SEC Baseball: Way-too-early power rankings for 2024 season

By Matt Melton | Jul 1, 2023

OMAHA, NEBRASKA - JUNE 24: Tommy White #47 of the LSU Tigers gestures to the dugout after being intentionally walked during the 10th inning of Game 1 of the NCAA College World Series baseball finals against the Florida Gators at Charles Schwab Field on June 24, 2023 in Omaha, Nebraska. LSU defeated Florida 4-3. (Photo by Jay Biggerstaff/Getty Images) /

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Vanderbilt Commodores left-handed pitcher Devin Futrell (Photo by Carly Mackler/Getty Images) /

6. South Carolina Gamecocks

Falling just short of the top five is South Carolina, as the Gamecocks are coming off a season in which they fell just short of a trip to Omaha. As to what that season included, South Carolina would finish the year at 42-21 overall, and after winning the Columbia Regional in which they hosted, the Gamecocks would go on to fall at Florida in the Gainesville Super Regional to conclude the year.

On what South Carolina will lose off that team, names such as Jack Mahoney and Will Sanders are potential early round picks in the MLB Draft, while a few others will also move on. The Gamecocks will certainly return a talented roster in 2024 however, one that will be headlined by a pair of First Team All-SEC selections in catcher Cole Messina and outfielder Ethan Petry.

5. Vanderbilt Commodores

We begin the top five here at No. 5 with Vanderbilt, who will be coming off a season in which they won the SEC Tournament in Hoover. In addition to winning the 2023 SEC Tournament, Vanderbilt concluded the season with a 42-20 overall record, one that featured a disappointing end to the year as the Commodores fell in the Nashville Regional.

Looking ahead, the Commodores are likely set to lose multiple names off their roster to the MLB Draft, with some of the most notable being that of Enrique Bradfield Jr. and Hunter Owen, among others. Vanderbilt will also return a key piece of their rotation in Second Team All-SEC selection Devin Futrell alongside others such as RJ Austin, Matthew Polk, Chris Maldonado, and more.

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