The last two champions of college baseball won’t even get to play in their conference tournament.
That’s the SEC for you.
The bracket is set for the 2023 SEC Tournament from Hoover, Alabama, this week and neither 2021 champ Missisisppi State or 2022 champ Ole Miss is a part of it. The two Magnolia State schools failed to qualify for the 12-team field as they finished 13th and 14th in the conference standings.
Traditional powers still dominate the top of the league, anyway. Florida earned the No. 1 seed by a hair when Arkansas dropped its season finale against Vanderbilt on Saturday. The Diamond Hogs are second, while LSU and the Commodores also earned first-round byes by finishing third and fourth.
The five through 10 seeds are considered all but locks for the NCAA Tournament next week, though No. 10 Texas A&M and No. 9 Alabama would probably feel a touch safer with first-round wins at the league tourney. No. 11 Georgia and No. 12 Missouri need a run to a championship to earn a spot beyond Hoover.
Things start Tuesday morning. Here’s how each team will start the week.