Gear up for some big mid-week SEC softball matchups

The GIST: Even though Big 12 powerhouse No. 1 Oklahoma is the sport’s most dominant team, the SEC is where the most competitive softball is glittering these days. For proof, look no further than these intense midweek matchups.

No. 4 Tennessee Volunteers (39-7) vs. No. 12 Arkansas Razorbacks (37-14): The Razorbacks, a relative newcomer to the upper echelons of college softball, took their weekend series against Tennessee, a perennial powerhouse, with Monday’s shutout dub. It was an eyebrow-raising upset against one of the league’s toughest teams.

• Even more, this is the first SEC series Tennessee has dropped in a year. Time — and next week’s conference tournament, hosted by the Hogs — will tell if this was a testament to Arkansas’ rising stock or a growing crack in Tennessee’s armor.

No. 3 Florida State Seminoles (43-8) vs. No. 17 Florida Gators (34-16): This rivalry, aka the Sunshine Series, isn’t just about intrastate bragging rights — it pits the SEC against the ACC (the two most-represented conferences in the Top 25). The ’Noles won round one last week, but tonight’s 6 p.m. ET bout is in “The Swamp,” so the Gators may just be able to steal some sunshine.