If you don't think the SEC is tough, by the way, the #1 team in the country almost all year, including this week, Florida - is the #4 seed in the SEC Tournament.
Kentucky Takes on Alabama in SEC Tournament
First-Round Matchup Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. ET in Hoover, Ala.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – With the bracket officially set for the Southeastern Conference Baseball Tournament, Kentucky will face Alabama on Tuesday, May 24, at 5:30 p.m. ET at Hoover (Ala.) Metropolitan Stadium.
Kentucky (32-24 overall, 15-15 SEC) and Alabama (31-24, 15-15 SEC) tied for eighth place in the overall league standings. UK is slotted as the No. 8 seed and Alabama at No. 9 because the Wildcats won two out of three games between the teams earlier this season. The game will be televised on the SEC Network and also will be available on the UK Sports Radio Network.
The tournament features 12 teams. All four of Tuesday’s tournament games, which match seeds 5-12, will be single elimination. Tuesday’s four winners will join seeds 1-4 for double-elimination play Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Saturday’s semifinals and Sunday’s finals are single elimination. The winner of the UK-Alabama game will play regular-season champion Mississippi State on Wednesday.
Kentucky enters the SEC Tournament on a two-game win streak after defeating Missouri in the last two games of the series that ended the regular season. On Friday, senior Dustin Beggs threw eight shutout innings and the Wildcats hung on for a 2-1 victory. On Saturday, senior Kyle Cody threw a complete game and struck out nine batters in a 7-2 win over the Tigers.
Offensively, the Wildcats are led by sophomore first baseman Evan White, who leads the team with a .377 batting average. He has four home runs and also leads the team with 39 RBI and 10 stolen bases. Junior leftfielder Zach Reks is hitting .340 with seven homers and 22 RBI. Sophomore shortstop Riley Mahan checks in at .311 with five homers and 31 RBI. Junior third baseman JaVon Shelby has 12 homers and 35 RBI.
Beggs (9-2, 3.01 earned run average) and Cody (6-2, 3.35 ERA) have led the pitching staff. A pair of freshmen, Sean Hjelle (4-1, eight saves) and Justin Lewis (2-0, four saves), along with senior Zach Strecker (3-2) have paced the bullpen. A starting pitcher has not been announced for Tuesday’s game.
Kentucky will be making its fourth straight appearance and 19th appearance all-time in the Southeastern Conference Tournament since the league began a tourney format in 1977. UK has a 20-32 record in the event.
The Wildcats and Crimson Tide have met 100 times on the diamond, with Alabama holding a 60-40 edge. The teams met in Lexington on April 8-10, with Kentucky winning 3-2 and 6-2 before Alabama took the final game, 2-1.
FWIW, Alabama has incredible incentive to win Tuesday--not saying Kentucky doesn't either, but Alabama has no real flagship wins. They tied with Kentucky in conference play, but lost 2-of-3 to UK and have the # 9 seed, not the # 8 seed. They are on a downward spiral, losing their last 3 games, while Kentucky won their series.
Alabama's RPI is 60; Kentucky's is 53. Kentucky has 4 wins vs Florida and South Carolina, a huge calling card to let the committee know that the Cats *can* compete with the big boys. Alabama lacks that calling card. Kentucky also lost twice to the nation's # 1 RPI team in out of conference play, which speaks to their willingness to play tougher teams.
I'm obviously focused on Kentucky, because I don't care two hoots if Alabama makes the NCAA tournament or not, and I do, for Kentucky. But Alabama's loss vs South Carolina yesterday, where they elected to shelve their normal # 3 starter, sporting a nifty 2.25 ERA, in favor of a hodge podge of pitchers who allowed 9 runs, could be very costly to them. They HAVE to win Tuesday. Kentucky NEEDS to win Tuesday, but it may not be a MUST win, just a "need." Alabama--I think it's a must-win.
It will be a very tough game for Kentucky. We need to get a surprise start from someone like Logue or Strecker and throw about 7 shutout innings or something.
Logue, Salow, Strecker, and Lewis are my Tuesday rotation with Hjelle pitching the 9th if UK is contending and has a chance to pull it out in the bottom of the 9th if Hjelle shuts Bama out in the top of the inning. The first 4 I mentioned would be told today or yesterday that I did not know who would start and did not know in which order they would take the field, but they would be told that each of them would pitch no more than 2 innings. They might not pitch that much, but no more than 2. I tell them to give me everything they have while on the mound.
If UK is ahead by 7 or 8 runs in the 8th, I do not bring in Hjelle, but I would put McNeill on the mound to hopefully get me an inning or two of work and save a regular arm for later. He might pitch to 6 or 8 men or he might just pitch to one, but I would take a chance on at least one or two.
The first 4 I mentioned have all shown they can be fairly dominant for 2 or three innings and they have all also shown they can stink it up in less than an inning. I manage them carefully and encouragingly, but I never let the hook get out of my hand either.
Each one of them must think that they may be pitching 2 innings of what could turn out to be the last game of the season, but they also know there are 3 others that will be paddling the same boat.
And every one of them would be pitching to Cottam behind the plate. ;-)
If they win, then everyone needs to say a few prayers before they start the next game
UK's RPI has worried me for the last month, but you and a few national experts on the game have been in their camp for an at large bid for close to 3 weeks now. I have chosen to follow that lead and believe they are in with the 50-50 record and 15 wins in the best conference in baseball. Add in series wins against 2 nationally ranked teams they can hopefully get in even without a tuesday win. Even their 7-12 away record is not a bad stat to have in their resume.
That said, I am going to coach the Tuesday game like their is no tomorrow without a win.
I do think they are in. Every time somebody says something like, "Pitino has never lost a Regional" it just means circumstances were favorable, but there are no guarantees. Same here. The two series wins over SC and Florida are calling cards. I think that will trump at the end of the day. The experts have never had Kentucky "out" in any of their projected fields.
That said, a win Tuesday couldn't hurt. And I would not be shocked if a loss ends the season.
I will catch Kentucky's batting practice tomorrow at Hoover (4pm CT, 5 ET). I am set for their game TUESDAY (4:30PM CT, 5:30 ET) as well. I fear planning past then.
Thought MSU was a shock to mean really expected Florida to be #1 this season.
What shaped the improvement for MSU this year?
Underachieved last year, overachieved this year. Good talent, coaching and facilities and fan support. Strong program, and last year was an anomaly. Maybe a little under the radar early this year too.
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