The Aggies did all of their damage in the first four innings. Caden Sorrell’s home run with one out in the top of the first staked A&M to a 1-0 lead. Bear Harrison made it 2-0 in the second on a sacrifice flyout to left field before Chris Hacopian stretched it to 4-0 with a two-run home run in the third. Gavin Grahovic’s RBI single in the fourth upped the lead to 5-0.

That was more than enough for the Aggies as Weston Moss went 4.1 innings, allowing no runs on three hits while striking out five and walking two. Gavin Lyons pitched 2.2 innings of hitless relief and got the win while striking out two batters and walking two. Clayton Freshcorn (2.0 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 0 BB, 4 K) finished it out, allowing LSU’s only runs of the day to score in the eighth inning on a Cade Arrambide home run and a passed ball with two out.

Sunday was the latest example of what’s been a disappointing season for the Tigers. The defending College World Series champions are 23-18 overall and 6-12 in SEC play. Barring a late run, they’re in danger of missing Regionals altogether a year after the program’s eighth title.

Meanwhile, the Aggies — who have taken their last four series — moved to 31-7 while moving to 12-5 in league play, putting them a half-behind Georgia for the conference lead with one month to go before the SEC Tournament.

Can Texas A&M finally bring home the program’s first national title? Here’s the latest Kalshi market for who will end up with the trophy in Omaha in June.

Prediction Markets

College Baseball D1 Champion?

Learn more about Prediction Markets

Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

The post No. 10 Texas A&M finishes off sweep of LSU, extends winning streak to six games appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The Commodores, who dropped the series opener on Friday before winning the next two, improved to 24-17 overall and 9-9 in the SEC. The Wildcats, who have now dropped five straight conference series, fell to 26-12 for the season and 8-10 in league play.

Vanderbilt trailed 3-1 after five innings before turning the tables on the Wildcats in the sixth, sending 11 men to the plate while scoring six times with the benefit of just two hits. After Brodie Johnston was hit by a pitch, Colin Barczi stepped up and hammered one over the wall in left field to tie it at 3-3.

Later, with the bases loaded and two out, Hampton ran the count full before launching a grand slam to right — his first career home run — to make it a 7-3 Commodores lead.

After a sacrifice flyout in the bottom of the frame cut the Vandy Boys’ lead to 7-4, Kentucky pulled within 7-6 on a pair of two-out RBI singles from Scott Campbell and Carson Hanson. But Johnson’s leadoff homer in the ninth touched off a six-run ninth inning that included run-scoring singles by Max Jensen and Rustan Rigdon, an RBI sacrifice groundout and flyout, and a wild pitch.

Aiden Stillman (2-1) picked up the win in relief, going 2.0 innings and allowing two runs on a hit and three walks while striking out three. Connor Mattison, the Wildcats’ starter, lasted 5.1 innings, yielded four runs on five hits and a walk, and struck out five. Meanwhile, the Wildcats ended up leaving 16 men on the plate while hitting just 3-of-17 with runners in scoring position.

Both teams are back at it on Tuesday. Vanderbilt faces Xavier while Kentucky travels to take on in-state foe Louisville.

The post Vanderbilt uses big 6th and 9th to beat Kentucky 13-6, win weekend series appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The SEC battle between the 13th-ranked Tigers and 20th-ranked Gators came down to Saturday’s rubber game after Auburn dropped Thursday’s series opener. And therein lies the history that the Tigers made 2 days later, after Friday’s 5-3 victory was followed by Saturday’s win.

It was the first time an Auburn baseball team had won a series in Gainesville after dropping the first game since 1997, so it hadn’t happened in almost 3 decades but it happened on Saturday.

Auburn improved to 27-12 overall and 10-8 in the rugged SEC, while Florida dropped to 28-13 overall and now has the same 10-8 conference record after losing the home series.

When Eddie Madrigal snagged this line drive to end Saturday’s comeback victory, Auburn had its third straight series win and secured the program’s first series victory in Gainesville in 13 years.

Auburn starting pitcher Alex Petrovic allowed a 3-run homer by Florida’s Blake Cyr in the first inning, but the sophomore remained unflappable, responding by blanking the Gators in his final six innings of work.

A pair of Florida miscues paved the way for the Tigers to pull ahead in the 9th inning. Auburn tied it with a run in the 8th, then scored 5 times in the 9th to go up 8-3 before holding off a Florida rally in the bottom of the frame.

Auburn’s 9th-inning eruption was highlighted by a 2-run double from Brandon McCraine. After one McCraine brother did his damage, it was time for younger brother Mason McCraine to do his, as he belted his third homer in the past 2 games to put the finishing touches on the Tigers’ late rally.

Here’s a look at the latest odds to win the College World Series, per Kalshi:

Prediction Markets

College Baseball D1 Champion?

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Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

The post Auburn secures series win over No. 20 Florida, 8-5 appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Saturday’s win, coupled with Friday night’s 10-2 victory over the Crimson Tide, improved Texas to 30-7 overall and 11-5 in SEC play. Alabama (27-12, 8-8) has lost five of its last six games. Game 3 of the series is set for Sunday (2 pm ET, SEC Network+).

Alabama grabbed an early 1-0 lead Saturday in the top of the first when Brady Neal doubled home Bryce Fowler.

The Crimson Tide made that margin stick until the seventh inning – which is when Texas broke open the defensive battle for good. Jayden Duplantier began the rally with an RBI single to right, Carson Tinney added an RBI single up the middle and Adrian Rodriguez lifted a sacrifice fly to make it 3-1.

Prediction Markets

College Baseball D1 Champion?

Learn more about Prediction Markets

Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

Aiden Robbins finished 3-for-4 for Texas, which finished with eight hits. Reliever Haiden Leffew (3-1) earned the victory, while Sam Cozart struck out all three Alabama hitters he faced in the ninth for his sixth save. Longhorns starter Ruger Riojas gave up just three hits and struck out 11 in five innings of work.

In all, 19 of the Crimson Tide’s 27 outs came via strikeout. Reliever Matthew Heiberger (2-2) took the loss for Alabama.

The post No. 4 Texas baseball clinches series victory over No. 11 Alabama appeared first on Saturday Down South.

After his team dropped Friday’s series opener against the Aggies, head coach Jay Johnson took responsibility for the Tigers’ struggles. He said choices he made in roster construction have plagued the squad.

“It’s a deep-rooted thing… we’re off, and this will never happen again,” Johnson told reporters. “I made some mistakes in constructing the team, in trying to replace 2 guys that were irreplaceable, where we should have looked for replacing them through guys that were already in the program… we won’t make that mistake again.”

Johnson centered his attention on the team’s approach in the batter’s box. He believes there is too much focus from players on exit velocity and the long ball, as opposed to quality, competitive at-bats.

“We have plenty of home runs… if you attached professional at-bats, which is what we’re known for… [and] is why we have 2 national championships, with the power on this team, it would be plenty,” Johnson said. “Texas A&M… won the game tonight because they hit the ball hard and low the other way… the appearance is, we’re trying to do too much. And trying to do too much is not a plan, or a sign of a mature offensive baseball team.”

LSU could take its series versus Texas A&M with wins today (5:30 p.m. E.T., SEC Network+) and Sunday (2:00 p.m. E.T., ESPN).

Prediction Markets

College Baseball D1 Champion?

Learn more about Prediction Markets

Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

The post LSU baseball coach Jay Johnson admits roster construction mistakes after latest loss appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The 6-foot-5 righty is coming off an outing of one earned run and five strikeouts in five innings during Florida’s 5-3 loss to Auburn.

Here’s some analysis from ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel in his latest mock:

The Royals are always trying to compete and it wouldn’t surprise me if they went with a potential quick-mover on a deal at this pick to then set up more typical high school picks down the board. Peterson has been rising of late, but his sweet spot might be a few picks after this.

Kansas City also has a history of picking Florida players in the first round. Former 2-way star Jac Caglianone was also picked by the Royals in the top 10 of the MLB Draft back in 2024.

Like our coverage? Make SDS a preferred source in your searches!

Peterson pitched a career-high seven inning gem on April 11 vs. Georgia but didn’t get enough run support to earn a victory.

This season, Peterson has a 1-3 record with a 3.42 ERA and 71 strikeouts. Overall, he’s started in 41 games with a 4.79 ERA and 244 strikeouts as a Gator.

Florida has a 28-12 overall record with a 10-7 mark in SEC play this season. Florida hosts Auburn in the next game of the set on April 18 at 12 p.m. ET.

Prediction Markets

College Baseball D1 Champion?

Learn more about Prediction Markets

Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

The post Florida star Liam Peterson included in top 10 of ESPN’s most recent MLB mock draft appeared first on Saturday Down South.

UK trailed Vanderbilt 2-1 in the bottom of the 9th inning. The Wildcats loaded the bases, but had 2 outs when Van Cleave came to the plate. On a 1-1 pitch, he hit a walk-off grand slam for the first home run of his career.

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DID WE JUST SEE THAT?????!!!!

FRESHMAN @Braxton_VC WITH A WALK-OFF, TWO OUT GRAND SLAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

VICTORY, KENTUCKY!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/DNB7NrzEby

— Kentucky Baseball (@UKBaseball) April 18, 2026

RELATED: Sports betting is live in the state of Kentucky! Get in on the action today using this BetMGM bonus code from SDS!

Though the walk-off is the big story, especially being a grand slam, it was a fantastic pitching night for both teams, as evidenced by the 2-1 score through 8.5 innings.

Kentucky‘s Jaxon Jelkin was in danger of being the losing pitcher despite a quality outing. Jelkin pitched 8 innings, facing 31 batters. He gave up 2 runs, both earned, on 6 hits while striking out 9 and only walking 1. Vanderbilt had 4 of its 6 hits and both of its runs in the first 3 innings before Jelkin cruised through the next 5 frames.

UK made a pitching change for the 9th inning. Nile Adcock picked up the win for a scoreless top of the 9th.

Vanderbilt starter Connor Fennell went 6.1 innings, earning a no-decision. He allowed 1 earned run on 5 hits, striking out 3 and walking 2. Tim Corbin went with Tyler Baird in relief. Baird struck out 5 over 2.1 IP, but allowed 4 hits in the bottom of the 9th, including the grand slam to end the game.

The Wildcats will go for the series on Saturday, with first pitch set for 2 p.m. ET and streaming on SEC Network+.

Prediction Markets

College Baseball D1 Champion?

Learn more about Prediction Markets

Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

The post Kentucky beats Vanderbilt on walk-off grand slam to take series opener appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The Tigers were in the position to win because of a big night from Mason McCraine. He went 2-for-5 on the night with both hits being home runs, accounting for 3 RBIs.

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McCraine’s first home run came when he took advantage of an at-bat he wasn’t supposed to get. In the top of the 4th inning, Brandon McCraine, Mason’s brother, stepped to the plate with a runner on second base and 2 outs. Brandon hit an infield pop-up, but Florida third baseman Kolt Myers missed it. Since it was 2 outs, E Bingaman was running the whole time from second base, and scored with the ball landing fair.

Take 'em however you can get 'em.

We're tied at two. pic.twitter.com/2gnyNVhXay

— Auburn Baseball (@AuburnBaseball) April 17, 2026

Mason McCraine took full advantage of the gifted at-bat, and hit a 2-run homer to swing the gam 4-2 in Auburn’s favor.

Going … going … GONE! @mccraine_mason makes 'em pay! pic.twitter.com/kOEeDr9u5A

— Auburn Baseball (@AuburnBaseball) April 17, 2026

McCraine entered the game with just 1 home run on the season and tripled his total for 2026 with a second dinger in the top of the 6th, making it 5-3.

Have a night, @mccraine_mason!

He smacks one to straightaway CF! pic.twitter.com/az2blKSgFj

— Auburn Baseball (@AuburnBaseball) April 17, 2026

Auburn starter Jake Marciano went 4 innings, allowing 3 runs but only 1 was earned due to fielding issues in the 3rd inning when the Gators scored 2. Jackson Sanders was the winning pitcher, tossing 4.1 shutout innings in relief, allowing only 1 hit and striking out 6 while walking 5. In the 9th, Butch Thompson called on Ryan Hetzler to get the final 2 outs, which came in dramatic fashion after Florida loaded the bases.

JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED!

Guevara Rembert Madrigal pic.twitter.com/whXAh3OyfF

— Auburn Baseball (@AuburnBaseball) April 18, 2026

Game 3 will decide the series on Saturday. First pitch is set for noon ET with the game airing on ESPN2.

Who will win it all this year? Predict the college baseball national champion on Kalshi!

Prediction Markets

College Baseball D1 Champion?

Learn more about Prediction Markets

Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

The post Auburn picks up thrilling Game 2 win over Florida to even series appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Everybody understands that Georgia can hit and Texas can pitch, but who can actually win? Last week’s top 4 all lost their weekend series matchups.

In fact only 1 of the 4 won a conference game. So feel free to assume a shake-up, because we have one in this week’s SEC baseball power rankings.

16. Mizzou (20-17 overall, 3-12 in SEC)

So some things don’t change. A sweep from South Carolina banishes Mizzou back to the deepest parts of the SEC basement.

15. South Carolina (19-19, 5-10)

A sweep of Missouri was impressive… and that marks 4 SEC wins in the past 2 weekends. But until Carolina beats a team with a pulse, here it stays. Beat Mississippi State and the Gamecocks can move up.

14. LSU (23-15, 6-9)

Life was looking a little more solid for the Tigers, but they were swept at Ole Miss, which sends them near the bottom of the conference. The Tigers were outscored 26-12 in that series, which shows that there are systemic problems here across the board.

13. Vanderbilt (22-16, 7-8)

The Commodores still have a fairly horrific NCAA Tournament résumé, so they could have used a win in their series with Oklahoma. Instead, a couple of close losses leave this weekend’s series at Kentucky a near must-win for Vandy.

12. Kentucky (25-10, 7-8)

The Wildcats fell below .500 in league play by losing 2 of 3 at Auburn. A home series with Vandy and a trip to South Carolina give UK a chance to shape up over the next 2 weekends.

11. Oklahoma (28-12, 7-8)

The Sooners won 2 of 3 at Vandy and can now get some breathing room in the league with a series at home against Missouri. A midweek loss to Oklahoma State hurts momentum a bit.

10. Tennessee (25-12, 7-8)

The Vols have been something near a punching bag throughout most of the season, but a funny thing happened on the way to obliteration at Mississippi State. The Vols swept the Bulldogs and held them to a total of 9 runs. Winning by 4 and 5 runs in the last 2 games left Tennessee safe from comeback attacks, and that could be a good sign moving ahead. Cam Appenzeller is making a name for himself on the mound.

9. Alabama (27-11, 8-7)

The Tide had reeled off 8 wins in 9 games in SEC play, but after being swept by Arkansas, have lost 4 of their last 5. They were outscored 25-13 at home by the Hogs, and with Texas next up, could slide even further before the weekend ends.

8. Mississippi State (27-10, 7-8)

That’s 6 league losses in a row for the Bulldogs, who had been red-hot. They’ve only scored 24 runs over those 6 games, but should have a chance to regain their mojo this weekend against South Carolina. Ace Tomas Valincius seems like a fine slump-buster.

7. Ole Miss (27-11, 8-7)

After winning a series at Florida, Ole Miss swept LSU and is proving itself a top-half SEC team. The Rebels came into Thursday third in the SEC in strikeouts in conference play, and that type of pitching makes this weekend’s series in Knoxville very interesting.

Who will win this year’s College World Series? Check out what the folks at Kalshi have to say:

Prediction Markets

College Baseball D1 Champion?

Learn more about Prediction Markets

Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

6. Arkansas (26-13, 9-7)

Arkansas had been ice-cold, but has officially awakened. After sweeping Alabama, Arkansas has now scored 44 runs in its last 5 games. The Hogs are tied for fourth in the league in runs scored in conference play and for a team that’s still hitting under .240 in conference, that’s a surprising figure. Keep getting the big hits against Georgia, as the Hogs did in Thursday’s 6-3 win and Arkansas can keep rolling. TJ Pompey being on a roll is certainly helpful.

5. Auburn (25-12, 8-8)

The Tigers won their series at Kentucky, but then dropped their opener with Florida to fall to .500 in league play. It’s a tough schedule the rest of the way for Auburn, and a mark above .500 would probably equate to an NCAA hosting gig.

4. Texas A&M (28-7, 9-5)

The Aggies won 2 against Texas, with weather cancelling the third. They have scored 8 or more runs in each of their last 7 games. A&M’s 6.94 ERA in conference play is the only reason it isn’t ranked even higher.

3. Texas (28-7, 9-5)

Back-to-back losses to A&M in which the Texas pitching staff gave up 20 runs drops the Horns down a bit. The offense is good, but pitching still needs to be the bread and butter of Texas for the Horns to succeed.

2. Florida (28-11, 10-6)

A week ago, I said Florida could jump into the league’s top 5. The Gators won their series at Georgia and then bested Auburn on Thursday, 6-3. Despite hitting .235 in conference play, Florida’s putting together some big hits. But a midweek loss to Bethune-Cookman (with 13 runs allowed) does suggest some pitching depth problems.

1. Georgia (30-9, 11-5)

That’s 3 losses in 4 SEC games after Thursday’s 6-3 loss to Arkansas. An ugly 12-10 win at East Tennessee State fell in the middle and suggests some pitching concerns for the Bulldogs. Arkansas could make the SEC even more interesting than it is with a couple more wins.

The post SEC Baseball Power Rankings, Week 10: Is anybody going to win? appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The “CoMo-inspired jerseys” — pictured below via a post on the Tigers’ X account — will be worn on April 21 during a non-conference game against SIU Edwardsville. The uniforms feature the city’s “CoMo” nickname on the chest.

April 21, in fact, will be “CoMo Day” at Taylor Stadium. The nonconferenc game will also feature a first pitch thrown by former NASCAR great Carl Edwards, a native of Columbia.

“What makes Mizzou a special place is that the university is at the center of the community. It was important as a program to recognize where the majority of our support comes from. We are truly excited for CoMo day at Taylor Stadium,” said Mizzou head coach Kerrick Jackson.

Before facing SIUE, the Tigers have a tough task in front of them as they visit Top 15 team Oklahoma for a three-game SEC series. Mizzou has lost three straight games and currently sits at 20-17 (3-12 SEC).

SIUE is 20-17 overall. But it’s currently tied with Eastern Illinois atop the OVC standings at 10-2.

First pitch from Taylor Field on Tuesday is set for 6 p.m. ET.

The post Mizzou baseball drops new ‘CoMo’ alternate uniforms appeared first on Saturday Down South.

We’re in Week 10 of the college baseball season and beginning the second half of conference play as we enter the sixth week of the SEC slate. After the first 5 weeks of conference action, the SEC is looking like it will be well-represented in the postseason once again. Ten SEC teams are currently ranked in the D1Baseball Top 25, and a few unranked squads are also projected to make the NCAA Tournament field of 64.

The SEC has claimed the last 6 national championships dating back to 2019. Will a conference team make it 7 in a row? Predict this year’s College World Series winner on Kalshi!

Prediction Markets

College Baseball D1 Champion?

Learn more about Prediction Markets

Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

The 8 series to be played Thursday-Saturday and Friday-Sunday feature some exciting matchups. We previewed the series and assigned them watchability ratings.

Auburn at Florida (Thursday-Saturday)

The Tigers head to Gainesville this weekend. Here’s what you need to know:

Auburn at a glance:

• Overall record: 25-11
• Road record: 3-4
• SEC record: 8-7
• Last SEC series: 2-1 vs. Kentucky
• RPI: No. 8

Florida at a glance:

• Overall record: 27-11
• Home record: 17-7
• SEC record: 9-6
• Last SEC series: 2-1 at Georgia
• RPI: No. 5

This should be a fun one in Gainesville. Series winners last week, Auburn and Florida both enter Thursday with notably higher RPIs (Nos. 5 and 8) than their top 25 rankings (No. 13 AU, No. 20 UF).

One of the most intriguing aspects about this matchup is that both teams are battle-tested. Auburn ranks No. 1 in strength of schedule, while Florida is right behind at No. 2. In addition to 5 weekends of SEC series, these teams have also faced notable nonconference opponents such as Florida State (Auburn, Florida), Georgia Tech (Auburn), Miami (Florida) and Nebraska (Auburn).

The big question is what to expect from Auburn on the road. AU is 3-4 in true road games, and those trips have varied between the SEC’s last-place team, Mizzou (3-0), and highly ranked Alabama (0-3) and Georgia Tech (0-1).

Florida is 17-7 at home this year, a solid mark but not without blemishes. One could say to ignore the midweek losses since the best starters are saved for the weekend, but most of Florida’s home losses are in weekend games against UAB (1), High Point (2) and Ole Miss (2).

Both teams are playing well in the SEC right now. Only one, though, can make it back-to-back series wins.

SDS watchability rating: Tape-measure power

Georgia at Arkansas (Thursday-Saturday)

The first-place Bulldogs head to Fayetteville trying to get back on track after losing last weekend’s series:

Georgia at a glance:

• Overall record: 30-8
• Road record: 6-1
• SEC record: 11-4
• Last SEC series: 1-2 vs. Florida
• RPI: No. 20

Arkansas at a glance:

• Overall record: 25-13
• Home record: 15-8
• SEC record: 8-7
• Last SEC series: 3-0 at Alabama
• RPI: No. 34

Georgia was (pardon the pun) top dog in the first half of SEC play. At 11-4, UGA is 2 wins ahead of anyone else. Wes Johnson’s team was also the first SEC squad to crack 30 wins on the year. Despite those feats, the Bulldogs enter this series in bounce-back mode.

Last weekend, Georgia dropped its first SEC series of the year when it was upset by Florida in Athens. Most surprising is that the Dawgs’ big bats were held homerless in their own ballpark.

Arkansas, on the other hand, made a statement with a sweep of a then-top-10 Alabama team in Tuscaloosa. The Razorbacks are looking to keep the momentum rolling and further extend a winning streak that has reached 5 games.

Despite UGA’s recent stumble, having the SEC leader come to Baum-Walker Stadium will still make for an electric atmosphere. The Hogs are solid at home (15-8), but the environment won’t faze the Bulldogs. Two weeks ago, UGA went into Dudy Noble Field and swept Mississippi State.

SDS watchability rating: Tape-measure power

Vanderbilt at Kentucky

One of these teams will be over .500 in league play at the end of the weekend:

Vanderbilt at a glance:

• Overall record: 22-16
• Road record: 2-5
• SEC record: 7-8
• Last SEC series: 1-2 vs. Oklahoma
• RPI: No. 94

Kentucky at a glance:

• Overall record: 25-10
• Home record: 16-3
• SEC record: 7-8
• Last SEC series: 1-2 at Auburn
• RPI: No. 19

It’s not every day you see 2 SEC teams have the same conference record and be 75 places apart in RPI. But that’s the case with Vanderbilt and Kentucky.

The Vandy Boys are having a tough time playing outside their home ballpark. Not only are the Commodores 2-5 in true road games, they also have a 1-5 record in trips to Arlington, Texas and Las Vegas for early-season neutral-site games. With such a weak RPI, Vanderbilt is currently off the NCAA Tournament radar in the last projections from D1Baseball and Baseball America.

Kentucky, meanwhile, is on track to make the field of 64 if the Wildcats can keep the current pace and finish above 13-17 in SEC play. It would probably take a particularly strong finish for UK to enter the hosting conversation, as Baseball America currently projects Kentucky as the No. 29 overall seed, well south of being in the top 16 to host a Regional.

The Bat Cats have an impressive home record of 16-3. Both teams are in bounce-back mode, and Vandy figures to be especially desperate.

SDS watchability rating: Seeing-eye single

Ole Miss at Tennessee

A pivotal series for both squads will take place on Rocky Top this weekend:

Ole Miss at a glance:

• Overall record: 27-11
• Road record: 3-5
• SEC record: 8-7
• Last SEC series: 3-0 vs. LSU
• RPI: No. 10

Tennessee at a glance:

• Overall record: 25-12
• Home record: 18-6
• SEC record: 7-8
• Last SEC series: 3-0 at Mississippi State
• RPI: No. 29

Prepare for fireworks whenever Ole Miss and Tennessee meet, especially on the diamond. Adding to this weekend’s fun is that both teams have turned things around and enter this series fresh off sweeps.

The Rebels didn’t get off to a great start in SEC play, standing at 3-6 after being swept in Oxford by rival Mississippi State. Since then, however, things have started to click.

Mike Bianco’s squad is one of the hottest teams in the conference, going 8-2 in its last 10 games. That recent hot streak includes going 5-1 against Florida and LSU, as well as a win over a ranked Southern Miss team.

What a difference a week makes for Tennessee. The Vols were 4-8 through 4 SEC series and looked to be in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament. Josh Elander’s team is back on track at 7-8 after a big sweep of Mississippi State at Dudy Noble Field.

Tennessee has a solid home record of 18-6, but the Vols went just 1-2 to LSU in the last series at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. The Rebels are 3-5 on the road, but will be playing with plenty of confidence after the recent series win at Florida.

SDS watchability rating: Over the wall

Mississippi State at South Carolina

Two programs trending in opposite directions after last weekend:

Mississippi State at a glance:

• Overall record: 27-10
• Road record: 5-3
• SEC record: 7-8
• Last SEC series: 0-3 vs. Tennessee
• RPI: No. 23

South Carolina at a glance:

• Overall record: 19-19
• Home record: 15-9
• SEC record: 5-10
• Last SEC series: 3-0 at Mizzou
• RPI: No. 75

It’s not often a team may find itself excited to hit the road, but that might be the case for Mississippi State. The Bulldogs started the year as one of the top SEC squads, but Brian O’Connor’s team is sitting in the middle of the pack and trending downward after back-to-back home sweeps.

Though things have been quite rough lately, there are plenty of reasons for MSU to avoid panicking just yet. Mississippi State has a strong overall record and solid RPI, so 7-8 through the first 15 SEC games is on track for the NCAA Tournament.

The Bulldogs, though, didn’t want to just make the tournament. They wanted to get back to Omaha this year, and that’s not looking very likely at the moment.

South Carolina fired Paul Mainieri in March after starting 0-4 in SEC play. The coaching change didn’t fix all of SC’s issues, however, as the Gamecocks are .500 overall and 5-10 in conference contests. Three of South Carolina’s 5 SEC wins notably this past weekend against Mizzou, the Gamecocks’ first 3 true road victories of the year. Is South Carolina figuring things out, or was it just a good time to face Mizzou?

Outside of the above fanbases, external interest in following the outcomes of this series around the conference may be limited to some morbid curiosity to see which team is struggling. One would expect Mississippi State to get back on track and take out some recent frustrations. If the Bulldogs drop a third consecutive series, it’s time to hit the panic button.

SDS watchability rating: Bloop single

Texas A&M at LSU

LSU is running out of time to start looking like the preseason No. 1 team:

Texas A&M at a glance:

• Overall record: 28-7
• Road record: 4-3
• SEC record: 9-5
• Last SEC series: 2-0 vs. Texas
• RPI: No. 13

LSU at a glance:

• Overall record: 23-15
• Home record: 17-8
• SEC record: 6-9
• Last SEC series: 0-3 vs. Ole Miss
• RPI: No. 65

Both Texas A&M and LSU begin every season with high expectations. Ten weeks into 2026, they find themselves moving in opposite directions entering the second half of conference play.

The Aggies got to remind Jim Schlossnagle of what the homefield advantage is like at Olsen Field. It was shortened to only 2 games thanks to the weather in College Station, but A&M made a statement heard around the league, sweeping the Longhorns 2-0.

Michael Earley’s team has only played 7 true road games so far this year, making it tricky to know what to expect from the Aggies in a hostile road environment. Texas A&M is 4-3 in road games, having lost 2 at Oklahoma, sweeping Mizzou in Columbia and dropping a midweek game to Texas State.

For LSU, the pressure is on. At 6-9 in SEC play, the Tigers aren’t far off from meeting the 13-17 mark traditionally needed to make the NCAA Tournament. But Jay Johnson’s squad probably needs a better SEC showing down the stretch than simply 7-8. LSU’s RPI is No. 65. The Tigers need some resume wins against quality opponents, like A&M.

Having one of the SEC’s top teams visit Alex Box Stadium never disappoints.

SDS watchability rating: Over the wall

Mizzou at Oklahoma

Can the Tigers steal a game in Norman?

Mizzou at a glance:

• Overall record: 20-17
• Road record: 3-6
• SEC record: 3-12
• Last SEC series: 0-3 vs. South Carolina
• RPI: No. 116

Oklahoma at a glance:

• Overall record: 24-12
• Home record: 14-5
• SEC record: 7-8
• Last SEC series: 2-1 at Vanderbilt
• RPI: No. 17

Mizzou is playing better in Kerrick Jackson’s first season, but the Tigers are still having a tough time. The series win over Kentucky in Lexington was very impressive, but far too many series are still ending in sweeps, like last weekend against South Carolina. At 3-12 in SEC play, Mizzou doesn’t look like an NCAA Tournament team, but the Tigers might play spoiler now and then.

As the conference record suggests, it’s been an up-and-down Year 2 in the SEC for the Sooners. After getting off to a solid start, Oklahoma had a rough two-week stretch, going 1-5 against Texas and Alabama. The series skid ended by taking 2-of-3 at Vanderbilt, a good way to bounce back.

With OU at No. 17 in RPI, a lot is in play for the Sooners over the last five SEC series. It should be a resume-boosting weekend for the Sooners.

SDS watchability rating: Bloop single

Alabama at Texas

Both of these teams were swept last weekend. Who will bounce back?

Alabama at a glance:

• Overall record: 27-11
• Road record: 5-6
• SEC record: 8-7
• Last SEC series: 0-3 vs. Arkansas
• RPI: No. 4

Texas at a glance:

• Overall record: 28-7
• Home record: 20-2
• SEC record: 9-5
• Last SEC series: 0-2 at Texas A&M
• RPI: No. 2

Alabama and Texas went a combined 0-5 last weekend – and they’re still both sitting top-5 in RPI as of Thursday morning.

The Crimson Tide started SEC play by getting swept at Kentucky. Then they won 8-of-9 their next 9 conference games against Florida, Auburn and Oklahoma. So, how will UA respond after being swept at home by Arkansas?

Texas has proven nearly impossible to beat in Austin with a 20-2 record at Disch-Falk Field this season. Only Ole Miss and Tarleton State have defeated the Longhorns on their home field. The Rebels needed 11 innings to secure a 1-run win (9-8). Tarleton State won in a midweek game, which SEC fans know can be a bit fluky.

Neither team has dropped back-to-back series in 2026, but it’s about to happen to one of them.

SDS watchability rating: Over the wall

RPI via Warren Nolan

The post SEC Baseball Preview: Watchability ratings for every Week 10 series (April 16-19) appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Let’s start at the top with Arkansas‘ TJ Pompey, who won SEC Player of the Week after helping Arkansas sweep Alabama. Pompey, a former freshman All-American with Texas Tech, recorded a pair of multi-hit games and recorded at least one hit in all three games. On top of that, Pompey drove in 4 runs and a team-high 6 RBIs.

Auburn‘s Alex Petrovic and South Carolina‘s Amp Phillips were named the SEC Co-Pitchers of the Week. Petrovic turned Auburn’s first complete game of the season while tossing 8 strikeouts in an 11-0, 7-inning win over Kentucky. The Tigers won the series over the Wildcats with a 2-1 record. Phillips, on the other hand, helped South Carolina in the Gamecocks’ weekend sweep of Missouri, throwing a season-high 10 strikeouts in a 1-0 win over the Tigers.

Then there’s Tennessee freshman Cam Appenzeller, who won SEC Freshman of the Week for his relief work in Game 1 against Mississippi State, a series that Tennessee went on to Sweep in Starkville. Appenzeller totaled 8 strikeouts in 5 innings and retains a perfect 5-0 record on the season.

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Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

The post SEC Baseball Players of the Week revealed for April 9-12 appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The SEC is as strong as ever. The conference has claimed the last 7 national champions, and it is set to have numerous postseason contenders again this June. But before Omaha, and even before the SEC Tournament in Hoover, what about the regular-season conference title?

Here’s where the 16 SEC teams stack up in the standings after 5 weeks of conference play:

• Georgia — 11-4 SEC (29-8 overall)
• Texas A&M — 9-5 (27-7)
• Texas — 9-5 (27-7)
• Florida — 9-6 (27-10)
• Alabama — 8-7 (26-11)
• Ole Miss — 8-7 (26-11)
• Auburn — 8-7 (24-11)
• Arkansas — 8-7 (24-13)
• Mississippi State — 7-8 (26-10)
• Kentucky — 7-8 (25-10)
• Oklahoma — 7-8 (24-11)
• Tennessee — 7-8 (24-12)
• Vanderbilt — 7-8 (21-16)
• LSU — 6-9 (22-15)
• South Carolina — 5-10 (18-19)
• Mizzou — 3-12 (20-17)

Will an SEC team win it all in Omaha? Make a College World Series prediction today at Kalshi!

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UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

Top Takeaways of the Week

Here are the biggest takeaways we had from last week in the SEC:

Tennessee turnaround

There’s still a long way to go, but if Tennessee is packing its bags for Omaha in June, this past weekend will likely be remembered as the point in the season in which Josh Elander’s team turned things around.

The Vols were having a rough go in things in the first 4 weeks of SEC play, standing at 4-8. Baseball America wasn’t even projecting UT to make the NCAA Tournament field entering the weekend. Things have changed in a significant way.

A sweep of the top-10 Mississippi State Bulldogs in Starkville is a big deal. Yes, the Diamond Dogs are struggling mightily with back-to-back home sweeps, suffering the same fate against Georgia last week. Still, going into Dudy Noble Field and leaving 3-0 is no small feat.

At 7-8 in conference play, Tennessee is firmly in the middle of the pack in the SEC standings. But, most importantly, it’s safe to say the Vols are solidly in the NCAA Tournament picture with a much-improved outlook entering the second half of the SEC grind.

Sully’s still got it

Kevin O’Sullivan turned some heads when he made an adjustment to the weekend rotation, rarely seen in his long tenure as Florida’s head coach. O’Sullivan moved Aidan King to the Friday night “ace” spot and pushed veteran starter Liam Peterson to the Saturday No. 2 spot.

King proved his skipper right by facing the minimum through 6 perfect innings. Don’t let the 8-2 final score discount the impact of King’s stellar outing. It was a 1-0 game through the first 6. The Gator bats didn’t really get going until the 7th inning. King ended up pitching into the 8th, allowing 2 earned runs against the SEC’s top team.

O’Sullivan also could not have asked for a better response from Peterson. Again, don’t let the final score fool you (5-1 Georgia), Peterson pitched a career-high 7 innings, allowing only 1 run in a no-decision for him. UGA scored its 4 runs in the 8th inning against UF relievers Cooper Walls and Caden McDonald.

If King and Peterson can consistently give these kinds of performances, they’ll be a 1-2 punch that has UF competing for the SEC title, and more, over the next few weeks.

Pressure’s on for LSU

As has been clear all year, this is not the same LSU team from last year. That much was obvious before SEC play, as the defending national champions had some surprising midweek stumbles.

Last year, LSU went 53-15 to win the College World Series. This year, the Tigers are 22-15 with 5 weekends of SEC play remaining.

Jay Johnson’s team is 6-9 in conference contests. That’s 1 game off the desired 13-17 pace for making the NCAA Tournament, but no one is going to sound the alarm just yet.

LSU has been here before. In 2024 — coming off a national championship season — the Tigers were 3-12 through their first 15 SEC games. Their record was also 22-15 overall.

The good news is the ’24 Tigers turned it around and finished 13-17 in regular-season play. They even stayed hot and went 4-1 in the SEC Tournament. The bad news is that that team did not make it out of the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, falling to North Carolina in the Chapel Hill Regional.

Right now, obviously, it’s too early for LSU to be worrying about NCAA Tournament Regionals. LSU’s RPI is 74 with 5 Quad 4 losses. The Bayou Bengals need to add some SEC wins to that tournament resume.

The (abbreviated) Lone Star Showdown delivers

Last year, Jim Schlossnagle led Texas to 3 one-run wins over Texas A&M (2-1, 3-2, 6-5). As bad as those losses stung the Aggies, the A&M faithful were still as excited as ever about hosting the Lone Star Showdown as an SEC series and offering their former coach a hostile return to College Station.

We all saw the screenshots; Texas vs. Texas A&M was the hottest ticket in college baseball this past weekend. Mother Nature, however, didn’t cooperate, and we were only treated to 2 out of 3 games. The delay got to be so late on Sunday that social media reports indicated tickets were not going to be needed to enter Blue Bell Park on Sunday night. Unfortunately, the weather never allowed the game to begin before the 10 p.m. cutoff for first pitch.

Instead, we got 2 games of Jim Schlossnagle’s much-anticipated return to Olsen Field. Coaching in the visitor’s dugout, Schlossnagle found his team on the losing end of both games. Game 1 was 9-8 in Texas A&M’s favor. The Aggies took the series with a lopsided 11-4 victory in Saturday’s Game 2.

Texas entered the weekend having won its first 4 SEC series of 2026. With the Aggies taking 2 from the Longhorns, the Lone Star State rivals are now all knotted up at 9-5 in conference play, good for second in the SEC standings, and 27-7 overall.

Here’s hoping for Game 3 in the SEC Tournament, or a Super Regional, or Omaha. Make it happen, baseball gods.

The post Halfway home: SEC baseball standings, takeaways after 5 weeks of conference play appeared first on Saturday Down South.

After losses to Bethune-Cookman and Ole Miss, LSU finds itself ranked outside the Top 25. They will have a chance to bounce back this week with a single game against Northwestern State and a series against Texas A&M.

Here are the 10 SEC teams ranked in D1Baseball’s Top 25:

• No. 4 Texas Longhorns
• No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs
• No. 10 Texas A&M Aggies
• No. 11 Alabama Crimson Tide
• No. 13 Auburn Tigers
• No. 14 Oklahoma Sooners
• No. 16 Arkansas Razorbacks
• No. 17 Mississippi State Bulldogs
• No. 20 Florida Gators
• No. 25 Ole Miss Rebels

There were only two SEC teams to have a perfect 4-0 week. Both Arkansas and Ole Miss went undefeated in the week prior. Arkansas took down Little Rock 7-0 on Tuesday and then swept Alabama over the weekend. The Razorbacks outscored the Crimson Tide 25-13 over the course of the series.

Ole Miss picked up a win over Alcorn State on Tuesday and took that momentum into the weekend as they swept LSU. They outscored the Tigers 26-12 over the course of the series.

Will the SEC keep its Omaha streak going? Predict the college baseball national champion today at Kalshi!

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Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

The post D1Baseball Top 25: 10 SEC teams ranked after Week 9 appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Sunday’s Game 3 will not be made up, meaning Texas A&M’s 2 wins will now be considered a sweep for the 2026 regular-season Lone Star Showdown series.

Dear fans, today’s game has been canceled and will not be rescheduled. Your Fightin' Texas Aggies have secured another point in the restored Cotton Holdings Lone Star Showdown Rivalry. Thank you for your loyalty and Gig ‘Em pic.twitter.com/aCgVG71hrS

— Texas A&M Baseball (@AggieBaseball) April 13, 2026

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Kirk Bohls of the Houston Chronicle shared some comments from Texas coach Jim Schlossnagle after the game was officially canceled. He said the Longhorns were disappointed not to get another shot at Texas A&M, but acknowledged the effort that was made to play the third game.

“The A&M administration and field crew did an outstanding job of attempting to find windows around the lightning and impending weather. The SEC rule is you can’t start a game after 10 pm so we basically exhausted every option and ran out of time,” Schlossnagle said.

— Kirk Bohls (@kbohls) April 13, 2026

“Obviously a disappointing weekend for us,” Texas coach Jim Schlossnagle said. “0ur guys were looking forward to playing in that atmosphere again. The Aggies outplayed us in every way in the two games, and we look forward to getting back on the field Tuesday.”

— Kirk Bohls (@kbohls) April 13, 2026

Texas A&M returns to action on Tuesday when the Aggies host Houston. Michael Earley’s team will then go on the road to play LSU Friday-Sunday.

Texas next plays Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Tuesday. The Longhorns host Alabama in SEC play Friday-Sunday.

Will these teams be going to Omaha? Kalshi is taking action on predictions to win it all!

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Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

The post Texas A&M vs. Texas series finale canceled due to weather appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The Rebels didn’t wait to start the scoring action. Ole Miss put up 2 runs in the bottom of the first inning. Mike Bianco’s squad scored in 3 of the first 4 frames, leading 7-0 after a 4-run 4th. The Tigers, though, weren’t going away quietly.

RELATED: LSU pulls SP early as Ole Miss threatens weekend sweep in Oxford

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Ole Miss starter Taylor Rabe had not given up a hit through the first 6 innings. He returned for the 7th inning, but his final line shows only 6 IP. LSU chased Rabe by breaking up the no-no with back-to-back solo homers by Derek Curiel and Cade Arrambide.

Bianco pulled Rabe, bringing on Wil Libbert. The pitcher changed, but the result remained the same. Jake Brown continued the solo home run parade, cutting it to 7-3.

Libbert gave up back-to-back singles. He then notched 2 outs, but gave up a 2-RBI single to Brayden Simpson, as LSU cut it to 7-5.

It was time for another, as Ole Miss turned to Hudson Calhoun in relief of Libbert. Calhoun gave up back-to-back singles and had the tying run score on a wild pitch to make it 7-7 before recording the third out of the inning.

After the stretch, it was a whole new ball game at 7-7. Ole Miss grabbed the lead back on a 1-out RBI single to left field by Brayden Randle.

Randle with the RBI pic.twitter.com/ltX9Thilyt

— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) April 12, 2026

Calhoun, the winning pitcher, tossed a scoreless 8th. Bianco turned to Walter Hooks for the 9th, and he did not allow a baserunner, ending the game on back-to-back strikeouts.

Will LSU figure things out and get it going? Can Ole Miss keep things rolling? Kalshi is taking early action on predictions to win the College World Series!

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Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

The post Ole Miss wins wild series finale to complete sweep of LSU appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Dave Van Horn used 4 pitchers in the rubber game. Alabama scored its 2 runs off of Arkansas starter Tate McGuire in the 2nd and 3rd innings. McGuire finished with a line of 3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER.

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The Hogs trailed 2-0 at the end of the 3rd inning. They wouldn’t score until the 6th inning. Fortunately for Arkansas, the bullpen did its job.

Parker Coil tossed 2 scoreless innings to keep it 2-0 through the fifth. Then the Razorbacks broke through at the plate. Arkansas scored its first run of the day on Maika Niu’s sacrifice fly to plate Ryder Helfrick.

Hogs on the board! pic.twitter.com/DFn3QaA3dp

— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) April 12, 2026

That was all for Arkansas in the 6th inning. The Razorbacks tied it up in the 7th with an RBI single by Nolan Souza.

NOLAN SOUZA. TIE BALLGAME. pic.twitter.com/mZh3wlIiUv

— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) April 12, 2026

The Hogs scored in their third consecutive inning with Camden Kozeal’s RBI double to make it 3-2.

Camden ALWAYS Clutch pic.twitter.com/R2xRIQf3Fc

— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) April 12, 2026

Gabe Gaeckle was the game’s winning pitcher for his 2 scoreless frames before the lead change. Ethan McElvain picked up a 6-out save by sending the Tide 6 up, 6 down through the 8th and the 9th.

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Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

The post No. 22 Arkansas completes sweep of No. 8 Alabama in Tuscaloosa appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The Bulldogs dropped Friday’s opener 6-5 as the Volunteers broke a 3-3 tie with three runs in the top of the 8th. On Saturday, they found themselves in a 3-0 hole in the 2nd before falling 6-2.

On Sunday, as was the case in the first two games, Mississippi State was forced to play from behind, trailing 2-0 after one. The Bulldogs found the scoreboard in the bottom of the 4th on a sacrifice groundout to make it 2-1, but Henry Ford’s sac grounder and Blake Grimmer’s RBI single put Tennessee up 5-1 in the sixth. Reed Stallman cut it to 5-2 in the 7th on an RBI single before a pair of Volunteer runs in the 9th put the game out of reach.

The Bulldogs were held to six hits on the day, thanks in part to Evan Blanco. The senior left-hander picked up the win behind 6.2 strong innings, yielding two runs on five hits while striking out six and walking none. Charlie Forster was tagged with the loss after allowing four runs on four hits with five strikeouts and a walk in 5.1 innings.

Mississippi State and Tennessee return to action on Tuesday. The Bulldogs head to Birmingham to face Samford while the Volunteers (24-12, 7-8 SEC) host UNC Asheville.

Which team will end up as the 2026 College World Series champion? Kalshi is taking action on who will be lifting the trophy in Omaha in June.

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Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

The post No. 9 Mississippi State swept for second straight series, fall to Tennessee at home appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The Gators, who won Friday’s first game 8-2 before falling 5-1 on Saturday, got off to a quick start on Sunday.

Ethan Surowiec’s three-run home run made it 3-0 in the top of the first before the Dawgs scored a pair in the bottom half to make it 3-2. Florida responded with two of their own as Hayden Yost and Kyle Jones homered in the top of the second to put the Gators up 5-2, but Georgia knotted it up with three runs during its turn at bat.

A six-run third, though, was the difference for Florida. The Gators took a 6-5 lead thanks to a bases-loaded walk by Georgia pitcher Jordan Stephens before he hit Jones with a pitch to make it 7-5. Brendan Lawson (double) and Surowiec (single) then blew it open with back-to-back two-RBI hits as the lead swelled to 11-5.

Yost made it 13-5 in the fourth with his second home run of the afternoon. Georgia scored two in the 8th to complete the scoring.

Both teams are back in action on Tuesday for midweek affairs. Florida returns to Gainesville to face Bethune-Cookman. Georgia will stay home as it hosts ETSU.

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Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

The post Florida hands No. 4 Georgia first series loss of 2026 appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The Tigers, in the midst of a disappointing season (by their standards) a year after winning the College World Series – they’re 22-14 and 6-8 in league play in 2026 — had hoped to avoid their first sweep in conference play after dropping the first two. They turned to Grant Fontenot, who held a 1.50 ERA in 12.0 innings across 10 appearances.

Fontenot didn’t get out of the first inning. In fact, he lasted just five batters. After allowing a single, Fontenot got an out on a sacrifice grounder by Tristan Bissetta. He then walked Judd Utermark before back-to-back singles made it a 2-0 game and marked the end of the line for the right-hander.

Jay Johnson’s quick hook in this one was understandable given that it was just Fontenot’s second start of the season. We’ll see if things settle down for LSU or if the Rebels, who have already taken the series, can secure their first sweep of SEC play.

Can LSU turn things around and repeat as champs in Omaha? Or will another team hoist the trophy? Kalshi is taking action on predictions!

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College Baseball D1 Champion?

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Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

The post LSU pulls SP early as Ole Miss threatens weekend sweep in Oxford appeared first on Saturday Down South.

On Saturday, A&M took the series.

A rain delay in the bottom of the first didn’t dampen the mood, but only the Aggies were simply too hot to handle. A 2-RBI double from Bear Harrison and a bases-clearing triple from Gavin Grahovac in the bottom of the opening inning gave No. 18 Texas A&M an 8-1 lead over No. 2 Texas. The Aggies got 2 more across in the sixth to win 11-4 in a game that Texas never managed to threaten.

Texas starting pitcher Luke Harrison earned just 2 outs before his day was over. A&M’s Gavin Lyons earned his fifth win of the season with 4.1 innings of 1-run ball. Lyons fanned 5 while giving up just 3 hits.

Entering the weekend, Texas boasted the best ERA in the SEC. A&M has now put 20 runs on 16 hits on the Longhorns’ pitching staff through the first 2 games of the series.

The Aggies (27-7, 9-5 SEC) will go for the series sweep on Sunday. A&M is now 21-3 at home on the season.

The Longhorns (27-7, 9-5) had not yet lost a series in SEC play prior to the weekend. Arkansas (May 1-3, 2025) was the last SEC team to secure a series sweep against Jim Schlossnagle and his bunch.

First pitch on Sunday is set for 2 p.m. ET.

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College Baseball D1 Champion?

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Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

The post Texas A&M hammers No. 2 Texas, claims series win appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Texas starter Ruger Riojas was serenaded/tormented with “Ball Five” and “Ball Six” chants from the 7,664 that packed Blue Bell Park in College Station on Friday night as he struggled to find his control early in Game 1 of a pivotal SEC series between the second-ranked Longhorns and 18^th-ranked Aggies.

Aggies traditions are like nothing else. Check out the scene below:

Riojas issued a four-pitch walk to Nico Partida to put Aggies on first and second with no outs in the second inning when the ruckus began – and continued – with Terrence Kiel II at the plate. Riojas finally found the strike zone after five straight misses, as Kiel was able to lay down a bunt and move the runners to second and third.

Riojas was further able to master the situation, getting Jorian Wilson to strike out swinging and Bear Harrison to fly out to left to avoid any damage.

Texas A&M (26-7 overall, 8-5 SEC) was able to hold off a late Longhorns rally to earn a 9-8 victory over Texas (26-7, 9-4) in a pivotal SEC series opener. The Aggies look to clinch the series in Game 2 on Saturday (3 pm ET, ESPN2).

Prediction Markets

College Baseball D1 Champion?

Learn more about Prediction Markets

Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

The post Texas A&M fans torment Texas pitcher with incredible ‘ball 5’ chant appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The Aggies (26-7 overall, 8-5 SEC) can earn a series victory in Saturday’s second game (3 pm ET, ESPN2). The Longhorns (27-6, 9-4) have not dropped an SEC series yet this season.

Nico Partida was 2-for-2 with a solo homer and 2 runs scored for Texas A&M, while Gavin Grahovac doubled, tripled, scored twice and drove in 2 runs.

Aiden Robbins went 3-for-5 with 2 home runs and 3 RBIs for Texas, and both Anthony Pack Jr. and Carson Tinney hit solo homers in the ninth inning and each drove in 2 runs for Texas.

Texas A&M did its most damage in the sixth inning, scoring 2 runs on a pair of base-loaded walks and a third on a Grahovac sacrifice fly.

Ethan Darden (3-0) earned the victory on the mound for the Aggies, throwing 2 innings of relief pitching after starter Shane Sdao struck out 6 Longhorns in 4 innings. Clayton Freshcorn pitched the final 3 innings to pick up his 7th save. Texas reliever Haiden Leffew (2-1) absorbed the loss.

The post Texas A&M baseball outlasts rival Texas to take Game 1, 9-8 appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The Volunteers took Game 1 in Starkville on Friday night, downing the No. 9 Mississippi State Bulldogs by a score of 6-5. Tennessee used a strong 8th inning to push its lead to 6-3, seeing Garrett Wright and Nate Eisfelder both drive in runs with a pair of singles. Levi Clark also drove in a run, beating an attempted double play that would have ended the inning.

Standout pitcher Cam Appenzeller posted another strong relief appearance to slam the door shut, improving his W/L record to 5-0 in the process. He gave up a solo shot in the 9th to keep things interesting, but was still able to put Mississippi State to bed with the final out, seen below:

Tennessee has not fared well in SEC play this season, especially in Game 1s. The Vols were 1-3 in Game 1s heading into Friday’s matchup and boast just one series win on the season. Tennessee previously fell to Georgia, LSU and Vanderbilt with their lone series victory coming against Missouri.

Of course, the Vols will look to claim another series win on Saturday against the Bulldogs. First pitch for Game 2 of the series is set for 7 p.m. ET Saturday night from Dudy Noble Field. The game will be available for streaming on SEC Network+.

Prediction Markets

College Baseball D1 Champion?

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Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

The post Tennessee holds off Mississippi State to take Game 1 in Starkville, 6-5 appeared first on Saturday Down South.

It was a tight ballgame in Athens through the first 6 innings. Florida broke the scoring ice in the top of the 1st, taking advantage of 2 Georgia errors. The Gators, however, left the bases loaded, and it remained a 1-0 game until the top of the 7th.

It was the 7th inning when the Gators busted it open at Foley Field. Georgia starter Volchko went 6 innings, allowing 1 unearned run on2 hits and 2 walks, striking out 7. UF was glad to face a new pitcher, and the bats got going, teeing off on Paul Farley (0.2 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 1 BB).

It all started with nine-hole hitter Kolt Myers reaching on the third Bulldog error of the night. The bags were juiced when Karson Bowen singled to right field, plating Myers. Blake Cyr opened things up with a 3-run double to clear the bases, making it a 5-0 game.

Blake Cyr CLEARS EM

5-0 Florida leads Georgia in Athens pic.twitter.com/2BESgqhc3o

— 11Point7 College Baseball (@11point7) April 10, 2026

Cyr came home on a Stripling home run that made it 7-0. Cole Stanford got in on the big inning with a solo shot of his own, extending the lead to 8-0.

LANDO LIFTOFF

SECN+ pic.twitter.com/VqziCpXy4A

— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) April 10, 2026

CLE WRLD

SECN+ pic.twitter.com/FoNlr0WAho

— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) April 11, 2026

O’Sullivan’s decision to move Aidan King to the Friday night “ace” spot in the rotation proved to be the right call. King was perfect through the first 6 innings. His first baserunner came when the leadoff hitter singled to start the 7th. In the 8th, Georgia chased King by scoring 2 runs on 1 hit and 2 walks.

King finished with a final line of 7.2 innings, 2 hits, 2 earned runs, 6 strikeouts and 2 walks. He allowed only 1 extra-base hit while tossing 107 pitches, a season high.

O’Sullivan turned to Ricky Reeth to finish it out after King’s exit. Reeth recorded the final 4 outs on 25 pitches, allowing 1 hit and 1 walk.

The Gators and Dawgs will be back at it on Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for noon ET, with the game airing on ESPN2.

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College Baseball D1 Champion?

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Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

The post Florida uses big inning, stellar outing from Aidan King to take series opener from No. 4 Georgia appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Heading into Friday, no fewer than 10 SEC teams have between 5 and 7 conference wins. Baseball America forecasts no fewer than a dozen SEC teams making it into the NCAA Tournament.

But here’s our weekly try to sort the unsortable — SEC Baseball Power Rankings, heading into the weekend that will set the midpoint of the conference slate.

16. Mizzou (20-15 overall, 3-10 in SEC)

Just when the Tigers had momentum off a series win over Kentucky and were poised to climb out of the cellar, they dropped the series opener to South Carolina on Wednesday. Win the next 2, and we’ll move the Tigers up.

15. South Carolina (16-19, 3-10)

The series-opening win over Texas was a nice moment — as was the series-opening win over Mizzou. But that .198 batting average in conference play makes wins hard to snag.

14. Tennessee (21-12, 4-8)

Tennessee seemed poised to climb off the scrap heap with a series win over an LSU team that was struggling almost as much as the Vols. But a bunch of big hits later, it’s safe to wonder if Tennessee will miss the NCAA Tournament. There’s not been anything exceptional about this team, except for an ability to lose leads late.

13. Kentucky (24-8, 6-6)

Since sweeping Alabama to open SEC play, Kentucky has struggled mightily, including dropping a series to Mizzou. A mid-week win over Louisville was a good sign, but Auburn will likely drop the Wildcats below .500 in conference play.

12. Oklahoma (22-11, 5-8)

OU is just 1-6 in its last 7 SEC games after giving up 10 runs to Vandy on Thursday. That will raise the 6.17 ERA in conference play heading into Thursday’s game even higher.

11. Arkansas (21-13, 5-7)

Arkansas is somehow also 1-6 in its last 7 SEC games. Suddenly, this weekend’s series at Alabama looks key to sticking around, even in the middle of the SEC pack. The Hogs need to improve on a .224 average in conference play.

10. Vanderbilt (21-14, 7-6)

Vanderbilt is making strides, opening the weekly slate with a win over Oklahoma. With 30 homers in 13 SEC games, Vandy tops the conference hitting numbers for power — which is an interesting contrast over days gone by and winning with small ball. Vandy opened this week unranked, but with a series win, it should climb back into the top 25.

9. Ole Miss (23-11, 5-7)

Ole Miss was reeling, but picked up a solid series win over Florida. Giving up only 8 runs over the 3 games was a good sign. The talented pitching staff can fight, but a .212 team average in SEC play shows a squad badly needing an injection of offense against LSU this weekend.

8. LSU (22-12, 6-6)

We’re climbing back off the ledge on LSU. A pair of series wins with some thunderous hitting could be a game-changer. The Tigers have scored double-digit runs in 4 of their last 6 games. Cade Arrambide’s 4-homer game is one for the ages. Keep that up and LSU will keep climbing.

7. Florida (25-9, 7-5)

Dropping a series to Ole Miss hurt a bit, but a mid-week win over Florida State was solid. The pitching will have to be strong at Georgia, but Florida could hop into the league’s top 5 with a series win.

Prediction Markets

College Baseball D1 Champion?

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Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

6. Auburn (22-10, 6-6)

A series win over Arkansas might have gotten the Tigers trending upward again. Getting run-ruled by Jacksonville State midweek wasn’t great, but Kentucky gives Auburn a shot at getting above .500 in the league again. Don’t look for many homers though — the Tigers’ 6 in SEC play is last in the conference (and UK isn’t much higher with 10).

5. Texas A&M (25-7, 7-5)

After dropping the opener with Vandy, Texas A&M won the last 2 games by a 20-4 combined score. With 118 runs in 12 SEC games, A&M is 21 runs ahead of second-place Vandy (which has played 1 more conference game). Caden Sorrell could win the SEC triple crown. If the pitching can hold, the Aggies are in good shape.

4. Mississippi State (26-7, 7-5)

The bad news is that Mississippi State was swept by Georgia. But the good news is that the losses came by a total of only 6 runs. State’s pitching staff leads the SEC with 144 strikeouts in conference action, and a home set with Tennessee should see MSU back on track.

3. Alabama (26-8, 8-4)

Since getting swept by Kentucky to open SEC play, Alabama is 8-1. Against an Arkansas team that is trending the wrong way, the era of good feelings may continue in Tuscaloosa. Holding SEC hitters to a .208 mark is a promising sign.

2. Texas (27-5, 9-3)

After losing 9-1 to Carolina, Texas bounced back strong to hang a game behind Georgia in the SEC race. The Longhorns’ 18 stolen bases in SEC play is third in the conference, and with a pitching staff with the conference’s best ERA (3.25 in conference play), that will certainly help things out. Dylan Volantis and Ruger Riojas could spell trouble for NCAA opponents soon.

1. Georgia (28-6, 10-2)

A sweep of Mississippi State was impressive. A 28-3 win over Presbyterian made it 8 consecutive victories for UGA. Georgia’s 98 team homers are amazing, but only 25 of those have come in SEC play. With 4 hitters already with a dozen homers, it figures that a series with Florida could see some more long balls.

The post SEC Baseball Power Rankings, Week 9: Georgia stays strong, Texas rebounds appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Here are the projections:

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• Texas — Austin Regional host, No. 2 overall seed
• Georgia — Athens Regional host, No. 4 overall seed
• Mississippi State — Starkville Regional host, No. 8 overall seed
• Alabama — Tuscaloosa Regional host, No. 9 overall seed
• Auburn — Auburn Regional host, No. 10 overall seed
• Texas A&M — College Station Regional host, No. 12 overall seed
• Oklahoma — Norman Regional host, No. 15 overall seed
• Florida — Los Angeles Regional 2-seed, No. 19 overall (No. 14 USC host)
• Arkansas — Hattiesburg Regional 2-seed, No. 20 overall (No. 13 Southern Miss host)
• Ole Miss — Atlanta Regional 2-seed, No. 30 overall (No. 3 Georgia Tech host)
• LSU — Westwood Regional 2-seed, No. 32 overall (No. 1 UCLA host)
• Kentucky — Orlando Regional 3-seed (No. 16 UCF host)
• Vanderbilt — First Four Out

One thing that sticks out about 2026 projections is that national seedings extend beyond the 16 Regional hosts. This year, the NCAA selection committee will assign national seeds to the top 32 teams, helping dictate the Regional matchups. For example, LSU is the No. 32 national seed in the Baseball America projections. The Tigers, as such, would be the 2-seed in the Westwood Regional, hosted by projected No. 1 national seed UCLA.

Kentucky is the only SEC team projected to make the field and be a Regional’s 3-seed outside the top 32. Vanderbilt is notably in the First Four Out pool, while Tennessee, South Carolina and Missouri are even further outside the tournament picture at the moment.

Will the SEC keep its Omaha streak going? Predict this year’s college baseball national champion at Kalshi!

Prediction Markets

College Baseball D1 Champion?

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Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

The post Baseball America projects 12 SEC teams to make 2026 NCAA Tournament, 7 Regional hosts appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Aidan King is sliding into the Friday night spot, typically when power conference teams throw their ace. Liam Peterson, who had been the Friday night starter, is sliding to Saturday. The Gator Diamond Pod was first to report the rotation change. It has also been reported by On3 and Gator Country.

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Rotation Change

Fri – King
Sat- Peterson
Sun-Sandefer

— Gator Diamond Pod (@GatorDiamondPod) April 8, 2026

A sophomore right-hander from Jacksonville, King had a sensational freshman season and has continued to be Florida’s top hurler in 2026. Last year, King was named a first-team Freshman All-American by numerous publications and selected for the SEC All-Freshman Team after posting a 2.58 ERA over 73.1 innings in 17 appearances, including 12 weekend starts.

King’s 2026 stats make him the clear ace on the staff. In 8 starts, King has thrown 39 innings, allowing just 7 earned runs on 31 hits, striking out 41 while walking 9. He has an ERA of 1.62 entering Friday’s showdown at No. 4 Georgia.

Peterson, a junior, has also made 8 starts. He has a 4.03 ERA over 38 IP, with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 62-to-25.

In the Ole Miss series, Peterson posted a line of 3.2 IP, allowing 3 earned runs on 6 hits while striking out 7 and walking 3. King tossed 7 shutout innings against the Rebels, allowing 4 hits and no walks while striking out 8.

Florida at Georgia is a Friday-Sunday series in Athens. Last weekend, the Gators stumbled, dropping 2-of-3 to Ole Miss. They take some momentum to UGA, however, after picking up an impressive road win at No.5 Florida State on Tuesday night in Tallahassee.

Prediction Markets

College Baseball D1 Champion?

Learn more about Prediction Markets

Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

The post Kevin O’Sullivan reportedly shuffles Florida’s rotation ahead of series at No. 4 Georgia appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The Tigers, immediately after posting a solid series victory over the Tennessee Volunteers, fell to Bethune-Cookman on Tuesday by a score of 10-7. LSU gave up 5 runs in the 7th inning and couldn’t punch back, giving Bethune-Cookman its best win of the season to date.

Here’s a look at the final out of Tuesday night’s stunner:

As alluded to above, LSU actually led for the majority of this game until things completely broke down in the 7th inning. The Wildcats drove in a single to score a run, then LSU walked 2 batters with bases loaded. A fielding error drove in 2 more runs immediately following for a grand total of 5 runs in a single inning.

With the win, Bethune-Cookman is now 23-10 on the season while LSU sits at 22-12. The Tigers will play a 3-game series against Ole Miss in Oxford starting Friday.

“It’s a tough loss tonight, there’s no getting around that,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said after the game. “Our players brought enthusiasm to the field tonight and competed hard. We had a really tough seventh inning; the difference in the game was our inability to control the strike zone on both sides of the ball in that seventh inning.”

The post No. 24 LSU falls to Bethune-Cookman in stunning midweek loss appeared first on Saturday Down South.

On Monday morning, Baseball America unveiled its updated top-25 following an eventful weekend on the diamond. UCLA, which is on a 23-game winning streak, took the No. 1 overall spot just ahead of Texas.

There are 5 SEC teams in the top-10, led by the Longhorns. Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi State and Auburn also made the top-10. No other conference has more than 3 teams in this week’s top-10.

Elsewhere in the top-25, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Florida and Arkansas all remain ranked, giving the SEC a total of 9 programs in Baseball America’s new rankings. Here’s a look:

Although Texas leads all SEC teams in this poll, Georgia currently has the SEC’s best record. The Bulldogs are 10-2 in conference play, one game ahead of the Longhorns at 9-3. Only one other program, Alabama (8-4), has an SEC record better than 7-5 so far this season.

Georgia is coming off of a huge sweep on the road at Mississippi State this past weekend. Next up is another ranked opponent, Florida, this weekend after a mid-week game vs. Presbyterian.

Here’s a look at the latest College World Series odds on Kalshi:

Prediction Markets

College Baseball D1 Champion?

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Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

The post Baseball America includes 9 SEC teams in updated top-25 ranking appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The LSU catcher hit four home runs — including a grand slam in extra innings — as the visiting Tigers used a 10-run 12th to defeat Tennessee 16-6 and take two out of three from the Volunteers.

With the game tied at 6 in the top of the 12th, Steven Milam’s RBI single with no one out gave LSU a 7-6 lead. After Trent Caraway was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out, Arrambide hit a booming grand slam off the top of the Lindsey Nelson Stadium scoreboard to make it 11-6. He became the first Division 1 player since 2019 to hit four home runs in a single game.

That put the game well out of reach, with Milam’s two-run homer finishing off a 10-run inning that saw the Tigers send 13 men to the plate.

Tennessee scored five runs in the 3rd to take a 5-0 lead, the big blow coming on a two-out grand slam by Blaine Brown. Arrambide led off the top of the fifth with a solo shot to make it 5-1. In the 7th, he joined Josh Pearson and Seth Dardar in going deep on three straight at-bats as LSU pulled within 5-4.

After Jake Brown’s two-out hit tied it at 5 in the top of the 9th, Arrambide’s third homer of the game in the 11th was matched by a Levi Clark RBI sacrifice fly in the bottom half to make it 6-6. But the Tigers’ 10-spot in the 12th, capped by Arrambide’s slam and Milam’s two-run shot, put them ahead for good and sent them to back-to-back series wins.

LSU improved to 22-11 overall with the win and 6-6 in SEC play. Tennessee dropped to 20-12 for the year and 4-8 in conference action.

The post Cade Arrambide hits 4 homers as LSU wins thrilling rubber match vs. Tennessee appeared first on Saturday Down South.

It happened in the top of the ninth against Tennessee on Sunday, with both teams splitting the first two games of the weekend set. The host Volunteers held a 5-4 lead with one out and Cade Arrambide at the plate. That’s when Vols lefty Brandon Arvidson, on a 0-2 count, threw what appeared to be a clear ball. But after a lengthy delay — about three seconds, in fact — the umpire called Arrambide out looking.

Arrambide was stunned. LSU head coach Jay Johnson wasn’t just stunned. He was flat out furious. And, inevitably, he was ejected, although even Tennessee fans would agree that they caught a massive break on this one.

Here’s the video:

The Tigers ultimately tied it with two outs, sending it to extra innings. But it’s been a disappointing season for them by their standards. After winning the College World Series in 2025, LSU received a No. 1 preseason ranking in the USA TODAY, Perfect Game, and NCBWA polls.

Following an 11-1 start, though, the Tigers had a rough March, losing six of eight at one point while dropping two of three against Vanderbilt and Oklahoma to open their SEC slate. While things have improved in recent weeks, LSU needs to up the ante if it’s to return to Omaha this spring.

The post LSU coach Jay Johnson ejected for arguing horrendous strike 3 call vs. Tennessee appeared first on Saturday Down South.

One of the biggest showdowns of the weekend was the 3 game set between the No. 2-ranked Texas Longhorns and the South Carolina Gamecocks in Columbia that had massive implications for both team’s respective season’s moving forward.

The Gamecocks and Longhorns split the first 2 games of the set with Carolina taking game 1 and Texas bouncing back for the win in game 2, and the Horns rallied back in the rubber match on Saturday to pick up a massive in-conference series win.

Sophomore lefty Dylan Volantis picked up the win on the bump for Texas after tossing 5.2 innings of 1 run ball and fanning 6 batters, and the pullpen comined for 3.1 innings of shutout ball to secure the win.

This massive series win allowed the Longhorns to keep pace in with the SEC-leading Georgia Bulldogs at the top of the conference standings, while the series loss sunk the Gamecocks to the bottom of the table in SEC play.

Prediction Markets

College Baseball D1 Champion?

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Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

The post No. 2 Texas takes rubber game at South Carolina to win series appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The Auburn Tigers and Arkansas Razorbacks entered their weekend series ranked right next to each other at No. 18 and No. 17 with both squads looking to get a massive leg up in both the SEC and national pecking order heading into the home stretch of their respective regular season slates.

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The Tigers and Hogs split the first 2 games of the series, with Auburn taking game 1 on Thursday and Arkansas evening things up in round 2 on Friday, but Auburn came out on top in the rubber match to take the series in a dominant 8-3 showing.

The bats were on fire for the Tigers as 2 Auburn hitters left the yard and 3 others recorded doubles, while sophomore Ace Alex Petrovic got the win on the bump after firing 5 innings of 3 run ball.

This served as a much-needed rebound for the Tigers after suffering 6 losses in their prior 7 games entering the weekend, a stretch the included a devastating sweep at the hands of hated rival Alabama.

Auburn once again has life in the SEC race as they head into the heart of their conference schedule, while Arkansas has been put behind the 8-ball moving forward.

Prediction Markets

College Baseball D1 Champion?

Learn more about Prediction Markets

Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

The post Auburn bounces back to take series against Arkansas appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Alabama (25-8 overall, 8-4 SEC) took Thursday’s first game 10-7 but lost Friday’s second game 4-2. Oklahoma (21-10, 5-7) dropped its second straight SEC series and lost for just the fifth time at home all season.

The Crimson Tide scored its’ three first-inning runs with a lot of help from the Sooners. Bryce Fowler scored via a Trent Collier wild pitch, Justin Lebron scored on an Oklahoma passed ball, and Brady Neal came home via a fielding error.

Oklahoma would score in the bottom of the first via Brendan Brock’s RBI single to right field. The Sooners would make it 3-2 on Kyle Branch’s RBI single to center.

Alabama starter Myles Upchurch (3-2) earned the victory, with Hagan Banks picking up his fifth save. Fowler finished 2-for-5 for the Crimson Tide, which left seven runners on base.

Collier (0-1) absorbed the loss for Oklahoma. Drew Dickerson went 2-for-3 for the Sooners, who stranded nine runners.

Prediction Markets

College Baseball D1 Champion?

Learn more about Prediction Markets

Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

The post Alabama bounces back to beat Oklahoma, pick up first road series win of season appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The Gators took a 1-0 lead on a Rebels wild pitch in the third inning and then doubled that margin via a Kolt Myers RBI single in the seventh.

But Ole Miss wiped that gap away with one swing of the bat in the ninth, as Judd Utermark belted a two-run homer to left field.

Tie Ballgame. Utermark answers. pic.twitter.com/OIAwN2OFZ9

— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) April 5, 2026

Ole Miss kept pouring on insurance runs in the inning, as Brayden Randle lifted a sacrifice fly to center field to make it 3-2 and Hayden Federico smacked a two-run single to center for the final tally.

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Rebels reliever Walker Hooks (2-0) earned the victory, striking out three in the final 2 1/3 innings. Florida reliever Joshua Whritenour (2-1) took the loss. Landon Stripling went 3-for-4 for Florida and Myers finished 2-for-3.

COMEBACK REBS pic.twitter.com/v9PDMXe4nR

— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) April 5, 2026

Which teams are bound for Omaha? Kalshi is taking early action on predictions to win the national championship this year in college baseball!

Prediction Markets

College Baseball D1 Champion?

Learn more about Prediction Markets

Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

The post Ole Miss stuns Florida with a 5-run 9th inning to win rubber game appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Kentucky (23-7 overall, 6-5 SEC) has a chance to rally and win the weekend series against Mizzou (18-14, 2-9) in Sunday’s season finale (1 pm ET, SEC Network).

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Scott Campbell Jr. hit a grand slam and Tyler Bell added a solo shot for the Wildcats on Saturday. Bell started the game with his blast to left-center, and Campbell’s homer was the keystone of Kentucky’s 5-run third inning. Tagger Tyson and Luke Lawrence added RBI singles for the Wildcats.

Missouri did all its damage in the fifth inning, as Mateo Serna singled home a run and Tyler Macon drove home the Tigers’ other run with a fielder’s choice grounder.

Nate Harris (4-2) scattered five hits and struck out three in five innings of work to earn the win for Kentucky. Brady Kehlenbrink (3-4) took the loss for Missouri. Serna and Kaden Peer each had two hits for the Tigers. Tharnish went 3-for-5 for Kentucky and both Lawrence and Tyson finished with two hits.

Missouri finished with two errors defensively, and Kentucky stranded seven baserunners.

Prediction Markets

College Baseball D1 Champion?

Learn more about Prediction Markets

Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

The post Kentucky bounces back against Mizzou to even series appeared first on Saturday Down South.

UT used just two pitchers in the game. Starter Tegan Kuhns tossed the first 4 innings, allowing 1 earned run on 4 hits and 2 walks. Cam Appenzeller took over and quieted the LSU bats. Appenzeller gave up a single to the first batter he faced before retiring the next 15 Tigers in a row to finish the game. Appenzeller had 6 strikeouts over 5 scoreless frames with just the 1 hit and no walks.

Cam Appenzeller DOMINATED for @Vol_Baseball tonight

5 IP
1 H
0 ER
0 BB
6 K

The freshman retired the final 15 batters he faced

(@Vol_Baseball) pic.twitter.com/3xCh3aLWiU

— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) April 5, 2026

Saturday’s scoring action all took place in the first 4 innings. The Vols took advantage of a fielding miscue in the 1st inning, jumping out to a 2-0 lead. Blake Grimmer hit a solo home run in the 3rd inning and Jay Abernathy hit an RBI double in the 4th to plate Trent Grindlinger.

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LAUNCHED!!

https://t.co/jwD4iWfdSR #GBO // #OTH pic.twitter.com/hINVI12IJ5

— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) April 4, 2026

Tennessee and LSU will decide the series on Sunday. Game 3 is set for first pitch at 1 p.m. ET., streaming on SEC Network+.

The Vols and Tigers know about winning in Omaha. Predict this year’s College World Series champion at Kalshi!

Prediction Markets

College Baseball D1 Champion?

Learn more about Prediction Markets

Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

The post Tennessee pitching carries Vols to series-evening win over LSU appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Michael O’Shaughnessy blasted a 3-run homer in the 10th inning that broke a 5-5 tie and powered the Bulldogs to an 8-5 victory over fifth-ranked Mississippi State. The home run also gave Georgia its first sweep in Starkville since 2004.

The thrilling win in the series finale, together with a 10-9 victory on Thursday in the opener and another 3-1 nail-biter of a win on Friday, gave Georgia a banner weekend in Starkville and improved the Dawgs’ overall record to 27-6. Georgia also improved to 10-2 in the SEC. Meanwhile, Mississippi State dropped to 25-7 overall and 7-5 in the SEC after a weekend at home to forget.

It was O’Shaughnessy’s eighth home run of the season, and it continued a power-packed trend for Georgia baseball this year. The Bulldogs lead the nation with 92 home runs, so they’ve been winning in multiple ways, but the long ball has been at the forefront of their success this season.

The sweep also continued a stellar trend in SEC play for Georgia, which has now won each of its 4 conference series this season. That has put the Dawgs in first place in the SEC as the month of April gets going.

Georgia’s incredible weekend in Starkville checked off another box in the Bulldogs baseball record book — it was the first time, according to records dating back to 1990, that Georgia won a top-5 SEC road series.

The Dawgs used 7 pitchers in the grueling victory on Saturday, with Caden Aoki getting the victory. He improved to 3-0 on the season with 2.1 scoreless innings of work, striking out 3.

We’re in the heat of the college baseball season right now, but the College World Series is the endgame for every team playing right now. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about the top teams in the mix to be holding that national championship trophy in Omaha come June:

Prediction Markets

College Baseball D1 Champion?

Learn more about Prediction Markets

Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

The post Extra-inning shot gives Georgia first sweep at Mississippi State since 2004 appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The victories, coming off a 14-8 loss to the Commodores in Thursday’s season opener, gave Texas A&M (25-6 overall, 7-5 SEC) a series victory. Vanderbilt (19-14, 6-6) fell to 1-5 in road games with the consecutive losses.

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The Aggies’ 8-4 victory in Friday’s doubleheader opener was powered by Nico Partida, who hit a two-run homer in the first inning, and Gavin Grahovac, who added a solo shot in the sixth. Brodie Johnston and Mike Mancini each hit solo homers for Vanderbilt in the loss.

Texas A&M reliever Gavin Lyons (4-0) earned the victory, while Wyatt Nadeau (1-2) absorbed the loss.

Four Aggies provided home runs in the 12-0 nightcap victory, as Partida, Chris Hacopian and Bear Harrison each hit two-run homers and Blake Binderup added a three-run blast in a 13-hit barrage.

Aiden Sims went the distance for Texas A&M in the victory, scattering three hits and striking out eight Commodores to improve to 6-0. Aiden Stillman (0-1) took the loss for Vanderbilt.

All eyes on Omaha! Predict the college baseball national champion at Kalshi!

Prediction Markets

College Baseball D1 Champion?

Learn more about Prediction Markets

Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

The post Texas A&M sweeps doubleheader to take series against Vanderbilt appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Florida (24-8 overall, 7-4 SEC) can win the series in Saturday’s finale (7:30 pm ET, SEC Network). Ole Miss (21-11, 4-7) took Thursday’s opener 6-4.

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King scattered four hits and struck out eight, throwing 70 strikes in 93 total pitches over seven shutout innings to improve to 4-2. Joshua Whritenour earned his fifth save.

The Gators scored all the runs they would need in the third inning off Ole Miss starter Hunter Elliott (3-1). Cade Kurland singled through the right side to score Kyle Jones, and Jacob Kendall drew a bases-loaded walk two batters later to score Karson Bowen.

Jones finished 2-for-3 for Florida, while Judd Utermark went 2-for-4 and Hayden Federico went 2-for-3 for Ole Miss. Florida left nine runners on base, while Ole Miss stranded eight runners.

Elliott struck out nine Gators in his four innings of work in the loss, and Will Libbert added five strikeouts in the final two innings as part of a 16-strikeout effort for the Rebels pitching staff. Florida’s staff struck out 11 Rebels.

Who’s winning it all? Predict the college baseball national champion at Kalshi!

Prediction Markets

College Baseball D1 Champion?

Learn more about Prediction Markets

Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

The post Florida evens series with shutout of Ole Miss behind stellar outing from Aidan King appeared first on Saturday Down South.

LSU (21-10 overall, 5-5 SEC) picked up just its second road victory of the season. Tennessee (19-11, 3-7) dropped its fourth straight conference decision. The Tigers and Vols continue the series Saturday (6 pm ET, ESPN2).

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Curiel launched a 1-0 fastball the other way to left field against Volunteers reliever Bo Rhudy (0-1) in the top of the eighth to make it 5-4. Curiel had only one home run this season heading into the final game of last weekend’s series against Kentucky but has now gone deep in three straight contests.

Seth Dardar added a solo shot to right in the eighth to extend the lead and Chris Stanfield smacked a solo shot to left in the ninth. Tennessee’s Blake Grimmer homered to right to cut it to 7-5, but the Vols could get no closer.

Jake Brown hit a solo homer for LSU in the third, and both Levi Clark and Reese Chapman answered with homers for Tennessee in the third and fourth, respectively.

LSU reliever Santiago Garcia (1-0) earned the victory and Deven Sheerin picked up his second save.

Who will win the College World Series? Predict this year’s national champion at Kalshi!

Prediction Markets

College Baseball D1 Champion?

Learn more about Prediction Markets

Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

The post Derek Curiel grand slam carries LSU to series-opening victory over Tennessee appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The Razorbacks (20-12 overall, 5-6 SEC) can win the pivotal SEC series by way of taking Saturday’s finale (3 pm ET, SEC Network+). Auburn (21-9, 5-6) has lost five of its last six games.

Auburn grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first two innings Friday night courtesy of RBI singles from Chris Rembert and Ethin Bingaman.

But Helfrick began the Arkansas comeback in the sixth, smacking a solo homer to left center. Helfrick then gave the Razorbacks the lead for good in the eighth with a two-run shot to center field.

Helfrick and Carter Rutenbar each had two hits for Arkansas. Eric Guevara went 2-for-4 for Auburn.

Arkansas starter Hunter Dietz (3-2) struck out 11 Tigers and scattered six hits over seven innings to earn the victory. Ethan McElvain struck out three over the final two innings to earn his first save. Auburn reliever Jett Johnston (0-1) took the loss, spoiling an eight-strikeout start over seven innings for Jake Marciano.

Could one of these teams win it all in Omaha? Predict the college baseball national champion on Kalshi!

Prediction Markets

College Baseball D1 Champion?

Learn more about Prediction Markets

Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

The post Ryder Helfrick powers Arkansas to bounce-back win over Auburn, evening series appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The Sooners (21-9 overall, 5-6 SEC) can pick up a series victory by downing the Crimson Tide on Saturday (3 pm ET, SEC Network+). Alabama 24-8, 7-4) has seen six of its eight losses this season come on the road.

After allowing Alabama a first-inning run via a wild pitch, Oklahoma settled into the game in the second via a Jason Walk RBI single. The Sooners tacked on two more runs in the third via a Crimson Tide wild pitch and a Deiten LaChance sacrifice fly to make it 3-1.

Oklahoma added an insurance run in the fourth on a Camden Johnson RBI groundout. Alabama cut the deficit to 4-2 in the seventh via a Bryce Fowler RBI single but could get no closer.

Cameron Johnson (4-1) was stellar on the mound for Oklahoma, scattering eight hits and striking out eight in 6 1/3 innings to earn the victory. Kaydn Leon struck out five more Tide hitters over the final 2 2/3 innings to earn his first save of the season.

Zane Adams (4-2) allowed all four runs and struck out seven Sooners over five innings en route to the loss.

Prediction Markets

College Baseball D1 Champion?

Learn more about Prediction Markets

Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

The post Cameron Johnson leads Oklahoma in bounce-back win over Alabama to even series appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Texas (25-5 overall, 8-3 SEC) can win the series by taking Game 3 on Saturday (2 pm ET, SEC Network+). South Carolina (15-17, 2-9) can earn its first conference series victory of the season with a win Saturday.

Carson Tinney blasted two home runs for Texas in Friday night’s win, a solo shot to left in the first and another on nearly the identical track in the top of the ninth. Ethan Mendoza, who singled home a Longhorns run in the second, also hit a solo homer in the ninth.

South Carolina relied on the long ball for its runs, as Luke Yuhasz belted a two-run homer to left in the fifth inning and Will Craddock added a solo shot to left in the ninth.

Texas starter Luke Harrison (4-0) allowed just one hit – the Yuhasz homer – over 5 2/3 innings to pick up the victory. Sam Cozart struck out four Gamecocks in 1 1/3 innings to earn his third save. South Carolina starter Josh Gunther (2-3) took the loss for the Gamecocks.

Is this the Longhorns’ year to win it all? Predict the college baseball champion on Kalshi!

Prediction Markets

College Baseball D1 Champion?

Learn more about Prediction Markets

Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

The post Texas outlasts South Carolina in Game 2, evens series appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Mizzou (18-13 overall, 2-8 SEC) can win the weekend series by taking Saturday’s second game (Noon ET, SEC Network+). Kentucky (22-7, 5-5) lost for just the second time at home and is 14-2 in Lexington this season.

Dono Jordan was the difference-maker for the Tigers on Friday, singling home Kee Knutson with one out in the ninth. Reliever Trey Lawrence (2-0), who pitched the final three innings for Mizzou, delivered a flawless ninth on the mound to secure the victory.

Trailing 1-0, Mizzou stormed to a 3-1 lead in the third on a Kentucky wild pitch and RBI singles by Jase Woita and Blaize Ward. Kam Durnin added an RBI single in the fourth for a 4-1 lead.

Kentucky cut that lead to 4-3 in the bottom of the fourth via RBI singles from Carson Hansen and Luke Lawrence and then tied it up in the sixth with a Jayce Tharnish RBI single.

Jackson Soucie (0-1) took the loss for Kentucky. Tharnish and Hansen each had two hits for the Wildcats. Durnin went 3-for-5 for Mizzou and Ward finished with two hits.

Prediction Markets

College Baseball D1 Champion?

Learn more about Prediction Markets

Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

The post Mizzou scores last, takes series opener from Kentucky for ranked road win appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Georgia (26-6 overall, 9-2 SEC) took Game 1 of the weekend series 10-9 on Friday night and can sweep the series with a victory Saturday (11 am ET, SEC Network+). Mississippi State (25-6, 7-4) fell to 18-2 at home with Friday’s loss.

Georgia won its sixth straight game Friday with outstanding pitching, allowing only a first-inning groundout run and striking out eight Mississippi State hitters while scattering five hits.

Trailing 1-0 through six innings, Georgia finally got to Mississippi State starter Tomas Valincius (who came into the night with a 6-0 record and an 0.91 ERA) in the seventh. Michael O’Shaughnessy blasted his seventh home run of the year, a solo shot to tie it at 1-1, and was the first run Valincius had allowed in 26 SEC innings.

Valincius departed later in the seventh after striking out struck 10 Georgia hitters, but the visitors kept up the long-ball presence in the eighth – as Ryan Winn led off the inning with his second homer of the season to make it 2-1. Kolby Branch lifted a sacrifice fly for Georgia’s final run in the ninth.

Georgia reliever Paul Farley (3-0) earned the victory, with Matt Scott picking up his first save. Valincius (6-1) took the loss.

Prediction Markets

College Baseball D1 Champion?

Learn more about Prediction Markets

Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

The post Georgia scores late to beat Mississippi State, take series appeared first on Saturday Down South.

As up and down as the league has been, any help available is greatly appreciated. While the top handful of SEC squads have been consistent, not much else has been.

Theres’s also a new No. 1 this week.

Here’s where the teams stand heading into the weekend.

16. Mizzou (17-13 overall, 1-8 in SEC)

Giving up 39 runs in a 3-game sweep to Texas A&M didn’t do a thing to help Missouri out. This looks like another pretty dire season for the Tigers.

15. South Carolina (15-16, 2-8)

A 9-1 beatdown of Texas on Thursday is about the best news South Carolina baseball has seen in 2026. That said, it’s tough to conceive of the Gamecocks as anywhere above 15th in the conference with a .209 batting average in league play coming into Thursday.

14. Tennessee (19-10, 3-6)

Unexpected? Yes, but then so was a 3-game sweep on 1-run decisions to Vanderbilt. Giving up a walk-off grand slam in the 16-15 epic on Sunday was the official sign that Tony Vitello’s Vols aren’t walking through the clubhouse door anytime soon. The Vols were tied for sixth in homers in league play heading into Thursday. The slugging has dropped off and the pitching hasn’t picked up the slack.

13. Oklahoma (20-9, 4-6)

The Sooners dropped their fourth-straight league game against Alabama on Thursday. The sweep to Texas had a pair of close games, but the Sooner pitching staff isn’t looking as sharp as it did to open the season. OU had a 6.29 ERA in league play entering Thursday and gave up 8 runs to Alabama in the second inning to fall behind quickly on Thursday.

12. Ole Miss (21-10, 4-6)

The Rebels helped their case with a solid 6-4 win at Florida on Thursday. That was after a weekend sweep from Mississippi State as Ole Miss scored just 6 runs in the 3 games. The Rebels need to improve on hitting .210 in conference action.

11. LSU (20-10, 4-5)

The Tigers claimed a home series over Kentucky thanks to active bats in a 17-10 comeback. They then scored 16 in a midweek win over Southern. The series in Knoxville gives LSU a chance to climb back to .500 in conference play, if the pitching can hold up.

Can the preseason No. 1 team recover in time to make a run to Omaha? Here’s the latest Kalshi market for this year’s College World Series champion:

Prediction Markets

College Baseball D1 Champion?

Learn more about Prediction Markets

Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

10. Vanderbilt (19-12, 6-4)

Mark down 4 straight league wins for the Commodores after a 14-8 win over Texas A&M on Thursday. Vandy playing homer-heavy baseball is unusual, but it’s working. The Commodores were second in league play in homers and then added 5 more (3 from Collin Barczi) on Thursday. After a long era of pitching, defense, and speed, Vandy upped its power game significantly.

9. Kentucky (22-6, 5-4)

Kentucky has been fine, but failed to capitalize on 2 straight winnable road series matchups, going from up 7 runs on LSU to losing 17-10. Missouri is up this week so Kentucky can build up a nice SEC buffer above the teams near the bottom of the league.

8. Arkansas (19-12, 4-6)

A fifth consecutive loss in SEC play on a week where Arkansas lost 15-14 to Missouri State is just plain brutal. If the Hogs hadn’t otherwise looked very solid, they’d drop even farther. But a 10-2 loss to Auburn doesn’t start this weekend off on a good path.

7. Auburn (21-8, 5-5)

The Tigers dropped 6 games out of 7, including a sweep to Alabama and a 13-3 loss to Georgia Tech midweek. A 10-2 thumping of Arkansas on Tuesday might start the Tigers in the right direction.

6. Texas A&M (23-6, 5-5)

In 6 straight wins, A&M had scored 78 total runs. The Aggies scored 8 runs against Vandy on Thursday, but took a 14-8 loss. A&M’s 7.56 ERA in conference play is a concern.

5. Florida (23-8, 6-4)

A series sweep at Arkansas helped Florida find mojo it had lost in getting swept by Alabama. Florida then lost to Jacksonville and Ole Miss, so this team is obviously struggling a bit with consistency.

4. Alabama (24-7, 7-3)

With 9 wins in a row, Alabama is the hottest team in the SEC. Giving up just 4 runs in a 3-game sweep of Auburn was some heavy lifting. Heading into Thursday, Alabama was holding SEC hitters to a .193 batting average, which is second-best in the SEC.

3. Mississippi State (25-5, 7-3)

The Bulldogs had a 9-game winning streak ended on Thursday with a 10-9 home loss to Georgia. Sweeps of Vandy and Ole Miss showed that this Bulldog team is balanced and tough. They headed into Thursday leading the league in ERA in conference games at 2.69. State looks ready to be a pivotal factor in the SEC race.

2. Texas (24-5, 7-3)

The Horns took an ugly 9-1 loss at South Carolina after sweeping a series against Oklahoma last weekend. One key — Texas pitchers had allowed just 2 homers in league play heading into Thursday, when South Carolina hit 2 more.

1. Georgia (25-6, 8-2)

What’s not to like with this team? A few inexplicable midweek losses (Kennesaw State, Troy, Western Carolina), but otherwise not much. With 20 homers in SEC play, Georgia is always a threat to break open a big inning. Opening the weekend with a win at Mississippi State bumps the Dawgs to the top spot.

The post SEC Baseball Power Rankings, Week 8: Georgia on the rise appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Now, the search is on to find the next South Carolina coach for the 2027 campaign. One name that’s surfaced early on in the process is Coastal Carolina coach Kevin Schnall, who was also reportedly a candidate for Tennessee‘s head job back in the offseason.

Schnall insisted that his focus is on Coastal Carolina’s 2026 season.

“We’re in week 11, and we’re already talking about jobs. What a world we’re in,” Schnall said. “The only thing I can speak on with certainty is that our focus right now is extremely microscopic, and there are only two things that matter. Number one, what can we do to make this team better? Number two, what can we do to make this program better?

“I can assure you that there’s going to be nothing that’s going to distract us from our standards. There’s going to be nothing that’s going to distract us from our responsibility to lead these players and this team. That said, the landscape of college baseball has changed drastically in the last two or three years. If you don’t adapt and adjust to those changes, you will get ran over extremely fast. And we’re very fortunate here at Coastal Carolina to have tremendous leadership … They fully understand these changes and the requirements it takes, the commitment it takes, for Costal Baseball to remain elite.”

Schnall also referenced some “immediate facility needs” that Coastal Carolina is working to resolve. Here’s video of his comments:

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Schnall is a Coastal Carolina alum who played catcher for the Chanticleers from 1995-1999. He also had multiple stints as an assistant coach at Coastal before taking over as head coach in 2025.

Last season in his first year at the helm, Schnall led Coastal Carolina to a 56-13 record and a College World Series appearance.

South Carolina will be looking to get back to the elite levels of college baseball with its next hire. The Gamecocks last won the CWS in 2011 but haven’t reached Omaha since 2012.

Here are the latest College World Series odds on Kalshi:

Prediction Markets

College Baseball D1 Champion?

Learn more about Prediction Markets

Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

The post Coastal Carolina baseball coach Kevin Schnall comments on South Carolina vacancy appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Arkansas fell in devastating fashion, too. The game, which lasted just under 4 hours, came to a screeching halt when Missouri State’s Caden Bogenpohl launched a solo home run beyond the fences to walk it off in front of a home crowd. Keep in mind, Missouri State’s campus is located just about 50 miles northeast of Fayetteville.

It’s only fitting that Bogenpohl walked it off Tuesday night, because Arkansas’ pitching staff had zero answer for him. He drew a walk and totaled 3 hits with 3 runs and 2 RBIs, not to mention the game-winner. MSU’s Bryce Cermenelli was fantastic as well, totaling 4 hits with 2 runs and 2 RBIs.

And while Arkansas’ pitching left a lot to be desired, the Razorbacks fared well offensively. Camden Kozeal, Nolan Souza and Christian Turner all posted at least 3 RBIs, with Kozeal responsible for 5 with a Grand Slam in the top of the 7th inning. Check it out:

The Razorbacks need a bounce-back weekend in a major way. After falling in all 3 games against Florida last week, Arkansas will face off against No. 18 Auburn on The Plains. First pitch for this weekend is set for 6 p.m. CT on Thursday.

Here’s a look at the latest odds to win the college baseball national title, per Kalshi:

Prediction Markets

College Baseball D1 Champion?

Learn more about Prediction Markets

Kalshi

UCLA

17%

Georgia Tech

12%

Texas

11%

North Carolina

6%

Georgia

6%

Mississippi St.

5%

Arkansas

4%

Auburn

4%

LSU

2%

Tennessee

2%

Predict

The post Missouri State baseball stuns No. 17 Arkansas with walk-off home run appeared first on Saturday Down South.