2025 SEC Baseball Season Preview

Projected Standings (2024 Record)

1. Texas A&M (53-15; 19-11 SEC)
2. LSU (43-23; 13-17)
3. Tennessee (60-13; 22-8)
4. Arkansas (44-16; 20-10)
5. Florida (36-30; 13-17)
6. Georgia (43-17; 17-13)
7. Texas (36-24; 20-10 Big 12)
8. Vanderbilt (38-23; 13-17)
9. Mississippi State (40-23; 17-13)
10. Kentucky (46-16; 22-8)
11. South Carolina (37-25; 13-17)
12. Oklahoma (40-21; 23-7 Big 12)
13. Auburn (27-26; 8-22)
14. Alabama (33-24; 13-17)
15. Ole Miss (27-29; 11-19)
16. Missouri (23-32; 9-21)

Top 10 MLB Draft Prospects For 2025

1. Jace LaViolette, OF, Texas A&M
2. Ike Irish, C, Auburn
3. Dean Curley, SS, Tennessee
4. Wehiwa Aloy, SS, Arkansas
5. Kyson Witherspoon, RHP, Oklahoma
6. Ethan Petry, 1B, South Carolina
7. Tre Phelps, OF, Georgia
8. Max Belyeu, OF, Texas
9. Andrew Fischer, 3B, Tennessee
10. Liam Doyle, LHP, Tennessee

Team To Beat: Texas A&M

After reaching the finals in 2024 but losing to Tennessee in three games, Texas A&M is armed with the No. 1 roster in the country and geared up for another run at a national championship. The Aggies could be an offensive juggernaut this season after returning outfielder Jace LaViolette, the No. 1 prospect for the 2025 draft, who slashed .305/.449/.726 with 29 home runs, 78 RBIs and 64 walks against 81 strikeouts as a sophomore. Texas A&M also brought back third baseman and 2024 SEC freshman of the year Gavin Grahovac, shortstop Kaeden Kent and outfielders Caden Sorrell and Hayden Schott, while surrounding them with a premium group of transfers. SEC pitcher of the year contender Ryan Prager leads Texas A&M’s staff, which also includes southpaw Justin Lamkin.

Player Of The Year: Jace LaViolette, OF, Texas A&M

Michael Earley said one of his first priorities upon being named Texas A&M head coach last summer was to ensure that LaViolette would spend his junior season in College Station because he had “not seen a player in college baseball . . . who is that big, that strong, that fast, has a plus arm.” LaViolette has double-plus raw power to all fields, which he gets to with ease in games, and stands a great chance at being the first player selected in this year’s draft.

Pitcher Of The Year: Gabe Gaeckle, RHP, Arkansas

A 6-foot, 195-pound righthander entering his sophomore season in Fayetteville, Gaeckle is set to make the jump from high-leverage reliever to Friday-night ace. It’s a transition he seems particularly well-suited for after a dominant showing in 2024 that saw him pitch to a 2.32 ERA with seven saves, 57 strikeouts and 19 walks in 42.2 innings. Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said Gaeckle consistently wowed onlookers throughout the fall, and that in 2026 he’ll have the potential to join a long list of former Razorbacks arms to be selected in early rounds.

Freshman Of The Year: Brodie Johnston, 3B, Vanderbilt

Brodie Johnston might not have been the hottest name on draft boards last year, but he certainly demonstrated his readiness to compete at the college level when he participated in the Appalachian League over the summer and hit .284/.351/.479 with six doubles, six triples, five home runs and 47 RBIs in 43 games against current college talent. Johnston remained scorching hot in the fall and played his way into the Commodores’ starting third base job, which is where he’ll open the 2025 season.

Notable Storylines

●  Having produced each of the last five national champions, the SEC (16 titles) is closing in on the not currently operational Pacific-12 Conference (18) for most national titles among baseball conferences. The league appears to have a great chance at keeping its streak alive as it opens the season with 10 of the top-25 teams: No. 1 Texas A&M, No. 2 LSU, No. 3 Tennessee, No. 4 Arkansas, No. 7 Florida, No. 11 Georgia, No. 14 Texas,

No. 15 Vanderbilt, No. 18 Mississippi State and No. 20 Kentucky. South Carolina, which hired 2009 College Coach of the Year Paul Mainieri, and Auburn, which brought in the No. 5 portal class in the country, were just on the outside looking in for the Top 25. If an SEC team hoists the trophy in 2025, it would set a new record for consecutive victors from the same conference. The SEC and Pac-12 are currently tied at five.

●  Between its two new members, Texas and Oklahoma, and the first year of its division-less standings format, the SEC will look very different in 2025. The Longhorns prepared themselves for the jump from the Big 12 to the SEC by plucking Texas A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle and making him skipper, while Oklahoma returns several key players, including starting pitcher Kyson Witherspoon, a preseason All-American. The SEC could very well have double-digit teams in the Field of 64 for the third year in a row.

●  South Carolina’s Paul Mainieri enters 2025 as one of just 10 coaches ever to lead two different programs to Omaha, having accomplished the feat with Notre Dame in 2002 and LSU in 2008, 2009, 2013, 2015 and 2017. The 67-year-old this year is embarking on an opportunity to lead a third program to college baseball’s biggest stage, which is something only three coaches—Larry Cochell, Ron Polk and Andy Lopez—have done.

●  Thousands of players entered the NCAA transfer portal this offseason, and 58 of the top 100 ended up at SEC programs, including 20 of the top 25. It could make for one of the most talent-rich groups of players the league has ever seen just two years after Paul Skenes (Air Force) transferred into it, joining LSU outfielder Dylan Crews. It should make for yet another exciting season in college baseball’s most formidable conference.