Breaking down Kentucky's SEC schedule in 2027

The Southeastern Conference unveiled the 2027 league schedule on Tuesday. Kentucky has another loaded slate in the conference, including a trip to Norman, Oklahoma, for the first time to take on the defending national champions.

SEC play begins for the Wildcats on March 19 against the Georgia Bulldogs. It concludes on May 20 – 22 at Kentucky Proud Park against LSU.

Here's Kentucky's complete SEC schedule, though dates are still subject to change:

• March 19 – 21: Georgia
• March 26 – 28: at Missouri
• April 2 – 4: Texas A&M
• April 9 – 11: at Vanderbilt
• April 16 – 18: at Oklahoma
• April 23 – 25: Florida
• April 30 – May 2: at Alabama
• May 7 – 9: South Carolina
• May 14 – 16: at Arkansas
• May 20 – 22: LSU

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Another interesting schedule

The Wildcats will face three teams that made it to the College World Series in 2026. Georgia, the aforementioned national champs Oklahoma and Alabama each finished their season in Omaha. In addition, Florida was the No. 8 national seed last year and Texas A&M was No. 14.

However, the Wildcats also play the four programs that missed the NCAA Tournament last year. South Carolina and Missouri finished at the bottom of the league with seven and six wins, respectively, and LSU finished 14th with a 9-21 record. The Tigers were the biggest disappointment in college baseball after winning the national championship in 2025. But LSU's fortunes are expected to change this season. The Tigers spent heavily in the portal and welcomed the No. 2 high school recruiting class to campus, according to Baseball America.

Vanderbilt, another traditional power, also missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005. Baseball America ranked the Commodores' high school class No. 1, so a bounce back is expected in Nashville.

While I couldn't find any "way-too-early" rankings from Baseball America or D1baseball.com, it's safe to assume many of the teams on Kentucky's SEC slate will appear in the preseason top 25, with a few teams expected to compete for the national championship.

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Tennessee not on the schedule

This was bound to happen eventually since Tennessee is not one of Kentucky's permanent opponents (those are Vanderbilt and South Carolina). However, it's a notable change considering the Wildcats have played their border rival more than any other opponent in school history. The two teams have played 330 times since 1909, with Tennessee holding a slight 169-161 advantage in the series.

It's also been one of the more competitive series this decade. Tennessee won series in 2021, 2023, and 2024, while the Wildcats took two out of three in 2022, 2025, and 2026. Tennessee also won the only postseason matchup – the 2022 SEC Tournament semifinals – giving the Vols a 10-9 lead in the series this decade.

Second-year coach Josh Elander has Baseball America's No. 3 high school class coming in, along with another stacked portal class and an interesting blend of returning players from a team that went 38-22 and was eliminated in two games in the NCAA Regionals.

Quick thoughts

• This will be the fourth time in five seasons that Kentucky's first SEC series is at home. The Wildcats have been money in this spot, going a perfect 9-0 over three seasons at Kentucky Proud Park in those series. It started with a sweep of Mississippi State in 2023, then a sweep of Georgia in 2024, before sweeping Alabama last season. Another fast start out of the gate would be important since Kentucky travels to Missouri for its second SEC series.
• Missouri will probably be picked to finish last in the league once again, but the Tigers will have Kentucky's attention after coming to Lexington and taking the series in 2026. It's always hard to make definitive statements in the preseason because things never play out how we expect, but on paper, there's no spot for a breather on this schedule. Texas A&M is always extremely talented, and the back-to-back trips against Vanderbilt and Oklahoma could be a grind in the first half of SEC play.
• I always like to see how the schedule shakes out once April rolls around. The weather gets better and basketball is either over or winding down, which usually brings more fans to the ballpark. The Florida series from April 23 – 25 could be the first shot at a great home-field environment for the Wildcats.