SEC Baseball Predictions: Arkansas vs. South Carolina, Tennessee vs. Kentucky, More

Chris Lee shares his thoughts on the weekend series in SEC baseball with a preview of Arkansas vs. South Carolina, Auburn vs. Mississippi State, Ole Miss vs. Georgia, LSU vs. Missouri, Tennessee vs. Kentucky, the key storylines, expectations for the pitching matchups, and much more.

Alabama vs. Texas A&M and Vanderbilt vs. Florida: https://youtu.be/3gQPgcuHQyQ

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hello I’m Chris Lee of South Eastern 14
here to do baseball previews for the
coming weekend that’s going to be games
that start Friday April the 19th we have
done the two series that start Thursday
in a separate video so the series we’re
going to be going over and offering
previews and predictions and I will do
these in order that the SEC lists them
on their website Arkansas at South
Carolina Auburn at Mississippi State Al
Miss at Georgia LSU at Missouri
Tennessee at Kentucky before we get into
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where game starts we will start in
Columbia South Carolina where Arkansas
having lost its first series of the
season will face South Carolina in
Founders Park in Columbia again that one
starts Friday night the scheduled
starters according to the secc website
no surprise for Arkansas Hagen Smith
Mason Molina Brady Tigert for the
Gamecocks things have been a little bit
more fluid they’ll go Roman Kimble Eli
Jones and Tob determined let’s start
with Arkansas in this this one the Razer
backs of course more known for their
pitching I mean God help you if you can
find a better pitching staff in the
country than this one uh Arkansas with
with Hagen Smith has just been a monster
you know maybe a pitcher of the Year
candidate nationally Mason Molina of the
Texas Tech transfer has been pretty good
Brady Tigard not as good as the other
guys but hey it’s Arkansas’s rotation
we’re talking about here probably the
best in the country and after that the
the bullpen I mean my goodness it’s just
sick how much these guys have will
McIntyre has been that closer SL bulk
inning reliever that Dave Van Horn likes
free pass rate which is walks plus uh
hit hit batsman 4% of hitters so that’s
one in every 25 hitters that will
McIntyre faces are getting a free pass
and oh by the way he’s striking out a
third of the hitters he faces which is
very much like what this whole Arkansas
staff does you look at the strikeouts
Hagen Smith 49% m s Molina
36% McIntyre 33% Gabe GLE 33% Gage wood
39% uh Cooper doset when he pitches 40%
I mean we can just go on and on and on
they’ve got 13 to 14 arms they can throw
the lineup not quite as potent but Jared
spray lot’s having a nice year noan
Souza’s played well lately um Kendall
Diggs has been a solid guy for that
lineup not having a great year but he’s
been a a bat that people in the league
know and pton stoval is producing at a
nice level too after missing some time
early with injury so the lineup is not
really what carries Arkansas it’s the
pitching and the fact that this team
does not give up a lot of unearned runs
which cannot be said of all teams in
college baseball let’s go to the
Gamecocks for a minute they’ll be
hosting where they’ve been pretty good
at home this year they’ve swept
Vanderbilt they’ve lost two of three
against Texas STM but you can say that
of a lot of teams and those have been
the two conference Series this team has
played so far the bats I think have been
a little disappointing it’s not a bad
lineup I just expected maybe a little
bigger numbers from Ethan Petri who’s
been great but he’s not up there with
some of the other guys in the league at
the top the kagle own he’s capable of
that though you got Cole msen you got
Gavin cassus is kind of having a down
year but here’s the point this team can
really rake when it is on and so
Arkansas’s challenge was be keeping the
ball in the park you got Petri 15 home
runs Cole msen has got 10 this is a team
that can launch them at times now the
the pitching is going to be the
interesting thing I think for South
Carolina they’re going Kimbell and Jones
Jones has been good at times but not a
dominant overpowering strikeout guy more
of a keep the ball on the ground guy I
presume Dylan Esq will be their three uh
maybe but they haven’t announced that um
they got a lot of guys out of the
bullpen that can give them Innings and
Beach and Becker and guys like that
Tyler pitcher who’s been a lefty starter
for them or excuse me righty freshman
who’s given him some Innings at times in
a starting role I guess he’ll be coming
out of the bullpen this weekend likely
they’ve got a lot of arms here my my
prediction I think that Arkansas will
win the series just because you kind of
go with what you know a little bit more
I think despite Arkansas’s stumble last
weekend against Alabama I like the town
a little bit better I always tend to
lean pitching don’t sleep on South
Carolina this is a team I think is a
little better than people think and one
that’s got a chance to pull the series
up set at
home next up Auburn goes to Mississippi
State my goodness it’s just been a tough
season for Auburn let’s look at the Five
series Auburn’s played and you tell me
whether this is a bad team or a team
that just played a buzz saw of a
schedule at Vandy Arkansas at A&M
Tennessee and Kentucky uh Auburn has won
two games in that one coming against
Arkansas one coming against Tennessee
the Tigers do come off a midweek win
against Georgia and the lineup the the
the middle of the order topof the order
guys and Ike Irish Cooper
McMurray uh Mason manners is a guy who’s
had a good year and left for them the
Jacksonville State transfer this team
can hit at times uh the problem has been
the pitching it’s just been very very
hard to find def Dependable arms here
Joseph Gonzalez is not the guy that he
was pre- injury uh you know probably
their best guy is John Armstrong out of
the bullpen the righty side armor
they’ve got some other guys that have
got some Talent Christian Herber holes
has done some things at times uh but
it’s just not gone Auburn’s way pitching
wise and and look a lot of teams have
had struggles pitching in the League
this year uh and Auburn hardly the least
of those teams or maybe it is I don’t
know the numbers haven’t been great but
Auburn is gonna go Dylan Watts Tanner
Balman and I think Carson Meyers I’m
guessing could get the the third start
but we’ll wait and see what they do um
yeah that’s actually what Auburn’s
announced so Myers is the UAB transfer
so they’ll go righty Lefty Lefty in this
one Mississippi State a team I think is
maybe a little bit underrated nationally
um it’s not a lineup I think that’s had
the season that maybe people have
expected outside of Dakota Jordan now
look it’s a good lineup but hunter Hines
has not had the kind of year we thought
Hunter hin had same with Amman Larry
they’re fine David mwn stepped up and
had a nice year for them at Short
offensively but the pitching this is
really been a turnaround for State uh
Kai stefen their Friday started the
Purdue transfers has been really good
not giving up a lot of Runners keeps
guys off base in terms of issuing walks
and free passes dangelo saja their
switch pitcher I think will be in the
number two I guess Evan sieri will be
the three could be Carson Lian I don’t
know nck Dom boy this would really
change the complexion of the rotation I
guess Dom it appears is injured they
haven’t given much of an update on him
that I can find he’s one of the more
talented arms on that staff if you put
him in there and he’s healthy this might
be one of the best rotations in the
conference now the bullpen um probably
not up to par with the
rotation but the rotation guys have
given them good Innings and I think the
bats are due to be a little bit better
this game or this series rather in
Starkville I’m going to go with
Mississippi State I think it’s the
better team and in this C in this case
also the home
team next up in Athens Old Miss visits
Georgia Old Miss got a series win over
Mississippi State last week after
winning after excuse me after losing the
Friday game and it faces the Georgia
team I think that is 22 and two at home
and can really hit the long ball number
two nationally I think one home run
behind Tennessee at least that was the
case heading into the midweek game oh
miss will go Riley Maddox Liam Doyle
that’s righty Lefty and 2B determined in
game three Georgia will go late in
Finley Christian morona and I think
Charlie Goldstein who’s been there one
has been out for about three weeks with
a what’s been called a tired arm as I’m
told but let’s start on the Miss side
feels like oh miss got a little life
winning that series last weekend against
Mississippi State this is a team that
that’s got some pop a couple of
transfers Andrew Fischer Lefty in his
first year from dupe and he Duke excuse
me Ethan grth his second year at Old
Miss after transferring to from Tain
excuse me Ethan leay he’s hit 11 homers
fiser hit 13 the problem for Old Miss
has just been the pitching JT Quinn’s
been on the shelf for a while don’t know
when he’s coming back um Riley Maddox
Liam Doyle neither have been great so
far the third spot’s been kind of a
mystery I think probably the best part
of that staff so far been Mason Nichols
in relief he’s a little bit Wild but
he’s been pretty good in terms of
keeping Runners off base and keeping the
ball in the park Mitch Morell also a guy
that’s been there a while has given him
a lift but Old Miss has just had trouble
finding enough Innings from enough guys
at times and that that’s been this
problem it’s a decent hitting team but
ol Miss is gonna have to find some
pitching if he wants to go in Athens and
win a series and that is the problem
when you’re playing Georgia um everybody
knows about Charlie Condon he’s got 24
home runs might be National player of
the year uh depending on what you do
with Jack kagon who’s putting up big
hitting numbers and also big pitching
numbers or at least nice pitching
numbers for Florida but Conan is
creating runs at about a 25 runs per 27
out clip uh which is just incredible and
it’s not just him hitting bombs you got
Corey Collins has hit 12 and might be
the most underrated player in the league
so far he’s got an on base percentage of
582 he’s slugging 888 got 12 bombs he
been there seemingly forever kobby
branch has got 10 home runs slugging 570
Fernando Gonzalez out of the catcher
spot has got six bombs Dylan Goldstein
their outfielder I think he plays right
he got nine bombs this is the team that
just got guys that hit them up and down
the lineup and also guys on the bench
that they can come off and give you some
pop two like Dylan Carter when he’s not
in the lineup now the issue for
Georgia again going to be the pitching
this staff right now without Goldstein
goes about 70 know Jarvis Evans have
been pretty good lately um Leighton
Finley is going to be the guy that gets
the ball in game one he’s been pretty
good keeps the ball on the ground uh 25%
ground ball rate that’s the all outs not
just strikeout or not just balls put in
play but he gets ground balls at a 25%
rate which is pretty good and boy you
need that when you’re pitching in fully
field the way the ball gets out of there
uh the problem for them is they hadn’t
had great relief uh Brian zeldon the
transfer from pen the righty’s been
pretty good for them uh but it’s kind of
been six seven eight guys and after that
um hold your breath uh and some of those
performances have not been very pretty
so far but when you score the way
Georgia has this team scored 346 runs
this year scored 109 in SEC play I think
both teams have got pitching issues I
just trust George’s lineup in that Park
where it’s just been a monster this year
to win that series
next up LSU goes to Missouri now here is
a series that’s infinitely more
interesting than I would have thought it
would have been coming into the season
everybody Peg Missouri consensus last in
the SEC myself included I think
everybody thought LSU was going to be a
national title Contender guess what
LSU’s won three SEC games and Missouri’s
won five and Missouri frankly it’s
gotten better as the season has gone on
I’ll get into that in just a minute LSU
has switched up the rotation a little
bit it’s going to go gagee jump the
Lefty transfer from UCLA who’s been a
little bit erratic uh a good starter one
that most teams would have in the
rotation I don’t think the performance
has been quite up to maybe what the
Tigers had hoped Luke Holman in the two
spot um has been a first team all SEC
type guy this year he’s been pretty
dominant and so anytime Luke hullman’s
on the mound you feel like LSU is gonna
have a chance
after that I don’t I don’t know what
they’re going to do thater herd has been
hit and miss um you know when when he is
on he is really really good and they’ve
got some other guys Gavin G’s a nice arm
uh but you got some relievers out of
that pin uh Justin L Aken husen lefties
have not been I think what they hoped
Griffin herring’s been fine but it seems
like this team’s got about three or four
arms it can count on a lot of weekends
and look LSU hardly alone in this
there’s a lot lot of other teams in the
league they’re in that boat but I think
the pitching has been a little bit of a
disappointment so far now now the lineup
has been a little bit too to be frank
Tommy White has not quite had the year
that I think people expected but
everybody knows he’s an All-American and
a major league caliber third baseman by
the way the defense has improved for him
when I’ve watched this year so there’s
also that but J Jones really has been
their best hitter this year but other
than that other guys really hadn’t
stepped up Michael Bradwell brazwell has
been hit and miss seems like M Bingham
has tailed off a little bit lately
Paxton cing didn’t take that jump up
Brady Neil really has it now Hayden
trinsky behind the Plate’s been really
good uh from an offensive standpoint and
he’s one of three guys with double digit
home runs but um just not the guys you
expected a big freshman to sof sophomore
step up from this lineup that that
didn’t happen now for Missouri I I think
Missouri right now one of the more
interesting teams in the league because
I think everybody felt like this was the
League’s worst team coming into the
season you got a coach rebuilding the
worst program in the league with a lot
of new faces and I think this is the
team that has competed every weekend and
Carrick Jackson’s gotten a lot out of
this Bunch because it’s very limited
offensively outside of Trevor Austin
who’s got nine home runs not a lot of
guys in that lineup that scare you Danny
Corona the Wake Forest transfer really
hasn’t had the year that I think we all
thought he would have he’s been playing
some first for them uh Jackson demon
their right fielder um has had a nice
year a little bit of a breakout and
Jackson lovic at DH has had a nice
season too but the bottom half of that
lineup um lot been a lot of easy outs in
there so far but here’s the interesting
thing about Missouri the pitching is
really stepped up um Logan lunber is
going to be their their Friday guy Javin
pentol the Lefty in the two slot has
been really good lately when I’ve seen
him uh he’s a little bit tricky keeps
the ball on the ground um walks a few
guys but strikes some out too I think
between him Carter rustad I would
presume would be the three or maybe a a
bulk inning relief guy if it’s a high
leverage game in game one or two but
rustad has given them a lot of innings
could be their three uh Bryce Mayer the
juko transfer also thrown a lot of
innings he could be a guy that you could
see some bulk work at um Ryan magic left
the out of the pin’s been really good
lately 33% strikeout rate um just has
been really tough to hit I’ve seen him
pitch a little bit I I think that
Missouri is limited LSU’s got a lot more
depth uh but Missouri has kind of held
teams down lately on the mound a little
bit more than you would have thought
going back to Vandy three weekends ago
saw them here in person in Nashville and
they they really held vbls lineup down
they just couldn’t score they go and
they get Florida at home they sweep that
series 3-1 Run game games and then they
go to Georgia and and what is a tough
matchup for them because Missouri is not
equipped to go power for power with a
team like Georgia in a small Ballpark
and yet Missouri hung with Georgia
through the weekend got the middle game
and took two losses on the the Friday
and the Saturday games or that could
have been a Thursday Sunday series I
don’t remember but anyway games one and
three were the games that Missouri lost
uh but they were competitive in those
games I see a team that’s gotten a lot
better remember this is the only team in
the league that’s beaten Kentucky so far
for what that’s
worth you know I I kind of like Missouri
uh to take the series since it’s it’s
home um and it’s playing well LSU is
going to have to get it together quickly
that that’s I guess my upset of the
weekend I don’t know if it’ll be an
upset or not based on the way these
teams have played lately uh but that’s
kind of my one prediction well I don’t
know we’ll see I might have another
upset in for you here in a minute but
anyway I think that LSU Missouri series
way more intrigued than any of us would
have thought entering the all right
finally we get to what is probably the
headline or series of the weekend with
apologies to Arkansas South Carolina I
think this is the one that people are
going to circle because ky’s 14- one uh
if Kentucky keeps playing like this it’s
going to break the alltime SEC record
for single season conference wins which
I think is held by Vandy with 26 but
Kentucky if it plays like this has got a
shot to challenge that record but boys
it got a tough matchup with Tennessee
and stylistically this is the most
opposites matchup of the weekend that
you will see and I think this is the
series that I’m probably more interested
in watching than any of the other ones
remember this is in ky’s ballpark uh
which Tennessee can be a little bit of a
different team out of its ballpark uh
which is kind of a bandbox lindsy Nelson
Stadium they had hurt their pitchers too
much but I think that team was built for
that ballpark so going on the road and
an environment where Kentucky is going
to try to take away everything that
Tennessee does going to be very
interesting to see which style prevails
here Tennessee’s lineup I think top to
bottom one through seven or eight or
nine this might be the lineup that you
don’t want to pitch to more than anybody
in the league now look I’m not saying
it’s the best lineup Georgia may have a
case but I do think it’s Tennessee but
here’s my thing I would rather pitch to
a team that’s got two or three
Superstars that you can pitch around a
little bit then pitch to a team that
just can batter you all up and down the
lineup and and listen to these runs
created estimates per 27 outs Blake
Burke 17.7 Christian Moore 12.2 Billy
AMC 14.8 Dean Curley 11.7 Dylan drying
14 and a half gavaris teers 15 and a
half uh Robin Villano 12 and a half
Dalton Bargo just over 11 I mean this is
a team that not only the guys that it’s
got out there but some guys that it will
bring Off the Bench can hit the long
ball and boy this team can hit long
balls it leads the country tears has got
11 dryings got 13 amic’s got 12 and he’s
missed some time lately Moore’s got 15
and Burke has got 13 also a team that
walks a lot most of the guys in the
lineup have got a double digit walk rate
so probably some of that is just not
wanting to pitch those guys because if
you leave one that catches a little bit
too much plate it could get out of
theard yard uh but that’s just life in
terms of pitching to
Tennessee um the the vs pitching is not
what it’s been the last couple of years
that doesn’t mean it’s bad uh the
Tennessee has made an interesting move
it’s going to throw Lefty Chris Stamos
as I guess probably an opener in game
one he’s only pitched 15 and two-thirds
Innings but they’ve been good Innings
they’ll throw Drew beam in game two
their Ace who’s been in that spot a lot
of the year not a strikeout guy but a
very durable guy who does not put a lot
of guys on base sayane to be said of
Xander secrist who’s their third starter
and AJ Cy who’s gotten some starts I
guess will be pitching out of the pin
this weekend so AJ Russell’s still out
who might have been their Ace this year
outside of beam but you look at the
Bullpen Kirby canel the lefties put up a
lot of innings lately Nate sne a guy
that’s thrown 40 in the third Innings
and they’ve been really good Innings
he’s a guy that can give you jumbo
relief they don’t have as many guys who
can get outs as they did like the last
two or three years but they’ve got some
guys who can go deep into games like
like a Sneed like a Cy if you need him
like a beam or even maybe secrist and so
I think that’s going to be interesting
to watch how Tennessee pitches to
Kentucky which
shockingly hey who had Kentucky being
14- one at this point not me who had
Kentucky leading the league and run
scored an SEC play with 142 not me oh by
the way kuy’s only given up 57 runs this
this is a lineup that has just done some
incredible things and a rotation that’s
been right there with the lineup in
terms of how good it has been now again
this is this is a little bit like
Tennessee to a lesser scale this is a
team that up and down in the lineup not
a lot of easy outs but it does not have
the pop that say the balls lineup has
Ryan Nicholson 11 home runs the Lefty
transfer from
Cincinnati he’s the only guy with double
digit home runs but they got a lot of
guys who can hit doubles and steal bases
and NE and petray their second baseman
has stolen 19 Ryan walmi their left
fielder has stolen 13 and gotten six
bombs and he just look up and down the
lineup it is a bunch of guys with on
base percentages at 400 or above or not
further below who will hit again doubles
and triples mostly occasionally a home
run but uh this lineup just a tough one
to pitch to because boy they will put
some pressure on you and score some runs
and Tennessee has had some issues with
that at times the root ation um we
talked about Arkansas’s earlier in the
video I don’t know that Arkansas’s had
three guys like Trey poer Dominic Neeman
and Mason Moore who’ve given them the
Innings that the Kentucky has I remember
a couple of weekends ago all three of
those guys win at least seven Innings
when they swept the series
against um it was Alabama and Arkansas
might have done that but here’s the
point seeing a team do that in this day
and age college baseball is really rare
and and by the way they got a ton arms
that they can bring out of the pin
outside that they got Johnny hmel their
closer the transfer from ersin uh who
was kind of an unknown who’s just been
dominant he’s got a 41% strikeout rate
they got a bunch of dudes after that
who’ve been really productive era under
three Evan buers Robert Hogan the Texas
A&M transfer Cameron O’Brien from
Campbell all those guys 15 or more
Innings erra’s under three they’ve even
got some guys like Ryan Hagen Al Colby
Fredo who for them in the past that
whether it’s injury or just getting
outperformed by other guys aren’t
throwing as much but um this is a team
that is really well balanced hard to
look at them and just find a weak link
so matchup of styles going to be very
interesting Kentucky so far has not
lost an SEC game at home now the
opponents have
been who’s it been it’s been
Alabama and it’s been Georgia so this
team’s actually had three Road Series
which which is really scary you’re
sitting there looking up at Kentucky
this team is 14- one and three of its
final series um of its five are going to
be at home and oh by the way the cats
beat Louisville in a slugfest this week
and I think it was
17-13 in the midweek game so who wins
this one uh you’ve got teams that are
just diametrically opposed and how they
like to build
offenses I’m going to go with the upset
and say Tennessee again that is a tough
challenge because kuy’s guys keep the
ball in the ground and out of the air
you got I’m looking at it of their top
nine or 10 arms eight or nine of them
got ground ball rates North to 20% Which
is pretty good again that’s all outs not
just balls hit in play and so I think
ky’s got a chance to neutralize what
Tennessee’s done but it feels like
Tennessee’s been a little bit of a
different team on the road uh you
remember last year Tennessee got sent on
the road to Clemson and the BS had
played really well in Lindsey Nelson
state
uh had not played so well on the road
they caught fire they won that Clemson
Regional they then went to Southern Miss
won a couple of there so this is a team
now that it feels like can can play well
not just in its own ballpark now look it
it has lost to series at Alabama and it
is lost one of three to Auburn in the
only two Road Series it’s had so far
this year so I’m taking a little bit of
a gamble here I’m thinking Kentucky
can’t probably continue to play at the
level that it’s played but hey don’t get
this Twisted KY is a really really good
team very much deserving of a national
seed I think these are two of the top
probably four teams in the country right
now I I’ll call Tennessee in the upset
just to to spice it up a little bit
anyway we’ll be back to wrap it up next
week we’ll give you the Recaps of what
happened and we’ll do Power Rankings so
tune in for those hit the Subscribe
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you get our content and get us seen I’m
Chris Lee we are southeastern 14
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