By Chris Marler
New Frontier
This will mark the first year that the SEC Tournament will feature 16 teams and a single elimination format. Similar to the basketball format, the baseball tournament will feature four games each of the first two days with teams No. 9 through No. 16 playing on Tuesday, the 5-8 seeds having one bye and opening play Wednesday, and the top four seeds will have a double bye and open play on Thursday.
🚨 The 2025 SEC Baseball Tournament Bracket.
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— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) May 18, 2025
Early round upsets?
There are two spots that seem prime for an upset in the first two rounds, so I’ll give you one for each day. Tuesday ends with Mississippi State and Texas A&M playing in the first round. To be clear, I love the way Mississippi State is playing, and it has to be a concern on whether or not Texas A&M has checked out. But, from a standpoint of strictly picking an upset? It’s hard to not point to this game considering just how bad Mizzou and South Carolina have been this year and are playing two of the other three games.
It’s not like Texas A&M doesn’t have a good roster. They also have to win the whole tournament to make the postseason. No one needs Hoover more than A&M, its coaches, and its fans.
The other is a little more dicey, but Oklahoma getting to Thursday doesn’t seem that far fetched, and a second round win against No. 5 seed Georgia isn’t out of the question. If the Sooners hold Kyson Witherspoon until Wednesday, it seems more than plausible that they could upset the Dawgs. The biggest obstacle for them is beating Kentucky who just swept them a few weeks ago.
Matchup to watch
Anyone Texas is playing.
Texas is the No. 1 seed in the tourney after going 22-8 in the league and winning the regular season title in year one. However, they didn’t exactly get the easiest draw. Texas does get a double bye, but they’re in danger of playing Tennessee in their first game and Vanderbilt in their second game if both teams advance to the Semifinals.
Texas avoided playing either team in the regular season and now has to play the SEC pitcher of the Year Liam Doyle in game one and/or arguably the hottest team in the SEC in Vanderbilt.
Non-favorite who can make a run?
Florida. Florida has been incredible the second half of the SEC regular season. The Gators definitely had their struggles early on as they started 1-11 in SEC play. They finished at 15-15. Finishing .500 at Florida is never the goal, but closing the regular season 14-4, winning six straight series, including back-to-back wins over ranked opponents, is a helluva close.
Who will win it all in Hoover?
LSU. Believe me when I say that no part of this is because the website that pays my checks is based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. LSU getting a double bye is obviously a massive help for this team (more than any other). Why? Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson.
The road to the trophy for LSU involves just three wins. Anderson and Eyanson are 16-3 on the season, and both, Eyanson especially, have been incredible down the final stretch of the regular season. Give me the Tigers to win their 13th SEC Baseball Tournament title.
