With Mizzou baseball’s season officially in the books — for all the wrong reasons — I figured it was the perfect time to look back at the worst conference records in each SEC team’s history. Just a little something to lift everyone’s spirits.
Disclaimer: Due to rule changes over the years and teams shifting conferences, not all have played a full 30-game SEC schedule. These records reflect each team’s worst conference finish in a season with at least 24 games.
Florida: 10-20 (2006)
It was an unusual year for the Florida Gators, coming off a trip to the national championship the season before. In 2006, Florida failed to qualify for both the SEC Tournament and an NCAA Regional — just the second time in program history that had happened. It also marked one of only four seasons in school history where the Gators finished at or below .500, ending the year with a 28-28 record. Coached by Pat McMahon in what would be his second-to-last season at the helm, Florida finished with an RPI of 44 — their second-worst ranking, behind only the following season.
To start, Florida’s offense struggled, finishing last in the SEC with a .265 team batting average. The Gators also ranked second to last in both on-base percentage (.356) and slugging percentage (.395). With just one qualified hitter batting over .300 and only one player posting an on-base percentage above .400, run production was limited — averaging just 5.7 runs per game, one of the lowest marks in the conference.
Most of the everyday players hovered around the .260 range, but three bats stood out, each hitting .295 or better while appearing in at least 50 games. The lineup also featured a proven star going through a down year. After hitting 26 home runs and earning All-American honors in 2005, future MLB slugger Matt LaPorta led the team with 14 homers in 2006 but hit just .259.
Pitching was actually a relative strength for Florida in 2006. The Gators finished with a 4.21 team ERA, which ranked fifth in the SEC. However, they struggled to limit contact, finishing second worst in the conference in hits allowed per nine innings at 10.23.
At the top of the rotation was standout Bryan Augenstein, who later represented Team USA in the 2006 World Baseball Classic. In a team-leading 15 starts — three of them complete games — Augenstein posted a 3.07 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. The Gators’ other primary starter didn’t fare as well, also making 15 starts but finishing with a 5.57 ERA.
A look down the pitching staff reveals a sharp divide. Roughly half the staff finished with ERAs under 4.00, but beyond that, numbers jumped significantly — with the rest of the roster, including a mix of starters and relievers, posting ERAs above 5.00. Both pitchers who made more than 30 appearances ended the season with ERAs under 3.50, but outside of Augenstein, most of Florida’s starts came from arms with ERAs nearing the sixes.