No. 9 Alabama Baseball Wins SEC Opener Over Missouri, Advances to Second Round

The Alabama Crimson Tide baseball team, seeded ninth in the 2025 SEC Tournament, opened their postseason run with a 4-1 victory over 16th-seeded Missouri, led by starting pitcher Tyler Fay. Fay, a redshirt sophomore, delivered a career-best performance with six innings pitched, six strikeouts, and only one earned run, earning his first win of the 2025 season and helping preserve the bullpen. Alabama's offense was bolstered by key contributions from Justin Lebron, Kade Snell, Brady Neal, and Brennen Norton, with Lebron reaching base in all four plate appearances. Following the win, Alabama announced that Aeden Finateri would make his first conference start against eighth-seeded Tennessee, despite Riley Quick pushing for the spot. Finateri has shown promise with a 3-0 record and a 4.39 ERA during the season, although he gave up an early RBI double in the game against Tennessee. Head coach Rob Vaughn praised Fay's competitiveness and execution, noting the importance of saving bullpen arms in the single-elimination tournament format.