The 2023 SEC Baseball Tournament is underway in Hoover, Alabama featuring some of the best talent and teams in all baseball.
As usual, there will be plenty on the line in Hoover with teams trying to work their way into the NCAA Tournament, earn a regional host spot, and earn a national seed.
And, oh, there is also that conference tournament title.
Jake Mastroianni will be in Hoover for the tournament and giving an update on each game here.
Game 17: Texas A&M (36-25, 14-16) - 4 vs. Vanderbilt (41-18, 19-11) - 10
Updated: Sunday, May 28th, 7:30pm CT
Texas A&M came into the 2023 SEC Baseball Tournament needing a win to feel secure about their spot in the NCAA Tournament. They did much more than that advancing to the championship game, but they fell just short against Vanderbilt.
For Vanderbilt, they looked like a clear favorite to win the SEC regular season title for the majority of the year, but slipped up down the stretch. Bouncing back to win the tournament is a pretty solid consolation prize.
As for the game itself, Texas A&M took an early 1-0 lead in the second inning on a fielder's choice after a double and single started the rally.
In the bottom half of the inning, Troy LaNeve hit a monster 3-run shot off A&M starter Nathan Dettmer. The ball traveled 425-feet and nearly chopped down a tree behind the right field fence.
The Aggies fought back to tie the game in the 6th inning with a 2-out, 2 RBI single by Max Kaufer.
But once again, the Vandy bats answered as Enrique Bradfield Jr. dropped down a sacrifice bunt to score a runner from third.
It remained a 1-run game until Vanderbilt blew the game open in the eighth inning by scoring 5 runs. Calvin Hewett, who fittingly replaced LaNeve, capped the inning with a bases clearing double.
The two teams combined to use 13 pitchers to get through the game.
Both now will get rested for the NCAA Tournament to begin next weekend. Vanderbilt knows they will be hosting, but A&M will be watching on Monday to see where they’ll be heading.
Game 16: Florida (44-14, 20-10) - 6 vs. Vanderbilt (40-18, 19-11)
Updated: Saturday, May 27th, 7:15pm
The Gators had everything setup to move to the championship game with Jac Caglianone on the mound Saturday. But the Vanderbilt offense had ideas as they came out swinging, scoring 4 runs in the first, 2 runs in the second, and 4 more runs in the third.
Things kind of unraveled for Florida in the first inning with 2 errors, a hit batter, walk, and a wild pitch.
Wyatt Langford tried his best to bring Florida back going 3-5 with a home run, but the deficit was just too big to overcome.
Nick Maldonado came in to close the game out for Vanderbilt retiring the last six Gators’ batters of the game.
Florida will now get rested for the regionals next weekend while Vanderbilt and Texas A&M will face off on Sunday for the tournament title.
Game 15: Arkansas (41-17, 20-10) - 4 vs. Texas A&M (37-24, 14-16) - 5
Updated: Saturday, May 27th, 3:30pm CT
Texas A&M continued its magical run in the 2023 SEC Baseball Tournament with a win over rival Arkansas on Saturday to advance to the championship game.
The pitching for the Aggies continued to be excellent in this one as Matt Dillard gave them 4 strong innings of shutout baseball allowing just 2 hits and a walk with 6 strikeouts.
Shane Sdao came on in relief and gave up just 1 run in 2.2 innings. Things got a little dicey in the ninth inning before Troy Wansing came on and struck out a couple of batters to hold onto for the 5-4 win.
The Texas A&M offense took advantage of four straight walks in the sixth inning that helped 3 runs cross the plate.
Arkansas continued to work Brady Tygart along as he was solid for 3.1 innings for them showing that really good curveball. He figures to be a big piece for them in the postseason.
Game 14: Vanderbilt (40-18, 19-11) - 9 vs. Alabama (40–20, 16-14) - 2
Updated: Friday, May 26th, 10:15pm CT
The Commodores came out strong and pretty much put the Alabama crowd to sleep after scoring 5 runs in the first inning. RJ Austin put the exclamation point on the inning with a 2-run homer – the first of 3 hits on the night for Austin.
Chris Maldonado also had a big night at the plate going 2-3 with a home run and 3 walks.
Devin Futrell and Thomas Schultz combined to allow just 2 earned runs on 5 hits and 4 walks with 6 strikeouts.
Alabama probably did enough to earn a hosting spot in the NCAA Tournament. Vanderbilt will try to get revenge on Florida and advance to the finals.
Game 13: LSU (43-15, 19-10) - 4 vs. Texas A&M (35-24, 14-16) - 5
Updated: Friday, May 26th, 6:20pm CT
The one big weakness for LSU going into the postseason is the bullpen, and that came back to haunt them in this game.
Brayden Jobert had a couple of RBI early to help give LSU a 3-1 lead. Ty Floyd was solid allowing just 1 earned run on 3 hits and 1 walk with 7 strikeouts over 5 innings.
Once Floyd left and the game was turned over to the LSU bullpen, that opened the door for a Texas A&M comeback.
The big blow come in the seventh inning when Hunter Haas hit a 3-run homer to give the Aggies a 5-3 lead.
After a good start on the mound by Will Johnston, Texas A&M went to Evan Aschenbeck who closed it out to pick up his eighth win of the season.
Texas A&M has boosted their RPI significantly in this tournament and now they’re just looking to win the whole thing, but they have to get through Arkansas on Saturday.
LSU will rest up and get ready for the NCAA Tournament.
Game 12: Vanderbilt (38-19, 19-11) - 3 vs. Florida (45-13, 20-10) - 6
Updated: Thursday, May 25th, 10:30pm CT
BT Riopelle might have wrapped up player of the tournament honors in two games. On Wednesday he hit a walk-off 3-run homer and then on Thursday he hit a grand slam to lift Florida over Vanderbilt.
Hunter Owen returned from injury to start for Vanderbilt and looked solid with 5 strikeouts over 3 innings.
Brandon Sproat started for Florida and gave up just 2 earned runs in 6 innings with 6 strikeouts.
The story of the game was easily Riopelle who also homered early in the game before the huge grand slam.
The win earns Florida an off day on Friday, while Vanderbilt and Alabama will face off in an elimination game.
Game 11: LSU (43-13, 19-10) - 4 vs. Arkansas (41-15, 20-10) - 5
Updated: Thursday, May 25th, 7:30pm CT
Perhaps the most anticipated pitching matchup of the tournament with Paul Skenes facing Hagen Smith.
Both only lasted 3.2 innings giving up 2 earned runs while Skenes only struck out 3 and Smith struck out 9.
LSU struck in the first inning with three straight singles to take a 1-0 lead. A wild pitch plated another for LSU in the fourth.
Skenes cruised through the first 3 innings in typical "Skenes" fashion, but the Arkansas bats started to figure him out that second time through plating 5 runs in the fourth inning.
It started with a hit by pitch, then he allowed two singles and a walk before exiting. A catcher’s interference proved costly, leading to 3 more runs coming home after Skenes left the game.
Jace Bohrofen had a big 2 out, 2 RBI single in that fourth inning for Arkansas.
After Smith’s exit Dave Van Horn called on Hunter Hollan to finish it off. He allowed a pair of runs in 5.1 innings but struck out eight batters and held on for the 5-4 win.
Smith and Hollan combined to strike out 17 LSU batters in the game.
Dylan Crews brought LSU within a run hitting a leadoff home run in the top of the ninth.
Arkansas now gets a day off on Friday and advances to the semi-finals. LSU already has a national seed locked up, but they’ll try to continue their weekend on Friday against Texas A&M.
Game 10: Auburn (34-21-1, 17-13) - 4 vs. Alabama (40-18, 16-14) - 7
Updated: Thursday, May 25th, 3;30pm CT
Veteran starter Garrett McMillan came up big for Alabama in this one allowing just 3 earned runs on 5 hits and 3 walks over 6 innings with 8 strikeouts.
He really cruised through the first 5 innings and then battled to get through the sixth and help Alabama save some arms.
Tommy Seidl had a big day at the plate for Alabama hitting a solo shot in the first and then he added an RBI single in the fourth that made it 4-1.
Andrew Pinckney drove in a pair of runs as well in the 7-4 win for the Crimson Tide.
In the loss, Bryson Ware hit his 24th home run of the year and he hit a home run in every game of the SEC Tournament.
Alabama feels like a lock to host at this point, and even after being eliminated, Auburn is in good shape to host a regional as well.
Game 9: South Carolina (39-19, 16-13) vs. Texas A&M (34-24, 14-16)
Updated: Thursday, May 25th 1:25pm CT
Texas A&M came into the SEC Baseball Tournament with a team ERA approaching 6, but on Thursday they pitched their second 1-hit shutout of the tournament in a 5-0 win over South Carolina.
Justin Lamkin tossed 7 shutout innings allowing just 1 hit and 3 walks with 9 strikeouts. His first five outs of the game were all on strikeouts.
Trevor Werner had an RBI triple in the third inning – part of a 3-hit day for Werner.
A 3-run inning by the Aggies essentially put this one away with how Lamkin was throwing the ball.
If there were any doubts about Texas A&M being an NCAA Tournament team, those should be gone now – they’re in.
South Carolina will now have to hope their early season work was good enough to earn them a hosting spot in regional play.
Game 8: Auburn (34-20-1, 17-13) - 4 vs. Vanderbilt (38-17, 19-11) - 6
Updated: Thursday, May 25th 12:30am CT
Both teams came out swinging as Cole Foster homered for Auburn in the top of the first, but a walk, single, and walk to start Vanderbilt’s half of the first led to 2 runs.
Chris Stanfield hit a solo shot in the third inning to tie the game at 2, and that’s where it stayed until Vanderbilt broke through with a single run in the sixth to take the lead.
The Commodores would add 1 in the seventh and 2 in the eighth, which was needed as Bryson Ware hit a 2-run homer in the ninth to pull Auburn closer.
Auburn will now host rival Alabama in an elimination game on Thursday afternoon that should be a lot of fun.
Vanderbilt will look to get some revenge against Florida after the Gators swept them in the regular season and took the SEC regular season title from them.
Game 7: Alabama (39-18, 16-14) - 6 vs. Florida (43-13, 20-10) - 7 (11 innings)
Updated: Wednesday, May 24th 9:30pm CT
The games started to one-up each other as this was the second straight tournament game to finish in walk-off fashion in extra-innings.
It started as a great pitcher’s duel between Luke Holman and Hurston Waldrep who each lasted 5.2 innings.
Florida took an early 2-0 lead with a Josh Rivera home run in the first inning.
Alabama chipped away with singles runs in the fourth, fifth, and sixth to take the lead.
A throwing error by Alabama in the eighth led to a run for Florida that tied the game, and it stayed tied until the 11th inning when Tommy Seidl hit a bases clearing double to give Alabama a 6-3.
But the heart of that Florida order is deadly and pulled off an incredible comeback without making a single out. Wyatt Langford singled, Jac Caglianone singled, Rivera single, and then BT Riopelle walked it off with a 3-run homer.
A win there for Alabama might have locked up a hosting spot, but now they might need another win on Thursday. Florida is secure as a national seed and is one of the favorites to win the College World Series.
Game 6: Texas A&M (33-23, 14-16) - 5 vs. Arkansas (39-15, 20-10) - 6 (11 innings)
Updated: Wednesday, May 24th 5:06pm CT
The best game of the tournament so far, there were a lot of fireworks late.
However, in the beginning it was all Texas A&M as they had a 4-1 lead going into the bottom of the seventh.
The Aggies scored 3 runs in the third with Trevor Werner getting a big 2 RBI single. Ryan Targac added another run in the fourth with a solo home run.
Zack Morris came on in relief for Arkansas in the third inning and allowed some inherited runners to score and then that solo home run, but then he held the Aggies right there tossing 5 innings with 5 strikeouts.
The Arkansas offense had a frustrating start to the game leaving 7 runners on base in the first 4 innings. But they finally took advantage in the seventh after a walk, error, and walk loaded the bases for Jared Wegner who hit a go-ahead grand slam.
But Texas A&M answered back with a game-tying leadoff home run by Austin Bost to start the ninth inning.
Kendall Diggs finally put an end to this one with a leadoff, walk-off home run in the 11th inning for the 6-5 win.
Even with the loss, Texas A&M feels like a lock for the NCAA Tournament at this point. But they’ll get another chance to boost their resume Thursday morning against South Carolina.
Arkansas will tangle with LSU Thursday night in what should be one of the more entertaining matchups of the tournament.
Game 5: South Carolina (38-17, 16-13) – 3 vs. LSU (42-13, 19-10 ) - 10
Updated: Wednesday, May 24th 1:07pm CT
As LSU continues to look for someone to step up in the rotation behind Paul Skenes, they got a good effort from Thatcher Hurd on Wednesday.
Through 5.1 innings he allow 3 earned runs on 4 hits and 2 walks with 4 strikeouts. He was really cruising through the first 5 innings before running out of gas in the sixth where he gave up 2 singles and 2 walks before getting pulled.
A starting pitching performance like that is typically going to be good enough for this LSU offense – as was the case in this one.
Brayden Jobert got the scoring started with a 2-run home run in the second.
After Ethan Petry got South Carolina on the board in the top of the sixth, LSU responded by starting out the bottom half with 3 singles and 2 walks that ultimately led to a 4-run inning.
The Tigers ran away with it from there, getting the 10-3 win. They now advance to face the winner of Texas A&M and Arkansas. South Carolina will face the loser of that game on Thursday as they remain on the hosting bubble.
Game 4: Missouri (30-24, 10-20) - 4 vs. Auburn (34-19-1, 17-13) - 10
Updated: Wednesday, May 24th 12:15am CT
The Auburn Tigers complete a 4-game sweep over the Missouri Tigers having just taken three from them last weekend and then winning 10-4 to open the SEC Baseball Tournament.
Tommy Vail had one of his worst outings in a while, giving up 4 runs (2 earned) on 2 hits and 4 walks over just 3.2 innings. He did still strike out 5 batters as he looks to be a big part of Auburn’s postseason run.
Fortunately for him and Auburn the rest of the pitching staff was lights out, tossing 5.1 scoreless innings to finish off a 10-4 win.
The offense put up three crooked numbers scoring 3 in the third to take the lad and then 4 in the fourth to re-take the lead. And then 3 more in the eighth to put it away.
Cole Foster and Bryson Ware both went deep and drove in 3 runs.
It was Auburn’s ninth straight win as they continue to be one of the hottest teams in college baseball. They’ll try to continue that streak Wednesday night against Vanderbilt.
Missouri’s season comes to a disappointing end after a very promising start.
Game 3: Alabama (39-17, 16-14) - 4 vs. Kentucky (36-18, 16-14) - 0
Updated: Tuesday, May 23rd 10:00pm CT
It was the third straight shutout to start the tournament as the wet conditions and a pitcher friendly ballpark kept a lot of balls in the yard.
But there were also some really good pitching performances, including this one that saw Hunter Furtado toss 5 scoreless for Alabama and Darren Williams strikeout 6 in 5 innings for Kentucky.
Andrew Pinckney broke the scoreless tie in the fourth inning with a 2-run homer and then later drove in a run as he reached on an error to make it 3-0.
Ed Johnson would plate a run in the eighth to give Alabama a little more breathing room in the 4-0 victory.
Alabama moves on to face Florida as they try to improve their chances of hosting a regional. Kentucky is done in Hoover and now they have to wonder if their high RPI will be enough to earn them a host spot.
Game 2: Texas A&M (32-23, 14-16) - 3 vs. Tennessee (38-18, 16-14) - 0
Updated: Tuesday, May 23rd 8:12pm CT
Texas A&M came into this game like a team that didn’t want to leave their fate in the hands of the committee.
Aggies starting pitcher Troy Wansing had the outing of his life as he was perfect through 5.1 innings before allowing a 1 out single in the sixth.
Texas A&M plated single runs in the third, fourth, and sixth innings, including a solo blast from Jace LaViolette.
That’s all the offense they would need as the Texas A&M pitching staff blanked the Tennessee offense.
The Aggies almost feel like a lock for the NCAA Tournament at this point, but I’d sure they’d like one more win. As for Tennessee’s chances of hosting, it seems rather unlikely at this point.
Game 1: Georgia (29-27, 11-19) - 0 vs. South Carolina (39-17, 16-13) - 9
Updated: Tuesday, May 23rd 2:24pm CT
South Carolina came into Hoover on a bit of a cold streak that has put them on the bubble for hosting a regional. But they get off to a strong start in the SEC Baseball Tournament with a 9-0 win over Georgia.
James Hicks gave South Carolina a huge start and perhaps earned an opportunity to start a regional game. He went 6.2 innings – his longest outing of the year – allowing 4 hits, 2 walks, and 0 earned runs with 6 strikeouts.
The sinker was highly effective for Hicks in the low 90s as he got 9 ground ball outs.
Evan Stone had a big 2 out, 2 RBI single in the second inning to put South Carolina on the board.
The Gamecocks scored 3 runs in the fourth inning on 5 singles and 2 walks as all nine batters came to the plate.
Will Tippett had a 3-run triple in the seventh to break the game open. It was his third hit of the game.
Georgia’s season comes to an end, while the Gamecocks look to improve their resume with at least two more games in Hoover.
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