Following talent exodus, SEC searches for baseball stars

One year after dominating the top of the Major League Baseball draft, the Southeastern Conference is searching for its next breakout stars.
The league had four of the first eight picks of last summer’s draft, including Vanderbilt shortstop Dansby Swanson, LSU shortstop Alex Bregman, Arkansas outfielder Andrew Benintendi and Vanderbilt pitcher Carson Fulmer.
Mississippi State coach John Cohen believes that just gives others the opportunity to step forward.
“There are some great players who left our league,” Cohen said. “But there will be an all-star cast that will step forward. It’s one of the great things about being in the SEC.”
Many of the potential standouts are on the mound.
Florida returns right-hander Logan Shore and hard-throwing lefty A.J. Puk. The Gators are one of the favorites to win the SEC after finishing with a 52-18 record last season.
Vanderbilt, LSU and Texas A&M are among the teams expected to challenge the Gators for the league title.
Vanderbilt won the College World Series two years and made the championship series last year before falling to Virginia. The Commodores lost multiple stars from that team — including Swanson and Fulmer — but still return several experienced players, including outfielders Bryan Reynolds and Jeren Kendall and pitchers Kyle Wright and Jordan Sheffield.
LSU has a deep pitching staff led by starters Jared Poche and Alex Lange. Tigers’ coach Paul Mainieri hopes those veterans can help stabilize the team while his young lineup gets some more experience.
“Our hitters had to face our veteran pitchers all fall during practice, and they didn’t swing the bats poorly,” Mainieri said. “So I have cautious optimism.”
Texas A&M’s lineup should be anchored by outfielder Nick Banks, who hit .364 last season with eight homers, 48 RBIs and nine stolen bases.

Some things to watch in the SEC this spring:
LOADED FLORIDA: Much has been made of the Gators’ pitching staff, which includes standouts like Shore and Puk. But the lineup also returns a considerable amount of talent, including sophomore J.J. Schwarz, who hit .332 last season with 18 homers and 73 runs batted in.
CONSISTENT VANDERBILT: Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin has built arguably the SEC’s most powerful program. The Commodores won the national title in 2014, nearly did it again last season and show no signs of stopping anytime soon. Corbin has to replace more talent than most — the Commodores lost three first-round MLB draft picks in June — but recent history indicates Vanderbilt will be a contender once again.
MISSISSIPPI STATE ON DECK: Mississippi State played in the College World Series championship series in 2013, but struggled with a 24-30 record last season, including an 8-22 mark in the SEC. There’s reason to believe the Bulldogs can bounce back quickly thanks to better health and a pitching staff that includes Austin Sexton and Dakota Hudson.
PITCHERS’ AID: Teams across the SEC adjusted to the NCAA’s new baseball last year. The new ball — which featured lower seams — was supposed to help offense. While it did lead to an uptick in homers across the country, it also led to an increase in strikeouts. LSU coach Paul Mainieri said pitchers are “ecstatic” about the ball because it gives hard-throwing pitchers a little extra movement.
ALABAMA UPGRADE: Alabama will be playing in an updated Sewell-Thomas Stadium this spring after a $42 million renovation. The program hopes it’s the boost it needs to push into the conference’s elite on a consistent basis.