 |
|
Assessing SEC softball part 1...
Posted on: February 18, 2019 at 14:25:30 CT
bluetiger_ MU
Posts:
6510
Member For:
11.95 yrs
Level:
User
M.O.B. Votes:
0
Just 2 weeks into the season is early I know, but here are impressions from those games. First the 7 ranked SEC teams that opened with 2 or fewer losses.
#4 Florida: As good as expected, went 11-0, with wins over 3 ranked teams, #9 Arizona 3-2, #15 Michigan 6-0, #16 Arizona State 7-2. Reason to be just slightly concerned? The 3 ranked teams they beat are all suspect and probably overrated; Michigan started 4-5 with 3 losses to unranked teams and should not be in the new top 25 tomorrow; Arizona started just 6-4 with losses to 2 unranked teams; ASU was run ruled by us. Plus, they struggled to beat 3 unranked teams, North Florida 3-1, NC St 2-1, Illinois State 2-1.
#6 Tennessee: Started 8-2, had a cupcake first weekend but went 3-2 this last weekend. Lost to #2 FSU 5-2, and to #25 James Madison 6-2, no disgraces there. Had a good win over #24 Notre Dame, and a solid Minnesota team. Still consider them one of the top 5 teams in the conference, and maybe the second best.
#7 LSU: Started 9-2, went 6-0 in a cupcake first weekend before going 3-2 recently. Lost to #2 FSU 9-1, no disgrace, and #22 Oregon 8-5. Had 3 wins though against top 25 teams Texas, Ok State, Ohio State. Remains to be seen if their new pitching can hold up to the SEC grind. Overranked a bit at #7, they feel more like a 10-15 type team, still very good.
#8 Alabama: Incomplete. Started 10-0. Yes they did beat Arizona handily, but as I said, the Wildcats are overranked. Their other opponents have been awful, and they struggled to beat South Fla 2-0 and New Mexico 1-0. The rest of their non conference schedule is similarly disgraceful. They scheduled very weakly knowing their pitching might be a question mark. Won’t know anything about this team until they get into SEC play. They may be top 10 quality, or not. Hard to tell when you take the cowards way out in non conference scheduling.
#9 Georgia: See Alabama, same story. They are 9-1, with a loss to surprising Indiana, 6-4. Besides that, a joke of a schedule so far, and not much better the rest of the way, save games with decent Virginia Tech and North Carolina teams, who may or may not be ranked by the time they play. Won’t know a thing about Georgia either until SEC play starts. Disgraceful scheduling.
#11 Arkansas: Projected as one of the breakthrough teams this year, picked 5th in preseason by SEC coaches, they started 8-1, with the only loss being an impressive 3-2 defeat to #5 Washington where they played them evenly. The rest of their wins were against easy competition, except for a decent N. Dakota St team that they edged 7-6. Impressed by the way they hung with UW, and with 2 really good starters they may be as good as advertised. Maybe even top 5 in the SEC, though I have them more in the 6-7 range.
#15 SC: Started 7-2, but has struggled and not looked like a top 15 team, yet. They were picked 4th in conference by the coaches, and that looks like a reach so far. Lost to Baylor 4-1, and unranked North Carolina 4-0. Baylor is ranked 18, but will slide lower, maybe out of the top 25 tomorrow, after getting whipped by UT Arlington 10-2 and 5-2 this weekend. Had one good win over Notre Dame. Struggled to beat BYU and Drake by a run apiece. I’m not sold on them either yet. Looks more like 6-8 in the SEC, not 4th.
Next up:
6-5 Kentucky
6-3 TAMU
6-3 Miss State
6-3 Ole Miss
7-3 Auburn
8-2 Mizzou
Edited by bluetiger_ at 14:28:14 on 02/18/19
#4 Florida: As good as expected, went 11-0, with wins over 3 ranked teams, #9 Arizona 3-2, #15 Michigan 6-0, #16 Arizona State 7-2. Reason to be just slightly concerned? The 3 ranked teams they beat are all suspect and probably overrated; Michigan started 4-5 with 3 losses to unranked teams and should not be in the new top 25 tomorrow; Arizona started just 6-4 with losses to 2 unranked teams; ASU was run ruled by us. Plus, they struggled to beat 3 unranked teams, North Florida 3-1, NC St 2-1, Illinois State 2-1.
#6 Tennessee: Started 8-2, had a cupcake first weekend but went 3-2 this last weekend. Lost to #2 FSU 5-2, and to #25 James Madison 6-2, no disgraces there. Had a good win over #24 Notre Dame, and a solid Minnesota team. Still consider them one of the top 5 teams in the conference, and maybe the second best.
#7 LSU: Started 9-2, went 6-0 in a cupcake first weekend before going 3-2 recently. Lost to #2 FSU 9-1, no disgrace, and #22 Oregon 8-5. Had 3 wins though against top 25 teams Texas, Ok State, Ohio State. Remains to be seen if their new pitching can hold up to the SEC grind. Overranked a bit at #7, they feel more like a 10-15 type team, still very good.
#8 Alabama: Incomplete. Started 10-0. Yes they did beat Arizona handily, but as I said, the Wildcats are overranked. Their other opponents have been awful, and they struggled to beat South Fla 2-0 and New Mexico 1-0. The rest of their non conference schedule is similarly disgraceful. They scheduled very weakly knowing their pitching might be a question mark. Won’t know anything about this team until they get into SEC play. They may be top 10 quality, or not. Hard to tell when you take the cowards way out in non conference scheduling.
#9 Georgia: See Alabama, same story. They are 9-1, with a loss to surprising Indiana, 6-4. Besides that, a joke of a schedule so far, and not much better the rest of the way, save games with decent Virginia Tech and North Carolina teams, who may or may not be ranked by the time they play. Won’t know a thing about Georgia either until SEC play starts. Disgraceful scheduling.
#11 Arkansas: Projected as one of the breakthrough teams this year, picked 5th in preseason by SEC coaches, they started 8-1, with the only loss being an impressive 3-2 defeat to #5 Washington where they played them evenly. The rest of their wins were against easy competition, except for a decent N. Dakota St team that they edged 7-6. Impressed by the way they hung with UW, and with 2 really good starters they may be as good as advertised. Maybe even top 5 in the SEC, though I have them more in the 6-7 range.
#15 SC: Started 7-2, but has struggled and not looked like a top 15 team, yet. They were picked 4th in conference by the coaches, and that looks like a reach so far. Lost to Baylor 4-1, and unranked North Carolina 4-0. Baylor is ranked 18, but will slide lower, maybe out of the top 25 tomorrow, after getting whipped by UT Arlington 10-2 and 5-2 this weekend. Had one good win over Notre Dame. Struggled to beat BYU and Drake by a run apiece. I’m not sold on them either yet. Looks more like 6-8 in the SEC, not 4th.
Next up:
6-5 Kentucky
6-3 TAMU
6-3 Miss State
6-3 Ole Miss
7-3 Auburn
8-2 Mizzou
Edited by bluetiger_ at 14:28:14 on 02/18/19
Please explain why this message is being reported.
MESSAGE THREAD
Assessing SEC softball part 1... - bluetiger_ MU - 2/18 14:25:30