SEC Baseball Weekend Recap Week 1

Image: Ryan Beatty/Tennessee Athletics

By Jon Reed

Tennessee baseball improved to 20-0 with a weekend sweep of the number 7 ranked Florida Gators. They’re 80-13 (86%) since the start of last season. The Vols are a machine.

Hitting the 20-win mark broke the 1997 LSU record for the best mark by a defending champion in NCAA Division 1 history. How many victories will the Vols reel off before taking their first loss? They’re in for a big test down in Tuscaloosa against Alabama, who are coming off their own sweep against the trainwreck that is Texas A&M baseball.

Every Monday, we want to recap the weekend that was in the SEC and give you a quick lookahead to what’s coming.

Tennessee sweeps Florida 3-0

You already know that. Friday’s game 1 was close; Tennessee had a controlling 4-1 lead heading into the sixth until Florida made it interesting. Nate Snead had to put the fire out in the sixth en route to finishing the game with a scoreless 3.2 innings.

Game 2 was close… until it wasn’t. Vol starter Marcus Phillips was dominant through 7 innings as he nursed a 1-0 lead. It ended up being a complete game shutout as Tennessee exploded for 9 runs, including a walk-off 3-run home run.

Game 3 showed some flaws in Tennessee. Tony Vitello admitted to making a couple of mistakes, and the fielding was sloppy, particularly in the fourth inning as Florida took a 4-1 lead. The defending champions were finally tested, and they passed with flying colors as the offense scored in four of the next five innings. The 4-1 deficit turned into a 7-4 win as Nate Snead once again closed the door.

Alabama sweeps at Texas A&M

The most disappointing team in the country is Texas A&M, who looks to have made a program-damaging mistake of turning the keys of the kingdom over to first time coach Michael Earley. . . a little too early.

Bama, maybe the most positively surprising team in the country, hit two ninth inning home runs to steal game 1 6-4. The script for heartbreak was similar in game 2 as it was a ninth inning grand slam that turned a tie game into a 6-2 loss. In game 3 with the sweep on the line, A&M responded by getting shut out in a 2-0 loss.

Arkansas takes 2 out of 3 on the road from Ole Miss

The Razorbacks responded to a Friday night beatdown by winning on Saturday and Sunday to take the series.

Game 1 saw Ole Miss score 10 runs and win 10-6. Arkansas’s offense responded with 8 runs in the fifth inning of game 2 on the way to a 12-3 blowout. Game 3 was back and forth. The Rebels jumped out to a 4-0 lead before Arkansas scored in three straight frames to take a 7-4 lead. Ole Miss got the lead back in the bottom of the eight. They went into the ninth leading 9-8; they lost the game 12-9 thanks to a game-winning three-run bomb by SS Wehiwa Aloy.

Georgia 2, Kentucky 1

The Bulldogs offense was on full display this weekend scoring 36 runs.

12 of them came in game 1, where they took down Kentucky 12-6. They lost game 2 10-7 after falling behind 9-2 in the fourth inning. Georgia responded with 17 runs in the series finale, highlighted by a 7-run third inning that busted the game open.

Texas sweeps Mississippi State at Dudy Noble

Winning a road SEC series in your debut has to feel good. Sweeping a road SEC series in your debut has to feel borderline orgasmic. Someone ask new Texas coach Jim Schlossnagle if that’s correct, because it’s exactly what he did thanks to a little Sunday double header that saw his Longhorns win 5-3 and 4-1 in two shortened games. Friday night’s game 1 was a thriller as Texas held on 8-7 despite a Bulldogs rally in the ninth.

Oklahoma wins 2 out of 3 at South Carolina

Kind of like Texas, the Sooners win their debut SEC series on the road. They didn’t get the sweep thanks to a loss Saturday, but their four-run first inning in game 1 set the tone for an 8-5 win. Saturday’s game 2 saw South Carolina’s bats come alive for 14 hits and 11 runs in an 11-5 win.

Sunday’s game 3 was a classic as the Sooners took advantage of a Gamecock 9th inning error before winning it with a Jason Walk home run in the tenth.  

Auburn hands two Ls to VanderbiLLt

The Tigers solidify their good start to the season by winning their opening conference series against Vandy.

Auburn won game 1, thanks a five-run third inning, 6-2. Vanderbilt fans online began freaking out about Tim Corbin despite Tim Corbin making it pretty obvious over the last 3 years that he’s not the same level of coach in an even-playing field. However, Vandy responded in game 2 with an 8-6 win, setting up a tense Sunday rubber match.

Vandy held a 6-3 lead heading into the bottom of the eight. They entered the ninth trailing 7-6. They didn’t score and lost the series.

LSU sweeps Missouri

Getting to start your conference schedule with a home series against Missouri is quite the blessing.

LSU didn’t waste the opportunity. They survived a scare in game 2, edging out the worst team in the conference 7-6. Game 1, 12-5, and game 3, 10-5, were both comfortable wins.

Upcoming Weekend Schedule

Tennessee @ Alabama

LSU @ Texas

Georgia @ Florida

Texas A&M at Vanderbilt

South Carolina @ Arkansas

Mississippi State @ Oklahoma

Auburn @ Kentucky

Ole Miss @ Missouri