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.