The seedings for the SEC Baseball Tournament in Hoover were announced on Saturday.
Just one year removed from an 8-22 finish in SEC play and missing the postseason entirely, Auburn baseball is set to embark on its postseason run, entering the SEC Tournament as the No. 6 seed.
With the six seed, Auburn earned a first-round bye and will face the winner of Mississippi State and Texas A&M on Wednesday at the Hoover Met. The start time is set for 8 p.m. It will begin approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the game before, which is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m.
The Tigers dropped just three SEC series with notable series wins against then-No. 3 LSU, No. 13 Vanderbilt, No. 8 Alabama and No. 7 Tennessee – a resume that launched them as high as No. 2 in some major polls and a No. 2 RPI to go along with the toughest schedule in the country.
Auburn finished the regular season with a top-five offense in the league, posting a .303 batting average led by Ike Irish, who tallied a team-high 16 home runs and a .354 batting average.
In year two under head coach Rob Vaughn, No. 18 Alabama started 17-1 heading into SEC play. The Crimson Tide finished middle of the pack with a 16-14 record in the SEC, but a perfect 13-0 in midweek games helped boost their overall record to 40-15 on the year. The Tide earned the No. 9 seed in the SEC Tournament.
With the No. 9 seed, Alabama will have to play No. 16 seed Missouri in the opening game of the tournament on Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. The loser will have their tournament run come to an end, while the winner will play on Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. against the No. 8 seed Tennessee.
The Crimson Tide are led by shortstop Justin Lebron, who is second on the team with 68 hits and leads the team with 18 home runs and 69 RBI.
Alabama may find itself in the middle of the pack in a loaded SEC this season, but it boasts a top-10 RPI in the country. The Crimson Tide should be comfortably in the NCAA tournament, but a couple of wins in the SEC Tournament could boost them into one of the 16 teams that get to host a regional.
The tournament will begin on May 20 and will run through May 25 at the Hoover Met.
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