right after him at 15.

So now, we narrow this down to the Top 25 Starting Pitchers in the SEC.

Top 25 SEC Starting Pitcher Power Rankings

1. Ruger Riojas — Texas (↑ from No. 2)

Season: 1.59 ERA, 0.89 WHIP — 5-0, 64K / 7BB (39.2 IP)
Past week: 7.0 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K

Riojas continues to dominate and set the tone for Texas. In a rivalry series against Oklahoma, he threw a complete game in a run-rule win and controlled the game from start to finish.

He continues to show why he’s one of the most complete Friday night starters in the country with his pitch mix, command, and ability to sequence.

2. Tomas Valincius — Mississippi State (↑ from No. 3)

Season: 0.91 ERA, 0.88 WHIP — 6-0, 57K / 11BB (39.2 IP)
Past week: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 9 K

Valincinus had another dominant outing at Ole Miss and didn’t skip a beat despite Mississippi State adjusting their weekend rotation.

He continues to look like a true Friday night option, and with McPherson out, he’s stepping right into that role without Mississippi State missing anything.

3. Tyler Fay — Alabama (↑ from No. 5)

Season: 3.77 ERA, 0.86 WHIP — 4-1, 53K / 11BB (43 IP)
Past week: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 5 K

Piggybacking off his no-hitter last weekend, Fay continues to perform at a high level.

Even with a slightly higher pitch count due to walks, he still controlled the game and continues to be one of the more reliable arms in the SEC.

4. Jaxon Jelkin — Kentucky (↑ from No. 6)

Season: 2.81 ERA, 0.94 WHIP — 6-0, 44K / 9BB (41.1 IP)
Past week: 8.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 7 K

Jelkin had one of the best performances of the weekend, going into Alex Box and beating LSU. Jelkin is long and lanky and reminds me a bit of Rick Porcello the more I watch him pitch. It’s an effortless mid-90’s with more in the tank and a nasty low 80’s CB and good CH.

Jelkin had Kentucky’s lone win of the series, and he gave them everything they needed in a hostile environment. It’s the mound presence for me, with the upside potential. Even on pitch 114 he was able to elevate and celebrate at 95 mph….enjoy.

5. Jake Marciano — Auburn (↓ from No. 1)

Season: 1.30 ERA, 0.67 WHIP — 3-1, 56K / 6BB (41.1 IP)
Past week: 5.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R (2 ER), 2 BB, 5 K

Marciano had his first “human” outing of the year against Alabama.

Alabama got to him a little bit the third time through the lineup, but the overall body of work still speaks for itself. He remains one of the most consistent arms in the SEC.

6. William Schmidt — LSU (↑ from No. 11)

Season: 2.57 ERA, 1.14 WHIP — 4-1, 49K / 11BB (35 IP)
Past week: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K

Schmidt continues to come into his own as a major league-caliber starter.

He held down the staff this weekend and continues to trend toward being one of the more reliable arms in the conference.

7. Luke Harrison — Texas (↑ from No. 15)

Season: 2.65 ERA, 1.21 WHIP — 3-0, 37K / 14BB (37.1 IP)
Past week: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 6 K

Harrison had another strong outing in the middle of Texas’ rotation.

He continues to give them a reliable number two behind Riojas and fits perfectly into how Texas is structured.

8. Dylan Volantis — Texas (↓ from No. 7)

Season: 2.08 ERA, 1.15 WHIP — 3-0, 51K / 14BB (39 IP)
Past week: 5.2 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 7 K

Volantis wasn’t as sharp this weekend but still gave Texas a chance to complete the sweep.

The overall body of work remains strong, and he continues to be a key piece of that rotation.

9. Zane Adams — Alabama (↑ from No. 23)

Season: 3.21 ERA, 1.09 WHIP — 4-1, 50K / 8BB (42 IP)
Past week: 6.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 8 K

Adams jumps into the top 10 after back-to-back strong outings.

Against a top Auburn team, he controlled the game and continues to show that he can be a reliable weekend arm.

10. LJ Mercurius — Oklahoma (↓ from No. 4)

Season: 3.53 ERA, 1.18 WHIP — 5-2, 49K / 13BB (35.1 IP)
Past week: 2.0 IP, 10 H, 7 ER, 3 BB, 1 K

Mercurius drops after getting roughed up in the Texas rivalry series.

He took the ball in a tough spot and wore it for his team, but the outing inflated his numbers and drops him in the rankings.

11. Hunter Elliott — Ole Miss (↓ from No. 9)

Season: 3.72 ERA, 1.29 WHIP — 3-0, 51K / 22BB (36 IP)
Past week: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 7 K

Elliott had another solid outing this weekend, and if it wasn’t for the bullpen blowing the lead in the ninth, Ole Miss could have taken that Friday night game.

He continues to show why he’s a reliable veteran Friday night starter. The strikeouts are high, and while he does put some guys on base, he limits hits well enough to balance it out and keep his team in games.

12. Aidan King — Florida (↑ from No. 16)

Season: 1.99 ERA, 1.14 WHIP — 3-2, 33K / 9BB (31.1 IP)
Past week: 3.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 3 K

King didn’t have his best outing this weekend, but the overall body of work still speaks for itself. His ranking change is a reflection of the that plus the contributions to a great weekend.

Florida swept Arkansas in a big weekend, and he continues to be a steady number two starter for them. Even when he’s not at his best, he competes and gives them a chance.

13. Liam Peterson — Florida (↓ from No. 10)

Season: 3.74 ERA, 1.31 WHIP — 1-1, 55K / 22BB (33.1 IP)
Past week: 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 6 BB, 7 K

Peterson stays on this list because of his raw stuff, but the command issues are still there.

He actually kept Florida in the game against Arkansas and battled well, but six walks in four innings tells the story. The upside is still as high as anyone in the SEC, but the command is what’s holding him back right now.

14. Andreas Alvarez — Auburn (Previous: Unranked)

Season: 0.85 ERA, 0.98 WHIP — 4-1, 45K / 10BB (31.1 IP)
Past week: —

This is his first time in the rankings, and honestly, shame on me for not having him here earlier.

The numbers are impressive, and after going back and watching him, the stuff backs it up. Mid-90s fastball, a big breaking ball with depth in the mid-70s, and he can tighten it up into more of a slider look. He’s performed against good competition and now is stepping into the front of Auburn’s weekend rotation, which tells you everything you need to know.

Enjoy some punchies! Two of these dudes are going to be 1st Rounders in a couple months also, for context (Drew Burress and Vahn Lackey).

15. Joey Volchko — Georgia (↑ from No. 26)

Season: 3.93 ERA, 1.43 WHIP — 5-0, 39K / 18BB (34 IP)
Past week: 6.2 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 6 K

Volchko continues to be a solid Friday night arm for Georgia, but I’m still hard on him because of the walks.

He’s got to fill up the zone more and go deeper into games, especially with how good that offense is. The stuff is there, but the command keeps him from moving higher on this list.

16. Colin Fisher — Arkansas (↓ from No. 12)

Season: 3.34 ERA, 1.05 WHIP — 2-3, 40K / 7BB (32 IP)
Past week: 2.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 2 K

This is back-to-back weekends now where Fisher has only gone a few innings, and I’m starting to call this “Sunday syndrome.”

In these weekend series, when games get tight, teams are going to their high-leverage relievers earlier, and he’s getting pulled into that a little bit. The season numbers are still strong, but it’s something to monitor in terms of role and usage.

17. Gabe Gaeckle — Arkansas (↓ from No. 13)

Season: 3.62 ERA, 1.55 WHIP — 3-2, 38K / 15BB (32 IP)
Past week: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 0 K

Gaeckle had a really tough outing this weekend and it inflates the numbers a bit.

For a Friday night guy, the numbers aren’t where you’d expect them to be, but the stuff is still first-round caliber. He just has to find consistency and command, and if he does, he’ll shoot back up this list quickly.

18. Casan Evans — LSU (↓ from No. 8)

Season: 5.00 ERA, 1.25 WHIP — 2-1, 53K / 19BB (36 IP)
Past week: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 6 BB, 3 K

Evans falls a bit because the thing that has hurt him all year showed up again—the walks.

That said, it was still an impressive outing in the sense that he battled through six innings after struggling early. When he throws strikes, and gets ahead early, he’s dominant. When he doesn’t, it gets tough. That’s the separator for him right now.

19. Hunter Dietz — Arkansas (↑ from No. 25)

Season: 4.19 ERA, 1.22 WHIP — 2-2, 58K / 14BB (34 IP)
Past week: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 4 K

Dietz continues to strike guys out at a high level and be a steady Saturday arm.

The outing was just okay this weekend, but the strikeout numbers continue to jump off the page for a top Arkansas team.

20. Connor Fennell — Vanderbilt (↑ from No. 34)

Season: 4.89 ERA, 1.11 WHIP — 2-1, 52K / 9BB (38.1 IP)
Past week: 7.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 9 K

Fennell had a really impressive outing against Tennessee and looked like the Friday night guy Vanderbilt wants him to be.

He carried a no-hitter deep into the game and showed what his ceiling looks like when everything is working.

Fennell throws from a very unique vertical approach angle, which means his fastball creates that “invisiball” effect, and even at 88-91mph, he generates a ton of swings and misses.

21. Jackson Sanders — Auburn (↓ from No. 19)

Season: 3.27 ERA, 1.02 WHIP — 2-1, 59K / 10BB (44 IP)
Past week: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 6 K

Sanders continues to just put up solid numbers as a number two starter, and doesn’t really deserve to “drop” in the rankings.

He throws strikes, competes, and gives Arkansas consistent innings every weekend. It will be interesting to see which weekend arm is bumped out of the rotation with Alvarez throwing in the Thursday-Saturday series.

22. Cade Townsend — Ole Miss (↓ from Top 15 pre-injury)

Season: 1.90 ERA, 1.01 WHIP — 2-1, 40K / 7BB (23.1 IP)
Past week: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 8 K

Townsend returned from injury and showed flashes of how good he can be.

The stuff is really nasty, and once he gets fully stretched back out, he has a chance to climb quickly again. Townsend’s health is critical to Ole Miss’s success this season, imo. The 1-2 combo of Elliot/Townsend will compete with any combo in the league.

23. Alec Petrovic — Auburn (↓ from No. 21)

Season: 2.80 ERA, 0.99 WHIP — 4-1, 41K / 8BB (35 IP)
Past week: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K

Petrovic continues to be a very reliable Sunday starter for Auburn.

He filled up the zone, limited damage, and continues to do exactly what they need from that spot in the rotation.

24. Cam Johnson — Oklahoma (↑ from No. 28)

Season: 3.00 ERA, 1.40 WHIP — 3-1, 44K / 22BB (30 IP)
Past week: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 8 K

Johnson had a really nice bounce-back outing against Texas.

The walks are still a concern, but when he limits hits like he did this weekend, he can dominate. That’s what makes him so intriguing and only one hit against that Texas line-up shows the upside.

25. Shane Sdao — Texas A&M (↓ from No. 17)

Season: 5.86 ERA, 1.27 WHIP — 3-1, 42K / 6BB (39 IP)
Past week: 4.2 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 2 BB, 9 K

Sdao falls a bit after getting hit around the third time through the lineup at Mizzou.

That said, he continues to throw strikes and compete, and with Texas A&M’s offense, that’s still a valuable profile for a Friday night starter. If he can give A&M quality starts on Friday and they can rely on him to throw strikes and fill up the zone, it’s a win for them on the weekend.

Notable Mentions / Notes

• Duke Stone — Mississippi State
  This was a mistake on my part to not have him included in the top 25 starters. Stone is the number three starter behind Ryan McPherson (injured) and Tomas Valincius at Mississippi Star and has been stellar all year. He would be between Alvarez and Volchko on my list. He’s rocking a 5-0 record with a 3.66 ERA and solid 45:13 K:BB ratio. Apologies to Duke and the State fans!

• Landon Mack — Tennessee

  Continues to be a solid option for Tennessee. Still gives up some hits and walks, but maintains a strong strikeout profile with a 48-to-16 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

• Cord Rager — Oklahoma
  Continues to be a solid true freshman, helping balance out Oklahoma’s rotation as a reliable third option.

• Aiden Sims — Texas A&M
  Someone to keep an eye on as their Sunday starter. Has been very solid all year and continues to trend in the right direction.

• Evan Blanco — Tennessee
  Struggled on Sunday this weekend, but still has shown enough to be a valuable piece of that staff.

• Brandon Arvidson — Tennessee
  Stepped into a Friday night role and did a nice job holding Tennessee in the game. Interesting development to monitor moving forward.

• Amp Phillips — South Carolina
  Looks like a very good arm from a stuff perspective and continues to put up solid numbers as their number two starter.

• Wyatt Nadeau — Vanderbilt
  Quietly putting together a strong freshman season as Vanderbilt’s Saturday starter. Has pretty electric stuff and real upside.

• Dylan Vigue — Georgia
  Vigue is a power arm who transferred from Michigan and starts on the weekend for this dominant Georgia squad. It seems that Wes Johnson has a quick leash and isn’t afraid to bring Vigue back like he did Sunday, out of the bullpen. We will continue to see how Georgia gets their outs and deploys their power arms.

Closing Thoughts

We’re starting to get real clarity now.

Not just on who has the best stuff, but who can actually go out there, compete, and execute within the structure of a weekend series in the SEC.

Roles are becoming more defined. Rotations are starting to settle. And you can see which teams are built on traditional starting pitching and which ones are going to have to get creative and piece things together.

As we move forward, the next layer of this is going to be the bullpens.

Because some of the best arms in this conference aren’t starting—they’re finishing games, controlling leverage, and ultimately deciding series.

And once we start identifying those guys consistently, we’ll have an even clearer picture of how these staffs are really built to win in the SEC.

Friday night across the SEC gave us a little bit of everything again — late-inning swings, bullpen chaos, and a few arms that continue to separate themselves as true Friday night guys.

This version is a quick “in case you missed it” snapshot as we roll into Saturday, with most series now shifting into Game 2 — and one already decided.

Here’s how things unfolded around the league.

Texas 4, Oklahoma 3 (10 innings)

Texas wins series 2–0

Texas is the first team in the conference to lock up a series this weekend.

Oklahoma controlled most of this game early, building a 3–0 lead and holding it deep into the game before things unraveled in the seventh. Texas strung together a sequence of walks — including four in a row — to get back into it and manufacture runs late.

Cam Johnson returned to form firing 5 innings of one-hit ball, walking a few batters, but overall looking pretty dominant.

In the bottom of the 10th, Ashton Larson delivered the game-winner, singling home the winning run to secure the series for Texas.

A gritty comeback win, and Texas now looks to complete the sweep behind Dylan Volantis today, with a fresh bullpen behind him as they have only used Sam Cozart thus far out of the pen.

Georgia 5, South Carolina 2

Georgia handled business at home behind another strong outing from Joey Volchko.

Volchko improved to 5–0, going six and two-thirds innings with six strikeouts. He allowed two earned runs on seven hits and walked four, but controlled the game when it mattered.

Daniel Jackson provided the big swing, launching a grand slam and finishing with four RBIs — the difference in the game.

Texas A&M 10, Missouri 7

This one almost got away from Texas A&M.

The Aggies jumped out to a 10–1 lead before Missouri made a serious push, scoring six runs in the fifth inning to turn it into a game.

Shane Sdao struggled to finish his outing, allowing seven earned runs over four and two-thirds innings. Missouri starter Josh McDevitt also had a tough night, giving up four runs while walking four.

Texas A&M ultimately held on, but this is the type of game that can carry over into the rest of a series.

Alabama 11, Auburn 1 (8 innings)

Alabama continues to roll.

The Crimson Tide run-ruled No. 5 Auburn in a statement win, handing Jake Marciano his most human outing of the season. Marciano allowed four runs (two earned), marking the first time a lineup has really gotten to him this year.

On the other side, Tyler Fay followed up last week’s no-hitter with another strong performance. Fay went five innings, allowing just one hit and one run while striking out hitters efficiently before being lifted around 85 pitches.

A very complete win for Alabama.

Florida 9, Arkansas 4

Florida bounced back in a big way on the road.

Neither Friday night starter had it. Gabe Gaeckle didn’t make it out of the second inning, walking four batters in just an inning and two-thirds. Liam Peterson also battled command issues and didn’t get deep into the game.

But Florida responded after last weekend’s sweep with a strong offensive performance, taking Game 1 in Fayetteville and flipping early weekend momentum.

Kentucky 8, LSU 4

Kentucky came out aggressive and never really let LSU settle in.

Casan Evans struggled with command, walking six hitters in just three innings and putting LSU behind early.

Jaxon Jelkin continues to look like one of the top arms in the conference. He improved to 6–0, going eight innings while allowing two earned runs and striking out seven.

Kentucky controlled this one from the jump, even with LSU making a late push in the ninth.

Mississippi State 5, Ole Miss 4

This was a back-and-forth game in Oxford that flipped late.

Mississippi State held a 3–1 lead through six innings before Ole Miss responded in the seventh to take a 4–3 lead.

But the Bulldogs answered again in the ninth, retaking the lead and closing it out 5–4.

Hunter Elliott gave Ole Miss a solid start, going five and a third innings while allowing three runs on four hits, but Mississippi State did damage the third time through the order.

Ole Miss reliever, Taylor Rabe, their high-leverage arm threw 2.2 innings (56 pitches) which will be interesting to see if he can bounce back for the rest of the weekend.

Vanderbilt 3, Tennessee 2 (10 innings)

Another extra-inning game in a rivalry that continues to deliver.

Connor Fennell was outstanding for Vanderbilt, taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning and finishing with seven and a third innings, allowing just three hits and two runs (one earned) with nine strikeouts and one walk.

Tennessee starter Brandon Arvidson matched him well, striking out seven over five innings while allowing two earned runs.

The game was tied 2–2 heading into extras before Vanderbilt walked it off in the bottom of the 10th.

Final Thoughts

This is exactly what SEC weekends look like.

Late leads disappearing, bullpens being tested early in series, and a few arms beginning to separate themselves as true tone-setters on Friday nights.

With Texas already securing a series win and several others setting up tight Game 2 matchups, Saturday becomes a swing day across the conference.

And if Friday night was any indication, there’s going to be a lot more movement before the weekend is over.

We already had one game played to kick off the weekend.

Texas hosted Oklahoma and absolutely worked them in a seven-inning run rule, winning 14–0. Ruger Riojas threw a complete game shutout, and Texas jumped on LJ Mercurius early with four runs in the first inning and never really looked back. They kept their foot on the pedal the entire game and took a commanding series lead, and expect them to finish off the series, likely tonight.

Now shifting into the rest of the weekend, here’s what I’m looking at across the SEC.

South Carolina at #7 Georgia

This weekend, I’m really looking at Georgia’s starting pitching.

South Carolina’s batting average is near the bottom of the league — actually the worst in the league — and in most other offensive categories, they’re sitting in the bottom five as well.

So for me, this is a weekend where I want to see Georgia’s pitchers come out and throw strikes.

With how good Georgia’s offense is, they shouldn’t have a shortage of scoring runs. The weather is supposed to be beautiful in Athens, so everything lines up for them offensively.

I’m looking for Joey Volchko to fill up the zone, for Dylan Vigue to have a good weekend, and to see how Georgia deploys the rest of their bullpen.

I think Georgia should take at least two out of three, but I do think South Carolina could sneak a win.

Prediction: Georgia takes 2 of 3

#5 Auburn at Alabama

I think Auburn takes two out of three this weekend.

For me, it comes down to the consistency of Auburn’s starting pitching versus the inconsistency of Alabama.

Alabama just got swept and then turned around and swept Florida, so it’s been a little all over the place. Their offense has been inconsistent, and they haven’t been able to string things together.

Auburn’s pitching has been more consistent overall, even though Sanders and Petrovic got hit around a little bit by Texas last weekend. Texas is really, really good, so I don’t put too much weight into that.

I expect Auburn to bounce back.

That said, Alabama at home in a rivalry weekend is always going to be a hostile environment. I’m also watching how Tyler Fay bounces back after throwing 132 pitches. Him and Zane Adams are always a tough one-two combo, especially at home.

But overall, I think Auburn is a good enough team to win this series.

Prediction: Auburn takes 2 of 3

Florida at #4 Arkansas

This is one where I’m going a little against what you’d expect.

It’s really hard to go into Arkansas and win a series. I love their starting rotation, their bullpen, and just their staff as a whole, and Dave Van Horn always has his teams ready.

But for some reason, this feels like a weekend where Florida takes care of business.

They just went out and beat Florida State 5–0 this week at a neutral site, and I fully expect Kevin O’Sullivan to have his team ready.

I think Florida comes in and finds a way to win two out of three.

Prediction: Florida takes 2 of 3

#25 Texas A&M at Missouri

Texas A&M is ranked, and I do think they’re a top 25 team, but I think Missouri wins this series.

Josh McDevitt is starting Friday night, and he’s kind of hit or miss, but the numbers are good. He’s 4–1 with an ERA under 3, more strikeouts than innings pitched, and he has good stuff.

If he’s on, he can shut down an offense.

Missouri also plays well at home. They played Auburn really tight in all three games, and I expect them to do the same here.

And with Texas A&M getting swept by Missouri last year, I think there’s a little bit of pressure there too.

For whatever reason, I feel like Missouri edges them this weekend.

Prediction: Missouri takes 2 of 3

#19 Kentucky at LSU

I think LSU is in danger this weekend.

Kentucky is a scrappy team. They take pitches, they work counts, and they’re probably not the team LSU wants to see right now while they’re scuffling a bit.

That said, Kentucky has some inconsistency.

Ben Cleaver has moved to Sunday, and Nate Harris jumping up into Saturday gives LSU a bit of an advantage, especially at home, in my opinion.

They’re going to have their hands full in game one against Jaxon Jeklkin, but I do think LSU finds a way.

This feels like a must-win series for them at the Box, and I think Jay Johnson has his squad ready.

Prediction: LSU takes 2 of 3

#6 Mississippi State at #19 Ole Miss

As tough as it is to go into Swayze Field and win a series, I think Mississippi State is just the better team right now.

I think they’re deeper.

They are losing Ryan McPherson on Friday night, and Charlie Fosterr is going to fill in, which is something to watch.

On the Ole Miss side, I’m really watching Hunter Elliott.

How does the command look? Do the command issues show up again, or does he come out and set the tone?

If Elliott comes out and throws strikes, I could absolutely see Ole Miss taking this series.

But overall, I’m leaning Mississippi State.

Prediction: Mississippi State takes 2 of 3

#21 Tennessee at Vanderbilt

For some reason, I think this is a weekend where Vanderbilt’s bats outmatch Tennessee’s arms.

Teagan Kuhns has been moved out of the weekend rotation and isn’t starting, which is a little surprising. Brandon Arvidson is stepping into that Friday night role.

That changes things for me.

If Vanderbilt gets a quality start from Connor Fennell on Friday night, and with Wyatt Nadeau being solid on Saturdays in Austin Nye’s place, I think they have a real chance.

At home, I think Vanderbilt finds a way.

Prediction: Vanderbilt takes 2 of 3

Weekend Picks

Texas over Oklahoma (Game 1 already complete)
Georgia over South Carolina
Auburn over Alabama
Florida over Arkansas
Missouri over Texas A&M
LSU over Kentucky
Mississippi State over Ole Miss
Vanderbilt over Tennessee

Through the first few weeks of the season, my goal was simple: learn as much as possible about as many arms as possible.

That’s why you saw this list stretch out to 40+ pitchers early on. Non-conference play is fluid—guys are getting innings, coaches are experimenting, and rotations aren’t always locked in. It’s an opportunity to evaluate depth, identify emerging roles, and understand how staffs are being built—not just for now, but for later in the season and even into next year with how the transfer portal and NIL continue to shape rosters.

Now, two weeks into SEC play, things start to tighten up.

Roles become clearer. Friday night guys separate themselves. And you get a much better feel for which arms are actually built to handle this level week in and week out.

So moving forward, we’re narrowing this down to a Top 30 Starting Pitcher Power Rankings.

Outside of that, we’ll still track the rest of the league through:

• Notable Mentions

• Emerging Arms

• Injury Report

At the same time, another piece of this is starting to come into focus—the bullpens.

Some of the best arms in the SEC right now are not starting games. They’re pitching in the highest leverage spots, and in some cases, they’re the guys who will move the fastest at the next level.

As we continue to gather more information, we’ll begin breaking down bullpen usage and eventually move toward bullpen rankings and full staff evaluations.

Because at this level, it’s not just about who starts the game—it’s about how you finish it.

Top 30 SEC Starting Pitcher Power Rankings

1. Jake Marciano — Auburn (Ranking: unchanged)

Season: 1.00 ERA, 0.56 WHIP — 3-0, 51K / 4BB (36 IP)
Past week: 7.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 9 K

Marciano continues his spectacular transition into the SEC from Virginia Tech. He pitched seven innings of one-run ball with just two hits and nine strikeouts against Texas this weekend.

The Marciano kid continues to prove that knowing how to pitch and get outs is one of the most valuable things in baseball. He’s not overpowering—88 to 91 with a good slider and a changeup—but he commands the baseball, works to certain portions of the zone, and can dominate right-handed hitters as a left-handed pitcher. He has been extremely dominant so far in the SEC, and that’s why he stays at number one.

2. Ruger Riojas — Texas (Ranking: unchanged)

Season: 1.93 ERA, 0.83 WHIP — 4-0, 56K / 5BB (32.2 IP)
Past week: 6.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K

Riojas had another great outing against a very good Auburn team. He continues to show a dominant multi-pitch mix with five or six different looks, tunneling everything and manipulating shapes.

He looks like a true Friday night starter for one of the best teams in the country. The ability to mix, match, and sequence at that level makes him extremely difficult to game plan for.

3. Tomas Valincius — Mississippi State (↑ from No. 4)

Season: 1.04 ERA, 0.87 WHIP — 5-0, 47K / 9BB (34.2 IP)
Past week: 7.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R (0 ER), 1 BB, 14 K

Valincius continues to look electric. Fourteen strikeouts against a good Vanderbilt offense speaks for itself.

He’s a power lefty with a mid-90s fastball who really knows how to pitch. Brian O’Connor has transitioned him really well into the SEC, and with McPherson’s injury, it looks like he could slide into that Friday night role without Mississippi State missing a beat.

4. LJ Mercurius — Oklahoma (↑ from No. 7)

Season: 1.87 ERA, 0.86 WHIP — 5-1, 48K / 10BB (33.2 IP)
Past week: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 7 K

Mercurius had a really nice outing at LSU and continues to show why he’s one of the more composed arms in the conference.

Even when the velocity isn’t at its peak, the mound presence stands out. He repeats his delivery, shapes his pitches well, and commands the zone. It never looked like the moment was too big for him at Alex Box, and that ability to stay under control is what really jumps out.

5. Tyler Fay — Alabama (↑ from No. 33)

Season: 4.06 ERA, 0.88 WHIP — 4-2, 47K / 8BB (37.2 IP)
Past week: 9.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 13 K (No-Hitter)

Fay had one of the most historic performances in Alabama baseball history with a nine-inning no-hitter against Florida.

He continues to fill up the zone, get swings and misses, and comes at hitters with a steep angle from a tall frame. Sitting low to mid-90s, he showed his ceiling this weekend against a really talented Florida lineup, and that performance pushes him into the top five.

6. Jaxon Jelkin — Kentucky (↑ from No. 12)

Season: 2.94 ERA, 0.98 WHIP — 5-0, 37K / 8BB (33.2 IP)
Past week: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 6 K

Jelkin had a strong bounce-back performance at Ole Miss in a tough environment, giving his team a chance to win the series.

He continues to look like a major leaguer. With his size, stuff, and ability to pitch, there’s no reason he shouldn’t be in first-round conversations. He looks like a guy who could move quickly through pro ball.

7. Dylan Volantis — Texas (↑ from No. 5)

Season: 1.35 ERA, 1.02 WHIP — 3-0, 44K / 12BB (33.1 IP)
Past week: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 4 K

Volantis continues to do what he does—compete and give his team a chance to win.

Even with some command issues this weekend, he still put Texas in position to take a series against a top-five team. He looks like the same guy who dominated as a reliever last year, now successfully transitioning into a starter role.

8. Casan Evans — LSU (↑ from No. 35)

Season: 4.80 ERA, 1.17 WHIP — 2-0, 50K / 13BB (30 IP)
Past week: 7.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R (0 ER), 1 BB, 15 K

Evans had a masterful performance against a top-10 Oklahoma team, striking out 15 and going deep into the game.

Earlier in the year, he was a victim of some bad luck—his underlying metrics like FIP suggested he was throwing better than his ERA showed. This weekend, everything lined up. He got ahead of hitters, put them away early, and was able to work deep into the game. That was a huge outing for him and a big statement as LSU’s Friday night guy.

9. Hunter Elliott — Ole Miss (↑ from No. 19)

Season: 3.48 ERA, 1.32 WHIP — 3-0, 44K / 20BB (31 IP)
Past week: 6.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K

Elliott had a nice bounce-back start in an important Thursday night game against Kentucky. He did everything you would expect from an experienced Friday night guy.

This is one of the most established starters in the SEC from an innings and big-game standpoint. Early in the year, I was concerned with the command issues and the way Cade Townsend was throwing, but Elliott answered that this weekend. Only two walks against a very mature Kentucky lineup that likes to be patient is a huge confidence piece for me going forward, and for Ole Miss as well.

10. Liam Peterson — Florida (↓ from No. 3)

Season: 4.15 ERA, 1.22 WHIP — 1-1, 48K / 16BB (30.1 IP)
Past week: 3.0 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 2 BB, 4 K

Peterson struggled this weekend, and when he struggles, it usually comes down to command.

He was on a really nice three-to-four week stretch, but when he loses command, he’s forced into certain counts and has to throw certain pitches, and SEC lineups like Alabama will take advantage of that. That said, this is still probably the most electric arm in the SEC from a pure stuff standpoint with four-plus pitches and elite upside as a major league starter, so I still have him in the top 10.

11. William Schmidt — LSU (↓ from No. 9)

Season: 3.00 ERA, 1.07 WHIP — 3-1, 46K / 9BB (30 IP)
Past week: 4.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 7 K

Schmidt stays here because of the upside. This is a guy who has all the makings of a number one starter profile at the major league level.

This weekend, the pitch count got a little high, which tells you he was falling behind hitters or not putting them away efficiently. That’s the next step in his development—getting ahead and finishing hitters in three or four pitches like Kacen did. But the talent and profile are still elite.

12. Colin Fisher — Arkansas (↓ from No. 11)

Season: 2.70 ERA — 2-2, 38K / 7BB (30 IP)
Past week: —

Fisher continues to be a staple for a very good Arkansas team and just keeps putting together a strong body of work.

13. Gabe Gaeckle — Arkansas (↓ from No. 14)

Season: 2.87 ERA — 3-1, 38K / 11BB (31.1 IP)
Past week: —

Gaeckle did everything to put his team in position to win against South Carolina.

The one thing that stands out to me is the hits—34 hits in 31 innings is a little alarming for a guy with his level of stuff. But he still profiles as a first-round type arm and continues to anchor that rotation for a top Arkansas team.

14. Tegan Kuhns — Tennessee (↑ from No. 17)

Season: 4.35 ERA, 1.10 WHIP — 40K / 5BB (31 IP)
Past week: 3.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 5 K

Kuhns took the loss against Missouri, but I’m not holding that against him.

Missouri is a much improved team, and Tennessee still won the series. Even with giving up some hits this year, he continues to look like an elite starter and a very good professional pitching prospect. The delivery and the way his body moves through space reminds me a lot of Jacob deGrom, and the command—five walks to 40 strikeouts—is elite.

15. Luke Harrison — Texas (↑ from No. 22)

Season: 2.37 ERA, 1.25 WHIP — 2-0, 31K / 12BB (30.1 IP)
Past week: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 6 K

Harrison had another nice outing against a top-five team and continues to build a strong body of work.

He looks like a really solid number two starter for one of the best teams in the country and continues to give Texas a chance to win every weekend.

16. Aidan King — Florida (↓ from No. 10)

Season: 1.27 ERA, 1.02 WHIP — 3-2, 30K / 7BB (28.1 IP)
Past week: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 BB, 4 K

King gave up his first earned runs of the year this weekend.

He’s still been really effective overall, but this was a tougher outing against Alabama. Still a very solid number two behind Peterson.

17. Shane Sdao — Texas A&M (↓ from No. 21)

Season: 4.15 ERA — 3-1, 38K / 4BB (34.1 IP)
Past week: 5.2 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 11 K

Sdao had a tough outing against a very good Georgia offense, but still showed what makes him valuable.

He throws strikes, limits walks, and gives his team innings. With Texas A&M’s offense, that’s exactly what they need out of a Friday night starter.

18. Dylan Vigue — Georgia (Ranking: unchanged)

Season: 2.30 ERA, 0.95 WHIP — 34K / 9BB (27.1 IP)
Past week: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K

Vigue continues to do his job as Georgia’s Saturday starter.

He fills up the zone, throws strikes, and competes against really good offenses. As a transfer from Michigan, he looks like he’s handling the SEC just fine.

19. Jackson Sanders — Auburn (↓ from No. 8)

Season: 3.66 ERA, 1.03 WHIP — 45K / 8BB (32 IP)
Past week: 2.2 IP, 6 H, 6 R (4 ER), 3 BB, 4 K

Sanders falls a bit after getting beat up by a really good Texas team. We can’t hold it against him too much because I think we’re going to look back on that lineup and talk about five or six big leaguers in it.

Even with the outing, the season numbers are still really strong, and he has that funky Madison Bumgarner-type delivery that makes him tough on hitters. He’s still a really good arm for Auburn.

20. Javyn Pimentel — Missouri (Ranking: unchanged)

Season: 3.33 ERA, 1.15 WHIP — 2-0, 25K / 13BB (27.2 IP)
Past week: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 K

Pimentel continues to give Mizzou a chance on Friday nights by throwing strikes and keeping them in games.

We’ve talked about Mizzou being much improved, and he’s a big reason why. He’s going to need to miss a few more bats, but he competes and fills up the zone.

21. Alec Petrovic — Auburn (↓ from No. 15)

Season: 2.97 ERA, 1.03 WHIP — 4-0, 35K / 7BB (30.1 IP)
Past week: 3.2 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

Petrovic got hit around a bit by Texas and falls a little because of it.

Still, on the year he’s been really solid, and as a Sunday guy for Auburn, he’s going to win a lot of games for them. Health and consistency will be key as the season goes on.

22. Evan Blanco — Tennessee (↑ from No. 30)

Season: 2.73 ERA, 1.03 WHIP — 44K / 15BB (33 IP)
Past week: 7.2 IP, 5 K

Blanco had a really nice outing this weekend, going a career-high 7.2 innings in a Sunday rubber match.

He does struggle with command at times, but he continues to give Tennessee a solid Sunday option and has been trending up.

23. Zane Adams — Alabama (↑ from No. 36)

Season: 4.11 ERA, 1.21 WHIP — 4-1, 33K / 6BB (30.2 IP)
Past week: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 K

Adams had a nice outing in Alabama’s sweep of Florida.

He’s an experienced arm who throws strikes and pitches to contact, which helps get quick outs. He’s a solid Saturday option for Alabama.

24. Duke Stone — Mississippi State (↓ from No. 23)

Season: 4.10 ERA, 0.99 WHIP — 4-0, 37K / 5BB (26.1 IP)
Past week: 4.0 IP, 6 H, 6 R (3 ER), 1 BB, 4 K

Stone gave up some runs this weekend, but still continues to show what makes him valuable.

He’s a big-bodied guy who commands the zone well with a three plus pitch arsenal. With McPherson out, it looks like he may move into a bigger role, and I think Mississippi State will be just fine with him and Valincius at the top.

25. Hunter Dietz — Arkansas (↑ from No. 26)

Season: 3.86 ERA — 2-2, 54K / 10BB (30.1 IP)
Past week: —

Dietz is continuing to strike out the world.

For a top Arkansas team, he’s been a big piece, and that 54-to-10 strikeout-to-walk ratio jumps off the page.

26. Joey Volchko — Georgia (↓ from No. 13)

Season: 4.23 ERA, 1.37 WHIP — 33K / 14BB (27.2 IP)
Past week: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 1 K

Volchko drops for me after another outing where command was an issue.

I’ve talked about this before—on Friday nights, you have to fill up the zone. His stuff is good enough, but the walks are holding him back, especially for a team that scores as much as Georgia does.

27. Landon Mack — Tennessee (Ranking: unchanged)

Season: 3.38 ERA, 1.50 WHIP — 39K / 16BB (32 IP)
Past week: 4.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 5 K

Mack’s stuff is all there, but the command continues to be an issue.

He needs to throw more strikes and get deeper into games if he wants to stay in that Saturday role, but the arm talent is real.

28. Cam Johnson — Oklahoma (↓ from No. 16)

Season: 3.60 ERA, 1.48 WHIP — 3-1, 36K / 18BB (25 IP)
Past week: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 5 R (2 ER), 6 BB, 2 K

This one is tough because the stuff is still there.

He’s had two really rough outings in a row, and it feels like it’s more mental than mechanical right now. The delivery looks the same, the stuff looks the same, but he doesn’t seem to trust certain pitches and keeps falling behind hitters. Hopefully he finds it, because the upside is still tremendous.

29. Josh Gunther — South Carolina (↓ from No. 20)

Season: 6.33 ERA, 1.37 WHIP — 2-1, 36K / 10BB (27 IP)
Past week: —

Gunther falls after getting hit hard by Arkansas.

The stuff is still there, and he’s probably still their Friday guy, but that outing inflated the numbers quite a bit.

30. Amp Phillips — South Carolina (↑ from No. 39)

Season: 2.32 ERA, 1.13 WHIP — 2-2, 29K / 14BB (31 IP)
Past week: —

Phillips had another nice outing and continues to give South Carolina a solid option after transferring from USC Upstate.

He’s putting them in position to win games and looks like a good number two starter for them with some real upside.

Notable Mentions

• Cord Rager — Oklahoma: stood strong at LSU’s Alex Box in a rubber game and put them in a position to come back and take the series. Really fun true freshman getting consistent starts on the weekend.

• Aidan Sims — Texas A&M: had a nice outing in A&M’s only win against the elite Georgia offense, and I think he is A&M’s Saturday guy honestly.

• Hunter Calhoun — Ole Miss: new starter who filled in for Cade Townsend. Putting up good numbers so far this season in a mix of bullpen outings and three starts.

• Missouri: Josh McDevitt and Brady Kehlenbrink continue to give Mizzou solid weekend starters, and are a big reason I feel like Missouri will win more games this year. McDevitt is 3-1 with a 3.19 ERA and 1.16 WHIP. He doesn’t give up to many hits (16 in 31 IP) but walks may be an issue, although the 40 Ks helps. Kehlenbrink continues to strike batters out and boasts a 47:7 K:BB ration on Sunday’s.

• Mid week starters: Taylor Tracey (Tennessee) and Andreas Alvarez (Auburn) are putting up some very solid numbers behind the weekend scenes, while mid-week true-freshman, Sam Cozart has graduated from his mid-week dominance to some high-leverage situations for Texas on the weekend.

• Kenny Ishikawa — Georgia (struggling post-injury)

• Nate Harris — Kentucky (rough outing)

• Wyatt Nadeau — Vanderbilt (command issues)

• Connor Fennell — Vanderbilt (hard contact issues)

• Miles Upchurch — Alabama (freshman upside)

• Cooper Walls — Florida (placeholder role, needs to keep developing, in my opinion)

• Wil Libbert — Ole Miss (struggles continue, could be out of the rotation at some point)

Injury Report

• Ryan McPherson — Mississippi State (2–4 weeks)

• Cooper Moore — LSU (triceps inflammation)

• Cade Townsend — Ole Miss (shoulder, likely longer timeline)

• Austin Nye — Vanderbilt (bicep tendonitis)

Closing Thoughts

We’re starting to see separation.

Not just who has the best stuff—but who can actually pitch, compete, and handle the SEC every weekend.

And as this continues to evolve, the next layer of this evaluation is coming:

Bullpens.

Because some of the best arms in this league aren’t starting games—they’re finishing them.

And that’s where this thing is headed next.

We’re now into the part of the season where every weekend starts to mean a little more.

Rotations are being tested. Identities are forming. And more importantly, the questions we had a few weeks ago are starting to get answered — or exposed.

This weekend gives us another full SEC slate, with a couple series starting on Thursday, and a handful of matchups that feel very telling depending on how the starting pitching shows up.

As always, it starts on Friday night — or in this case, Thursday night — with the arms.

Oklahoma at LSU

📍 Alex Box Stadium, Baton Rouge

This is one of the more interesting series of the weekend, especially because it starts on Thursday.

For me, it starts with the Friday night matchup — or Thursday night in this case — between Casan Evans and Cam Johnson.

Both guys struggled with command in their last outings, and that’s something I’m always locked in on. For Friday night starters, it’s about controlling the zone, going deep into the game, and saving your bullpen. That’s the first test right out of the gate this weekend.

If Cam Johnson bounces back and gives Oklahoma a quality start, I think Oklahoma takes this series. LSU is still trying to find itself right now.

On the other side, if Casan Evans comes out and throws the way he’s capable of — and the way Jay Johnson has backed him publicly — then I think LSU feeds off that. If he controls the game early, the crowd gets into it, and that becomes a really tough environment for Oklahoma to play in.

I don’t think it’s out of the question at all for Evans to have a big start. I think he’s very capable and just ran into some bad luck and some unfortunate situations.

But overall, I lean Oklahoma.

LSU has shown some defensive flaws — 26 errors in 22 games, third worst in the SEC — and Oklahoma is very athletic. They’re going to bunt, hit and run, steal bases, and apply pressure. That’s the kind of style that can expose defensive issues.

Prediction: Oklahoma takes the series

Kentucky at Ole Miss

📍 Oxford, MI

I give Kentucky a slight edge in this series, although playing at Ole Miss is never easy.

For Kentucky, I still have some questions about Ben Cleaver on Saturday, specifically his ability to go deep into games. That’s something I’m watching closely.

I do think Ole Miss finds a way to win Saturday, but the biggest swing factor in this series is Hunter Elliott.

What version of Hunter Elliott do we get?

Is it the guy from the past who has been a dominant SEC starter, or is it the version we’ve seen this year that has struggled with command through his first five starts?

If Elliott comes out on Thursday, throws strikes, and gives Ole Miss a quality start, I think they absolutely have a chance to win the weekend.

But overall, I think Kentucky is the better team right now.

Prediction: Kentucky takes the series

Missouri at Tennessee

📍 Tennessee

I think Tennessee wins this series, and I think they win at least two out of three — potentially all three.

Missouri does have some pieces.

Josh McDevitt on Saturday has shown some electric stuff, and Javon Pimentel on Friday has shown leadership and swing-and-miss ability. So this is not a complete walkover.

But Tennessee at home, combined with the strength of their starting rotation, is what gives me the lean here.

Over the course of a weekend, I trust Tennessee’s pitching more.

Prediction: Tennessee takes the series (potential sweep)

Florida at Alabama

📍 Alabama

Alabama is just not playing like the team I thought they were going to be.

They got swept by Kentucky, they lost a midweek game, and their starters have been up and down.

Offensively, Justin Lebron is as advertised, but he’s not getting a lot of support. If you avoid him, teams have had success against Alabama. They also lead the league in runners left on base, which tells you they’re not hitting in the clutch, and their team batting average has been a struggle overall.

On the other side, Florida is playing well.

Liam Peterson on Friday night is going to be tough to beat, and Aiden King has not given up an earned run yet this year as their Saturday starter.

Florida just feels deeper right now.

Prediction: Florida wins the series on the road

Georgia at Texas A&M

📍 Texas A&M

This is a really interesting test for both teams.

Georgia’s offense is elite — that’s clear.

But Texas A&M’s starting pitching has been a little questionable, and that’s where this gets interesting.

I still think Texas A&M takes the series, and I think it’s because their offense is elite enough to match Georgia.

At the same time, this series says a lot about Georgia.

If Georgia goes on the road and wins this series, then we really need to start having a serious conversation about them being one of the top teams in the country.

And on the flip side, if Texas A&M’s pitching can hold up against Georgia’s offense, then that tells you Texas A&M is much improved.

This is a big measuring-stick weekend for both teams.

Prediction: Texas A&M takes the series

Arkansas at South Carolina

📍 South Carolina

South Carolina is just struggling right now.

They’re banged up, they lost a midweek game to Charlotte, and offensively they have not been very potent.

They do have a guy in Josh Gunther on Friday night who is coming off a really strong start against Florida — no runs in six-plus innings — and if they can bridge to Valentin, who can give them length out of the bullpen, they could potentially steal a game.

But overall, I think Arkansas takes care of business.

This feels like a get-right weekend for Arkansas’ starting rotation.

For Gabe Gackle, who is looking to show that Friday night dominance, and for Hunter Dietz and Colin Fisher, who had some questionable starts last weekend, this is an opportunity.

I think Arkansas’ starters have success against a South Carolina offense that is not very dangerous.

Prediction: Arkansas sweeps the series

Texas at Auburn

📍 Auburn

This is the series of the weekend.

You’ve got No. 2 Texas at No. 5 Auburn, and this should be a really competitive three-game set.

Ultimately, I think Texas takes two out of three.

For me, it comes down to the eye test. I think Texas has more major league-type players in their lineup, and over the course of a three-game weekend, I think that talent shows up.

Auburn is very good. They pitch it well. But their staff is not overpowering in a way that you would call elite, high-end, big league stuff across the board.

Texas’ hitters, to me, look like future big leaguers, and I think that gives them the edge over three games.

That said, Auburn is at home, and that matters.

If this series goes into Sunday 1–1, then it gets really interesting.

You potentially get Valantis vs. Petrovic, which could be one of the best Sunday matchups in the country.

Even though Petrovic has been one of the best Sunday starters, I still give the edge to Texas.

Prediction: Texas takes 2 of 3

Vanderbilt at Mississippi State

📍 Dudy Noble Field, Starkville

This is a big weekend for Mississippi State.

It’s their first home SEC weekend under Brian O’Connor at Dudy Noble Field, and that environment is going to matter.

I’ve been very high on Mississippi State’s rotation: McPherson on Friday, Valincius on Saturday, Duke Stone on Sunday.

Now they get a real test.

Vanderbilt’s offense is very dangerous. Even though they’ve been a bit of a question mark as a team overall, their bats are legit.

If Mississippi State’s starters have success this weekend against that lineup, then we’re looking at a team that needs to be seriously considered as a national championship contender.

That’s how I view this series.

I don’t know exactly which Vanderbilt team shows up, but I do think Mississippi State wins the weekend.

Prediction: Mississippi State takes at least 2 of 3

Weekend Picks

Oklahoma over LSU
Kentucky over Ole Miss
Tennessee over Missouri (potential sweep)
Florida over Alabama
Texas A&M over Georgia
Arkansas over South Carolina (sweep)
Texas over Auburn
Mississippi State over Vanderbilt

Conference play has a way of exposing everything.

The margin for error disappears. Lineups are deeper. At-bats are tougher. And what worked in non-conference either sharpens—or gets exposed quickly.

This weekend gave us our first real look at which arms are built for SEC play, which guys are trending into true Friday night roles, and which pitchers still have something to prove.

Here are the updated SEC Starting Pitcher Power Rankings after the first weekend of conference play.

Top 10

1. Jake Marciano — Auburn (↑ from No. 4)

0.93 ERA, 0.55 WHIP — 3-0, 42K / 2BB (29 IP)
Marciano continues to just fill it up—not with overpowering stuff (was 88-90 this weekend for the most part), but by commanding the zone and keeping hitters off balance. Another great outing this weekend with seven shutout innings.

2. Ruger Riojas — Texas (↓ from No. 1)

2.05 ERA, 0.80 WHIP — 4-0, 50K / 4BB (26.1 IP)
A slight blip this weekend going just 4.2 innings, but the overall body of work is still pure dominance—50 strikeouts to only four walks.

3. Liam Peterson — Florida (↑ from No. 13)

2.84 ERA — 44K / 14BB (25 IP)
Climbing fast and looking like a top-10 pick from a stuff, size and profile perspective. The command isn’t perfect, but this is probably the most electric arm in the SEC right now. Peterson was 95-97 most of the game and at times was sitting 98-99 with three other plus pitches. He throws a banger CB at 80-82, a power slider in the mid to upper 80’s and a nice change-up in the mid 80’s as well.

4. Tomas Valincius — Mississippi State (↑ from No. 23)

1.30 ERA, 0.98 WHIP — 4-0, 33K / 8BB (27.2 IP)
Seven innings, two hits, no runs against Arkansas. Power lefty at 94–96 who looks the part in a big way and is helping anchor an elite Mississippi rotation.

5. Dylan Volantis — Texas (↑ from No. 11)

1.53 ERA, 0.92 WHIP — 3-0, 40K / 8BB (29.1 IP)
One of the best outings of the weekend—six innings, one run, 11 strikeouts. The transition to starting looks seamless and you can easily see a pathway from SEC Freshman of the year to SEC Pitcher of the Year, so far.

6. Ryan McPherson — Mississippi State (↓ from No. 5)

2.48 ERA, 1.00 WHIP — 3-0, 36K / 5BB (29 IP)
Looked electric against Arkansas—94–97, touching 98 with a great curveball/cutter mix. A true Friday night presence.

7. LJ Mercurius — Oklahoma (↓ from No. 3)

1.59 ERA, 0.81 WHIP — 4-1, 41K / 8BB (28.1 IP)
Gave up a few runs this weekend—“ballooning” the ERA to 1.59—but still looks the part. Since LJ transferred from UNLV, I am continuing to see how he transitions into the SEC. I think his stuff plays where ever he pitches— I think the key for him is the location of his fastball and making sure it has the ride and late life he had early in the season.

8. Jackson Sanders — Auburn (↑ from No. 15)

2.76 ERA, 0.82 WHIP — 41K / 5BB (29.1 IP)
Seven innings, one run, eight strikeouts. Not as electric velocity-wise, but really solid execution. This weekend I saw him more 90-93, when other times I’ve seen him sitting low to mid 90’s, but his delivery is what creates the deception. His Madison Bumgardner-eque crossfire delivery, he creates some awkward angles and bad swings. Auburn’s rotation is scary if they stay healthy.

9. William Schmidt — LSU (↓ from No. 7)

3.12 ERA, 0.92 WHIP — 39K / 7BB (26 IP)
Still looks like an elite prospect. Some back spasms to monitor, but trending in the right direction, and may be the Friday night starter before you know it. Command will be always be the thing to watch for as he develops in the SEC.

10. Aidan King — Florida (↑ from No. 31)

0.00 ERA, 0.94 WHIP — 3-1, 26K / 3BB (23.1 IP)
Still hasn’t given up an earned run. I’m splitting hairs here—the stuff isn’t as electric, but the results are undeniable. Either way, Florida may have the best 1-2 weekend rotation, right now.

11–25

11. Colin Fisher — Arkansas (↑ from No. 14)

1.95 ERA — 2-1, 36K / 5BB (27.2 IP)

Steady. Nothing special this weekend, nothing bad either, but I love him in Arkansas’ rotation, and the one I trust the most.

12. Jaxson Jelkin — Kentucky (↓ from No. 10)

3.38 ERA, 0.99 WHIP — 4-0, 31K / 5BB (26.2 IP)

Gave up a few runs but continues to look like a steady Friday arm for a Kentucky team that just swept Alabama.

13. Joey Volchko — Georgia (↑ from No. 18)

3.81 ERA, 1.27 WHIP — 4-0, 32K / 10BB (26 IP)

The hits and walks totals are a little high for me for a Friday night guy, but he continues to give Georgia quality innings. And I like Joey more than the Georgia fans think, I have very high expectations for him so I am just holding him to that standard.

14. Gabe Gaeckle — Arkansas (↑ from No. 17)

2.73 ERA — 2-1, 31K / 9BB (26.1 IP)

I really like Gaeckle and I think he suffers from the same expectation bias I have for Volchko. Gaeckle has everything to be a major league pitcher and a 1st round pick in the draft, but I selfishly want to see more fire out of him. At times, for me, it seems he just coasts instead of dominating.

15. Alec Petrovic — Auburn (↑ from No. 32)

7.2 strong innings this weekend. Looks like a really solid Sunday starter in an elite Auburn rotation. Tall RHP from Texas with a big prospect profile, 91-94 and finally coming into his own. Health has held him back in the past so if he can stay healthy, this looks like a break out year.

16. Cam Johnson — Oklahoma (↓ from No. 2)

Seven walks in just over two innings. Still elite stuff, but he has to throw strikes and has been plagued with command issues in the past. Hopefully this is an annomolly and the OU staff will have him right for Baton Rouge this weekend. Cam just needs to trust his stuff and pitch with conviction. It’s always easier said than done from the sidelines, but that kid has everything to be a dominant starter in the SEC, at this point it’s just about his mental game.

17. Tegan Kuhns — Tennessee (↓ from No. 9)

Electric stuff and strong strikeout-to-walk ratio. Has given up some hits but still belongs here and will continue to develop as an elite arm in the SEC.

18. Dylan Vigue — Georgia (NEW)

Looked really, really good against Tennessee and pitched a big game for them on Saturday. 90-94 with good off speed and presence on the mound. Vigue transferred from Michigan and I think he can handle the SEC.

19. Hunter Elliott — Ole Miss

Strikeouts are there, but too many walks and hit batters right now. You need to trust your Friday guy can go 90-100 pitches and give 6/7 innings each weekend, and Elliot is not instilling a ton of confidence with that sentiment. He is very experienced and I trust he will find his way, and with Cade Townsend leaving after one inning this past weekend, Elliot needs to figure it out fast.

20. Josh Gunther — South Carolina (NEW)

3.65 ERA, 1.16 WHIP — 31K / 8BB
Held Florida hitless through 6.1 innings. Good VAA, 91–95 with run and fade, and mixes four pitches with good sequencing and tunneling.

21. Shane Sdao — Texas A&M (↓ from No. 16)

A perfect Friday night starter for a team with a great offense—throws strikes, limits walks, and gives them innings.

22. Luke Harrison — Texas (NEW)

Big bounce-back start in a spot Texas needed after Friday night and big start for him after struggling the past two weekends.

23. Duke Stone — Mississippi State (↑ from No. 24)

Does exactly what you want on Sunday—throws strikes and keeps you in the game. Has an elite frame and stuff, with low to mid 90’s FB and big breaker.

24. Cord Rager — Oklahoma (↑ from No. 28)

True freshman with good stuff who gives Oklahoma a strong No. 3 option, who throws strikes. 28:7 K:BB ratio as a weekend starter is very impressive. He gave up some runs this weekend (40+MPH winds) so I am not holding that against him as his stuff was all there, and I am excited to see how he fares in Baton Rouge this weekend.

25. Josh McDevitt — Missouri (Unranked)

Good arm (91-94) with a really good changeup and CB (although command isn’t great yet). If he commands his stuff better, he could climb quickly. He was unranked, but I watched his start this weekend against Auburn and the stuff plays. He will need to command the ball better in the SEC, but some of his stats sit near the top of the SEC leaderboard and it’s time to pay attention.

26–46: Depth, Movement, and Watch List

• 26. Hunter Dietz — Arkansas
  Tough outing drops him here, and drops so low because of inconsistency. Stuff is never the question.

• 27. Landon Mack — Tennessee
  Would be higher if command issues didn’t keep showing up, one of my favorite arms for next year’s draft class. Needs to continue to develop true command to harness the stuff.

• 28. Javyn Pimentel — Missouri
  Solid Friday night starter, just needs to miss more bats.

• 29. Nate Harris — Kentucky
  Nice bounce-back outing against Alabama this weekend going 6 strong, only giving up one hit.

• 30. Evan Blanco — Tennessee
  Solid Sunday starter with experience and a strong strikeout-to-walk profile.

• 31. Cooper Moore — LSU
  Still a solid Saturday arm, but can’t afford command lapses because of contact profile.

• 32. Wyatt Nadeau — Vanderbilt
  True freshman with big frame and stuff (94-96)—seven innings, three runs 10 strikeouts against LSU this weekend in his second weekend start.

• 33. Tyler Fay — Alabama
  Still missing bats (34:6 K:BB in 28.2 IP), even when giving up some runs.

• 34. Connor Fennel — Vanderbilt

  Got hit around by LSU, but fills up the zone and generates swings and misses with a unique vertical approach angle FB. 38:6 K:BB ratio, despite having a 5.47 ERA.

• 35. Casan Evans — LSU
  Struggling with a transition to Friday night starter—five walks in three innings this weekend against a good offensive Vandy team. Time will tell to see if he can stay in the Friday role, but he needs to be more efficient if he is going to stick there.

• 36. Zane Adams — Alabama
  Giving up some hits, but experienced and should settle in, and could climb fast once he does.

• 37. Miles Upchurch — Alabama
  Talented freshman with real upside learning in SEC play, having one of his toughest outings so far.

• 38. Aidan Sims — Texas A&M
  Solid Sunday option continuing to develop for a strong offensive A&M team.

• 39. Amp Phillips — South Carolina
  Good No. 2 option with upside and has been doing a good job limiting runs. Held Florida in check this past Saturday and gave them a chance to win the game.

• 40. Brady Kellenbrink — Missouri
  Misses bats but needs to limit base runners and hard contact. If he is going to pitch Sunday in the SEC, he needs to keep Mizzou close.

• 41. Ben Cleaver — Kentucky
  Swing-and-miss stuff, but real questions about command and workload.

• 42. Cooper Walls — Florida
  Solid Sunday option, but needs to limit damage and give up less hits + walks.

• 43. Will Libbert — Ole Miss
  Looking to bounce back after a tough outing.

• 44. Nate Taylor — Vanderbilt
  Still trying to figure it out on Sundays.

• 45. Weston Moss — Texas A&M
  Bounce-back outing, but stuff and results (ERA near 6) are concerning, for me. Wouldn’t be surprised to see Sims in Saturday at some point.

• 46. Riley Goodman — South Carolina
  Didn’t get out of the first inning—has to figure things out to stay in a starting role.

Injury / Watch List

• Cade Townsend — Ole Miss
  Left with an injury—would be a top-15 arm if healthy.

• Kenny Ishikawa — Georgia
  Back and will climb as he settles in, tough outing on Sunday in only two innings of work.

• Austin Nye — Vanderbilt
  Bicep tendonitis—still figuring out the severity, but if they can get him back healthy it would do wonders for a Vandy team struggling on the mound.

• Sam Cozart (Texas), Taylor Tracey (Tennessee), Gavin Lyons
  Not full weekend guys yet, but trending in the right direction. Some of these guys start mid-week but then throw valuable innings on the weekend like Mozart did this weekend for Texas.

Closing Thoughts

This is where it starts to separate.

You’re seeing who can actually handle a Friday night in the SEC, who can pitch when their stuff isn’t perfect, and who can compete when the environment speeds up.

Next weekend is only going to amplify that.

And that’s where these rankings really start to take shape.

Friday night delivered exactly what the first weekend of SEC play is supposed to deliver.

Close games. Walk-offs. Late-inning swings. A few dominant pitching performances and a handful of games that completely flipped in the final innings. For a league that prides itself on Friday night starters and brutal weekend series, the opening night of conference play certainly lived up to the billing.

Here’s how things unfolded around the league.

Tennessee 7, Georgia 4

Good pitching still tends to beat good hitting, and Tennessee leaned on just enough of it to take down Georgia on Friday night.

Tegan Kuhns got hit around a little more than we’ve seen this season, but the stuff still looked electric overall. He allowed four runs in the fifth inning but otherwise gave Tennessee the type of start they needed in a tough SEC opener.

Offensively, Henry Ford continued to be a difference-maker for the Volunteers. Ford went 2-for-5 with three RBIs and launched a big home run to help Tennessee create separation.

Georgia starter Joey Volchko looked ok but ultimately gave up four earned runs over five and two-thirds innings against a Tennessee lineup that continues to find ways to produce in big moments.

Kentucky 7, Alabama 4

Kentucky handled business behind a solid outing from Jackson Jelkin.

Jelkin went five and a third innings, allowing four earned runs while striking out five to pick up the win. It wasn’t a dominant performance, but it was enough to keep Kentucky in control throughout most of the night.

Ethan Hindle led the Wildcats offensively, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a home run.

For Alabama, Tyler Fay battled through seven innings despite getting hit around. Fay allowed six earned runs but did strike out eight, and the length he provided should leave Alabama’s bullpen well rested heading into the rest of the weekend.

Florida 1, South Carolina 0 (10 innings)

This one turned into a true pitchers’ duel.

South Carolina held Florida hitless through eight innings, and the game remained scoreless into extra innings before Florida finally broke through in the bottom of the tenth.

Liam Peterson delivered another outstanding start for the Gators. Peterson went six innings, allowing just one hit while striking out ten and walking two.

Joshua Whritenour came out of the bullpen and was equally impressive, throwing two and a third scoreless innings with three strikeouts to earn the win.

It was a gritty, low-scoring SEC game that highlighted just how strong Florida’s pitching staff can be.

Auburn 2, Missouri 0

Jake Marciano continues to look like one of the premier Friday night arms in the conference.

Marciano shoved again for Auburn, throwing seven shutout innings while striking out seven and allowing only a few baserunners in a tight 2–0 win over Missouri.

In a night full of offense across the league, Auburn’s ability to win a true pitching battle stood out.

Vanderbilt 13, LSU 12

This one turned into complete chaos.

Vanderbilt walked off LSU on a home run in the bottom of the ninth inning in a game that saw 25 total runs and multiple momentum swings throughout the night.

The first several innings turned into an offensive shootout before both teams began trading punches late.

LSU starter Casan Evans struggled with command, walking five batters in three innings, while Vanderbilt’s Connor Fennell also had a difficult night against the Tigers lineup.

In the end, Vanderbilt delivered the final swing, walking it off in a game that will likely set the tone for the rest of what should be a wild series.

Arkansas 5, Mississippi State 4

Arkansas and Mississippi State delivered one of the best games of the night.

Mississippi State tied the game in the top of the ninth with a home run, only for Arkansas to answer immediately with a walk-off blast in the bottom half of the inning.

Ryder Pompey provided the heroics for the Razorbacks, launching the game-winning home run to right-center.

Both Friday night starters held their own against strong competition. Mississippi State’s McPherson went six innings, allowing five hits and three earned runs while striking out eight with no walks. Arkansas starter Gabe Gaeckle went five and two-thirds innings, giving up two earned runs with four strikeouts.

Cole Gibler ultimately picked up the win in relief for Arkansas after the dramatic finish.

Oklahoma 8, Texas A&M 7

This one turned into a bullpen-heavy game after both starters struggled early.

Oklahoma reliever Jason Boding was outstanding late in the game, navigating several tight situations and helping shut down Texas A&M’s offense down the stretch.

Texas A&M’s Chris Hacopian had a strong night offensively, going 2-for-3 with an RBI.

Neither starter lasted long. Oklahoma’s Cam Johnson walked seven batters in just three innings, while Texas A&M’s Shane Sdao allowed four earned runs in three and two-thirds.

Oklahoma ultimately pulled away behind a balanced offensive attack that produced 13 hits.

Ole Miss 9, Texas 8 (11 innings)

The wildest game of the night might have happened in Austin.

Texas appeared to have the game sealed after Anthony Pack Jr. launched a three-run homer in the eighth inning to give the Longhorns a 7–3 lead.

But Ole Miss had other plans.

In the top of the ninth, Tristan Bisetta crushed a grand slam to flip the game and put the Rebels ahead 8–7. Texas answered in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game at 8–8, sending it to extras.

Ole Miss finally broke through in the 11th inning, scoring the go-ahead run and handing Texas its first loss of the season.

It was exactly the type of chaotic, momentum-swinging game that defines SEC baseball.

Final Thoughts

If Friday night was any indication, SEC play is going to be exactly what we expected.

Close games, elite pitching, late-inning swings, and environments where no lead is safe. Several Friday night starters held their own, but the biggest story of the night may have been just how many games were decided in the final innings.

And with the way this first night unfolded, Saturday and Sunday should be just as entertaining.