SEC Power Rankings: Week 10

​A few weeks ago, I came downstairs to find my car coated in pollen. I’m talking loads and loads of yellow powder clumped on the hood, which was strange since my vehicle stays in a parking deck. Stranger was that, when I left it in its spot the night before, things had been perfectly clean. The next day? Bam. That’s the thing about spring—things change in a heartbeat. One day, your allergies are fine, and the next, you’re reaching for the Claritin. That’s why it makes sense that softball is a spring sport—in one day, one weekend, everything can change. In the SEC, those changes can be a little more abrupt, but that’s what makes it fun. The last two weekends have given us those exact changes.

Game of the Week: Alabama 7, Texas 4

A rubber match between two Top Five teams? Yes, please. The Saturday game between Alabama and Texas in Tuscaloosa lived up to the billing. We saw the Texas stars show out – Reese Atwood and Katie Stewart were outstanding – but in the end, the well-roundedness of the Crimson Tide lineup prevailed. Patrick Murphy’s club capped it off with Jocelyn Briski delivering her best outing of the weekend, going the final three innings in relief.

Three Red-Hot Hitters: Kendall Wells (Oklahoma), Kylee Edwards (LSU), Katie Stewart (Texas)

Kendall Wells remains the scariest hitter in the sport, and she is coming for all the records. The Sooner freshman was unstoppable against Kentucky, going 4-6 with six RBI, three HR, and five walks. Meanwhile, Kylee Edwards notched the first ever cycle in LSU history in game two against Missouri, which of a six RBI weekend. Finally, even in a series loss, Katie Stewart was a monster for the Texas offense. The soon-to-be All-American’s silky-smooth swing led to a 6-9 weekend with four RBI and three bombs. Her final home run of the weekend (on an 0-2 chase riseball) was particularly impressive.

The Shove It Award: Vic Moten (Alabama)

Moten’s weekend can be described in a meme—had us in the first half, not gonna lie. The freshmen’s start against Texas on Friday couldn’t have been rougher. Moten didn’t even last the first inning and walked five batters, putting Alabama behind the eight ball. When she exited the game, however, the coaching staff told her to stay in it because they’d be going back to her at some point. When Alabama re-entered Moten, she blossomed. In her final 8.1 innings against No. 1 Texas, Moten allowed three earned runs on six hits with two walks and 11 strikeouts. It was a gritty performance that showed the importance of keeping your head in it, even if the start isn’t what you’d want. 

Before we get to the rankings, here’s a quick disclaimer. These are power rankings, which is very different from a true ranking. How these teams are slotted is not how I have them in my Top 25 ballot. No, this list is all about how you’re playing right now. It’s a snapshot of the current on-field product. Now, without further ado, here are the newest SEC Power Rankings:

T-1. Alabama

The Crimson Tide’s complete 180-degree turn in the Texas series shows the resiliency that Patrick Murphy has preached all season. After losing Game One and going down 4-0 on Friday, it would’ve been easy for Alabama to pack it up. Instead, the Tide outscored Texas 18-4 the rest of the series and officially announced themselves as a legit contender. The weekend gave Alabama six top-10 wins and showcased clutch pitching, key hits up and down the order, and big-time defense when needed most. Vibes couldn’t by higher in Tuscaloosa, but Alabama has to share the top spot this week because of…

T-1. Oklahoma

The Sooners absolutely stomped Kentucky, which, frankly, was what was expected this past weekend. Still, the key was a pitching staff that was rock solid, especially Sydney Berzon in Game Three. The offense continues to relentlessly punish opposing pitchers, and the Sooners have been able to land so many knockout punches because Kai Minor and Kendall Wells constantly reach base at the top of the lineup. It was the perfect get-right week in all facets for Oklahoma after a few scratchy moments in Baton Rouge, and the timing couldn’t be better with Red River in Austin coming up this weekend.

3. Arkansas

In a home series against a struggling team, Arkansas did exactly what you want—never gave the opponent a single sliver of hope. The Razorbacks absolutely dominated the series against the Tigers, using power to break things open and sturdy pitching to limit Auburn to just one extra-base hit all weekend. Payton Burnham’s complete game shutout on Easter Sunday was a supreme bright spot.

4. Florida

The Gators battled their way to a series win against a scrappy Mississippi State squad, capped off by a walk-off fielder’s choice from Townsen Thomas. Keagan Rothrock was nails in Game One, and the offense kept throwing punch after punch, even in the Saturday loss. That Game Two performance from the pitching staff was a little concerning, but the return of Ava Brown in the batter’s box (and hopefully the circle soon) brought a major energy shift for Tim Walton’s club. An opportunity to keep vibes in the right direction looms in Columbia against South Carolina.

5. Texas

So, here’s the thing with the Longhorns…they didn’t play that badly this weekend against Alabama overall. There are certainly things to nitpick, pitching behind Teagan Kavan struggled, but Texas lost a road series against a top-five team when both were trading blows in the last two games. Plus, the Longhorns have that Thursday night masterclass, when Kavan delivered one of the best outings of her career in a hostile environment. More lineup production from Atwood and Stewart will be required if Texas wants to take down Oklahoma in the top series in the sport this weekend.

6. Texas A&M

Major credit to the Aggies, who grabbed two tight wins to claim the series against a Georgia team that was trending up. The biggest story was Sydney Lessentine, who gave Texas A&M a pair of bend-don’t-break starts before Sidne Peters came in to slam the door. It was as good as Lessentine has looked across an entire series this year, and that’s a great sign for Trisha Ford’s team. This offense is certainly good enough that, if the pitching staff keeps holding up, things can get very, very interesting down the stretch.

7. Tennessee

This past weekend was much better for Tennessee, but some of the concerns about the Lady Vols linger. The start to Saturday’s win felt like the offense was turning a corner, but things fizzled a bit once South Carolina’s Jori Heard settled things down. Still, Tennessee’s pitching staff remains the best in the conference, and the offense doesn’t need a ton of runs to win. It’d just be nice to see the Lady Vols pass the baton a little bit better in these conference games.

8. Mississippi State

There’s zero shame in losing a road series at Florida if you’re Mississippi State, and the offense popped off in a way that we frankly haven’t seen in SEC play during the Game Two win. Still, it feels like another weekend where the Bulldogs let a series get away against a ranked league foe. There’s zero doubt that Mississippi State is playing good softball against high-quality competition; the Goold/Faircloth duo in the circle remains lethal, but the Bulldogs haven’t quite been able to seal the deal. Another opportunity is on the horizon with Arkansas coming into Starkville this weekend.

9. LSU

The ceiling for LSU is undeniable, and for a couple games we saw the true capabilities of this team. With Missouri playing extremely well entering the weekend, Beth Torina’s squad lowered the boom and didn’t let up in games one and two. Then…nothing. It was shocking to see the Tigers’ offense lose all its juice in Game Three and, while credit certainly goes to Cierra Harrison, that quick momentum switch is the perfect encapsulation of why LSU is so difficult to figure out. The best news was that Jayden Heavener was utterly brilliant all weekend, allowing just one earned run in eight innings of work.

10. Georgia

It’s hard not to view this weekend as a missed opportunity for the Bulldogs in College Station. The Bulldogs went with a full-staff approach in the circle, and it almost worked… except the offense struggled to string things together against a Texas A&M pitching staff that has been through some issues itself. It wasn’t an egregious weekend, but frankly, this feels like a series that Georgia definitely could’ve won. A weekend back home against Missouri could be the perfect chance to get things back into balance. 

11. Ole Miss

The Rebels took the bye week literally and didn’t play, which is a growing trend in the league. Honestly, I’m here for it! Get some practice time in, rest up, reset, and see how it goes! After the gauntlet this team faced to start SEC play, a respite was much deserved. 

12. Missouri

What a bizarre weekend in Columbia. Coming into a series with LSU piping hot, Missouri fell flat in a major way with two blowout losses. The pitching couldn’t hold the rope, and the offense struggled to sustain momentum. Then, suddenly, the tides turned when Cierra Harrison delivered a brilliant complete-game shutout to salvage the final game of the weekend. In total, it certainly wasn’t the result that Larissa Anderson wanted, but Saturday’s win gives the Tigers some good feelings ahead of a road trip to Athens.

13. South Carolina

The Gamecocks performed admirably in Knoxville, but an inability to close late has persisted. South Carolina has now lost nine SEC games by a total of 20 runs. The hits just aren’t coming in crunch time, but the potential is certainly there. The Gamecocks just need to string things together much better if they want to win a series in this conference.

14. Auburn

The Tigers have dropped nine straight SEC games, and in the last two weekends they’ve scored a total of eight runs against Missouri and Arkansas. Not ideal. Alyssa Hastings is doing well, but the rest of the lineup hasn’t been able to back her up, and the pitching remains an issue. Perhaps a major rivalry at home is the perfect opportunity to catch some breaks, find some momentum, and get on the right path as we head down the stretch.

15. Kentucky

At this point, you know the numbers. Times are tough in Lexington, especially with a good portion of the pitching staff out due to injury. At this point, the Wildcats just need to stop getting run-ruled and give themselves a chance in these conference games.

Series This Week

Missouri at No. 14 Georgia
No. 13 Texas A&M at Ole Miss
No. 7 Arkansas at No. 16 Mississippi State
No. 3 Oklahoma at No. 4 Texas
No. 1 Alabama at Auburn
No. 10 Tennessee at Kentucky