SEC Tournament Semifinal Preview
The Arkansas Razorbacks will meet the Auburn Tigers on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, in a highly anticipated SEC Tournament semifinal. Arkansas enters as the No. 7 seed with a 38‑19 record, while Auburn, the No. 6 seed, brings a 38‑18 mark to the field.
Both teams arrive on a roll. Arkansas has won four straight games, and Auburn has taken three in a row. In their last ten outings the Razorbacks are 7‑3, whereas the Tigers sit at 6‑4, underscoring the competitive balance heading into the matchup.
Coaching the Razorbacks is Dave Van Horn, who boasts a career record of 971‑491 in his 24th season at Arkansas and 1,291‑648 over 32 years of Division I play. Opposing him is Butch Thompson, who owns a 362‑250‑1 record in his 11th year at Auburn and a total of 362‑250‑1 across his Division I tenure.
Historically, Arkansas holds a 57‑52 edge over Auburn. The most recent meeting, an 8‑3 victory for the Tigers on April 4 in Auburn, adds a layer of intrigue to Saturday's contest.
The game will be televised on the SEC Network and can be streamed through WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app. On the Razorback Sports Network, Phil Elson and Bubba Carpenter will handle the play‑by‑play and analysis.
Weather forecasts call for cloudy skies with a high near 81 degrees and an 80 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, a factor that could influence pitching strategies and field conditions.
Auburn will start right‑hander Alex Petrovic, who enters the game with a 9‑2 record, 3.38 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP over 77 1/3 innings. Arkansas' starter remains to be announced.
Both programs are ranked in the latest USA Today Baseball Coaches Poll — Arkansas at No. 13 and Auburn at No. 6 — highlighting the national significance of the semifinal.
The winner will advance to Sunday's championship game, where they will face either top‑seeded Georgia or fifth‑seeded Florida, setting the stage for a potential showdown of the tournament's elite.