Championship day is finally here! The Conference Championship game will be between #2 Tennessee and #1 Arkansas, and the winner will automatically host a regional in the College World Series (CWS.) Both of these teams could make a deep run in the CWS, but a win today would be a huge advantage heading into that tournament. With the selection show tomorrow, we will see how many SEC teams get into the CWS. Since the SEC is arguably the best conference this year, I believe they should get the most representatives out of all the conferences.
Championship game: #2 Tennessee Volunteers vs #1 Arkansas Razorbacks
Tennessee started this tournament with a close loss to Alabama, but the Volunteers have been on fire ever since that defeat. They had back to back double digit victories and handily defeated the Florida Gators yesterday, 4-0. The Gators never really threatened a run against Tennessee until the 9th inning, but the Volunteers quickly ended that sliver of hope with a double play. Meanwhile, Arkansas had a battle yesterday with Ole Miss in order to acquire a spot in the championship. The Razorbacks snagged a 3-2 win over the Rebels, despite some questionable pitching changes that led to Ole Miss acquiring two runs in the 5th inning. Arkansas had a two run homerun in the first inning, and had the eventual game winning hit in the 6th from their last hitter in the order, Jalen Battles. The Razorbacks have quite a few bats to rely on, and they have plenty of pitchers in the bullpen that can get the job done this afternoon. Although Tennessee might have more firepower with its bats, I think Arkansas will win this matchup in a close one, 5-4.
This matchup will be a heated one as the last regular season matchup between these two teams had some animosity following the Razorbacks’ win at Tennessee. The managers of both teams had some words to say after the game was over, and I expect that same energy to carry over into this game with even higher stakes. This is certainly a must watch game, and it should be a great game of baseball between two capable teams.
We’ve finally narrowed down the number of teams to four, and there are some great games to be played this afternoon. Since the semifinals are single elimination, today’s losers are eliminated from the opportunity to host a regional at the College World Series (CWS.) All four of the remaining teams have had great showings throughout the past few days, and I could see any of the four taking home the championship. However, only half of these teams can fight in the championship game tomorrow.
Game 1: #6 Florida Gators vs #2 Tennessee Volunteers
This game is bound to be great, as both teams have looked very strong in Hoover. Although it took Tennessee losing its first game to perform like a #2 seed, they have won by double digits in its past two games. Since they’ve been in the losers bracket, the Volunteers eliminated #3 Mississippi State and redeemed their loss against #10 Alabama to eliminate them. Coming into this matchup, Tennessee has outscored its opponents 23-2 the past two games Meanwhile, the Florida Gators have had red hot bats and very good defense. The lowest number of runs the Gators have scored is four, and they are averaging eight runs per game this tournament. Additionally, Florida has barely let anyone score against them, as they have only conceded four runs in its three game tournament run. Ultimately, I believe the Gators will upset the Volunteers in a close one 7-6.
Game 2: #5 Ole Miss Rebels vs #1 Arkansas Razorbacks
Arkansas has only had to play two games in the tournament to get to the semifinal, as they knocked off #8 Georgia and #4 Vanderbilt. Meanwhile, Ole Miss has played four games to get this far, including one win and one loss against Vanderbilt and wins over Georgia/Auburn. The Razorbacks entered the tournament as the #1 team in the nation, and they have performed up to expectations so far. Since this round is single elimination, faltering here would be very unlucky and upsetting for many Arkansas fans. However, I believe Arkansas has what it takes to win this contest and advance to the championship game tomorrow afternoon. They enjoyed a day of rest yesterday, while Ole Miss had to take on Vanderbilt. The Rebels have had great performances over the course of the week, but they have scored only four runs in three out of their four games at the tournament. Arkansas scored 11 against Georgia and 6 against Vanderbilt, which are a considerable amount of runs given they should be a little rusty with the fewer amount of games played. Although Ole Miss has had a great tournament run, I do not think their bats can carry them past the Razorbacks in this one, I’ll take Arkansas 7-4
Heading into today’s games, I am 5-3 with my picks thanks to a 4-0 day yesterday. I am going to try and keep the hot streak with a 2-0 day for these elimination games this afternoon and evening. Today’s games should be very fun to watch as they are both rematches of games we witnessed just two days ago. Now that all four of these teams have played multiple games in Hoover, there should be no excuse or any of these teams to not show up ready to play. The losers of these games will go home, but I think all of the remaining teams will find a spot in the College World Series (CWS) in June. One of the biggest disappointments of this year’s tournament are the Mississippi State Bulldogs that went 0-2 in the tournament, and both of their losses were by double digit runs. Although I think they are still locked in for the CWS, they had an embarrassing showing in Hoover that will definitely hurt their seeding in the CWS.
Game 1: #10 Alabama Crimson Tide vs #2 Tennessee Volunteers
Alabama found a way to squeeze out a 3-2 win in 11 innings over the Volunteers in their meeting a couple days ago, but that was Tennessee’s first game of the tournament. While Alabama has looked like a quality team throughout their tournament run, I think that their run will come to an end against the Volunteers. I believe that Tennessee will be actively seeking revenge against the Crimson Tide, especially because of the calls that kept Alabama in the game during their first matchup. I fully expect the Volunteers to come out with red hot bats that are going to carry over from their 12-2 stomping of Mississippi State yesterday. Alabama ran into a buzz saw in the Florida Gators, as the Gators are 3-0 and none of their games have really been close. Their lowest margin of victory is 4-1 in the opening game of the tournament, which is still a comfortable win. Sadly, Alabama is going to run into another buzz saw in Tennessee, and I do not see them advancing past the Volunteers to make it to the semifinals. I’ll take Tennessee to win this one 8-4, but Alabama has most likely solidified a spot in the CWS with their amazing performance in Hoover.
Game 2: #5 Ole Miss Rebels vs #4 Vanderbilt Commodores
This matchup is almost guaranteed to lead to a great game, as Vanderbilt won the meeting two days ago via two runs in the bottom of the ninth. Vanderbilt played a really close game with Arkansas yesterday, but they just could not get anything going in the latter innings to catch up to the Razorbacks. The Commodores and Rebels are high quality teams, but one of them will have to head home after tonight’s affair. Although Ole Miss has looked good throughout the tournament, I think Vanderbilt is destined to make the semifinals in Hoover tomorrow. This game is definitively going to be a close contest, and I think it will be relatively low scoring compared to some of the other games in the tournament. Both teams’ pitching and defense have looked solid, and they can both hit the ball relatively well. Ultimately, I think Vanderbilt will make a surge late in the ballgame that will pole vault them over the finish line and knock Ole Miss out of the tournament. I’ll take Vanderbilt in a nail-biter: 4-3. Ole Miss had a respectable run in the tournament, but they have had to play one of the best teams in the tournament in half of their games.
Both of these matchups should be very fun to watch, and you never know what could happen in Hoover. I cannot wait to see what the matchups will be for the semifinals tomorrow, as we are in for a fun few days as this tournament comes to a close on Sunday.
With day 2 of the SEC tournament in the books, we are set for another exciting day of baseball on day 3. Day 2 was full of surprises as #3 Mississippi State was mercy ruled by #6 Florida in a 13-1 affair, and #10 Alabama upset #2 Tennessee 3-2 in an 11 inning nailbiter. Although there was some controversy in the bottom of the ninth inning, as Alabama was given a double play to end the inning due to interference between Tennessee’s baserunner and Alabama’s 2nd baseman. While the call seemed accurate, it was definitely debatable and took away what would have been the walk off fielder’s choice for the Volunteers. Finally, #5 Ole Miss and #4 Vanderbilt had an intense game to cap off the day, as the Commodores came back to win 5-4 by scoring two runs in the bottom of the ninth. With an intriguing set of games lined up for day 3, here are my picks for the next four games.
(Loser’s Bracket) Game 1: #3 Mississippi State Bulldogs vs #2 Tennessee Volunteers
Seeing both of these teams in the loser’s bracket this early in the tournament has left me flabbergasted. As unbelievable as it is, one of these two teams will be eliminated from the tournament without a single win! Despite one of these teams going 0-2, I think they are still guaranteed a spot in the College World Series; although it will definitely hurt their seeding. Upon witnessing an absolute slaughter of Mississippi State less than 24 hours ago, I’m going to have to pick Tennessee to eliminate the Bulldogs in the opening game tomorrow. While I do believe Mississippi State will show up more prepared to play against the Volunteers, it isn’t easy to shake off a mercy rule loss so quickly. Their pitching was abysmal as they gave up 18 hits, and their bats were held to just four hits through seven innings. Now that they have gotten a game under their belt for the tournament, I expect them to give the Volunteers a run for their money. However, Tennessee showed a lot of positives in their loss to Alabama, and they were one literal hand away from beating the Crimson Tide in nine innings. Tennessee had great pitching for the most part, and they were able to get plenty of runners on base. I think they’ll be able to convert those runners into actual runs against the Bulldogs and take the win 6-4.
(Loser’s Bracket) Game 2: #8 Georgia Bulldogs vs #5 Ole Miss Rebels
Ole Miss is facing elimination, but I don’t think their fans have much to worry about in this matchup. The Rebels were a half inning away from defeating #4 Vanderbilt and advancing to the winner’s bracket of the tournament. Meanwhile, Georgia got demolished by Arkansas 11-2 to find their way into the loser’s bracket. Overall, Ole Miss is simply the better team over Georgia and the Rebels are primed to make a decent run in the tournament. They have an excellent hitter in Tim Elko, who drove in all four of their runs versus Vanderbilt; three of which came from a home run that gave Ole Miss their first lead of the game. Additionally, Georgia’s pitching looked like it couldn’t throw a strike, as they walked a total of 14 batters. Unless Georgia’s pitching AND hitting have a complete turnaround, I don’t see a reality where Ole Miss falters in this game. I’ll take the Rebels winning this one handedly 10-2.
(Winner’s Bracket) Game 3: #6 Florida Gators vs #10 Alabama Crimson Tide
This is a surprising game to see in the winner’s bracket, as both teams upset their 2nd round opponent to get here. Although Alabama has looked great the past couple days with wins against South Carolina and Tennessee, Florida is coming off a blowout victory against a really good Mississippi State team. Alabama might have solidified themselves a spot in the College World Series (CWS) with their victory against the #2 seeded Volunteers, but they could make an even deeper run in this tournament. Both teams had great pitching in their previous game, but right now Florida’s bats are red hot and don’t look like they’re cooling off anytime soon. I think Alabama has a real shot to pull off another upset in the loser’s bracket, but I’ll take Florida in a close one 6-5.
(Winner’s Bracket) Game 4: #4 Vanderbilt Commodores vs #1 Arkansas Razorbacks
This game might be the best contest of the day as both teams are ranked as two of the three best teams in the country. Arkansas had a very easy time against Georgia for their first game, although they didn’t even need many hits to take the blowout win. Meanwhile, Vanderbilt had to comeback against a resilient Ole Miss team and pull out a clutch victory in the bottom of the ninth. While this game could definitely go either way, I think that Arkansas will put out a nailbiter against the commodores. I expect this game to be fairly low scoring, but it will still have some fireworks every once in a while to keep the contest exciting. The Commodores usually have a deep run into the tournament, and I can see them upsetting Arkansas tonight. However, Arkansas has looked too solid throughout the season to pick against them, so Vanderbilt’s run will have to be from the loser’s bracket. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a rematch between these two teams later in the tournament. I’ll take the Razorbacks winning this matchup 4-3. .
Game 1: #6 Florida Gators vs #3 Mississippi State Bulldogs
While I expect this to be a very close matchup, I believe Mississippi State will come out victorious this time. Not only did they finish a few wins better within conference play, but they are also entering the tournament on a four game winning streak. Meanwhile, Florida was on a four game losing streak before taking down #11 Kentucky in the first round of the tournament. This will be the first game between these two teams all season, so it should be a thrilling contest. Florida looked great in their 4-1 win over Kentucky on Tuesday morning, but Mississippi State locked in the #3 seed for a reason. I’ll take the Bulldogs winning 5-3 over the Gators.
Game 2: #10 Alabama Crimson Tide vs #2 Tennessee Volunteers
This game has the possibility to be a major upset as Alabama looked dominant in their win over #7 South Carolina Tuesday afternoon. These two teams played each other three times during the regular season, as Tennessee won two out of those three games. However, one of those wins was by a single run, and the other was an 11 inning slugfest. If there is a major upset to be had, I think this would be the game to have it. Sadly, I think Tennessee is too good of a team to lose this game, and they’ll find a way to win it. With alabama losing their last four games entering into the tournament, much like Florida, I see the Volunteers taking the win here: 7-5
Game 3: #8 Georgia Bulldogs vs #1 Arkansas Razorbacks
Arkansas looks like they should easily handle 8th seeded Georgia, as the Razorbacks are currently ranked as the best team in baseball. While Georgia managed to steal a game out of their three game series against Arkansas, I don’t see them doing it in a very meaningful tournament. The Razorbacks are 42-10 and have won seven of their last eight games, including a 5-1 record against opponents ranked in the top 10. Meanwhile, Georgia has lost six of their last eight games coming into the tournament. Even with a clean 4-1 win over LSU in the first round, I don’t think they can compete with the 1 seeded Razorbacks. I have Arkansas winning this one fairly cleanly: 8-2
Game 4: #5 Ole Miss Rebels vs #4 Vanderbilt Commodores
This might be the best game of the entire day, as both of these teams are nationally ranked in the top 15. This will be my first upset pick of the tournament, as I believe the Rebels will take down the Commodores in a very close contest. This is a difficult game to pick a winner, but Ole Miss won two out of their three games against Vanderbilt in the regular season. Additionally, Ole Miss had a good tune-up game against Auburn in the first round of the tournament, so the Rebels should have their bats ready to hit. Although Vanderbilt has had an incredible season, I think they will have to battle back from the losers bracket because they got a difficult matchup for their first game in the tournament. I believe Ole Miss wins this game by a score of 6-5, but Vanderbilt will make a deep run from the losers bracket over the next couple of days.
