The 2024 season was a wild one for the SEC. Eleven schools from the conference made the NCAA Tournament, including the two College World Series finalists. Since June, the conference officially re-aligned, adding powerhouses Oklahoma and Texas into the fray. And speaking of the Longhorns, Texas made a significant move right after the CWS that re-ignited a major rivalry. Here’s our 2025 college baseball preview of the SEC.
Alabama
We’ll start with our 2025 SEC preview with the Crimson Tide, a team that had an uneven first season under head coach Rob Vaughn. Alabama reached the top-ten of the NCAA Coaches Poll in mid-March of last year. However, the Crimson Tide didn’t do well in SEC conference play, ending the year with a 13-17 record. Alabama made the 2024 NCAA Tournament but lost in the Tallahassee Regional.
Alabama’s roster will look quite different, which will be a theme heard throughout his preview. Ben Hess was picked by the Yankees in the first round of the 2024 MLB Draft, while their best hitter, Gage Miller, went in the third round. The Crimson Tide will return Justin Lebron, who hit .338 with 12 home runs over his freshman season.
Lebron will be joined by Jason Torres, who hit .331 with eight home runs with Miami (FL) last year. Alabama’s pitching staff includes Zane Adams, one of their three weekend starters. Adams struck out 47 over 58.2 IP with the school last season.
Arkansas
It’s hard to find a school to have had a more disappointing run in the NCAA Tournament last May than Arkansas. The Razorbacks finished as the fifth-highest seed entering the tourney, only to fall without even registering a win. It was a significant blow, especially considering that Arkansas had one of the best 1-2 punches in college last year, between Hagen Smith and Mason Molina.
Those two went off to pro ball after 2024 but the Razorbacks still have plenty of depth. Catcher Ryder Helfrick only hit .195 with Arkansas last spring but blasted 11 home runs in the Cape this past summer. And speaking of the Cape, 2024 home run leader Wehiwa Aloy batted .309 with eight home runs in the wood-bat league.
Arkansas landed highly-touted high school recruit Carson Wiggins, who ranked as the 79th-best prospect in last year’s draft per MLB.com. And, Zach Root, who struck out 76 over 68 frames pitching behind Trey Yesavage in ECU’s rotation, joins the school for his junior year.
Auburn
In a loaded SEC, there will be some teams that just can’t rise up to the top. Auburn was one such team, finishing 27-26 overall and 8-22 in conference play. The Tigers didn’t make the NCAA Tournament but have quite the interesting group heading into 2025.
The most notable name on the Tigers’ roster is Ike Irish, a potential first-round pick this coming July. The Auburn catcher led the team in home runs (14) last spring, then went on a tear in the Cape Cod League. Irish hit .325 across 34 contests in the summer league.
He’ll be joined by some newcomers. Outfielder Bristol Carter, a hot high school recruit two years ago, hit .346 with the East Carolina Pirates and comes over to Auburn for 2025. Top-100 2024 MLB Draft prospect Connor Gatwood is in town for 2025, as is hardthrower Cade Fisher, a transfer from the Florida Gators.
Florida
The Florida Gators’ 2024 campaign was…interesting. Florida began the year ice-cold with a loss against St. John’s (NY), a harbinger of things to come. The Gators limped through the 2024 season from that point onward, finishing with a 36-30 record. Florida — somewhat controversially — made the NCAA Tournament, then went on a run to make it back to Omaha.
The Gators had talent on last year’s roster and there was no debate about that. Jac Caglianone, now with the Royals, helped carry the Gators to the tourney, both at the plate and on the mound. He’s no longer on campus. so Florida will need to rely on new and returning names, mainly the likes of Cade Kurland, Colby Shelton, and sophomore starter Liam Peterson.
Florida has done an exceptional job of making sure high-end recruits come to Gainesville over the years and 2024-25 was no exception. Highly-touted pitching prospect Jackson Barberi is among the newcomers to campus. And as far as transfers are concerned, Blake Cyr comes over from downstate. Cyr hit 17 home runs as a freshman with Miami (FL) in 2023 but had a down 2024 (.284/.397/.537, seven HR over 25 GP).
Georgia
Georgia was arguably one of — if not, the most — the most-watched teams in the NCAA last season, thanks to Charlie Condon. Condon led the NCAA in several different categories, including batting average (.433) and home runs (37). He wasn’t the only reason why the Bulldogs nearly made it to the College World Series. But, he played a significant role.
The Bulldogs weren’t a one-trick pony, however. Tre Phelps had an incredible freshman year, batting .353 with 12 home runs and will be a notable name to watch come the 2025 MLB Draft. Both Phelps and Kolby Branch, who hit 17 home runs but only batted .267 last year, will be key, as the Bulldogs won’t have either Condon or Corey Collins.
As for Georgia’s pitching staff, Leighton Finley and Kolten Smith are on the team’s 2025 roster. Smith struck out 105 batters as a sophomore.
LSU
The 2023 champions were bound for a reset season after losing significant talent to the pros. It will wasn’t a bad season for LSU, who made the tourney last season. Tommy White and Jared Jones hit a combined 52 home runs, while Luke Holman and Gage Jump held down the pitching staff.
LSU is loaded in the infield, between the returning Jones, Michael Braswell, Steven Milam, and newcomer Daniel Dickinson. Milam hit .326 as a freshman and figures to be, like he was in 2024, a sparkplug for the Tigers. Dickinson comes over as a transfer from Utah Valley State, where he hit 18 home runs as a sophomore. A poor summer at the Cape Cod League (.205 AVG, .603 OPS), though, has his stock down.
As for LSU’s pitching staff, it’ll be interesting to see how the Tigers exactly incorporate new arms. The Tigers have Chase Shores, a potential 2025 first-round pick, healthy for this season. And, a good recruiting class that includes William Schimdt, who could have went in the first day of the 2024 MLB Draft.
Kentucky
Just from looking at the numbers, it wasn’t pretty for Kentucky — yet it was effective. Only three Wildcats hit double-digits in home runs last season (Ryan Waldschmidt. Ryan Nicholson, and Émilien Pitre) and all three went pro. Waldschmidt missed a healthy chunk of 2024. Yet, Kentucky, thanks to sound baseball and great pitching, made it to Omaha and made the most of their surroundings.
So, what does Kentucky have for an encore? The Wildcats return Devin Burkes, Cooper Robinson, Robert Hogan, Kyuss Gargett, and Hayden Smith, among others.
Kentucky will need all the returners possible, given most of their big bats from 2024 are gone, while Mason Moore and Trey Posner went pro, as well.
Mississippi State
The Mississippi State Bulldogs have a lot of work to do when it comes to rebuilding their pitching staff. Their top starters from 2024, Khal Stephen and Jurrangelo Cijntje, both went to the pros. Nate Dohm, who only made eight appearances last spring but pitched well, also went pro, going in the third round to the Mets.
Head coach Chris Lemonis has said the team has options. Stone Simmons (who missed 2024), Pico Kohn, Jacob Pruitt, and Karson Ligon are among the names Lemonis mentioned as pitchers who may be important for the Bulldogs this spring.
As for their offense, Dakota Jordan went pro after a 20-home run campaign in 2024. MSU does have Hunter Hines back for 2025.
Missouri
It wasn’t shocking to see the Missouri Tigers have problems in the SEC last year. Mizzou didn’t have a particularly strong roster and given the depth in the conference, were behind the ball. The Tigers finished 23-32 and in conference, 9-21.
The Tigers return Jedier Hernandez and Jeric Curtis, as well as Jackson Lovich. Mizzou needs some of their returners to bounce back. The team didn’t have a single hitter bat over .300 last season.
Oklahoma
The re-alignment of the SEC saw two schools — Oklahoma and Texas — go from the Big 12 to the Southeastern Conference. This will be the Sooners’ first season in the SEC, and Oklahoma will be looking for better after an upset at the hands of UConn last spring.
The Witherspoon brothers are back, with Kyson Witherspoon lining up to be a key piece to Oklahoma’s 2025 hopes. The right-hander showcased a hard fastball last spring and his stuff served him well. Kyson struck out 90 over 80 frames last season, finishing second on the team in that stat, behind Braden Davis.
As for OU’s offense, Jaxon Willits and junior catcher Easton Carmichael are among the returning bats. Carmichael led the Sooners in hits (93) last year, batting .366 with seven home runs as a sophomore.
Ole Miss
It’s tough to finish below .500 — it’s even tougher when that happens and one of the team’s best hitters goes to a conference rival. Corner infielder Andrew Fischer led Ole Miss in home runs (20) last season. However, Fischer won’t be in town come 2025 but will instead head north to a hitter-friendly environment in Tennessee.
Fischer wasn’t the only notable to head to UT. Liam Doyle struck out 84 over 55 frames last season for the Rebels but will now don the orange and white. It leaves the Ole Miss staff down a key piece. The team still has Ryne Rodriguez, Cole Ketchum, and Riley Maddox, among others.
Ole Miss also nabbed a big recruit this past summer, in upstate New York prepster Owen Paino.
South Carolina
The Gamecocks pulled off a stunner this past summer, cutting Mark Kingston head coach and hiring the formely-retired Paul Mainieri. Mainieri has a strong reputation after his work with LSU but his job with the Gamecocks won’t be easy. It certainly didn’t get off to a good start when commit Carson Messina opted to go pro, signing with the Blue Jays.
Carson could have followed in the footsteps of his brother, Cole Messina, the latter of whom went pro last July. USC does still have Ethan Petry, who hit 21 home runs last season and stormed through Massachussets last summer. Petry hit .360 with 11 home runs in the Cape Cod League.
Pitching-wise, the Gamecocks welcome Roman Kimball and Tyler Pitzer back for 2025.
Tennessee
The Volunteers took the throne in 2024, beating Texas A&M in a classic to win the College World Series. It was a culmination of years of hard work for the Volunteers’ staff, a group that built a powerhouse. A.J. Causey, Blake Burke, Christian Moore, Drew Beam, Dylan Dreiling, and Kavares Tears were just some of the names that helped Tennessee win it all — but all of those names are gone.
The good news for the Volunteers is that, given their status, it’s not hard to recruit. Tegan Kuhns, Anson Seibert, and Manny Marin — all of whom ranked in the top 200 of MLB.com’s top MLB Draft prospects list for 2024 — are among the newcomers with the Vols.
As for who is back, shortstop Dean Curley has a shot at being a first-round pick after hit 12 home runs as a freshman. Gavin Kilen and Andrew Fischer round out a loaded infield. Arm-wise, Liam Doyle and Nate Snead join pitcher A.J. Russell — who underwent elbow surgery last summer — who looms as a midseason option.
Texas
The next two schools on this list took up much of the headlines this past summer. The Longhorns parted ways with David Pierce and hired Jim Schlossnagle from the Aggies. Schlossnagle took most of his staff with him, including Michael Earley, who wound up replacing him as A&M head coach. Troy Tulowitzki, though, is still on the staff.
Texas has a loaded lineup heading into 2025. Slugging infielder Jalin Flores did not go pro and returns for this spring. Additionally, the Longhorns return outfielders Will Gasparino and Max Belyeu. Gasparino hit 12 home runs as a freshman. Belyeu, meanwhile, hit .329 with 18 home runs last spring but struggled in the Cape Cod League (.222 AVG, .658 OPS).
As for Texas’ pitching staff, Schlossnagle’s already hinted that his rotation could include Luke Harrison and Indiana State transfer Jared Spencer. Texas lost some pitching pieces from 2024, including LeBarron Johnson.
Texas A&M
The Aggies finished 2024 as the runner-ups in the CWS and immediately saw defections afterwards. Aside from their head coach, Chris Cortez and Braden Montgomery were both poached by the pros. Ace Ryan Prager was picked in the third round by the Angels but didn’t sign, leaving him back in College Station.
Even though Texas A&M has a new head coach, Michael Earley’s promotion does give the team much-needed continuity — especially in this day of age. A&M was able to keep its recruiting list in tact, as Sawyer Farr kept his committment. Caden Sorrell, Kaeden Kent, Gavin Grahovac, and Jace LaViolette also didn’t leave after Scholassnagle’s departure.
As for the transfer portal, Gavin Kash comes over from Texas Tech. This is Kash’s third school in four years, all of which were spent in the state of Texas. The 22-year-old belted 15 home runs for the Red Raiders last spring.
Vanderbilt
The 2024 campaign was an uncharacteristically off one for Vanderbilt, who struggled out of the gate before reeling off win after win in March. Then, the SEC schedule hit. Vanderbilt went 13-17 in conference action and while the Commodores made it to the tourney, the team couldn’t must a win in Clemson.
All eyes will be on RJ Austin, a potential Day 1 pick this July. Austin is not a big player with a lot of pop but can hit. He certainly did that last year, as Austin batted .335 with the Commodores, then batted .321 with Yarmouth-Dennis in the Cape Cod League.
The Commodores also return the likes of Miller Green and J.D. Thompson, both parts of their bullpen in 2024, plus Ethan McElvain.
Make sure to check out our season previews for the Mountain West and Patriot League.