We are two SEC series into the year. Where do we stand?
We have a 13-9 record which does not look great but our RPI is 17 and SOS is 6. Those are very good numbers.
We are 3-3 in SEC play winning the series at Miss St 2-1 and dropping the home series to A&M 1-2. A&M is 23-1 with us handing them their only loss. We are tied for 5th in the early SEC standings.
We have a .280 team batting average. Our opponents .244. Our slugging pct. is .408 vs .308 for opponents. These are respectable numbers that are higher than previous years. The slugging pct. is great meaning we are getting a lot of extra base hits. We are 30-40 in stolen bases which is good. Opponents are 18-27.
Pitching is a weakness. We have a team ERA of 4.16 vs opponents 5.40. That is high. The starters have done well but we are struggling with relief help from the bench. We are walking far too many batters. We have issued 104 walks vs opponents 66. We have also hit 21 batters. That is 5.6 free passes per game which is very bad. Our pitching must improve.
Our defense is solid again this year. We have committed 19 errors compared to 33 for opponents. Averaging under 1 per game is good. We have turned 25 double plays compared to 11.
It is still early in the year but it looks to me like we can be a pretty good team. We are hitting for a good average and getting a lot of extra base hits. We are a good offensive team. Pitching must improve. Eliminate walks and shore up the bullpen.
It does not get any easier. We go to Florida (20-5 RPI 9) next week and host LSU (21-3 RPI 36) the following week. Our SEC schedule is front loaded so it will get easier later in the year. We have tough mid week games the next two weeks with a road trip to Mobile to play South Alabama on Tuesday and on the road again to play UAB the following week. These games are important to increase the win total because the SEC is so difficult.
Good points. The SEC is VERY strong this year. A&M, Bama, and Ole Miss (among others) are very good, but a step below the powerhouse teams like Florida and LSU. South Carolina will be good, but maybe not as strong as previously. It's a tough league.