Other than East leader Georgia at the overall top and West cellar-dweller Mississippi State in the overall basement bottom, Arkansas and South Carolina scratch for survival like the rest of the SEC pack.

With only six SEC games, including the three against each other at Baum Stadium at 6: 30 tonight, 2 p. m. Saturday and noon Sunday, the Razorbacks and visiting South Carolina Gamecocks are scrambling to finish ranked among the SEC’s top eight in league play to advance to the 12-team league’s eight-team SEC Tournament starting May 21 in Hoover, Ala.

The Razorbacks, 28-20 overall with this series here and next week’s three-game visit to Mississippi State remaining other than a Monday nonconference game at Baum Stadium with Mississippi Valley State, are 10-13 in the SEC West. That’s a half-game behind Kentucky and Tennessee, both 11-13 in the SEC East and tied for eighth in the overall standings.

South Carolina, a stout 34-15 overall, ranked 17 th nationally by Baseball America and assuredly NCAA Regional-bound beyond the conference tournament, is 13-11 in the league.

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That looks OK now for a top-eight league finish but maybe not with the standings so compressed and should the Hogs wax hot this weekend and Tennessee get hot next weekend in Columbia, S. C.

Certainly the 13-11 league mark was not projected at this stage for the Gamecocks, deemed by many in preseason as the SEC’s premier team, but veteran USC coach Ray Tanner says SEC projections and ultimate results seldom correlate to expectations.

“ It’s a struggle every year in this conference, ” Tanner said. “ There is not a heck of a lot of difference in the team at the top and the team at the bottom. Everybody is good and everybody can win at any particular time. That’s the SEC. It’s a dogfight. ”

And when it isn’t, Tanner said, it’s a shock.

“ One year we won 25 games in the league, ” Tanner said. “ And I was stunned. I couldn’t believe it had happened. ”

Of course it could be said it’s stunning for the Gamecocks to be just 13-11 in the league with hitters like first baseman Justin Smoak (. 405, 19 home runs and 56 RBIs ) and Reese Havens, the leadoff hitter who walks a lot, 47 times, but also swings a big stick. 376, 13 home runs and 46 RBIs.

The Gamecocks’ heavyhitters apply as much pressure on the Arkansas bats as the Gamecock pitchers do.

“ We’ll have to jump on them early because they are a heck of a team, ” Razorback fourth-year junior second baseman Ben Tschepikow of Fayetteville said. “ One of the best teams in the SEC because they can hit and they can pitch. They are tough. ”

Nationally recognized tough, though just two games over. 500 in the SEC.

“ They are still one of the highest-ranked teams in our league though they are middle of the pack in the East, ” Van Horn said. “ That’s out of respect for the players they have. ”

Tanner said Arkansas obviously “ lost great arms” from last year with 2007 junior pitchers Nick Schmidt, Jess Todd and Duke Welker all turned pro, “ but Arkansas can still pitch and they can still put up runs on you. ”

Left fielder Casey Coon and Tschepikow have been hot-hitting Hogs of late.

Van Horn has crossed fingers that injured first baseman Andy Wilkins might be enough healed from a pulled oblique muscle to help as a DH this weekend.

He’s also unveiled virtually a five-man pitching plan starting former Texarkana College righthander Justin Wells tonight and lefty Cliff Springston Saturday, spotting lefty Stephen Richards in short relief and wildcarding Mike Bolsinger as a Sunday starter if not overly spent as a reliever Friday or Saturday.

Dallas Keuchel will start Sunday’s game if Bolsinger is unavailable.