Tag: 2023 SEC Baseball Tournament

LSU’s Thatcher Hurd wore Paul Skenes’ glove while leading Tigers to SEC tournament win over South Carolina

I’m not superstitious, but I am a little stitious.

LSU pitcher [autotag]Thatcher Hurd[/autotag] was one of the team’s most anticipated offseason additions after coming in from UCLA.

He’s had a bit of an up-and-down campaign that featured some struggles, especially early on. But he’s been pitching better recently, and he delivered one of his best outings of the entire season on Wednesday as he led LSU to an SEC tournament-opening win over South Carolina.

Hurd earned the win as he pitched 5.1 innings, allowing four hits and three earned runs with four strikeouts and two walks. He struggled a bit toward the end of his performance after retiring the first 12 batters, giving up a pair of singles and walks early in the sixth inning, ending his day.

Still, it was an encouraging sign for a player who will certainly be relied upon to win games in the postseason. Perhaps Hurd is just continuing to develop, but for the more superstitious among you, there may be a different reason.

He was wearing star pitcher [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag]’ glove during Wednesday’s game. Former LSU pitcher [autotag]Ben McDonald[/autotag] dropped that tidbit during the SEC Network broadcast, and a zoom-in seemed to back it up.

During a postgame interview with the SEC Network, Hurd confirmed that he was using Skenes’ glove and has been for the past few games after breaking his. Per Hurd, it’s one of several gloves Skenes uses, and he called it a “hand-me-down.”

Certainly, using a different glove doesn’t explain the leap Hurd seemed to take on Wednesday. But with that being said, he should probably keep using it moving forward.

You know, just to be safe.

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LSU beats No. 6 seed South Carolina to start SEC tournament run

Thatcher Hurd got the win on the mound as the Tigers advance to the winners’ bracket in the double-elimination tournament.

[autotag]Thatcher Hurd[/autotag] got the start on the mound as LSU played its first game of the 2023 SEC Baseball Tournament against South Carolina. These two teams faced off in Columbia earlier this season and split the series 1-1, but the Tigers took the de facto rubber match with a 10-3 win to advance into the winners’ bracket.

[autotag]Brayden Jobert[/autotag] drew first blood in the bottom of the second inning when he hit a two-run homer into the trees in right field.

South Carolina got one of those runs back in the top of the fifth inning via a solo homer to cut the lead to 2-1. LSU got that run back plus a few more in the bottom of the fifth with two bases-loaded walks and two sacrifice flys extending the lead to 6-1.

Hurd ran into some issues in the top of the sixth inning as he loaded the bases and then walked a run in. [autotag]Sam Dutton[/autotag] then came into pitch.

Hurd had a good day, overall. He pitched 5.1 innings and gave up three runs on four hits, four strikeouts, and two walks. Dutton walked in the first batter he faced and that scored another run for Carolina as they cut the lead to 6-3. Dutton was then pulled for [autotag]Nate Ackenhausen[/autotag].

Ackenhausen retired the next two batters to get LSU out of the inning.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag] and [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] both hit RBI singles to increase the lead to 8-3. In the bottom of the seventh, Crews and [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag], both hit RBI singles to give LSU a 10-3 lead heading into the eighth inning.

Ackenhausen stayed in to pitch the ninth inning as he closed out the Gamecocks, and LSU won its first game in the conference tournament 10-3. LSU advances to play the winner of the Arkansas/Texas A&M game on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. CT.

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Recapping Day 1 of the 2023 SEC tournament

The first round of the SEC tournament was a wacky one, with rain affecting play throughout the day.

Day 1 of the SEC Tournament was a wacky one. It seems like we can never get through one tournament without a rain delay, and Tuesday was no different.

The opening round is full of single-elimination games so if you lose you’re going home. South Carolina and Georgia played in the first game of the day. The winner would have a date with the No. 3 seed, LSU Tigers. There wasn’t any drama in this one as the Gamecocks led wire-to-wire and won 9-0.

Game 2 featured No. 13 Tennessee and Texas A&M. The winner would get a date with Arkansas on Wednesday. Here’s where the rain came into play.

The Aggies and Vols played in a torrential downpour for most of their game, but that didn’t seem to affect Troy Wansing at all. Wansing pitched eight innings and only allowed zero runs on one hit, zero walks and seven strikeouts. The game was delayed in the top of the ninth inning as the rain became too much.

When the storm settled, the Aggies came out on top 3-0 and just like that, the defending conference champs were headed home.

Alabama and Kentucky squared off in Game 3 of the day. Andrew Pinckney continued to be clutch for the Crimson Tide offense as he hit a two-run homer in the top of the fourth inning and Bama never looked back. For the third straight game, there was a shutout in the SEC tourney. It was the first time in school history that Alabama won via shutout in the SEC tourney as they won 4-0.

Now for the nightcap, Auburn and Missouri faced off in the final game of the night. These two teams just got done playing each other last weekend. Auburn swept that series 3-0 in Plainsman Park, and the Tigers have been hot lately.

Although the first three games were shutouts, this one was the polar opposite. A three-run homer by Cole Foster in the bottom of the fourth inning gave Auburn a 7-4 lead and the Tigers shut Missouri down after that. Auburn won the final game of the night 10-4.

Day 2 matchups (double elimination, times listed in CT)

9:30 a.m.: No. 6 seed South Carolina vs No. 3 seed LSU

TBD: No. 10 seed Texas A&M vs No. 2 seed Arkansas

4:30 p.m.: No. 9 seed Alabama vs No. 1 seed Florida

TBD: No. 5 seed Auburn vs No. 4 seed Vandy

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Alabama baseball shuts out Kentucky 4-0 in opening round of 2023 SEC Tournament

Alabama baseball stays hot with 4-0 victory over Kentucky to open the 2023 SEC Tournament!

The Alabama baseball team continued its hot streak on Tuesday night with a 4-0 win over the Kentucky Wildcats in the opening round of the 2023 SEC Tournament.

It was a balanced victory for the Tide as pitcher Hunter Furtado delivered his most impressive performance of the season with five scoreless innings tossed. Kade Woods and Alton Davis each had two scoreless innings themselves to give Alabama a solid showing on the mound.

Offensively, Alabama was led by junior Andrew Pinckney who got things started for the Tide with a two-run home run in the top of the fourth. Pickeny would add an RBI double in the eighth.

With the win, Alabama has won six straight and is 9-2 over its last 11 contests. Up next for the Tide is a date with the No. 1 seed Florida Gators on Wednesday afternoon. The first pitch is anticipated at 4:30 p.m. CT from the Hoover Met.

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How to watch LSU baseball’s SEC tournament opener against South Carolina on Wednesday morning

The Tigers will begin their run in Hoover, Alabama, against the Gamecocks at 9:30 a.m. CT.

The SEC tournament is upon us again, and the No. 3-seeded LSU Tigers will open up their run in Hoover, Alabama, with a contest against No. 6-seeded South Carolina in the double-elimination round.

The Gamecocks advanced past the single elimination with a 9-0 win over Georgia on Tuesday morning, the program’s first shutout win in the SEC tournament. They’ll get a shot to knock the Tigers into the losers’ bracket.

This game will serve as a rubber match of sorts between the two teams. They split a two-game series earlier in the year as Game 3 in Columbia was canceled due to the weather.

With a win, LSU would advance to face the winner of Wednesday’s game between No. 2 Arkansas and No. 10 Texas A&M, which knocked No. 7 Tennessee out of the tournament with a 3-0 win following a lengthy weather delay Tuesday. With a loss, the Tigers would face the loser of that game.

Here’s everything you need to know to follow that game.

What the SEC tournament means for LSU baseball

The Tigers will look to regain some momentum this week in Hoover, Alabama.

The Tigers entered the season as the top baseball team in the country, and they remained that way for most of the season.

However, LSU limped to the finish line in the regular season. Coach Jay Johnson’s squad dropped two of its final three series, and now it enters the week in Hoover, Alabama, as the No. 3 seed.

In terms of the NCAA tournament, it likely doesn’t matter too much what LSU does this week. Per D1Baseball’s latest projections, the team is the No. 4 national seed, meaning it would host in both the regional and super regional rounds.

While a strong showing at the tournament would certainly give LSU some momentum, it probably won’t mean too much from a resume perspective, and that’s the sentiment On3’s Jonathan Wagner shared in his breakdown of what the SEC tournament means for each team.

LSU ended the regular season by winning two out of three against Georgia on the road, in a series that could have been disastrous for the Tigers. If the lost to Georgia, LSU could have fallen out of top eight range. But now, it feels as if LSU is a sure bet to be one of the top eight overall seeds when the full field is announced. Even if they struggle in Hoover, the Tigers aren’t likely to fall very far.

LSU is the No. 3 seed in the SEC Tournament. They play on Wednesday against the winner of South Carolina vs. Georgia.

The Tigers will look to get back to the way they were playing earlier in the year when they open up against either the Gamecocks or the Bulldogs.

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Breaking down LSU baseball’s possible path to an SEC championship

Here’s what LSU’s road to an SEC title could look like.

After the dust settled on the regular season, the LSU Tigers wound up as the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament. That means that the Tigers will play their first game at 9:30 a.m. CT on Wednesday morning. Here, we’re going to take a look at the Tigers’ possible road to an SEC title.

In Game 1, LSU will play the winner of South Carolina vs Georgia, two teams that LSU is familiar with. The Tigers just beat UGA last weekend as they took two out of three games in the series. LSU split its series with South Carolina on the road, but this Carolina team isn’t the same as the one LSU split with.

The Gamecocks have been bitten by the injury bug and have been struggling recently. Carolina swept Georgia in a three-game series earlier this year, and I think they will win that game.

By that logic, I have LSU playing South Carolina in its first game. Here is the biggest question, though: Who starts game one?

To win the SEC championship, you have to win four games, minimum. LSU would have to go 4-0 to win the title. If you lose one game, you fall into the losers bracket. If that happens, you’ll play an extra game.

We all know the situation with LSU’s pitching staff. There’s [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag], [autotag]Ty Floyd[/autotag], and who knows who is third?

I say all of that to make this point — do you start your ace in the first game of the tournament? Your star pitcher will only get one start. Why start him against the team that should (theoretically) give you the least amount of trouble?

You can start him in the next game against either Arkansas/Tennessee/Texas A&M. If you win the first two games, you get a day off on Friday. So I think you’d want him to pitch in one of the first two games. In my opinion, I’d start Floyd against South Carolina and throw Skenes in Game 2, but I’m not [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag]. He could just throw them in order.

Let’s say the Tigers win Game 1, LSU would advance to play either Arkansas, Tennessee or Texas A&M on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. Again, you’re looking at either Skenes or Floyd on the mound for this one.

I think Tennessee will beat A&M, so it would be Tennessee against Arkansas in Game 6 to decide who plays LSU. They played a series against each other earlier this season, and Arkansas swept the Vols. I’ll go with Arkansas vs. LSU in Round 2.

LSU took the series against Arkansas at the start of the year, but things are different now.

Assuming that LSU wins that game, the Tigers would have Friday off and would rest up for a game on Saturday at noon. Again, you are looking at playing either Arkansas, Tennessee, or South Carolina. Tennessee just beat Carolina last weekend so I will give them the nod for Game 9.

Then it’s Arkansas vs. Tennessee again. I’ll go with Arkansas, again. So, we get an Arkansas vs. LSU rematch for a spot in the SEC championship game. That game is a single-elimination game. There is no losers bracket if you lose that one.

I have no clue who would be on the mound for LSU. If the Tigers lose that game, they’re headed home, but for the sake of this article, we will assume that LSU wins.

LSU would then advance to the conference championship game on Sunday to face (likely) the Florida Gators. Florida is on a roll right now and they are the No. 1 seed in the tourney for a reason. There is an outside chance that Vandy or Auburn could be a spoiler, but I think it will be Florida.

I have no idea how many arms the Tigers would have left to throw this game with all of the injuries. I figure that Game 3 would be a bullpen game as well.

How do you manage all of those guys in order to win a championship? That is something that Johnson will have to figure out.

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2023 SEC Baseball Tournament: Full schedule as LSU looks to capture league title in Hoover

Here’s the rundown of all the action this week as the top 12 teams in the league vie for a title.

It’s SEC tournament time, once again.

The top 12 teams in the league will descend upon Hoover, Alabama, a suburb of Birmingham, to vie for an SEC title this week. For many of them, it may not mean much. LSU, for example, has likely locked up a top-eight national seed regardless of what happens this week.

Other top teams like Florida and Arkansas can likely say the same, but several teams on the bubble will look to have strong runs this week and potentially even capture the league’s auto-bid.

No. 3-seeded LSU’s run will begin Wednesday morning at 9:30 a.m. CT against the winner of the game between No. 6-seeded South Carolina and No. 11-seeded Georgia.

Here’s the full schedule for this week in Hoover. All games will be televised on the SEC Network except the championship, which will air on ESPN2.

Updated 5/25

Alabama earns No. 9 seed in 2023 SEC Tournament baseball bracket

Alabama baseball to play in a single elimination game on Tuesday against Kentucky as part of the 2023 SEC baseball tournament!

The 2023 Southeastern Conference baseball regular season came to an end on Saturday and the conference standings are now final. Next up is the conference tournament!

The 2023 Southeastern Conference Tournament will be held May 23-28 at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama.

Alabama (9) is set to take on Kentucky (8) on Tuesday afternoon from inside the Met.

Tuesday’s contests in the SEC Tournament will be single-elimination. Games starting on Wednesday will be double-elimination.

All SEC Tournament games will be televised by SEC Network, while the championship game on May 28 can be watched on ESPN2 (3 p.m. EDT)

Below is the complete 2023 SEC Tournament bracket!

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Full seeding for 2023 SEC baseball tournament

Here’s where the Tigers and the rest of the league stand entering next week’s conference tournament in Hoover, Alabama.

The regular season is in the books, and it’s time to turn our attention to the postseason. First up is the SEC tournament in Hoover, Alabama, which begins on Tuesday.

After dropping back-to-back series vs. unranked opponents, LSU ended the regular season on a stronger note, taking a series on the road against Georgia. However, the Tigers dropped Game 3.

A win on Saturday would have given coach Jay Johnson’s team an SEC title, but instead, Florida and Arkansas split the title after the former took two of three against Kentucky while the latter lost a series to Vanderbilt.

With the 12-team bracket for this week now set, here’s where each SEC team is seeded. Only the top 12 teams qualify for the tournament, so Ole Miss and Mississippi State — the last two national champions — saw their seasons end on Saturday.