SEC Power Rankings: Week 11

As the calendar turns closer and closer to May, I figured now was a great time to address the awards elephant in the room. If you know anything at all about me, you know that I’m a big fan of awards, especially the Oscars. Yes, it’s all silly and made up, but the machinations of awards season have always fascinated me. Campaigns, candidacies, and studio decisions are interesting to track and discuss, and often many of those trends can leak into awards decided in the sports world. So, in lieu of superlatives this week, we’re going to an SEC awards check-in here at Power Rankings. Before we start, a couple of reminders:

-When it comes to SEC awards, the only stats that are in play are conference-only. You may have 80 RBI, but if only eight of those are against SEC teams, that’s the number that goes on your nomination sheet

-Speaking of nominations, it’s up to the individual schools to nominate players for awards. It’s the coach’s prerogative whether he or she nominates you for a specific award, for all-SEC, or for nothing at all. Some coaches will have tough decisions to make. 

Let’s dive in (contenders are in alphabetical order by team)!

SEC Player of the Year

The Contenders

• Dakota Kennedy, Arkansas: .422, 18 RBI, 5 HR, 4 2B, .527 OBP
• Taylor Shumaker, Florida: .397, 9 RBI, 3 HR, .493 OBP
• Jocelyn Erickson, Florida: .351, 25 RBI, 8 HR, .491 OBP
• Kendall Wells, Oklahoma: .373, 25 RBI, 10 HR, .448 OBP
• Katie Stewart, Texas: .455, 14 RBI, 7 HR, .564 OBP
• Micaela Wark, Texas A&M: .425, 24 RBI, 7 HR, .547 OBP

There are certainly more folks I could include on this (Kylee Edwards from LSU, Tyler Ellison from Georgia, Lex Pupillo from Alabama, Gabbie Garcia from Oklahoma), but right now this list feels like the group at the head of the pack because of the numbers they’ve put together and where their teams currently sit in the standings. The biggest question will be which player Florida nominates (both would be dangerous because of vote-splitting) and if Kendall Wells is actually the front-runner here (I’d say yes, which makes another award even more interesting). The other fascinating part is how many of these folks are eligible for other awards. Could that clear the way for a Florida player or Katie Stewart if the coaches want to do something different? Something to monitor.

SEC Pitcher of the Year

The Contenders

• Jocelyn Briski, Alabama: 2.02 ERA, 9-1, 62.2 IP, 11 BB/72 K
• Robyn Herron, Arkansas: 1.57 ERA, 4-3, 35.2 IP, 21 BB/45 K
• Keagan Rothrock, Florida: 2.55 ERA, 10-3, 79.2 IP, 37 BB/57 K
• Randi Roelling, Georgia: 2.05 ERA, 6-1, 41.0 IP, 24 BB/36 K
• Jayden Heavener, LSU: 2.79 ERA, 3-4, 52.2 IP, 24 BB/41 K
• Peja Goold, Mississippi State: 2.86 ERA, 3-6, 49.0 IP, 18 BB/46 K
• Audrey Lowry, Oklahoma: 2.77 ERA, 6-1, 35.1 IP, 10 BB/25 K
• Jori Heard, South Carolina: 2.05 ERA, 2-7, 51.1 IP, 14 BB/43 K
• Sage Mardjetko, Tennessee: 1.11 ERA, 4-1, 44.1 IP, 11 BB/47 K
• Karlyn Pickens, Tennessee: 1.84 ERA, 5-4, 45.2 IP, 22 BB/56 K
• Teagan Kavan, Texas: 3.75 ERA, 5-3, 56.0 IP, 23 BB/62 K

This is by far the most wide-open awards race, and it’ll all come down to which pitchers have the best combination of the four stats most often considered—ERA, record, innings pitched, and strikeout-to-walk ratio. While all of these pitchers have multiple strong elements, most have one thing that stands out and probably keeps them from the very top of the discussion at this point. The pitchers that have the best combination of stats are Jocelyn Briski from Alabama and Keagan Rothrock from Florida. For Briski, this is the most likely place to honor a player from second-place Alabama, should that spot in the standings hold or improve. Rothrock has a strong narrative, too, especially with the load she’s carried in the circle while Ava Brown has recovered from injury. Still, options abound for this award, and the race likely has a few twists and turns remaining down the stretch of the season.

SEC Freshman of the Year

The Contenders

• Vic Moten, Alabama: 3.73 ERA, 2-2, 30.0 IP, 17 BB/34 K
• Saylor Timmerman, Arkansas: 2.69 ERA, 3-0, 26.0 IP, 17 BB/16 K
• Towsen Thomas, Florida: .339, 11 RBI, 2 HR, 5 2B, .400 OBP
• Abby Carr, Missouri: .326, 13 RBI, 5 HR; 2.41 ERA, 0-1, 20.1 IP, 15 BB/19 K
• Kendall Wells, Oklahoma: .373, 25 RBI, 10 HR, .448 OBP
• Kai Minor, Oklahoma: .480, 12 RBI, 2 HR, 2 3B, 5 2B, .519 OBP
• Hannah Wells, Texas: .323, 8 RBI, 2 HR; 3.71 ERA, 2-1, 17.0 IP, 11 BB/7 K

I’ve listed everybody who makes sense to shout out for this award, but let’s be real—FOTY is going to a Sooner. The biggest question is…which one? Patty Gasso faces a fascinating decision. Similar to when Warner Bros. was campaigning for the top two Best Picture nominees at this year’s Oscars, Oklahoma has the top two contenders here, and one is the likely favorite right now for Player of the Year. So, could we see the Sooners only nominate Kendall Wells for POTY and Kai Minor for FOTY? If you extract Wells from this discussion, Minor is probably the favorite. However, if Kendall Wells is nominated for both awards, she has a chance to pull off the first-ever POTY/FOTY double in SEC history. If you nominate both players, Wells presumably still has the edge, but there could be some vote splitting that could allow a dark horse like Missouri’s Abby Carr to swoop in. It’s a fascinating decision for Coach Gasso and the Sooners.

SEC Newcomer of the Year

• Brooke Wells, Alabama: .306, 14 RBI, 4 HR, .414 OBP
• Jena Young, Alabama: .346, 7 RBI, HR, 2 3B, .469 OBP
• Dakota Kennedy, Arkansas: .422, 18 RBI, 5 HR, 4 2B, .527 OBP
• Natalie Ray, Georgia: .500, 10 RBI, HR, 3 2B, .556 OBP
• Peja Goold, Mississippi State: 2.86 ERA, 3-6, 49.0 IP, 18 BB/46 K
• Alyssa Faircloth, Mississippi State: 3.09 ERA, 2-3, 43.0 IP, 16 BB/57 K
• Micaela Wark, Texas A&M: .425, 24 RBI, 7 HR, .547 OBP

One note about this award—inter-conference transfers aren’t eligible to win. You have to quite literally be a newcomer in the league. Natalie Ray has been outstanding lately, but she only has 22 at-bats in SEC play. The leaders here are Wark and Kennedy, with the trio of Wells/Goold/Faircloth looming with strong finishes in conference play. This race feels the most volatile, and the final few weekends could lead to dramatic shifts in how it plays out.

Editor’s note: Rankings were put together prior to Tuesday’s results

There will be changes to the awards landscape as we get closer and closer to the SEC Tournament, but this is how it stands for now. We’ll check back in (with the contenders ranked), two weeks from now. In the meantime, here’s a quick disclaimer. These are power rankings, not true rankings. How these teams are slotted is not how I have them in my Top 25 ballot. No, this list is all about how you’re playing right now. It’s a snapshot of the current on-field product. Now, without further ado, here are the newest SEC Power Rankings:

1. Oklahoma

A road series win at Texas? Behind strong pitching? What a fantastic sign for the rest of the year for the Sooners. The Oklahoma offense showcased power, but frankly, they needed the pitching staff to deliver, and Audrey Lowry and Miali Guachino were up to the task in games one and two. The conference play ERA is down to 2.85, which is second in the SEC. Even with the Game Three loss, this was an outstanding weekend for the Sooners. No notes.

2. Alabama

A road sweep at your rival is always pretty sweet, but the pitching was even sweeter as Jocelyn Briski and Vic Moten combined to allow one run all weekend. It also helped that Jena Young went 5/6 with a .900 OBP in the series. There was a chance that a trip to the Plains to face Auburn could get a little trappy, but Patrick Murphy’s team didn’t fall for that.

3. Arkansas

Game One against Mississippi State wasn’t pretty as Peja Goold totally shut down this Arkansas offense. Then, the Razorbacks cranked it up. A Game Two run-rule out of nowhere (it was a scoreless game going to the fifth) and an offensive explosion in Game Three secured another road series win for Courtney Deifel’s club and once again showcased the talent of this team. Fun fact—since the 2020 season shutdown, Arkansas has lost just two road SEC series (at Alabama this year and at Ole Miss last year). That sparkling mark away from Bogle will be put to the test this weekend in Norman against Oklahoma.

4. Florida

Keagan Rothrock set the tone in game one with a no-hitter against South Carolina, and that propelled the Gators to a comfortable sweep in Columbia. Cassidy McLellan was outstanding, driving in seven runs this week and solidifying the back-half of the order. The Gators just keep playing good softball and, most importantly, taking care of business against the bottom of the league.

5. Tennessee

Karlyn Pickens joined in on the no-hitter fun as the Lady Vols totally dominated Kentucky this weekend. The offense exploded at the end of Game Two with four seventh-inning runs, and that carried over into Mic’ed Up Monday with a 10-3 victory to close out the sweep. It’s a little difficult to judge whether the success at the plate was more about Tennessee turning a corner or Kentucky’s struggles in the circle, but at the very least, it was an important confidence weekend for Karen Weekly’s crew ahead of the closing stretch in SEC play.

6. Texas A&M

There were multiple sweeps in the SEC this weekend, but one was certainly not like the others. Texas A&M took all three in Oxford against Ole Miss, but the Aggies had to hold on for dear life despite grabbing massive leads in every game. Finishing has still been a bit of an issue, but this offense continues to rake. Personally, I can’t wait to see Wark, Perez, and Powell take on the Mississippi State pitching staff this weekend.

7. LSU

The Tigers are playing much, much better, and the pitching staff was on point this weekend against an Arizona team that can really swing it. Heavener and Cellura shoved (1 ER allowed combined in 15.2 innings of work on the weekend), and the offense continues to do enough to win. There may not be a ton of style points, but who cares? The Tigers are getting into a bit of a groove, and that’s a fantastic sign with series against Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and Auburn waiting down the stretch.

8. Texas

First off, Katie Stewart was a monster on Sunday. Both of her home runs were absolutely crushed, and her swing remains the smoothest in the SEC. That being said…those moments were the first time that Texas showed some swagger in the series against Oklahoma (even with the pitching staff performing pretty well throughout the weekend). Prior to that, it felt like the Longhorns were tight, and multiple opportunities to throw a punch against their rival went by the wayside. A lot of that is because of how the Sooners executed, but Texas has to be better in the big moments if they want to make some noise down the stretch. 

9. Georgia

I’ll be the first to admit that this is probably too low for Georgia, but this is where the numbers fell this week. One major key—Randi Roelling was outstanding against Missouri. The lefty threw 12.0 innings of shutout softball in the series, allowing just five hits. In fact, in Roelling’s last five SEC play appearances, she is 4-0 with a 0.90 ERA. Fantastic work. She’ll need to keep it up against Texas this weekend in a massive home opportunity.

10. Mississippi State

Things looked awesome after Game One when Peja Goold flexed on Arkansas, but then we saw the pitching staff crumble a bit for the first time this year in SEC play. It once again feels like a missed chance for a Bulldogs squad that is obviously talented but isn’t winning series. The offense is only hitting .217 in conference play, and the SEC play ERA dropped to 3.32 (7^th in the league). Mississippi State will try to turn the tide this weekend at Texas A&M

11. Missouri

The Tigers once again saw Abby Carr make quite the statement in Game Two behind a save in the circle and a 3-4 day at the plate with two RBI. That win was sandwiched around shutout losses where the offense couldn’t figure out Randi Roelling. An important week for Missouri’s NCAA Tournament hopes looms with Kansas and a three-game series against South Carolina in Columbia on deck.

12. Ole Miss

First off, credit to the Rebels for fighting back in every game against Texas A&M. Despite big deficits in all three games, Ole Miss had a chance to win all three matchups with the Aggies. Still, the brutal starts make it an uphill battle, and the pitching hasn’t helped the cause. In SEC play, the ERA sits at 7.81, which is last in the league.

13. South Carolina

Is South Carolina in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament? It’s certainly possible. The home series against Florida was surprisingly uncompetitive, and now the Gamecocks need to carry the momentum from a win at Clemson into their trip to Missouri. Simply put, the offense has to produce much, much more. Arianna Rodi leads the team in SEC play, with five RBI. That’s T-78 overall in the league. 

14. Auburn

At home in a rivalry series felt like a chance for Auburn to get a little mojo back, even if Alabama had been rolling. That didn’t happen. Ella Harrison gave the Tigers a strong performance in the circle on Friday, but that’s pretty much it. The conference play batting average is down to .197.

15. Kentucky

Conference play hasn’t been fun for the Wildcats. Kentucky is last in fielding percentage, 14^th in ERA, and 14^th in batting average against SEC teams. That’s not a good recipe, especially with a journey to Rhoads Stadium against Alabama coming up this weekend.

Series This Week

Auburn at No. 7 Florida

No. 18 Mississippi State at No. 11 Texas A&M

South Carolina at Missouri

Ole Miss at No. 15 LSU

No. 5 Arkansas at No. 1 Oklahoma

Kentucky at No. 2 Alabama

No. 8 Texas at No. 13 Georgia (Saturday, Sunday, Monday)