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.