SEC Baseball Rankings: Week 12

Secpinwheel
This week's SEC rankings were voted upon by five members of the College and Magnolia baseball staff. Team listings include overall and SEC records, voting point totals and first-place votes. Commentary by Dusty Miller and Chris Fuhrmeister.

1. South Carolina, 36-12/16-8, 59 (4) -- We were thinking the Gamecocks might never lose again, but they did drop one game to Arkansas. Still, Carolina won the series and has won 15 of its last 18 SEC games. This team looks like a national title contender once again.

2. LSU, 38-11/16-8, 53 (1) -- The Bayou Bengals picked up a big road series win over their hated rival, Ole Miss. LSU is now tied with South Carolina atop the league standings and also has the look of a team that could be Omaha-bound.

3. Kentucky, 37-11/15-9, 50 -- After playing incredible baseball for most of the season, Kentucky has now dropped two straight series to Vanderbilt and Florida. The Commodores are playing their best ball of the year, and the Gators are no pushovers, so Wildcat fans don't have much of a reason to panic.

4. Florida, 36-13/14-10, 47 -- Florida rebounded from the series loss to Arkansas by taking two of three from UK. The Gators aren't dead yet in the race for the regular-season SEC title.

5. Arkansas, 34-15/12-12, 41 -- Arkansas lost a tough series to South Carolina, but there's certainly no shame in that. The Razorbacks have proven this year that they have the talent to compete with anyone.

6. Mississippi State, 30-18/12-12, 32 -- The Cowbells started slowly in SEC play, but they're quietly climbing the conference ladder. State has now won three straight conference series and is at .500 in SEC play for the first time this season.

7. Ole Miss, 31-18/11-13, 29 -- The Rebels are trending in the opposite direction. Ole Miss has now lost four of its last five SEC series and is 6-9 in conference games over that stretch. A team that once looked destined to host an NCAA regional now is simply jockeying for position in Hoover.

8. Georgia, 28-20/12-12, 28 -- The Dawgs came away with a home sweep over Auburn, but we're not really sure how impressive that is. This team is good, but it's very inconsistent. Georgia will make the postseason, and it wouldn't surprise us if it made an early exit or put together a run to Omaha. The Bulldogs are that unpredictable.

9. Vanderbilt, 24-24/11-13, 20 -- As Vanderbilt struggled through much of the season, we couldn't understand how a team so talented could play so poorly. Well, the 'Dores have righted the ship. Vandy has won three of four conference series and should be a lock to make the SEC tournament. It was hard to see that being possible a month ago.

10. Auburn, 26-22/10-14, 16 -- Auburn promptly took all of its momentum from the sweep of Tennessee and threw it out the window by losing three in a row at Georgia. Barring a total disaster, the Tigers should hold on to the No. 10 and final SEC tournament slot. Then again, Auburn faces Arkansas and Florida to close out the regular season, so a total disaster is very possible.

11. Tennessee, 23-24/8-16, 10 -- Tennessee is 3-12 in its last 15 SEC games, but if the Vols can steal one of their final two series, they might be able to sneak into Hoover. If Auburn falls apart against the Hogs and Gators, Tennessee could make up the two-game difference in the standings.

12. Alabama, 18-30/7-17,5 -- 'Bama has shown a couple signs of life this season, but this team is just plain bad. Senior Taylor Dugas, who hit a walk-off home run against Auburn, has been the one bright spot in Tuscaloosa this spring.

SEC Baseball Rankings: Week 10

Secpinwheel
This week's SEC rankings were voted upon by five members of the College and Magnolia baseball staff. Team listings include overall and SEC records, voting point totals and first-place votes. Commentary by Dusty Miller and Chris Fuhrmeister.

1. Kentucky, 35-6/13-5, 59 (4) -- Took another impressive series win, this time over LSU. The 'Cats have pretty much solidified themselves as the SEC's best team.

2. LSU, 32-9/12-6, 54 -- No shame in losing the series to Kentucky. LSU still looks like a major contender for the SEC championship in Hoover. 

3. Florida, 31-9/11-7, 51 (1) -- The Gators bounced back with a nice series win over a good Georgia team. A tough test against Arkansas this week will give Florida another chance to impress.

4. South Carolina, 30-11/11-7, 45 -- Carolina went to the Plains and swept Auburn with relative ease. All of a sudden, this team is looking like a championship contender.

5. Arkansas, 28-12/9-9, 38 -- The Hogs are talented, but they're struggling a bit having dropped three of four series. Things don't get any easier with upcoming matchups against Florida, Missouri (out of conference) and South Carolina.

6. Ole Miss, 27-13/9-9, 36 -- Have been playing pretty well lately and won two of three against Arkansas. Don't sleep on this team.

7. Georgia, 24-17/8-10, 28 -- If not for a bizarre 16-inning loss to Florida on Friday night, the Dawgs could have taken the series from the Gators. Georgia has proven itself to be one of the SEC's better teams, but it's also one of the most inconsistent.

8. Mississippi State, 24-16/8-10, 26 -- The Cowbells inserted themselves back into SEC tourney discussion with a sweep of Tennessee. State hosts Ole Miss in a huge series this weekend.

9. Tennessee, 22-18/7-11, 21 -- Getting swept by State really put the Vols in a bind. Tennessee travels to Auburn this weekend, and it's unlikely the loser of that series will make it to Hoover.

10. Alabama, 16-25/6-12, 14 -- In the SEC's pillow fight of the week, the Tide took two of three from Vandy and nearly came away with the sweep. 'Bama should come back to Earth this week with a trip to South Carolina.

11. Vanderbilt, 18-22/7-11, 12 -- The Commodores proved the series win over Auburn was a fluke, which makes it hurt even more. Vandy hosts Kentucky this weekend, so don't expect the 'Dores to vault up the standings anytime soon. 

12. Auburn, 21-19/7-11, 6 -- It's been a fast and hard fall for the Tigers, who have now lost eight of nine SEC games. Tennessee comes to town this weekend for the definition of a must-win series. With 'Bama and Vandy playing two of the SEC's best teams, a good showing against the Vols could give Auburn some breathing room in the race for the conference tournament.

SEC Baseball Rankings: Week 9

Secpinwheel
This week's SEC rankings were voted upon by four members of the College and Magnolia baseball staff. Team listings include overall and SEC records, voting point totals and first-place votes. Commentary by Brett Mixon and Chris Fuhrmeister.

1. Kentucky, 32-5/11-4, 47 (3) -- The 'Cats keep proving people wrong. They went to Fayetteville last weekend and swept a Saturday doubleheader to take the series from Arkansas.

2. LSU, 30-7/11-4, 44 (1) -- When you're good, you're supposed to handle teams that are bad. That's what LSU did in a home sweep against 'Bama.

3. Florida, 28-8/9-6, 40 -- The Gators bounced back from a tough series against LSU and took two of three from Tennessee.

4. Arkansas, 25-10/8-7, 33 -- Winning the opener against Kentucky was impressive, but you have to think the Hogs feel they should have won that series at home.

5. South Carolina, 27-10/8-7, 31 -- Gamecocks picked up a nice sweep over Mississippi State. Don't look now, but this team is beginning to look like a real contender again. 

6. Ole Miss, 24-12/7-8, 29 -- Like the rest of the middle of the SEC pack, the Rebs have talent, but they've been too inconsistent.

7. Georgia, 23-14/7-8, 28 -- It's tough to get a read on the Dawgs. They picked up a solid home series win over Ole Miss and have looked dangerous when playing their best.

8. Auburn, 19-16/7-8, 20 -- The Tigers are reeling after a hot start in SEC play. Auburn has lost five of six to the two worst teams in the conference and is ranked this high based solely upon its early-SEC resume.

t-9. Mississippi State, 21-15/5-10, 15 -- The Cowbells have talent, but it has let them down this year. MSU has won just one SEC series this season.

t-9. Tennessee, 21-15/7-8, 15 -- The Vols stole one at home against Florida and could be the surprise team to make it to Hoover.

11. Vanderbilt, 16-20/6-9, 8 -- The 'Dores were struggling, but a visit from Auburn seemed to cure what ailed them.

12. Alabama, 13-23/4-11, 4 -- After sweeping Auburn, the Tide got blown out in a midweek game against UAB and was steamrolled in Baton Rouge. Seriously, how did Auburn get swept by these guys?

Link sAUsage -- April 17, 2012

Former quarterback Barrett Trotter was interviewed by The Sporting News about his time at Auburn and his reasons for leaving. Trotter comes across as pretty bitter over his benching last season.

Even though there isn't a running back on Auburn's current roster nearly as talented as Mike Dyer, the Tigers are much better off without him.

Spring practice is over on the Plains, which means the Tigers are getting ready for summer workouts. Auburn fans should get ready for zero significant football news until fall camp begins in August.

It's not often one gets to see color photos from the 1959 season, but these shots from the '59 Tennessee game show what old-school Auburn football really looked like.

Marcus Lattimore, who missed six South Carolina games last season with a blown-out knee, has learned how to condition better and stay healthier. We're glad Auburn has seen the last of Lattimore -- at least in the regular season.

Missouri might not be the only SEC team sporting new uniform elements in the fall. These Ole Miss helmets have been making the internet rounds over the last 24 hours, but no one knows if they're legit or not. The grey version is pretty meh, but the powder blue is an absolute beaut.

SEC Baseball Rankings: Week 8

Secpinwheel
This week's SEC rankings were voted upon by six members of the College and Magnolia baseball staff. Team listings include overall and SEC records, voting point totals and first-place votes. Commentary by Dusty Miller and Chris Fuhrmeister.

1. Kentucky, 30-3/9-3, 72 (6) -- Another series win for the 'Cats, this time against Ole Miss. Kentucky continues to impress, and a series win over Arkansas next weekend would be mighty impressive.

2. LSU, 25-7/8-4, 63 -- The Bayou Bengals have won five of six against Arkansas and Florida after losing two of three to Auburn. Clearly, the series on the Plains was an anomaly.

3. Florida, 25-7/7-5, 58 -- The Gators dropped the home series to LSU, but both of their losses were of the one-run variety. Tough breaks.

4. Arkansas, 24-7/7-5, 54 -- Arky got back on track with a series win over a slumping Georgia team.

t-5. Ole Miss, 23-10/6-6, 44 -- Ole Miss did lose the series, but handing Kentucky one of its three losses all year is a nice silver lining for the Rebs.

t-5. South Carolina, 23-9/5-7, 44 -- Carolina took a nice road-series win at Tennessee. The Gamecocks seem to be returning to solid form.

7. Auburn, 17-14/6-6, 32 -- An absolutely putrid weekend from the Tigers resulted in being swept at Alabama. [insert dumpster fire image here]

8. Georgia, 19-13/5-7, 28 -- The Dawgs lost their third consecutive series, falling at Arkansas. Their next three series are against Ole Miss, Florida and LSU, so it's do-or-die time for UGa.

t-9. Tennessee, 20-12/6-6, 26 -- No shame in losing two to a very talented Carolina team, but the Vols need to get more offensive production.

t-9. Mississippi State, 20-12/5-7, 26 -- Cowbells finally picked up a series win, taking two of three from Vanderbilt in Starkville. MSU needs to keep it up if it wants to make it to Hoover.

11. Alabama, 13-19/4-8, 13 -- Bama climbs out of the cellar after sweeping what we thought was a pretty good Auburn team. Can the Tide keep up the momentum this weekend in Baton Rouge?

12. Vanderbilt, 13-19/4-8, 18 -- Vandy, Vandy, Vandy. We keep waiting for you to turn your season around, and you never do. It'll take stunning turn of events for the 'Dores to make any sort of postseason play.

SEC Baseball Rankings: Week 7

Secpinwheel
This week's SEC rankings were voted upon by five members of the College and Magnolia baseball staff. Team listings include overall and SEC records, voting point totals and first-place votes. Commentary by Dusty Miller, Brett Mixon and Chris Fuhrmeister.

1. Kentucky 27-2/7-2, 59 points (4 first-place votes) -- The 'Cats just keep on winning and proving they are for real. The next three weeks (vs. Ole Miss, at Arkansas, vs. LSU) will prove just how for real they are.

2. Florida 24-4/6-3, 56 (1) -- Dropped their first SEC series in Oxford, but that should prove to be just a speed bump.

3. LSU 22-6/6-3, 45 -- Responded to the series loss at Auburn in a big way by completing an impressive sweep of Arkansas at home.

4. Auburn 17-11/6-3, 43 -- Solid pitching and hitting led the Tigers to their third consecutive series win to open conference play.

5. Ole Miss 20-8/5-4, 37 -- Even though it was at home, the Rebels shocked the college baseball world by taking the series from the Gators.

t-6. Arkansas 22-6/5-4, 36 -- The Hogs had a tough weekend, suffering a sweep in Baton Rouge.

t-6. South Carolina 20-8/3-6, 36 -- Finally won an SEC series, doing so at Vanderbilt. Perhaps the Gamecocks are shaking off their early-season struggles?

8. Georgia 18-11/4-5, 26 -- The Dawgs lost another series. At least this one was to a Kentucky team with just two losses on the year.

9. Mississippi State 18-11/3-6, 19 -- The Bulldogs looked sluggish on defense and dropped another series, this time at Auburn.

10. Tennessee 18-10/5-4, 18 -- The Vols are above .500 in conference play after a sweep of 'Bama in Knoxville. But how much credit should a team get for sweeping the Tide?

11. Vanderbilt 11-17/3-6, 10 -- The 'Dores dropped another series. So much for turning their season around with the series win over Georgia last weekend.

12. Alabama 9-19/1-8, 5 -- Bama is bad. Really bad. Approaching epically bad.

SEC Baseball Rankings: Week 6

Secpinwheel
This week's SEC rankings were voted upon by four members of the College and Magnolia baseball staff. Team listings include overall and SEC records, voting point totals and first place votes. Commentary by Dusty Miller, Brett Mixon and Chris Fuhrmeister.

1. Florida 22-2/5-1, 48 points (4 first-place votes) -- The clear leader of the SEC. Took two of three at South Carolina.

2. Arkansas 22-3/5-1, 43 -- Picked up a nice road-series win at Mississippi State.

3. Kentucky 24-1/5-1, 41 -- The 'Cats finally lost, but they still won the series at Tennessee.

4. South Carolina 17-7/1-5, 35 -- Tough start to SEC play for the Gamecocks, but they should turn it around. No shame in losing to Florida -- even at home.

5. Auburn 15-9/4-2, 31 -- Played solid baseball all around in a series win over No. 8 LSU. It was the Tigers' second straight series win over a top 20 team.

6. LSU 18-6/3-3, 26 -- The Bayou Bengals are having trouble scoring runs in SEC action, and it resulted in their third straight series loss at Auburn.

7. Georgia 17-8/3-3, 24 -- The Dawgs surprised many by losing a series to previously hapless Vanderbilt.

8. Ole Miss 17-7/3-3, 23 -- Bounced back nicely with a series win at 'Bama. Still, late-game situations continue to be a problem.

9. Mississippi State 16-9/2-4, 15 -- Lost another series at home, this time to a very good Arkansas team.

10. Vanderbilt 9-15/2-4, 13 -- The 'Dores showed some signs of life by picking up the series win over Georgia. Could this be the spark to turn Vandy around?

11. Tennessee 13-10/2-4, 9 -- Handed Kentucky its first loss of the year, but the Vols still dropped the series.

12. Alabama 9-15/1-5, 4 -- The Crimson Tide are pretty young. That youth is leading to some pretty bad baseball.

SEC Baseball Rankings: Week 5

Secpinwheel
This week's SEC baseball rankings were voted upon by five members of the College and Magnolia baseball staff. Total points are listed next to each team. First-place votes are in parentheses. Commentary provided by Dusty Miller and Brett Mixon.

1. Florida 60 (5) -- Took a business like approach and swept Vandy over the weekend. Then again, it seems like everyone is sweeping Vandy.

2. Arkansas 50 -- Swept Alabama at home, but how big of a feat is that?

3. Kentucky 49 -- It's hard to deny the 'Cats, who are undefeated and swept Carolina at home. Do they belong with the SEC's elite?

4. South Carolina 45 -- Had the hiccup vs. Kentucky and couldn't score many runs. Still, the Gamecocks are the two-time national champs and will be strong in the end.

5. LSU 41 -- Rolling along nicely. Took two of three from Mississippi State.

6. Georgia 38 -- Dawgs have been solid. Took two out of three against Tennessee and remain nationally ranked.

7. Auburn 28 -- Pitching is coming around, now will the bats? Tigers are the only SEC team to win a road conference series, and they did it against a ranked Ole Miss team.

8. Mississippi State 25 -- Lost the series to a good LSU team, but the Bulldogs have looked good this year.

9. Ole Miss 24 -- Errors were costly against Auburn, and we were expecting more out of the Rebels at the plate.

t-10. Tennessee 12 -- Typical UT in rebuilding mode. Still, the Vols managed to salvage a game at Georgia.

t-10. Vanderbilt 12 -- Why have the 'Dores gone downhill so quickly? They can't get anything going and don't have a single quality win.

12. Alabama 6 -- The Tide's season-long struggles continued at Arkansas. Alabama is very young, but outfielder Taylor Dugas is a bright spot.