SEC baseball is once again loaded with talent in 2025.
The SEC had 11 teams qualify for the NCAA tournament in 2024, which was a record. Then, the league added Texas and Oklahoma, both of whom also qualified for the NCAA tournament. Five different SEC teams have won the last five national championships including Tennessee in 2024, further emphasizing the league’s depth.
The college baseball season begins Feb. 14, while conference play starts March 14.
Aria Gerson of the Tennessean and Mike Wilson of Knox News discuss several names to know and which teams to watch out for in the 2025 season:
Best player
Gerson: Ethan Petry, South Carolina. Petry’s 2024 almost felt under the radar after his freshman campaign, but he still hit .306 with 21 homers and was named MVP of the Cape Cod League.
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Wilson: Jace LaViolette, Texas A&M. LaViolette is the frontrunner to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 MLB Draft for a reason. He has massive hitting skills and plus-plus power with 50 homers in two seasons.
Best pitcher
Gerson: Ryan Prager, Texas A&M. The Aggies getting Prager back was a huge coup. He is the lone All-SEC pitcher from a year ago to return after putting up a 2.95 ERA in 19 starts.
Wilson: Kyson Witherspoon, Oklahoma. Witherspoon showed plus pitches in his first season at Oklahoma and is locked in on being the Friday night guy for the Sooners in the SEC. He was 8-3 with a 3.71 ERA last season.
Best freshman
Gerson: Brodie Johnston, Vanderbilt. Johnston made big waves in the summer and fall, and the Commodores badly need his power stroke, opening up opportunities for him immediately.
Wilson: Derek Curiel, LSU. Curiel was one of the top recruits to make it to campus after the draft. Tigers pitcher William Schmidt could have been the pick here, but Curiel’s path to a clear role is more obvious.
Best transfer
Gerson: Andrew Fischer, Tennessee. Power wins in the SEC, and Fischer is a proven power producer. He hit .285 with 20 home runs last year at Ole Miss and will be moving to an even friendlier home park.
Wilson: Blake Cyr, Florida. Cyr and Fischer are probably the top hitting transfers coming into the conference. Cyr hit .305 with 17 homers and 63 RBIs at Miami as a freshman in 2023 before an injury-hampered 2024.
Best team
Gerson: Texas A&M. The Aggies are the most complete team, returning LaViolette and Prager plus SEC Freshman of the Year Gavin Grahovac. On top of that, they brought in a very good transfer class led by Wyatt Henseler and Gavin Kash.
Wilson: Texas A&M. First-year coach Michael Earley has a juggernaut on his hands with elite hitting and a stout crop of starting pitchers. The Aggies are proven and talented – and are the most well-rounded, deep team on paper going into the season.
Overrated team
Gerson: Georgia. I think people are underestimating how difficult it will be to replace Charlie Condon and Corey Collins, who each got on base over half the time they came to the plate and combined for 57 home runs. The pitching staff, while talented, is light on actual proven arms.
Wilson: Arkansas. Arkansas will have an elite pitching staff again, which isn’t new under coach Dave Van Horn. Neither is why the Razorbacks continue to disappoint in the postseason. They can’t hit and little about this roster suggests that will change.
Underrated team
Gerson: Oklahoma. The Sooners typically pitch well and figure to again, but they also won’t have any problem filling two of the most important positions on the field with the return of catcher Easton Carmichael and shortstop Jaxon Willits.
Wilson: Auburn. I’m a believer in what coach Butch Thompson did with the Tigers’ roster in the offseason through the portal and a top-five recruiting class. Ike Irish is a centerpiece offensively and the bullpen is sturdy. If Auburn has a good weekend rotation – hello, Florida transfer Cade Fisher – this team is a super regional threat.
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Bold prediction
Gerson: An SEC team won’t win the national championship in 2025. SEC teams have won the last five titles, but outside Texas A&M, most of the league’s rosters this year come with major questions and many of the most proven stars are outside the SEC. It may be another league’s time to shine.
Wilson: Texas A&M won’t make it to the College World Series. Yeah, the Aggies are widely viewed as the top team in preseason, but powerhouses don’t always make it to Omaha. Tennessee fell in short in 2022 as perhaps the SEC’s best team in the past few seasons. It doesn’t always work out the way it should and being the favorite is a pressure-packed life.
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X, formerly Twitter, @aria_gerson.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson or Bluesky @bymikewilson.bsky.social.
