Examining SEC race with 3 weeks left: Arkansas leads, MSU lurking
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Arkansas is alone atop the SEC standings, but the conference race is far from over with three weeks left in the regular season.
After being tied with Vanderbilt for the overall lead the last couple of weeks, the Razorbacks moved one game ahead by winning their series at LSU, while the Commodores lost their series at Florida.
There is actually now a tie in the SEC East, as Vanderbilt and Tennessee are both 14-7 in conference play. The Commodores own the tiebreaker, though, because they won two of three games against the Volunteers last month.
The race is tightening up in the other division, too. Arkansas still leads the SEC West, but its two-game lead is now just one because Mississippi State swept Texas A&M over the weekend.
Thanks to a sweep in Starkville, Miss., the second weekend of SEC play, the Razorbacks own the tiebreaker with the Bulldogs. However, Mississippi State has a much easier remaining schedule than Arkansas.
South Carolina, Missouri and Alabama, the Bulldogs' last three opponents, have a combined SEC record of 27-36, while the Razorbacks' last three opponents - Georgia, Tennessee and Florida - are a combined 37-26 in conference play.
In fact, only Georgia (41-22), South Carolina (38-25) and Kentucky (38-25) have tougher remaining schedules than Arkansas.
There is also intrigue at the bottom of the SEC standings. Barring a collapse, 10 teams are securely in the SEC tournament with the last two spots up for grabs.
LSU is holding on to the 11 seed with a two-game cushion, but there's a three-team race for the final spot after Auburn knocked off Georgia for a series win. It is now tied with Texas A&M and Missouri, which were swept over the weekend, at 5-16.
The regular-season finale between Missouri and Auburn could go a long way in determining which team earns the final conference tournament berth.
Listed below are the division standings, as well as each team's remaining series and the current SEC Tournament seeding...
(REMINDER: In the SEC Baseball Tournament, the two division winners receive the top two seeds, regardless of record. For seeds 3-12, divisions don't matter and the order is based solely on record in SEC play.)
| Team | SEC Record | Overall Record | Remaining |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1. Arkansas |
15-6 |
34-8 |
vs. UGA at TENN vs. FLA |
|
2. Mississippi State |
14-7 |
32-10 |
at SC vs. MIZZ at ALA |
|
3. Ole Miss |
13-8 |
31-12 |
at A&M vs. VANDY at UGA |
|
4. Alabama |
11-10 |
28-15 |
at VANDY at LSU vs. MSU |
|
5. LSU |
7-14 |
26-17 |
at AUB vs. ALA at A&M |
|
t-6. Texas A&M |
5-16 |
24-22 |
vs. MISS at AUB vs. LSU |
|
t-6. Auburn |
5-16 |
19-21 |
vs. LSU vs. A&M at MIZZ |
| Team | SEC Record | Overall Record | Remaining |
|---|---|---|---|
|
t-1. Vanderbilt |
14-7 |
32-9 |
vs. ALA at MISS vs. KENT |
|
t-1. Tennessee |
14-7 |
34-11 |
at MIZZ vs. ARK at SC |
|
3. Florida |
13-8 |
30-13 |
at KENT vs. UGA at ARK |
|
4. South Carolina |
11-10 |
26-15 |
vs. MSU at KENT vs. TENN |
|
t-5. Georgia |
10-11 |
27-16 |
at ARK at FLA vs. MISS |
|
t-5. Kentucky |
10-11 |
26-15 |
vs. FLA vs. SC at VANDY |
|
7. Missouri |
5-16 |
12-29 |
vs. TENN at MSU vs. AUB |
| Seed | Tiebreaker |
|---|---|
|
1. Arkansas |
SEC West champ |
|
2. Vanderbilt |
SEC East co-champ... VANDY won 2 of 3 vs. TENN |
|
t-3. Tennessee |
TENN and MSU tied @ 14-7... Tiebreaker undetermined |
|
t-3. Mississippi State |
|
|
5. Florida |
FLA and MISS tied @ 13-8... FLA won 2 of 3 vs. MISS |
|
6. Ole Miss |
|
|
t-7. Alabama |
ALA and SC tied @ 11-10... Tiebreaker undetermined |
|
t-7. South Carolina |
|
|
9. Georgia |
UGA and KENT tied @ 10-11... UGA won 2 of 3 vs. KENT |
|
10. Kentucky |
|
|
11. LSU |
|
|
t-12. Missouri |
MIZZ, A&M, AUB tied @ 5-16... Tiebreaker undetermined |
|
t-12. Texas A&M |
|
|
t-12. Auburn |