SEC Baseball Tournament Day 3 Recap and Day 4 Tournament Preview: Favorites Advance and Hoover Stadium
The SEC Baseball Tournament Day 3 saw two games, as there will be on Friday. On Thursday, both Georgia, the top seed, and Florida advanced. Georgia won in a close game, and Florida blew out Alabama. There probably isn’t much data in that blowout win for Florida, as in baseball, there is great day-to-day variation.
It is also the case in baseball that a great player can have an off day. That was the case with reigning SEC Player of the Year, Darin Jackson, who was only 1-of-5 in his game. He struck out twice. Do you think today’s games will be better than Thursday’s games?
SEC Tournament Day 3 Recap and Day 4 Preview
In the first game on Thursday, the top seed, Georgia, defeated Mississippi State 5-3. Georgia scored first, but Mississippi State tied the game at 1 in the third inning. Then, in the fourth inning, Brennan Hudson, a hulking first baseman for the Bulldogs, hit a three-run home run. That blast gave the top-seeded Bulldogs a 4-1 lead. They never looked back.
The teams exchanged runs in the sixth and seventh innings. Then, Mississippi State scored one run in the eighth inning. They should get credit; they fought to the end. However, they just fell short in the 5-3 loss.
The other game on Thursday was not as close. In this game, Florida destroyed Alabama 13-3. This was a bit of a surprising result since this was a 4/5 game and the teams are ranked in the NCAA college baseball poll, No. 15 (Alabama) and No. 18 (Florida).
As far as the game goes, it was scoreless for the first three innings. The Florida Gators scored two runs in the fourth inning and then exploded for five runs in the fifth inning. They took a 7-0 lead, and the romp was on.
Alabama scored a single run in the seventh inning, but then Florida scored four more runs in their half of the seventh inning. In the seventh inning, Brady Neal, the right-fielder, hit a two-run home run. However, Florida scored two more runs in the eighth inning to win the game by the 10-run rule.
Day 4
At 4 p.m. on Friday, Arkansas takes on Texas on the SEC Network. The Razorbacks are the 12th seed in this tournament, and the Longhorns are the No. 5 seed. On paper, Texas should win this game, but games are not played on paper. Texas has a long and storied history of baseball, having played since 1911. Between 1911 and 2016, they only had four head coaches.
In the second game on Friday, Auburn will face Texas A&M. This is a closer game on paper, as it is a 6/10 game. Auburn is the sight betting favorite, but Texas A&M has some skilled players. Etan Darden is going to start the game for the Tigers. He is a transfer from Clemson. However, keep an eye out for the bullpen for Closer Clayton Freshcorn, who has had a standout junior season as well. He’s recorded a 2.42 ERA and has had 12 saves in 24 relief appearances this season. That leads the SEC and is third nationally in that category.
Hoover Stadium
The SEC Tournament is being held at Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama. It has been held there since 1998. This is a great venue for baseball, so it is not surprising that the past 28 tournaments have been held there. Before this run, the tournament was held at the schools, and for a time, the schools that won the year before.
