SEC Starting Pitcher Power Rankings — Week 9
The Postseason Picture Is Coming Into Focus — And This Weekend Changed Everything
We are in the final weeks of SEC regular season baseball, and the stakes are at their highest. Every start now carries genuine postseason weight — seeding, momentum, and in some cases, careers. After one of the most compelling weekends of the season, the top of this list looks different than it did seven days ago.
Let’s get into it.
SEC Starting Pitcher Power Rankings — Week 9
1. Hunter Dietz — Arkansas (↑ from No. 4)
Season: 7-2, 72.2 IP, 60 H, 31 R, 26 ER, 26 BB, 108 K, 3.22 ERA
This week: 7.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 K
Hunter Dietz takes the top spot this week, and the body of work demands it. He is the first pitcher in the SEC this season to reach 100 strikeouts, now sitting at 108 — and he added seven more on Friday against Oklahoma in seven quality innings with just one earned run. The ERA has ticked up slightly from where he was in March, but with 108 strikeouts in 72.2 innings and a 7-2 record, the case for Dietz as the most valuable arm in this conference is a legitimate one. Arkansas needs him every single Friday, and he shows up. That means everything down the stretch.
2. Tegan Kuhns — Tennessee (↑ from No. 13)
Season: 4-4, 72.0 IP, 64 H, 27 R, 25 ER, 13 BB, 95 K, 3.13 ERA
This week: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 15 K
This is the best single start of the season by any pitcher on this list — and it might be the best start of the entire SEC season. Seven innings, four hits, zero runs, one walk, fifteen strikeouts. Against Texas. On the road. Fifteen. The ERA drops to 3.13, the record sits at 4-4 despite how good he’s been, and after a rough outing two weeks ago, Kuhns has now put together back-to-back dominant performances that put the entire conference on notice. He jumps from 13 to 2 this week and it isn’t close. The command was immaculate — one walk in seven innings — and the swing-and-miss stuff was operating at an elite level. This was appointment television.
3. Tomas Valincius — Mississippi State (↑ from No. 7)
Season: 8-2, 75.0 IP, 58 H, 27 R, 21 ER, 16 BB, 105 K, 2.52 ERA
This week: 6.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 13 K
Valincius jumps to No. 3, and the numbers justify it. He has now joined Dietz and Riojas in the 100+ K club with 105 strikeouts on the season — the only three arms in the conference to crack triple digits — and his 2.52 ERA remains among the best in the league. Three earned runs on Thursday against Auburn isn’t ideal, but zero walks in 6.2 innings and 13 strikeouts is a genuinely excellent pitching line by any standard. He’s 8-2. He’s healthy. He’s one of two guys in this conference who gives you 13 Ks in an “ok” outing. Mississippi State rounds into the postseason with a Friday ace who can beat anyone on any night.
4. Jaxon Jelkin — Kentucky (↑ from No. 9)
Season: 8-2, 80.2 IP, 68 H, 40 R, 32 ER, 17 BB, 92 K, 3.57 ERA
This week: 9.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 12 K
Nine innings, one walk with 12 strikeouts, against Florida, on the road. Jelkin threw a complete game on Friday in Gainesville and it was one of the most commanding performances of the weekend across the entire conference. He is now 8-2 with 80.2 innings pitched — the most of any arm in the SEC — and with 92 strikeouts and a rock-solid 3.57 ERA, he has been the most durable and consistent Friday arm in the conference all season. The complete game is his second in as many weeks, and is putting himself in the All-SEC conversation.
5. Dylan Volantis — Texas (↓ from No. 1)
Season: 7-1, 67.2 IP, 50 H, 17 R, 16 ER, 21 BB, 94 K, 2.13 ERA
This week: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
Volantis drops from the top spot after his roughest start of the season — five innings, three earned runs, just two strikeouts against Tennessee. Two strikeouts in five innings from a guy who has been the most dominant arm in this conference for the last six weeks is a jarring line, and it costs him the No. 1 ranking this week. That said, his season body of work is still elite: 2.13 ERA, 7-1, 94 strikeouts, and the best ERA of any arm in this top 25. One bad start doesn’t erase what he’s built. He falls to 5, not further.
6. Andreas Alvarez — Auburn (↓ from No. 3)
Season: 8-2, 64.1 IP, 53 H, 24 R, 19 ER, 20 BB, 87 K, 2.66 ERA
This week: 4.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
Alvarez drops a bit to 6, but is 8-2 with a 2.66 ERA and 87 strikeouts — still one of the elite bodies of work in the conference. The start this week was a bit short, and a 4.2-inning outing from your Friday ace when you’re playing Mississippi State on the road is a tough ask for the bullpen. But two earned runs in 4.2 innings isn’t a disaster, and his season record speaks for itself. Auburn’s rotation is still the deepest in the league, and Alvarez is still the headliner.
7. Aidan King — Florida (↓ from No. 2)
Season: 7-2, 74.0 IP, 50 H, 26 R, 18 ER, 16 BB, 77 K, 2.19 ERA
This week: 6.1 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
King drops five spots this week after a tough outing at home against Kentucky — five earned runs in 6.1 innings is the worst start of his season by ERA. His season numbers are still excellent: 2.19 ERA, 7-2, 74 innings, 77 strikeouts, and the lowest walk rate in this entire top 25 at 16 all year. One bad start against a Kentucky lineup that was locked in on Friday night doesn’t undo that. He falls to 7 because the week’s results matter, but he will be fine.
8. Alex Petrovic — Auburn (Unchanged)
Season: 8-2, 71.1 IP, 53 H, 26 R, 25 ER, 16 BB, 71 K, 3.15 ERA
This week: 5.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
Petrovic is 8-2. That is the most wins of any pitcher in this ranking, tied with Alvarez, Valincius, Sims, and Aoki. He went 5.1 innings with two earned runs on a road Saturday against Mississippi State — a grind-it-out performance from a Sunday arm who just keeps winning. The ERA sits at 3.15, the strikeout total at 71 in 71.1 innings, and his record remains the quiet best of anyone in this league. He holds at 8.
9. Taylor Rabe — Ole Miss (↑ from No. 11)
Season: 3-3, 51.1 IP, 50 H, 26 R, 26 ER, 7 BB, 68 K, 4.56 ERA
This week: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 14 K
The ERA tells one story. The walk rate tells another. Rabe walked zero batters on Friday while striking out 14 — fourteen — in six innings. The five earned runs are impossible to ignore, but striking out 14 without a walk is a pitching line that very few arms in college baseball could produce, even in a rough outing. All five runs were scored in one inning, and Rabe was able to regroup, go back out and allow his bullpen to rest and be utilized in their proper high-leverage situations. His season walk total now sits at just 7 in 51.1 innings — the best command rate of any arm in this entire ranking. When the results come together with the command, Rabe is one of the most electric pitchers in the SEC. This week showed both extremes in a single start.
10. Ruger Riojas — Texas (↓ from No. 5)
Season: 5-2, 64.2 IP, 58 H, 29 R, 29 ER, 14 BB, 100 K, 4.04 ERA
This week: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
Riojas drops a tick on the season ERA after a tough Sunday outing at Tennessee — four earned runs in four innings. He now sits at 4.04 ERA on the year, but the century mark in strikeouts is significant. 100 strikeouts on the year for a Saturday arm on a program like Texas is a legitimate milestone, and his overall body of work still earns him a top-10 spot. He’ll need a nice weekend against Missouri to get right going into the postseason.
11. Cade Townsend — Ole Miss (↓ from No. 6)
Season: 5-2, 55.1 IP, 42 H, 24 R, 20 ER, 14 BB, 77 K, 3.25 ERA
This week: 3.1 IP, 5 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
Townsend has a rough one and drops five spots. Six earned runs in 3.1 innings on a Friday against A&M is a tough line for anyone to absorb, and the ERA climbs to 3.25 on the season. He’s bounced back from bad outings before — we’ve seen it all year — and a 5-2 record with 77 strikeouts is still a strong overall season. But back-to-back shaky outings will push him down the list regardless.
12. Aiden Sims — Texas A&M (↑ from No. 16)
Season: 8-1, 68.0 IP, 54 H, 33 R, 29 ER, 19 BB, 73 K, 3.84 ERA
This week: 3.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
Sims has now had two consecutive short outings, and the ERA is climbing as a result — now at 3.84 after sitting comfortably under 3.50 earlier in the spring. Three innings on a Friday is hard on a pitching staff, especially this late in the year. The 8-1 record is the best in the conference, and that still matters. But A&M needs more from their Friday arm heading into the final push.
13. Jake Marciano — Auburn (↓ from No. 10)
Season: 4-4, 69.2 IP, 54 H, 26 R, 21 ER, 13 BB, 91 K, 2.71 ERA
This week: 2.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
Marciano’s season ERA remains the most deceptively good number in this entire ranking — 2.71 across 69.2 innings is elite, and 91 strikeouts against only 13 walks is the third best strikeout-to-walk ratio of any arm in this conference. But this week was a genuine blow: two innings on Wednesday before getting chased by six hits and four runs. The ERA takes the hit, but everything that made Marciano special all season is still there. He holds at 13 on the season body of work.
14. Liam Peterson — Florida (↑ from No. 19)
Season: 1-5, 67.1 IP, 64 H, 36 R, 32 ER, 34 BB, 88 K, 4.28 ERA
This week: 7.2 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
Peterson has one of his deepest starts of the season at the best possible time. Seven-plus innings, four earned runs, one walk, seven strikeouts — and after a season that has been defined by walks piling up and games getting away from him, the one-walk performance here is genuinely meaningful. He still has 34 walks in 67.1 innings — the highest walk total in this ranking — but if this command is the version Florida gets heading into the postseason, he becomes a completely different pitcher. He moves up five spots.
15. Caden Aoki — Georgia (↑ from No. 17)
Season: 8-0, 59.0 IP, 52 H, 23 R, 21 ER, 21 BB, 78 K, 3.20 ERA
This week: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
Still undefeated, now at 8-0. this weekend: One earned run in five innings on Sunday against LSU is a quality performance, and the 3.20 ERA and 78 strikeouts on the season are legitimate numbers. The perfect record is the headline, but the consistency behind it is what keeps Aoki in this ranking every week. He jumps to 15.
16. Hunter Elliott — Ole Miss (Last week: unranked)
Season: 5-2, 65.0 IP, 62 H, 39 R, 37 ER, 32 BB, 88 K, 5.12 ERA
This week: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 11 K
Elliott’s surface ERA (5.12) is the highest in this top 25, but this week showed exactly why he stays in the conversation. Six innings, one earned run, one walk, eleven strikeouts against a tough A&M lineup on the road. Eleven strikeouts and one walk is an elite pitching line by any standard. When Elliott is on, the stuff is legitimately dangerous, and that swing-and-miss arsenal keeps him here regardless of what the ERA says.
17. Myles Upchurch — Alabama (↑ from No. 25)
Season: 7-3, 57.2 IP, 41 H, 23 R, 22 ER, 36 BB, 62 K, 3.43 ERA
This week: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
Upchurch continues to deliver quietly and consistently. One earned run in six innings on the road at South Carolina is the kind of start that doesn’t get a lot of national attention but wins baseball games. He’s 7-3 with a 3.43 ERA, and the walk rate remains the one thing keeping him from climbing this list — 36 in 57.2 innings is one of the highest rates among starters, but Upchurch is still a true freshman. And the results keep coming.
18. Joey Volchko — Georgia (↓ from No. 12)
Season: 7-2, 65.1 IP, 61 H, 34 R, 32 ER, 35 BB, 81 K, 4.41 ERA
This week: 3.1 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
This is the Joey Volchko we’ve been worried about all season. Seven earned runs in 3.1 innings against LSU, seven walks in those same innings — the command completely fell apart, and the ERA jumps from 3.63 to 4.41 in one start. He drops six spots, and deservedly so. The talent is still there — 81 strikeouts in 65 innings proves that — but the walk rate (35 in 65.1 innings) has always been the concern, and this week that concern became a catastrophe. He needs to find his command this week against a good Auburn team.
19. Zane Adams — Alabama (↓ from No. 14)
Season: 6-3, 71.1 IP, 72 H, 35 R, 32 ER, 21 BB, 78 K, 4.04 ERA
This week: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 9 K
Five earned runs in six innings is a tough line, though the nine strikeouts and one walk remind you what Adams is capable of when the command is there. The ERA climbs to 4.04, and the hit rate has been the consistent issue all season — 72 hits allowed in 71.1 innings. Adams holds at 19 on the strength of 78 strikeouts, his six wins and veteran presence in that rotation.
20. Josh McDevitt — Missouri (↑ from No. 23)
Season: 3-5, 70.2 IP, 50 H, 39 R, 32 ER, 35 BB, 91 K, 4.08 ERA
This week: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
McDevitt takes a step back after a decent week two weeks ago. Four earned runs in five innings against Vanderbilt, and the ERA stays in the mid-fours. The 91 strikeouts in 70.2 innings is genuinely impressive, and his hit rate (50 in 70.2) is one of the best on this list. The walks (35) and results have been inconsistent — but when McDevitt is at his best, he’s as talented as anyone outside the top five. He holds at 20.
21. Connor Fennell — Vanderbilt (Last week: Unranked)
Season: 3-2, 74.1 IP, 73 H, 44 R, 42 ER, 18 BB, 90 K, 5.09 ERA
This week: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K
Fennell makes his first appearance on this list in a couple weeks with a strong performance that deserved recognition. Seven innings, one earned run, two walks, eight strikeouts against Missouri — and that’s the kind of outing that will move boards. The season ERA of 5.09 has been the reason he wasn’t here sooner, but 90 strikeouts in 74.1 innings with only 18 walks is strikeout-to-walk rate that earns a look. If this is what the final stretch of Fennell’s season looks like, he’ll be a factor in postseason conversation, if Vandy can get there.
22. Duke Stone — Mississippi State (Last week: Unranked)
Season: 6-1, 62.0 IP, 65 H, 35 R, 32 ER, 24 BB, 85 K, 4.65 ERA
This week: 4.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
Stone enters the ranking this week on the strength of a 6-1 record and 85 strikeouts in 62 innings — a production total that commands attention. The ERA (4.65) and hit rate are the issues, and this week’s start wasn’t his best. But 6-1 with 85 Ks in the SEC earns a mention, and Mississippi State has used him as an important piece of their weekend staff all year.
23. Evan Blanco — Tennessee (↓ from No. 21)
Season: 6-3, 73.0 IP, 61 H, 41 R, 37 ER, 24 BB, 88 K, 4.56 ERA
This week: 7.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 8 K
Blanco had another week where the strikeout total (eight) and the innings total (seven) were excellent, but the five earned runs keep the ERA climbing toward 4.56. He’s a streaky arm — there’s no other way to say it — and this wasn’t his best version. He drops two spots but stays on the list with 88 strikeouts and 73 innings for a Tennessee team that will need him in the postseason.
24. Cam Johnson — Oklahoma (Last week: Unranked)
Season: 6-1, 51.0 IP, 35 H, 26 R, 20 ER, 37 BB, 67 K, 3.53 ERA
This week: — 2.1 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
Johnson enters this ranking on the strength of a 6-1 record and a 3.53 ERA — the best ERA-to-record combination of any new entry this week. The concern is the walk rate: 37 in 51 innings is among the highest in the conference, and that has a way of catching up with arms in the postseason. But six wins at 3.53 ERA is a legitimate body of work, and he earns his first spot here.
25. William Schmidt — LSU (↓ from No. 20)
Season: 5-4, 64.0 IP, 54 H, 34 R, 30 ER, 31 BB, 85 K, 4.22 ERA
This week: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 5 BB, 6 K
Schmidt barely holds the final spot after a rough week — five walks and four earned runs in four innings at Georgia is not the performance you want heading into the final stretch. The ERA climbs to 4.22, and the walk total for the season now sits at 31 in 64 innings. But 85 strikeouts and five wins still give him enough of a case to stay on the list — just barely.
Final Thoughts
Week 9 reshuffled the top of this ranking in a way we haven’t seen all season. Kuhns was brilliant. Jelkin was complete. Volantis had his worst outing of the year. Dietz was Dietz. The arms that have been building their case all spring are now in a sprint to the finish, and every remaining start carries the weight of a full season behind it.
The postseason conversation starts now. The names at the top of this list are the ones who will be on the mound when it matters most.
And right now, Tegan Kuhns wants you to know he belongs in that conversation.