SEC baseball power rankings after Week 5: Vanderbilt, Mississippi State make statements

Opening weekend of SEC baseball wasn't a good time to go on the road.

To start off league play, all seven home teams won their series, underscoring the difficulty of winning on the road in the SEC. Even with that caveat, some teams looked better than expected and rose in the rankings, while others had woeful showings.

As league play continues, the pecking order will solidify itself.

All rankings, records and stats are as of March 18

1. Arkansas

Arkansas' pitching staff put up an extremely impressive display by allowing only one run in a sweep of Missouri. That didn't tell us anything about the Razorbacks that we didn't already know, but it was one of the most impressive showings this weekend nonetheless.

Record: 17-2 (3-0 SEC)

Last week: 3

MORE ON ARKANSASSensational pitching powers Arkansas baseball to weekend sweep of Missouri

2. Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt made a statement by pummeling Auburn in a three-game sweep. There were questions about Vanderbilt's offense coming into the season, but Vanderbilt ranks fifth in the SEC in scoring and has one of the conference's most effective stolen-base attacks.

Record: 18-3 (3-0)

Last week: 5

MORE ON VANDERBILTWhat Vanderbilt baseball showed in sweep of Auburn for highest ranking in two years

3. Alabama

Alabama hadn't proven itself against top competition entering SEC play. That's no more, as the Crimson Tide won its series against Tennessee. There were questions about Alabama's rotation after Ben Hess, but the Tide actually held the Vols' powerful bats at bay better in the second and third games.

Record: 17-3 (2-1)

Last week: 6

4. Florida

Florida dropped several early non-conference games, but the Gators proved they are still SEC contenders with a series win over Texas A&M. Florida's pitching kept the high-powered Aggies offense at bay enough to let its own big bats do the work, but depth on the mound remains a question.

Record: 12-7 (2-1)

Last week: 8

5. Tennessee

Tennessee is the only team in the SEC averaging double-digit runs per game. But the road series loss to Alabama raised two questions: First, how well does the pitching depth hold up? And second, can this team win away from Lindsey Nelson Stadium? No one wants to travel to Knoxville, but last season, a poor record in road series was part of why the Vols didn't host a regional.

Record: 18-3 (1-2)

Last week: 2

6. Texas A&M

The Aggies faltered for the first time in Gainesville. Losing a road series to Florida is no disaster, but Texas A&M's pitching didn't look nearly as good against a strong SEC offense as it did against mid-major opponents, and the offense mustered just two runs in the rubber match.

Record: 18-2

Last week: 4

7. Mississippi State

Mississippi State made one of the biggest statements this weekend with a series win over LSU, including a run-rule win in the final game. The Bulldogs' weekend pitching looks much improved, but an offense that had struggled for the first month of the season also came through against one of the top pitching staffs in the league.

Record: 15-6 (2-1)

Last week: 12

8. LSU

LSU is undoubtedly talented, but a series loss to Mississippi State raises significant concerns. The Tigers' offense simply isn't what it was a year ago, ranking 12th in the league in scoring, and the pitching staff gave up 33 runs in three games to a team averaging just 7.9 per game.

Record: 17-4 (1-2)

Last week: 1

9. Kentucky

Kentucky got back on the horse after its series loss to Kennesaw State by emphatically sweeping Georgia. The Wildcats scored 37 runs this weekend, the most of any team in the league. After giving up 10 runs in the opener, Kentucky held the Bulldogs to five runs in the other two games.

Record: 17-3 (3-0)

Last week: 11

10. Auburn

Whether Auburn's sweep at Vanderbilt was simply being outplayed by one of the league's top teams or a sign of bigger issues remains to be seen. The Tigers remain in the top half of the league in scoring, but they are 12th in the SEC in runs allowed per game and last in fielding percentage.

Record: 13-6 (0-3)

Last week: 7

11. Ole Miss

Ole Miss looks improved from last season. After all, the Rebels won their opening series against South Carolina after winning only one SEC series in 2023. But I'm still not quite bullish on Ole Miss yet − the Rebels are one of two teams in the league to rank in the bottom five in both scoring and runs allowed.

Record: 15-6 (2-1)

Last week: 13

MORE ON OLE MISSOle Miss baseball's strong bullpen headlines takeaways from SEC series win vs South Carolina

12. South Carolina

South Carolina has gotten off to a rough start. What is most perplexing about the Gamecocks is the way it's happened. South Carolina was expected to have a relentless offense and a questionable pitching staff. So far, the pitching has been mostly excellent, while the offense put up just 13 runs in three games.

Record: 15-5 (1-2)

Last week: 9

13. Georgia

Even after the sweep at Kentucky, Georgia ranks second in the SEC in scoring and first in home runs. But there are major concerns about the pitching staff, which has allowed 5.67 runs per game.

Record: 17-4 (0-3)

14. Missouri

Missouri is in a total rebuild in Kerrick Jackson's first season. The Tigers rank last in the SEC in both scoring and runs allowed per game and scored only one run in a sweep at Arkansas.

Record: 9-11 (0-3)

Last week: 14

Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on Twitter @aria_gerson.