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If you didn't already know, our friends over at For Whom the Cowbell Tolls have started a weekly SEC Baseball Power Poll that is published on Wednesdays. Every SEC SB Nation site has at least one, and sometimes two, voters in the power poll. Scottie Bordelon and I are the voting delegation for Arkansas Fight. I'll publish my ballot every Monday and you will get to compare and contrast. You'll also get to comment how wrong I am and how I don't know what I'm talking about. God bless the America and the internets.
Instead of commenting about every single team, I'm going to start with a few observations. SEC baseball is the exact opposite of SEC basketball. Most teams dominated their non-conference slate to begin the season proving the SEC is still the premiere baseball conference in the country (and maybe even better than the NL West).
This college baseball season looks to be the exact opposite of the college basketball season for the SEC. Remember how the majority of the SEC sucked in the non-conference and then a team like Georgia ended up finished tied for second? Yeah, that's not going to happen in baseball. What we won't see happen is a team run away with the conference like Florida did in basketball. The SEC currently has four teams in the top 10 of Warren Nolan's RPI. Those teams are going to beat up on each other, unlike anyone could do to the Gators in basketball.
I would not be shocked if 10 or 11 teams made a NCAA Regional and three or four teams make the College World Series, of course barring that they are force to eliminate each other in Super Regionals. Yes, half of the College World Series could be SEC teams. Get your "S-E-C" chant ready for Omaha.
Now here is this week's ballot.
1. South Carolina Gamecocks, 19-3 (3-3), RPI 1
After doing SEC basketball power rankings, it was truly bizarre typing in a winning record for South Carolina. But i digress, despite losing a weekend series to Kentucky, the Gamecocks are still the class of the conference after going undefeated in non-conference play.
2. Vanderbilt Commodores ,20-5 (3-3), RPI 8
3. Kentucky Wildcats, 17-7 (3-3), RPI 6
They gained a lot of respect this week taking two of three from the Gamecocks, as I mentioned above.
4. Tennessee Volunteers, 19-4 (3-3), RPI 32
This is the biggest surprise of the season and people may think I have them overrated. However, they have six wins over top 50 RPI teams, which is tied for second most in the conference.
5. Mississippi Rebels, 21-4 (4-2), RPI 5
I may very well have underrated the Black Bears this week, but they only have two top 50 RPI wins on the season thus far. I am impressed with what they have done. If they continue to win, they'll have no trouble moving up.
6. Auburn Tigers, 17-8 (4-2), RPI 19
7. LSU Tigers, 20-4-1 (3-2-1), RPI 24
8. Florida Gators, 15-9 (3-3), RPI 16
9. Mississippi State Bulldogs, 17-9 (4-2), RPI 57
10, Alabama Crimson Tide, 15-8 (3-3), RPI 51
11. Texas A&M Aggies, 17-8 (3-3), RPI 56
12. Arkansas Razorbacks, 13-8 (3-3), RPI 114
The Diamond Hogs have been a tough team to cover this year. This is the most they have struggled in recent memory, but maybe they turned the corner this weekend against Alabama. Of course, that still have to find a way to score at least one run.
13. Georgia Bulldogs, 14-10-1 (1-4-1), RPI 63
If you love moral victories, then you'll love the Bulldogs skipping out in the 12th inning of a 3-3 tie with LSU on Sunday so they could go catch a plane. Doing that against the #6 team in the country to avoid a sweep is the definition of moral victory.
14. Missouri Tigers, 11-12 (1-5), RPI 134
