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The college baseball season is in full swing, and the SEC is once again proving to have some of the best competition in the country. Through the first three series of conference play, it’s abundantly clear how abundant the competition is in the SEC.
The Rankings
Four of the top five teams in the country play in the SEC (No. 1 LSU, No. 3 Florida, No. 4 Vanderbilt and No. 5 Arkansas). In addition to this, seven of the top fifteen teams in the country are SEC teams, with South Carolina at No. 6, Kentucky at No. 10, and Tennessee at No. 11. Each of these seven teams will be in action this weekend.
Key SEC Matchups
The Florida Gators are in Knoxville for a Top 15 matchup with the Volunteers. The Gators took the opener 6-1 behind three home runs, and a strong outing from ace right-hander Brandon Sproat.
KNOXVILLE CHOMPIN’ 🔋⚡️ #GoGators pic.twitter.com/d3WU8yopbW
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) April 7, 2023
Hurston Waldrep will take the ball for the Gators in game two of the series. Waldrep will be matched up against right-hander Chase Burns. The Gators are looking for their fourth consecutive SEC series win after taking two of three from the Auburn Tigers last weekend.
The nation’s No. 1 team, the LSU Tigers, are in South Carolina for a three-game series with the No. 6 Gamecocks. The Gamecocks took the opener by a 13-5 final on Thursday.
Gamecocks win game one!!
Back at it tomorrow at noon#Gamecocks | #ForeverToThee pic.twitter.com/GkHgA9HFt9
— Gamecock Baseball (@GamecockBasebll) April 7, 2023
The Tigers took two of three from the Tennessee Volunteers in their last series, while the Gamecocks won a series against Mississippi State before winning their midweek matchup against No. 13 North Carolina on Tuesday.
The fifth-ranked Razorbacks will begin a three-game series in Oxford against reigning National Champion Ole Miss on Friday. The two teams will play a double-header on Friday after the series opener Thursday was postponed. The two teams will wrap up their series on Saturday afternoon. The Razorbacks won their last series against Alabama, while the Rebels lost a series to Texas A&M before beating Memphis in a midweek matchup.
Ready for a full day of baseball! pic.twitter.com/Hy4QWuttjo
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) April 7, 2023
The fourth-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores began a three-game series in Missouri on Thursday. The Commodores took the opener from the Tigers 7-6. Vanderbilt swept their last series from the Georgia Bulldogs before taking a win from Western Kentucky in a midweek matchup.
Dores dub in Columbia. #VandyBoys | #AnchorDown pic.twitter.com/Y6xdCVODjj
— Vanderbilt Baseball (@VandyBoys) April 7, 2023
Looking Ahead
Following their series in Knoxville, the Gators will welcome in-state rival Florida State before starting a three-game series with the Georgia Bulldogs. The matchup with the Seminoles will begin a five-game homestand for Florida.
After the series with LSU, the Gamecocks will travel to Nashville to start a series against Vanderbilt. Before heading to Nashville, South Carolina will welcome SC Upstate to Columbia on Tuesday. The Razorbacks are set for two midweek games against Little Rock. Following those two games, the Tennessee Volunteers will make their way to Fayetteville for a three-game set.
The schedule isn’t going to get any easier for any of the top SEC teams. The competition sets up what should be an exciting finish to the regular season.
