The SEC baseball tournament opened in Hoover, Alabama, with the bottom eight teams battling for automatic NCAA Tournament bids.
Tennessee and South Carolina are scheduled to meet at 4:30 p.m. in the first round, a game that will determine which team advances to face the Arkansas Razorbacks on Wednesday.
Among the teams that must win to stay alive are Tennessee, South Carolina, LSU, Vanderbilt and Missouri, each facing a single‑elimination test in Hoover.
The Razorbacks, already assured of an NCAA berth, are set to meet the winner of the Tennessee‑South Carolina contest, a matchup that could bring them into a potential showdown with Texas if the Longhorns progress.
Georgia’s Power Surge
Georgia enters the tournament as a lock to host a regional after posting a record 147 home runs this season, with senior Daniel Jackson capturing the SEC triple crown in dominant fashion.
Florida, Texas, Texas A&M, Alabama, Auburn and Mississippi State are also projected to host regionals, while Ole Miss hovers on the fringe despite a tough schedule.
Kentucky’s recent performances, including a notable outing by Jaxon Jelkin against Arkansas, kept the Wildcats among the final four teams in the NCAA Tournament projection, though they fell short of a regional hosting bid.
The Hoover Met will host the SEC Tournament through 2028, with an option to extend the agreement, underscoring the event’s growing significance.