It is no secret that the SEC has been the center of dominant college baseball for quite some time.
The conference had a record-breaking 11 teams qualify for last year’s NCAA Tournament and has had a team claim the national championship title the past five years. With the additions of Texas and Oklahoma to the conference, the SEC will have an even greater chance to defend that title for a sixth time.
Nearly a month into the 2025 season, and the SEC has already proven that it will continue to be the league to beat. D1baseball.com’s latest rankings have 12 SEC teams in the top 25, with LSU, Tennessee, Arkansas, Georgia and Florida all holding spots in the top 10.
With SEC action taking off this week, here are some players to look out for in these conference showdowns.
Liam Doyle, Tennessee
Left-handed pitcher Liam Doyle has been hot on the mound so far this season. The Ole Miss transfer sits 3-0 on the year,after playing a key role in the Volunteers’ ninth no-hitter in program history on Friday. Doyle struck out 13 batters in 5 2/3 shutout innings against St. Bonaventure, bringing his season total to 47 punchouts – the most in the NCAA. Doyle notched a career-high 14 strikeouts against Samford in Week 2, allowing only two hits over 5 1/3 innings. He sits at a 0.44 ERA throughout 20 1/3 total innings.
No. 2 Tennessee opens up SEC play this weekend against No. 7 Florida.
Justin Lebron, Alabama
Shortstop Justin Lebron, coming off of an impressive Freshman All-American campaign last season, has picked up right where he left off. Lebron’s 12 home runs last season are just one shy of being matched just three weeks into the season. The sophomore already sits at the top of the NCAA in homers (11), RBIs per game (2.53), and in total bases (66). Lebron had back-to-back two-homer games against Ohio State and Jacksonville State, in which he recorded both of his home runs in the same inning while also adding five RBIs. Lebron is on track to being a top-ranked 2026 MLB draft prospect, but for now, he has conference play ahead of him.
No. 17 Alabama begins conference play against No. 19 Texas A&M this weekend.
Ryland Zaborowski, Georgia
Ryland Zaborowski has been an offensive force for Georgia this season, batting .447 with 10 home runs, 36 RBIs and 21 hits in 16 games this season. Zaborowski’s 10 homers and 36 RBIs tie him for second in the NCAA, while he leads the nation with a 1.170 slugging percentage. He just earned Co-SEC Player of the Week honors to account for his impressive four-game week in which he batted .438 with six home runs and 18 RBIs, as well as posted a 1.563 slugging percentage.In last weekend’s series sweep over Columbia, Zaborowski recorded back-to-back two-homer and seven RBIs games, a career-high.
No. 4 Georgia takes on Kentucky this weekend.
Gavin Kilen, Tennessee
Louisville transfer Gavin Kilen has been one of many Volunteers to show off in Tennessee’s 16-0 start to the season. Kilen is batting .463 with 25 hits, eight home runs and 22 RBIs, boasting a 1.093 slugging percentage to rank third in the nation. A top 2025 MLB draft prospect, Kilen was awarded SEC Player of the Week and National Player of the Week honors after powering Tennessee during the Astros Foundation College Classic. He notched four home runs, seven RBIs and seven runs throughout the four games, recording at least one hit and one RBI in each game. The junior leads Tennessee in runs, hits, triples, home runs and total bases, and is expected to continue to be a dominant force at the plate this season.
Wehiwa Aloy, Arkansas
Shortstop Wehiwa Aloy was named Co-SEC Player of the Week for the second time this season after notching five multi-hit games against ULM and Portland last week. The junior totaled 12 hits, three home runs, 11 RBIs and 10 runs while batting .632 throughout the five games, slashing his first career multi-homer game on Thursday. The junior is batting .433 with 18 RBIs and 51 total bases, helping propel the Hogs to their best start to a season since 2006. Aloy leads Arkansas in hits, doubles and total bases, while he is tied with his younger brother Kuhio Aloy in homers.
No. 3 Arkansas begins SEC action against No. 13 Ole Miss this weekend.
