2016 SEC Baseball Preview: Auburn has Big Mountain to Climb

Once again SEC baseball is stacked with several great college baseball teams, making the journey for Auburn baseball to win the SEC Championship a tall task.

At least eight teams are ranked in most top 25 polls, with four other teams knocking on the door. Unfortunately Auburn isn’t one of those 12 teams. In fact, you could say through four weeks Auburn is the worst team in the SEC as they’re the only ones without double-digit wins.

Still, Auburn is a veteran team that could get hot at any time and make a run in conference play. They have the talent and the ability to be a great team, but new head coach Butch Thompson has yet to figure out the formula.

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Florida, Vanderbilt and Texas A&M have consistently been ranked as the top three teams in college baseball this year in that order.

The Gators boast the two best draft picks in starting pitcher AJ Puk and outfielder Buddy Reed. Reed is batting .306 through 16 games with 16 runs, 1 home run and 8 RBIs. Through 4 starts Puk has yet to earn a win with a 2.65 ERA in 17 innings with 18 strikeouts.

Alex Faedo has been quite a surprise for the Gators posting an ERA of 1.42 in 4 starts with 36 strikeouts in 25.1 innings. Peter Alonso has done the same on offense with a .424 average, 17 runs, 2 home runs and 23 RBIs.

Through 18 games the Gators are hitting .311 as a team and averaging 7.1 runs a game, while the pitching staff has an ERA of 2.52 with 190 strikeouts in 164 innings pitched.

Vanderbilt has been just as solid with their only loss coming on the road against Stanford. Starting pitcher Jordan Sheffield has been one of the best pitchers in all of college baseball this season with a 3-1 record and 1.09 ERA in 24.2 innings with 36 strikeouts. Good luck winning on Friday with this guy on the mound.

Jaren Kendall has been dynamite on offense for the ’Dores with a .419 average, 20 runs, 4 home runs, 22 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. Top draft prospect Bryan Reynolds is hitting .345 with 19 runs scored, 2 home runs and 14 RBIs.

The Vanderbilt offense is averaging a whopping 9.6 runs per game with a team average of .326. The pitching staff has a 2.56 ERA in 16 games with 183 strikeouts in 144 innings pitched.

Just like Florida and Vandy, Texas A&M has only lost one game entering conference play. Star outfielder Nick Banks is off to a slow start by his standards, but others like J.B. Moss have stepped up by hitting .426 with 15 runs, 2 home runs and 14 RBIs. The offense is hitting .353 as a team and averaging 9 runs a game.

The pitching staff has posted a 2.10 ERA through 13 games with 146 strikeouts in 120 innings pitched. Tyler Ivey is 2-0 in three starts with 21 strikeouts in 16.1 innings, and he’s yet to give up an earned run.

The Ole Miss Rebels are the only other SEC team with only one loss, and that came to a top 5 team in Louisville. The Rebels are hitting .283 as a team and averaging 7.6 runs per game led by J.B Woodman who is hitting .358 with 13 runs, 3 home runs and 18 RBIs.

The pitching staff holds a 2.38 team ERA, while Brady Bramlett has been the team’s best starting pitcher with a 4-0 record and 2.14 ERA with 30 strikeouts in 21 innings.

Their cross-state rivals, the Mississippi State Bulldogs, have been just as impressive in a difficult out-of-conference schedule. The offense is hitting .320 and averaging 7.3 runs a game, while the pitching staff holds a 2.94 ERA with 159 strikeouts in 141 innings pitched.

The Bulldogs star pitcher and top draft prospect Dakota Hudson is 2-1 with a 1.90 ERA in 4 starts with 32 strikeouts in 23.2 innings. Offensively they’re being led by Jack Kruger who is hitting .410 with 17 runs, 3 home runs and 19 RBIs.

LSU didn’t play a particularly difficult out-of-conference schedule, but they’re still viewed as one of the best teams in the country. The offense is hitting .324 and averaging 8.4 runs per game with top draft prospect Jake Fraley leading the way hitting .400 with 21 runs, 1 home run and 10 RBIs.

Jared Poche is the team’s best starter with a 2.49 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 25.1 innings. As a whole the pitching staff has a 3.48 ERA with 142 strikeouts in 127.2 innings pitched.

The Razorbacks have gotten out to a hot start as they’ve beaten three ranked teams. The offense is hitting .295 and putting up 8.1 runs per game, while the pitching staff has an ERA of 3.31 with 139 strikeouts in 147 innings.

Carson Shaddy is hitting .362 with 13 runs, 5 home runs and 12 RBIs for Arkansas. Dominic Taccolini has been the team’s best starter so far with an ERA of 2.16 in 4 starts with 23 strikeouts in 25 innings. Zach Jackson is the team’s best draft prospect as the closer has a 2.19 ERA in 12.1 innings with 16 strikeouts and 3 saves.

South Carolina’s only two losses so far this season came at the hands of a ranked Clemson team on the road. John Jones is hitting .424 in 66 at-bats with 4 home runs and 23 RBIs. Their starting rotation has been incredible with two starters, Clarke Schmidt and Adam Hill, having an ERA under 0.50 through 4 starts each with 32 strikeouts each. Braden Webb hasn’t been bad either with a 1.80 ERA.

The offense is hitting a combined .314 and averaging 7.1 runs per game. The pitching staff has an ERA of 2.03 with 176 strikeouts in 160 innings pitched.

Those are the top eight teams in the SEC, and then there is some separation between the other six teams.

Tennessee had a pretty good preseason, but didn’t beat a lot of top teams other than East Carolina. Nick Senzel might be the best MLB Draft prospect in the SEC as he’s hitting .386 in 57 at-bats with 23 runs, 1 home run, 25 RBIs and 9 stolen bases. The offense is hitting .320 and averaging 8.8 runs per game.

Zach Warren has been the team’s only consistent starter with a 1.59 ERA in 4 starts with 22 strikeouts in 22.2 innings. The pitching staff as a whole has a 3.46 ERA with 128 strikeouts in 143 innings.

Kentucky has played some tough teams, but they’ve lost to those tough teams so I’m not sure how good they are as we head into conference play. The offense is hitting .302 and putting up 6.75 runs per game, while the pitching staff has a 3.52 ERA with 141 strikeouts in 143 innings.

Evan White is leading the offense with a .388 average, 14 runs and 20 RBIs. Dustin Beggs has been the team’s best starting pitcher with a 0.94 ERA in 4 starts with 30 strikeouts in 28.2 innings. They’re two best prospects, pitchers Zack Brown and Kyle Cody, have both struggled out of the gate with ERAs above 4.90.

Missouri was ranked, but struggled lately and fell out of the polls. Jake Ring is hitting .357 with 12 runs, 1 home run and 10 RBIs. Zach Lavy is batting .304 with 20 runs, 2 home runs and 13 RBIs. The offense is hitting just .264 with an average of 5.8 runs per game.

Reggie McClain has been solid in the rotation with a 0.85 ERA in 4 starts with 26 strikeouts in 31.2 innings. Tanner Houck has been solid as well with a 1.61 ERA in 4 starts with 32 strikeouts in 28 innings. The pitching staff has a combined 3.19 ERA with 143 strikeouts in 172 innings.

The Bulldogs of Georgia did not play a difficult preseason scheduled, but lost to every decent team they played. The offense is hitting just .247 and averaging 5.1 runs per game. Stephen Wrenn is hitting .327 with 11 runs and 10 RBIs. Keegan McGovern has 5 home runs and 20 RBIs in 67 at-bats.

Robert Tyler leads the pitching staff with 33 strikeouts in 21.1 innings to go along with a 3.38 ERA in 4 starts. As a whole the pitching staff has a 3.36 ERA and 166 strikeouts in 166 innings.

The Crimson Tide actually surprised some people early with wins over Maryland and Notre Dame, but they’ve tailed off a bit lately. Chance Vincent is hitting .300 with 8 RBIs. The offense as a whole is hitting just .241 and averaging 4.31 runs a game, which is worst in the conference.

The pitching staff is what’s kept them competitive with a 2.01 staff ERA and 130 strikeouts in 143 innings. Geoffrey Bramblett is leading the way with a 1.05 ERA in 4 starts with 22 strikeouts in 25.2 innings.

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Auburn

is the only team in the SEC not to reach double-digit wins during the preseason. I had high hopes for this team entering the year with all the talent coming back, but right now I’m just hoping we make the SEC Tournament.

Cole Lipscomb has had an up-and-down year so far and not been able to bolster the rotation as we expected he would. Justin Camp and Casey Mize have been nice surprises in the rotation though, so if Lipscomb can get it together I believe the Tigers can have three solid weekend starters.

The offense has been really good at times, but went silent for over a week that led to a 5-game losing streak. Still, they’re hitting .313 as a team and averaging 8 runs a game. Top draft prospect Anfernee Grier is hitting .429 with 27 runs, 4 home runs, 17 RBIs and 11 stolen bases.

Despite the slow start, it would not be surprising to see Auburn creep up into the top 8 of the SEC during conference play if they get on a roll. The talent is there, coach Thompson just needs to figure out how to utilize them in the best way.

SEC baseball is by far the best baseball conference in the country, and I look forward to seeing where Auburn finishes up in a couple of months.

War Eagle!

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