As usual, there is a lot on the line during the SEC Tournament when it comes to postseason with teams battling to make regionals, host regionals or be a national seed.
Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Florida, South Carolina, Arkansas, Mississippi State, and Ole Miss enter the SEC Tournament as locks to make regionals.
Four of them have a chance to be top eight regional seeds. Florida, South Carolina, and Ole Miss are all hoping to earn regional host spots.
While Georgia, LSU, and Alabama are hoping to keep their regional hopes alive.
Not to mention the SEC Tournament always features some of the top college prospects in the country.
With that in mind, here were the biggest takeaways from Day 1 of the 2021 SEC Baseball Tournament.
5. Alabama and Georgia Keep Hope Alive
Let’s start with what is always my favorite — and that’s teams trying to earn a regional spot. Georgia and Alabama both enter the SEC Tournament on the outside looking in, according to most projections.
But both pick up big wins on Tuesday, Alabama with the biggest victory in a 9-3 win over a ranked South Carolina team. That moved them up two spots in the RPI and they now sit at 34.
Georgia’s win didn’t do much, but they still have a solid RPI of 41. Both teams will probably need at least one more win to feel better about their chances — and no upsets in the one-bid leagues.
4. Tommy Mace is a Gamer
I’ve always been a huge fan of the Florida ace, and while it may not have been the year he was hoping for, I still wouldn’t hesitate drafting him in the back half of the first round in the upcoming MLB Draft.
He gave up 7 hits and a walk on Tuesday to a surprisingly good offense from Kentucky over 5 innings, but was able to escape damage with 8 strikeouts.
There might not be a more fierce competitor in the all of college baseball and he’s been a joy to watch at Florida.
3. Wes-Bomb
I finally got to witness a Wes-Bomb live. Of course, there were plenty of opportunities for those able to take in a South Carolina game as Wes Clarke has now hit 22 of them on the year, which tied for the lead in NCAA baseball.
And it was a majestic show that went over the back walls behind the Hoover Met, certainly one of the hardest hit balls on Day 1 of the SEC Tournament.
2. Peyton Wilson Put on a Hitting Clinic
Alabama second baseman Peyton Wilson is beginning to rise up some draft boards and he certainly helped his case on Tuesday going 3-5 with 2 runs scored and an RBI.
The switch-hitter sprayed the ball all over the field and played solid defense at second.
1. Georgia Bullpen Shuts Down LSU
Woods, Harris, and Gowen combined to allow just 1 hit over 5.2 innings with 8 strikeouts to close out the game against LSU. The Tigers did load the bases in the 8th against Harris but he got back-to-back punchouts to escape.
It was a really impressive showing for the Bulldog bullpen that helped keep their season alive.
And now LSU will have to sweat things out leading up to selection Monday.
