SEC Baseball Tournament Opens Single-Elimination Play in Hoover

The 2025 SEC Baseball Tournament, held in Hoover, Alabama, will feature a new single-elimination format with all 16 teams qualifying, including newcomers Texas and Oklahoma making their tournament debuts. Kentucky, seeded 13th, will face 12th-seeded Oklahoma, whom they recently swept, with both teams vying for NCAA tournament positioning. Texas A&M opens against Mississippi State, aiming to advance and face Auburn, while Alabama, as the 9th seed, starts against Missouri, potentially requiring five consecutive wins to claim the title. Alabama's coach Rob Vaughn emphasized a strategic, all-hands-on-deck approach to pitching in the win-or-go-home setting, with Tyler Fay slated to start the opener. Auburn secured a first-round bye as the 6th seed and will play the winner of Mississippi State and Texas A&M. The tournament's structure awards double byes to the top four seeds, who will enter play later in the week, with the championship game scheduled for Sunday, May 25.