SEC Friday Night Round-Up — Week 3
SEC goes 11-5 on Friday Night
Friday night in this league continues to separate contenders from pretenders.
Some aces elevated.
Some bullpens cracked.
And a few teams got punched in the mouth.
Let’s run it.
Arkansas
UT Arlington 4, Arkansas 3
This was a gut check for Arkansas — and they didn’t pass it.
UT Arlington’s starter threw 130 pitches in a complete game and had Arkansas off balance all day. That’s not a fluke. That’s getting beat, at home.
Gabe Gaeckle’s final line:
5.1 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K.
The stuff was there. Velocity looked fine. The breaking ball had shape. But he got hit early and played from behind. When you’re Arkansas’s Friday night guy, that matters.
For me, this comes down to mindset. I’m still waiting to see that edge. That dog. That moment where he decides the game belongs to him. Friday night in this league requires a little fire.
He’ll get another shot next week and I’ll be watching closely.
Mississippi State
MSU 8, Arizona 4
Mississippi State looked like a team with real upside.
Ryan McPherson:
7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K — 90 pitches.
Efficient and in control.
He now sits at a 2.12 ERA and continues to look like a legitimate development piece for this staff. Mississippi State didn’t blow this open early — they controlled it. Four in the fifth and then three in the sixth.
Aidan Teel homered and the lineup did its job.
Mississippi State looks very dangerous.
Georgia
UGA 16, Oakland 6
Georgia did what it was supposed to do.
Joey Volchko:
5 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K.
I’m just not as excited about him as I was coming into the year. The command hasn’t been elite and eight hits in five innings against Oakland isn’t dominance.
But Georgia’s offense erased any drama. 16 runs solves a lot.
They handled business. That’s the takeaway.
Kentucky
Kentucky 3, St. John’s 1
Jaxon Jelkin is a problem.
7.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R (0 ER), 1 BB, 8 K.
He’s 3-0 and looks every bit of a Friday night ace. The delivery and arm action reminds me a little of Jacob deGrom — long, athletic, and repeatable.
Kentucky’s broadcast didn’t help much, but the line tells you what you need to know: efficiency, dominance, presence.
If he stays healthy, he’s pitching himself into serious draft conversations, for me.
Oklahoma
OU 14, Gonzaga 4
Cam Johnson is developing into a true ace in real time.
5 IP, 9 H, 0 BB, 7 K — 99 pitches, 63 strikes.
Yes, he gave up nine hits. But no walks. None. That’s what I care about when your offense scores 14.
He continues to pound the zone and trust his stuff. He’s 3-0 and looking like a first-round pick to me.
Oklahoma’s rotation is becoming one of the scariest in the league.
Baylor
Baylor 6, Ole Miss 5 (Extra Innings)
Tough one for the Rebels.
But, Hunter Elliott bounced back:
5 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 11 K (plus one HBP).
The swing-and-miss stuff was electric. Eleven punchouts in five innings will play anywhere. But three walks and a hit batter in five innings means he’s still searching for complete command.
He put them in position to win but the bullpen couldn’t close it.
Now Cade Townsend’s start becomes even more important. Ole Miss needs to steady the weekend quickly.
Florida
UF 7, Miami 2
This was a big-boy Friday night win.
Liam Peterson was dominant early. Third time through, Miami scratched a couple, but the line was strong:
5.2 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K.
That’s an ace outing on the road.
But the real deal? Sophomore Jackson Barberi.
3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER to slam the door. He was an elite prospect coming to college last year, and if this keeps developing as a legit arm out of their pen, that’s fun for Gator fans.
Auburn
Nebraska 9, Auburn 8
Auburn let this one slip.
Jake Marciano:
5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 9 K.
Still no walks. Still punching tickets. Still looks like a dude.
But the bullpen gave up three in the eighth and the game flipped.
Marciano continues to look like a Friday night guy. Auburn’s bullpen? Is that something to monitor? Time will tell.
South Carolina
South Carolina 7, Clemson 0
This was a statement.
Josh Gunther:
7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 K.
Against Clemson. Against their ace. At a time where your team needed a W so bad.
That’s dominance against a top-15 club.
Huge win for South Carolina. Let’s see if they can win one of the next two to take the series and get some momentum back in Columbia.
Texas
Texas 8, Coastal Carolina 1
Texas looks terrifying.
Ruger Riojas:
5 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 11 K — 71 pitches.
Eleven strikeouts in five innings on 71 pitches against a Coastal team that played for a title last year.
He looks like a major leaguer every time he takes the mound. Not just good — polished, composed, dominant.
For me, he’s pushing toward No. 1 in the power rankings this week.
Texas is complete.
Texas A&M
Texas A&M 10, Virginia Tech 0
That’s a statement win.
Shane Sdao:
6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K.
That’s now 13 consecutive shutout innings. Back-to-back outings where he’s looked like a legitimate Friday night presence.
A&M controlled it from the jump.
Missouri —
Mizzou 11, North Dakota State 5
Missouri handled business.
Javyn Pimentel:
5.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R (1 ER), 3 BB, 5 K — plus two hit batters.
Command wavered, but he limited damage and gave them five-plus innings.
Solid enough.
LSU
LSU 5, Dartmouth 2
Casan Evans looked sharp.
5.1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 10 K — but four wild pitches.
10 strikeouts tells you the stuff is there. The walks and wild pitches tell you the transition from reliever to starter still has some edges to smooth out. But better to do this now before having to face the SEC gauntlet. I trust he will be locked when SEC play starts.
Gavin Guidry closing it with 3.2 strong innings was fun. That kid is a fan favorite and team leader. Great Friday for the Tigers only having to use two pitchers since they have an additional Monday game. Look for Cooper Moore to go deep today as well.
UCLA
UCLA 12, Tennessee 5
This one looks worse on paper than it felt early.
Tegan Kuhns:
6 IP, 5 H, 5 R (3 ER), 0 BB, 10 K.
His stuff was electric. Zero walks. Ten punchouts. He did give up two home runs, but this is a very, very good UCLA lineup.
Kuhns looks like a top-50 pick for me. The delivery reminds me a bit of Bronson Arroyo — high leg kick, that creates some deception — with more electricity.
Sometimes you just tip your cap. UCLA looks dangerous.
Vanderbilt
UC Irvine 9, Vanderbilt 4
This is concerning for Vanderbilt.
Connor Fennell:
5 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K — plus one HBP.
He now sits at a 4.11 ERA as the Friday night guy.
The bigger issue? The bullpen.
After Fennell exited, the game unraveled. Vanderbilt’s bullpen continues to look shaky, and for me, Austin Nye may take over that Friday role sooner rather than later.
Very early in the season — but it hasn’t looked clean for Vandy against good competition.
Alabama
Alabama 12, Iowa 2
Alabama did what it needed to do.
Tyler Fay:
6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K.
Quality start. Efficient. 10 ground ball outs.
Justin LeBron continues to shine — 2-for-5 with a homer, five RBI.
Alabama looks sharp right now, and I’m very interested to see Zane Adams against Oregon State next.
That’s your Friday night.
Some aces elevated.
Some rotations stabilized.
Some bullpens cracked.
And the power rankings just got even more interesting.