Image credit:
Chase Fralick (Mike Janes/Four Seam Images)
With conference play in full swing, there are big-time conference series no matter where you look. This weekend, there isn’t a more loaded slate than the SEC. There are three high-profile ranked series, including another top 10 matchup in Tuscaloosa.
Outside of the SEC, Georgia Tech has a golden opportunity to earn an upset win at home and keep its strong start rolling.
Here’s what to watch for in week seven:
Georgia On Everyone’s Mind
The biggest series of this weekend’s slate takes place in Athens, Georgia, where No. 12 Auburn and No. 4 Georgia will face off in a clash of two of the top teams in the SEC. There was some buzz surrounding the Tigers this offseason due to their impressive transfer haul and recruiting class, and head coach Butch Thompson’s squad has hit the ground running to the tune of a 20-5 record. Following a loud showing in Texas that included an 8-7 win over now-No. 9 Oregon State, Auburn has picked up SEC series wins over both No. 14 Vanderbilt and previously-ranked Kentucky.
Auburn’s starting nine is a deep unit featuring five players with at least 20 RBIs. Circling back to its recruiting class, freshman Chase Fralick (.371/.418/.472) is the team’s leading hitter and both Christopher Rembert (.282/.440/.479/.918) and D’Marion “Bub” Terrell (.282/.376/.436) have carved out meaningful roles. After missing some time due to an injury, prized junior Ike Irish has hit his stride and is slashing .351/.462/.622 with nine extra-base hits and 20 RBIs, while transfer Eric Snow (.340/.429/.540) has been a revelation. On the bump, fellow transfer Samuel Dutton (3-1, 2.48 ERA) has excelled in the rotation.
While Georgia’s schedule up to this point may not have been the most difficult, it has more than taken care of business. The Bulldogs are undefeated in weekend series and are fresh off back-to-back ranked series victories over Kentucky and Florida. Their high-powered offense is one of the best units in the country. Their 74 home runs are the highest team total by a fairly wide margin—Tennessee’s 61 home runs are second—and their .320 average ranks inside the top 20 nationally. I could talk at length about almost every hitter in the lineup, but I’ll hone in on Ryland Zaborowski and Robbie Burnett.
A transfer from Miami (Ohio), Zaborowski is off to a blistering start to the tune of a .467/.588/1.120 line with 14 home runs (most in the country) and 48 RBIs (second most). Fellow transfer Robbie Burnett is off to a similarly-impressive start, hitting .383/.597/.951 with 13 home runs and 41 RBIs. His 13 long balls trail only Zaborowski, and his 41 RBIs rank sixth nationally. Georgia’s rotation is not the most formidable, but it has a bevy of reliable options in its bullpen. This series is a golden opportunity for each team to make a statement, but I think Auburn wins an all-important Sunday rubber game.
How To Watch No. 12 Auburn (20-5, 4-2 SEC) At No. 4 Georgia (25-2, 5-1 SEC)
Both Friday and Sunday’s games can be streamed via SEC Network+, while Saturday’s game will be broadcast nationally on SEC Network.
Another Top 10 Showdown In “T-Town”
I went in-depth on Alabama last week, but this series is far too big of a matchup to not talk about. Beginning with No. 8 Oklahoma, the Sooners are off to a roaring start that includes an impressive standalone win over No. 9 Oregon State and notable road series wins over South Carolina and Mississippi State. They’ll have their hands full this weekend down in Tuscaloosa, but they’ll be up for the challenge. While Oklahoma has a handful of reliable bats, its pitching staff is undoubtedly its biggest strength. Star junior Kyson Witherspoon (5-1, 1.80 ERA), who ranks inside the top 20 in our most recent 2025 draft rankings, is a legitimate Friday ace. This spring, he boasts a sparkling strikeout-to-walk ratio of 58-to-7 with loud stuff to boot.
In the bullpen, the duo of Dylan Crooks (2-0, 0.55 ERA) and Reid Hensley (2-0, 1.29 ERA) have been nails. Across 30.1 total innings, they’ve combined to allow just three runs. Offensively, potential top-three round draft pick Easton Carmichael’s (.313/.380/.573) 26 RBIs lead the way, but sophomore shortstop Jaxon Willits (.312/.394/.613) has been the team’s hottest hitter over the past couple of weeks. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention freshman infielder Kyle Branch, whose .352 average leads the team. A spark plug on both sides of the baseball, Branch has been one of the better freshmen in the conference.
If you’d like a more in-depth report on the Crimson Tide, I recommend checking out last week’s what to watch for. While they won the series-opener against top-ranked Tennessee in exciting fashion, they dropped the next two games to lose the series. A disappointing result, but my feelings about the Tide remain the same. Led by potential No. 1 overall 2026 pick Justin Lebron (.340/.449/.777, nation-leading 51 RBIs), head coach Rob Vaughn’s squad has College World Series upside. It boasts depth on both sides of the baseball and across all personnel groups. Oklahoma is another tough test, but I think Alabama gets the sour taste from last week out of its mouth with a top 10 series win in front of what figures to be another raucous crowd.
How To Watch No. 8 Oklahoma (21-3, 4-2 SEC) At No. 10 Alabama (23-3, 4-2 SEC)
Both Friday and Sunday’s games can be streamed via SEC Network+, but Saturday’s game will be broadcast nationally on SEC Network.
SEC Powerhouses Clash In The Music City
If you couldn’t tell by this point, it is yet another loaded SEC slate. Before its loss on Tuesday to Missouri State, Arkansas was off to its best 25-game start in program history, sitting at 23-2. Most notably, the Razorbacks have notched a hard-fought series win over No. 15 Ole Miss and a sound sweep of South Carolina. They have a wealth of depth on both sides of the baseball and rank inside the top 25 nationally in both team batting average (No 5 at .334) and team ERA (No. 21 at 3.77).
Bash brothers Kuhio (.404/.505/.764) and Wehiwa Aloy (.383/.472/.785) have blasted eight and 10 home runs, respectively, while combining to drive in 71 runs. Australia-native Brent Iredale (.351/.523/.797) leads the team with 41 RBIs, while nobody in the lineup has been hotter than Charles Davalan. A top-of-the-order dynamo, Davalan this season is hitting .413/.500/.654 with seven home runs, 25 RBIs and 15 walks to just seven strikeouts.
On the mound, the lefthanded duo of Landon Beidelschies (3-0, 3.76 ERA) and Zach Root (3-1, 4.02 ERA) is one of the more dynamic one-two rotation punches in the country. Fellow college writer Jacob Rudner and I discussed it on this week’s college podcast, but the X-factor of this year’s Arkansas team might be its bullpen. Lefthander Parker Coil (2-0, 0.60 ERA) has been excellent, but so have Dylan Carter (3-0, 2.25 ERA), Aiden Jimenez (2-0, 1.35 ERA) and Will McEntire (1-0, 3.86 ERA). Head coach Dave Van Horn can deploy each arm in a myriad of roles, and they have the ability to both provide length or slam the door.
Vanderbilt has compiled a strong resume up to this point, with quality standalone wins over Grand Canyon, No. 17 UC Irvine and No. 25 UCLA. Though he missed time early on due to an injury, star freshman Brodie Johnston has been the team’s most productive hitter. Ranked as the No. 2 incoming freshman, Johnston this spring is hitting .346/.357/.642 with a team-leading five home runs and 25 RBIs. Both Riley Nelson (.369/.505/.512) and Jacob Humphrey (.364/.481/.561) have been consistent producers, while the dynamic RJ Austin (.313/.422/.490) has made his presence felt on both sides of the baseball.
The Commodores have an impressive rotation duo of their own in Cody Bowker and JD Thompson. A low-slot righty, Bowker has worked a 2.64 ERA with 40 strikeouts to 10 walks, while Thompson’s 42 punch outs lead the team. The biggest revelation, though, has been Sawyer Hawks (3-0, 1.42 ERA). After an injury last season, Hawks has returned to his 2023 self. Through seven appearances spanning 19 innings, he’s notched 29 strikeouts and has held opposing hitters to just a .143 average. On top of Hawks, Vanderbilt’s bullpen as a whole has been dynamite. The quartet of Connor Fennell (2-0, 1.93 ERA)—who actually started last week—Miller Green (0-1, 1.64 ERA), Alex Kranzler (3-0, 1.12 ERA) and Brennan Seiber (1-0, 2.08 ERA) have all shined.
Vanderbilt’s pitching figures to keep it in each game this weekend, though I think Arkansas ends up notching a pair of victories to take the series.
How To Watch No. 2 Arkansas (23-3, 5-1 SEC) At No. 14 Vanderbilt (20-5, 4-2 SEC)
Friday’s game will be broadcast nationally on SEC Network, while both Saturday and Sunday’s games can be streamed via SEC Network+.
The Ramblin’ Wreck’s Biggest Test Yet
Like with Alabama, I spent a lot of time last week discussing Clemson, so the majority of this series preview will be spent discussing Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets are off to an outstanding 21-4 start, including 7-2 in ACC play. They haven’t exactly faced world-beaters, but they’ve taken care of business in emphatic fashion.
Like it is most seasons, Georgia Tech’s offense is a deep group who can beat teams in a number of ways. Blue chip sophomore Drew Burress (.337/.468/.714) has carried over his momentum from last season and has 21 extra-base hits and 31 RBIs to his name, while transfer Kyle Lodise (.376/.496/.792) has been one of the hottest hitters in the country recently. Both his 22 extra-base hits and nine home runs are the highest totals on the team. Freshman Alex Hernandez has been one of the more productive true freshman hitters in the country, and so far he’s hitting .351/.437/.691 with eight home runs and a team-leading 37 RBIs.
Georgia Tech’s pitching has been its biggest Achilles’ Heel in years past, though that doesn’t appear to be the case this season. After showing flashes as a freshman, sophomore Tate McKee has taken the reins of the rotation and has pitched his way to a 2.97 ERA with 39 strikeouts to just 11 walks across 30.1 innings. In the bullpen, veteran righthander Mason Patel has been virtually untouchable. Through eight appearances (29.2 innings), he’s compiled a minuscule 0.61 ERA with 28 strikeouts against only four walks. Fellow veteran righty Jaylen Paden (2-0, 0.84 ERA) has also emerged as a reliable option, while a handful of others have done the same.
Since last week’s check-in on the Tigers, they won their series against No. 13 Wake Forest in exciting fashion. Following a comfortable win in the series-opener thanks to Aidan Knaak (6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 10 K) and a wild loss on Saturday, Clemson on Sunday erased an early 6-0 deficit and won the series in walk-off fashion. It will really need its pitching staff to step up, as between Georgia Tech’s loaded lineup and the hitter-friendly environment that is Russ Chandler Stadium, any game this weekend could turn into a slugfest. Clemson is another team with Omaha aspirations, but I have a feeling Georgia Tech picks up an upset series victory at home.
How To Watch No. 7 Clemson (24-4, 4-2 ACC) At Georgia Tech (21-4, 7-2 ACC)
All three games this weekend can be streamed via ACC Network Extra.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
