2021 SEC Baseball

[Tigerbelle 5,299]

This is from an LSU perspective, by a Louisiana news outlet but it has a lot of information about SEC baseball. 

 

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/sports/lsu/article_e9367826-520c-11eb-85a0-1fc6bb9341aa.html

Southeastern Conference baseball coaches spent months debating options for the 2021 schedule. They thought about only playing conference teams, making weekend series four games and facing fewer non-conference opponents.

Eventually, the coaches decided to maintain the league’s typical format, voting Thursday to play 10 conference series with three games per weekend, plus 26 non-conference games, as first reported by Baseball America. The plan heads to SEC athletic directors for approval.

“It's their decision what would need to be best,” LSU coach Paul Mainieri said, “but the baseball coaches were pretty unified in saying that we would like to keep the schedule as is."

The coaches also asked athletic directors to expand roster sizes from 27 to 30 players for road trips and conference games to account for the possibility players might miss time because of positive coronavirus tests or contact tracing, Mainieri said. He added the measure would give teams enough players to compete at their proper positions in the event of quarantines.

 

“It also, with the expanded rosters this year, would keep more kids involved and feel like there's hope for them to contribute to the program,” Mainieri said. “It's a little bit of an added expense, three extra players, but I think the tradeoff is certainly worth it.”

The coaches considered other options because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which has changed schedules across sports since March. Early last week, Mainieri said on WNXX-FM, 104.5 there was “a possibility” the SEC would play four-game series and 16 non-conference games. They also evaluated playing a conference-only schedule as in football.

However, the league’s coaches want to hold onto the typical baseball schedule as long as possible, and other conferences indicated their teams will play non-conference games at each school’s discretion.

According to D1Baseball.com, the Western Athletic Conference, Conference USA and the Southland Conference will allow nonconference games. All three leagues will play four-game weekend series within their conferenc

For nonconference teams to play the SEC this season, they must meet the league’s coronavirus testing protocols. Mainieri said last week on WNXX-FM the SEC will mandate teams take PCR tests 72 hours before first pitch or a rapid antigen test the day before the game, but the SEC hasn’t released its requirements for spring sports.

“The feedback I've gotten from virtually every school on our schedule is they're willing to abide by it,” Mainieri said. “They were already doing that level of testing.”

LSU’s players return to campus Sunday and will receive a coronavirus test. If every player tests negative, the team will begin individual workouts Monday. Practice starts Jan. 29, three weeks before LSU plays Notre Dame, Army and Air Force opening weekend.

“We're still slightly unsure whether or not Army's going to be able to make the trip because of their institutional policies,” Mainieri said, “but we're working on it and hoping it's going to be able to happen.”

The rest of LSU’s schedule will be finalized later this month, after the athletic directors approve a season plan.

The SEC knows it may have to pivot to a format with four-game weekend series, depending on the pandemic and decisions made by other conferences, but for now the league coaches want to hold onto the status quo.

“I'm just happy to know the coaches have become unified at least in what we want to do,” Mainieri said. “We talked about so many possibilities over the course of the last couple months. I felt like we kept talking in circles, but ultimately, we came up with what we thought was best. Hopefully the athletic directors will agree with us.”

EMAIL WILSON ALEXANDER AT WALEXANDER@THEADVOCATE.COM

 

 

[boomstick 1,315]

The SEC is going to be ridiculous this year, much like most years. Auburn has the talent to make a CWS but might finish in the bottom half of the league. Just crazy depth in this conference.

[TigerCatcher 182]

After the weekend sweep we made a nice, super early I know, jump in RPI moving up 147 spots to #20 (tied with 30 other teams, LOL). 

Elsewhere Texas has had their asses handed to them by the SEC in the big State Farm College Showdown (in Texas).  They've gone 0-3 against Miss St., Arkansas and Ole Miss, giving up 20 runs while scoring just four.  Texas Tech walks away with the same record losing to the same three.  Over in College Station, Xavier committed seven errors in three games and still took two of three from aTm.  Obviously Florida won't hold the number one ranking a day longer...christened their beautiful new ballpark by dropping two of three to Miami.  Likewise UCLA will fall from the number two spot after losing two of three to the University of San Francisco.

[boomstick 1,315]

I watched a decent bit of SEC baseball this weekend. There are some scary good teams this year. Ole Miss, Arkansas, and Miss St all looked like CWS Champion-caliber teams in their showdown with the Big 12 teams. Those three went a combined 8-1 against what many considered the best three teams in the Big 12 this year, Texas Tech, Texas, and TCU. I was extremely impressed with Arkansas, and it was more about their pitching than their hitting. They had multiple guys throwing 96-98. OM is just a complete team all the way around. Miss St was very much the same, but their lineup is lethal and they have enough big arms to stymie anyone.

I watched some of UGA and came away impressed with the pitching I saw. They're loaded with LHP. Their lineup didn't seem like a group that was going to put a ton of fear in you, but they can string together a bunch of hits. 

aTm didn't look good at all on Saturday when I watched them, but I found out yesterday that they couldn't practice and dealt with the winter weather all last week. So, I'll give them a bit of a pass for Saturday. They beat the mess out of Xavier on Sunday.

I watched Florida on Friday and Saturday until our game started. Their offense is elite, and their Fri/Sat starting pitching is elite. Their bullpen let them down big time on Saturday, and their starter got roughed up on Sunday. But 1-9, they can rake.

Saw a few glimpses of Bama, and I expect them to be a better team than what most are predicting. Their Friday night start is probably a top 10-15 pick next year. Their lineup seemed threatening.

And I saw a tweet this morning that, based on the current Baseball America rankings, we play #1, 6, 7, 8, 13, and 22 in the first 8 weeks of the SEC season. 

 

 

[WarEagle2423 357]

2 hours ago, boomstick said:

I watched a decent bit of SEC baseball this weekend. There are some scary good teams this year. Ole Miss, Arkansas, and Miss St all looked like CWS Champion-caliber teams in their showdown with the Big 12 teams. Those three went a combined 8-1 against what many considered the best three teams in the Big 12 this year, Texas Tech, Texas, and TCU. I was extremely impressed with Arkansas, and it was more about their pitching than their hitting. They had multiple guys throwing 96-98. OM is just a complete team all the way around. Miss St was very much the same, but their lineup is lethal and they have enough big arms to stymie anyone.

I watched some of UGA and came away impressed with the pitching I saw. They're loaded with LHP. Their lineup didn't seem like a group that was going to put a ton of fear in you, but they can string together a bunch of hits. 

aTm didn't look good at all on Saturday when I watched them, but I found out yesterday that they couldn't practice and dealt with the winter weather all last week. So, I'll give them a bit of a pass for Saturday. They beat the mess out of Xavier on Sunday.

I watched Florida on Friday and Saturday until our game started. Their offense is elite, and their Fri/Sat starting pitching is elite. Their bullpen let them down big time on Saturday, and their starter got roughed up on Sunday. But 1-9, they can rake.

Saw a few glimpses of Bama, and I expect them to be a better team than what most are predicting. Their Friday night start is probably a top 10-15 pick next year. Their lineup seemed threatening.

And I saw a tweet this morning that, based on the current Baseball America rankings, we play #1, 6, 7, 8, 13, and 22 in the first 8 weeks of the SEC season. 

 

 

I watched a lot of them this weekend, too, and I agree. It’s crazy how stacked this conference is. Ole Miss is my 2nd team (grew up in MS as an OM fan before I ever visited AU), and they are just loaded everywhere. I was watching Arkansas, and I think it was their 10th pitcher of the weekend, and he was throwing 96-98. One of the Big 12 coaches commented on it, saying how ridiculous it was haha. 
 

But yeah, even the teams that didn’t play all that well this weekend will be really good teams once the season starts rolling and guys get back in a groove. It’s been a strange offseason, obviously. 
 

As much as I hate Bama, they are improving. Bohannon will always have them competing while he’s there. I hate to say it, but they are doing something right in their AD. All of their sports are on an upward trend. If we can get a new WBB coach and if volleyball can fix whatever is going on with them, we might could say the same thing. 

[TigerCatcher 182]

I'm assuming Ray Tanner rattled Mark Kingston's cage over at USC.  They have been lights out recruiting and should be a serious contender again. 

And there's, oh by the way, defending CWS champion Vandy.  

[TigerCatcher 182]

aTm really struggling coming out of the gate this season.  Had to go to extra innings last night to beat a Tarleton State team that was smoked by UT Arlington 14-1 in seven innings the night before.  A&M is 2-3 going into the Round Rock Classic.  We've got a good shot to go 3-0 against some traditional powerhouses this weekend...which would be a nice confidence builder.