Week 2 SEC Starting Pitcher Power Rankings
Jake Marciano Ranks #1
Week Two didn’t disappoint.
After an electric opening weekend, the SEC somehow managed to raise the standard. Friday night environments felt bigger and somehow the arms looked even better. The depth across rotations is becoming obvious and this job is getting harder already.
I spent somewhere between 15–20 hours this weekend watching games — bouncing from stream to stream — and logged roughly 25–40 different starters across the league. Cold weather, midweek tune-ups, bounce-back performances, statement outings. There’s real separation starting to form.
This list isn’t thrown together from box scores. It’s built from watching a pitcher’s delivery and movement patterns, tempo, sequencing, body language, pitch shapes, and how guys respond when something goes wrong.
Now let’s get a reminder on how this ranking is built.
The Framework
This isn’t just ERA watching. And it’s not just prospect hype.
My algorithm is weighted:
40% — Performance
What you do on the field matters most.
ERA. WHIP. Strikeout-to-walk ratio. How you control a game. How you help your team win. Production is the foundation.
40% — Physical Traits & Pitching Profile
Size. Stuff. Command. Presence.
How the pitches complement each other, ow the arsenal projects at the next level, how the fastball plays and how the breaking ball misses bats. This is where draft projection lives.
20% — Intangibles & Upside
Friday night DNA.
How you respond to adversity. Whether you pitch like an ace. Outlier traits — elite spin rates, rare fastball shape, unique breaking ball metrics. And long-term upside — whether a midweek guy could become a weekend arm, or a Saturday/Sunday arm that could become a pro starter.
That’s the lens.
Now let’s get into it.
Top 5 – Week 2
1. Jake Marciano — Auburn
0.82 ERA | 0.36 WHIP | 11 IP | 20 K | 0 BB
The 20-to-0 strikeout-to-walk ratio is what makes this undeniable.
Marciano isn’t physically imposing. Probably 6’0”, maybe 6’1”, under 200 pounds. But the profile plays way above the frame.
The fastball is the separator. It’s not elite velocity — but the spin rate and movement profile make it a problem. It has sinker characteristics with real horizontal and vertical action. Hitters don’t square it up.
Then he layers a true swing-and-miss slider and a changeup that mirrors the fastball well. The sequencing is mature. He commands up, down, inside, and off the plate when needed.
What elevated him to No. 1 this week was competition.
He shut down a red-hot Kansas State lineup and gave up just two hits in six innings. That matters.
Leading the SEC in strikeouts. Leading in WHIP. Zero walks.
And he pitches like he knows he belongs.
2. Ruger Riojas — Texas
1.64 ERA | 0.73 WHIP | 11 IP | 19 K | 2 BB
Riojas looks like a Friday night ace.
Every time he takes the mound, the pace changes.
The scouting report says eight pitches. I don’t know if it’s truly eight distinct offerings, but I know he commands four-plus legitimate weapons.
He dominates the zone. He can beat you with velocity. He can beat you with shape. He can beat you with sequencing.
This is a complete starter profile.
The poise. The tempo. The confidence in big spots. It all screams “pro starter.”
3. Dylan Volantis — Texas
0.00 ERA | 0.57 WHIP | 14 IP | 17 K | 2 BB
Volantis hasn’t given up an earned run.
Fourteen innings. Six hits. Two walks.
Freshman of the Year —> SEC Pitcher of Year trajectory right now.
He just posted a career-high nine strikeouts in seven innings and continues to look more comfortable each outing. The transition into a starting role looks seamless.
And a key piece? This weekend he faced a Michigan State team that will be competitive this year.
He’s not just surviving innings — he’s controlling them.
4. LJ Mercurius — Oklahoma
0.87 ERA | 10.1 IP | 19 K | 5 BB | 4 H
The only reason Mercurius isn’t higher is competition he faced this past weekend.
He dominated Coppin State — but that’s exactly what he should have done.
Outside that……. The stuff is electric. The fastball explodes. The breaking ball compliments it. And his change-up is a piece of art. I mean that— it’s beautiful, and generates a ton of swings and misses. He looks like one of the most talented arms in the conference, for me.
He passes the eye test every time and he is must-watch on Saturday’s.
5. Colin Fisher — Arkansas
13 IP | 19 K | 2 BB | 1-Hit Complete Game (8 IP, 86 pitches)
This is the biggest riser.
Fisher isn’t overpowering — 90–92 mph — but he might be the most efficient arm in the league right now.
Eight innings. 86 pitches. One hit. No walks.
That’s surgical.
He lives in the zone. He trusts his breaking ball. He forces contact on his terms.
And here’s the big development:
If Hunter Dietz continues to struggle, Fisher likely slides into a more prominent role.
That changes Arkansas’s ceiling.
6. Jaxon Jelkin — Kentucky
1.00 ERA | 0.78 WHIP | 9 IP | 17 K | 2 BB
Jelkin looks like a big leaguer.
Upper-90s power arm. Clean delivery. Real pitch mix. The changeup and breaking ball both miss bats, and he carries himself like a Friday ace.
Yes, it was Evansville. But cold weather, clean execution, and dominant swing-and-miss stuff travel anywhere.
From an upside standpoint, he’s a legitimate SEC Pitcher of the Year candidate. If he stays healthy, he’s a top-half first-round profile for me.
7. Cam Johnson — Oklahoma
1.64 ERA | 0.82 WHIP | 11 IP | 18 K | 3 BB
Cam continues to look like a true Friday night starter.
The only slight ding this week was the number of deep counts — lots of 2-2 and 3-2 situations. Not a knock, just refinement.
The stuff plays. The presence plays. He commands the zone well enough to project.
If he continues at this pace, he’s firmly in first-round territory.
8. Ryan McPherson — Mississippi State
2.70 ERA | 1.10 WHIP | 10 IP | 15 K | 1 BB
The hits allowed (10 in 10 IP) are slightly concerning given the stuff.
But the stuff is electric.
High-90s fastball. Power breaking ball. Firm change/split that plays. He competes aggressively and struck out the side in the sixth against Delaware.
I’m very curious to see how this translates in SEC play. The arsenal is real.
9. Austin Nye — Vanderbilt
0.00 ERA | 0.56 WHIP | 9 IP | 12 K | 2 BB
True pro look.
Size. Delivery. Stuff. Presence.
He hasn’t given up an earned run, and while the competition hasn’t been elite, the profile screams Friday night potential.
I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s Vanderbilt’s Friday night guy by season’s end. That’s how loud the tools are.
10. Liam Peterson — Florida
4.15 ERA | 1.27 WHIP | 8.2 IP | 15 K | 7 BB
The ERA isn’t pretty. The walks are high.
But the bounce-back performance against Kennesaw State matters.
Twelve strikeouts this weekend. True first-round size and stuff. When he commands it, it’s dominant.
If the command stabilizes, he climbs quickly.
11. Tomas Valicunas — Mississippi State
0.00 ERA | 1.06 WHIP | 11.1 IP | 13 K | 3 BB
Left-handed starter who looked pretty electric and competes at a very high level.
No earned runs allowed yet. The hit totals are manageable. The stuff plays from the left side.
For a Brian O’Connor staff, this is a significant development piece, and feels like an “O’Connor guy” if that makes sense.
12. Gabe Gaeckle — Arkansas
1.93 ERA | 9.1 IP | 16 K | 3 BB
Mid-90s fastball that plays up and the major league stuff was never a question.
But, command was and so far, he’s been sharp.
If that trend holds, Arkansas has a true Friday night weapon.
13. Zane Adams — Alabama
1.64 ERA | 0.73 WHIP | 11 IP | 15 K | 0 BB
The zero walks jumps off the page.
6’4” lefty commanding the zone with authority. This is a junior in his draft year who has been a Friday night starter in the league.
I genuinely believe he could be Alabama’s Friday night guy at some point again this year and with some minor mechanical refinement, there may even be more velocity in there.
This is a polished starter profile, for me.
14. Cade Townsend — Ole Miss
1.04 ERA | 0.81 WHIP | 8.2 IP | 16 K | 1 BB
From a pure stuff standpoint, he might be one of the most electric arms in the league, and it showed this weekend, ticking up a bit from opening weekend.
Mid-90s. Four pitches. Aggressive attack and a lot of energy on the mound.
Eight strikeouts in four innings this weekend. If the consistency holds, he should become Ole Miss’s most dangerous starter behind Elliott and make a dangerous 1-2 combo.
15. Shane Sdao — Texas A&M
2.92 ERA | 0.81 WHIP | 12.1 IP | 12 K | 0 BB
Seven shutout innings against UPenn after a rough opener.
Lefty in the low 90s with a sweeper that makes the fastball play up. No walks through two starts.
That’s how you climb back up the board.
16. Aidan Sims — Texas A&M
1.38 ERA | 0.46 WHIP | 13 IP | 17 K | 2 BB
Four hits allowed in 13 innings.
This is an under-the-radar development for A&M. If this holds, their rotation depth becomes a serious weapon.
17. Joey Volchko — Georgia
1.80 ERA | 0.90 WHIP | 10 IP | 13 K | 4 BB
Handled Samford as expected.
Not flashy — but above average stuff. Georgia trusts him to control games, and he’s delivered. The stuff is there, but the delivery is a little bit laborious for me. We will see how it develops, but looking the part of the ace that Georgia needs.
18. Tegan Kuhns — Tennessee
0.73 ERA | 0.57 WHIP | 12.1 IP | 12 K | 4 BB
Only three hits allowed in over 12 innings.
Battled some command issues but made big pitches when it mattered.
That’s Friday night composure and seems to be the leader in their rotation. Tough weekend for the Vols, though.
19. Aidan King — Florida
0.00 ERA | 0.67 WHIP | 12 IP | 9 K | 0 BB
No earned runs. No walks.
Strikeout numbers are modest, which keeps him from climbing higher. But the efficiency and control are impressive, and a solid option if Liam Peterson struggles with command going forward.
20. Landon Mack — Tennessee
1.42 ERA | 0.95 WHIP | 12.2 IP | 20 K | 4 BB
The 20 strikeouts are real.
Transfer from Rutgers, with electric stuff. Took the loss this weekend, which dings him slightly.
From a draft standpoint, this is a serious arm going into 2027.
21. Cord Rager — Oklahoma
0.90 ERA | 10 IP | 15 K | 4 BB
True freshman lefty.
The production has been strong early. Strikeout ability from the left side is always valuable and looks to be a solid third piece to the story of the year with Oklahoma pitching.
22. William Schmidt — LSU
1.93 ERA | 9 IP | 16 K | 4 BB
A much needed strong outing against UCF with 9K’s in 5 innings.
The swing-and-miss ability is what gets him here, and the handling of expectations around him continues to impress me.
23. Cooper Moore — LSU
3.09 ERA | 17:1 K:BB | 2–0
The 17:1 ratio is elite.
He continues to control games and limit damage. The Saturday role suits him, and could be a big piece for LSU if Casan Evans struggles at all on Friday.
24. Matt Scott — Georgia
7 IP | 16 K | 2 BB
Nine strikeouts in four innings this weekend.
The stuff is interesting— big body guy, throwing at a steep down angle with what looks like very good IVB. If the sample grows, and he plays a role for Georgia, he climbs.
25. Jackson Sanders — Auburn
3.27 ERA | 17:2 K:BB | 6 IP this weekend, 9 K
Nasty Saturday starter.
Turned heads in Arlington. The strikeout-to-walk ratio shows real command paired with swing-and-miss stuff.
Best of the Rest (26–40)
These are arms that either just missed the Top 25 or are trending toward breaking in with one more big outing.
26. Connor Fennell — Vanderbilt
Steady Friday presence. Competitive. Still watching the long-term ceiling.
27. Miles Upchurch — Alabama
Flashes swing-and-miss stuff. Needs continued consistency.
28. Hunter Elliott — Ole Miss
Veteran presence. Struggled with command this weekend, hence the drop.
29. Javin Pimentel — Missouri
Lefty with strikeout ability. Health and consistency will determine climb.
30. Luke Harrison — Texas
Part of Texas’ impressive depth. Stuff works, and a glue guy in the rotation.
31. Casan Evans — LSU
Flashes elite upside. Needs command consistency to rise quickly.
32. Ben Cleaver — Kentucky
Solid rotation piece. Competitive profile. Could climb with stronger SEC showing.
33. Alec Petrovic — Auburn
Emerging depth arm. Interesting development if role expands.
34. Amp Phillips — South Carolina
Athletic profile. Still piecing together consistency. SC’s best starter right now.
35. Weston Moss — Texas A&M
Depth piece in a strong A&M staff. Watching for breakout outing.
36. Wil Libbert — Ole Miss
Power lefty, swing-and-miss flashes. Needs sustained efficiency.
37. Josh McDevitt — Missouri
Intriguing arm who is trending upward.
38. Hunter Dietz — Arkansas
Stuff is real. Command consistency will determine rebound.
39. Tyler Fay — Alabama
Has shown flashes. Needs to reassert Friday-night command.
40. Cooper Walls — Florida
Development arm. Florida’s depth remains strong.
Tough Calls
The separation from 1–10 right now is coming from strike-throwing, swing-and-miss stuff, and the ability to control innings without running pitch counts up. That’s the difference between a talented arm and a Friday night ace.
Remember — 40% performance, 40% profile, 20% intangibles and projection.
As SEC play approaches, that 20% category will start carrying more weight. It’s one thing to dominate New Haven or Coppin State. It’s another thing to do it on the road in front of 12,000 people in a tight 3–2 game in the sixth inning.
That’s where this list will shift.
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Pitch shape analysis and sequencing
Friday night psychological battles
MLB draft projection shifts
And which arms are quietly building SEC Pitcher of the Year cases
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Week Three is going to get even more interesting.
-Anthony