2018 Southeastern Conference baseball tournament explained

Year:	2018
Conference:	Southeastern Conference
Shortconference:	SEC
Teams:	12
Format:	See below
Ballpark:	Hoover Metropolitan Stadium
City:	Hoover, AL
Champions:	Ole Miss
Titlecount:	3rd
Coach:	Mike Bianco
Coachcount:	2nd
Mvp:	Nick Fortes
Mvpteam:	Ole Miss
Television:	SEC Network, ESPN (championship game)

The 2018 Southeastern Conference baseball tournament was held from May 22 through 27 at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama. The annual tournament determined the tournament champion of the Division I Southeastern Conference in college baseball. The tournament champion earned the conference's automatic bid to the 2018 NCAA Division I baseball tournament^[1]

The tournament has been held every year since 1977, with LSU claiming twelve championships, the most of any school. Original members Georgia and Kentucky along with 1992 addition Arkansas have never won the tournament. This is the twentieth consecutive year and twenty-second overall that the event has been held at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium, known from 2007 through 2012 as Regions Park. Texas A&M joined in 2013, and won its first title in 2016. Missouri, which also joined in 2013, has yet to win the event.

Format and seeding

The regular season division winners claimed the top two seeds and the next ten teams by conference winning percentage, regardless of division, claimed the remaining berths in the tournament. The bottom eight teams played a single-elimination opening round, followed by a double-elimination format until the semifinals, when the format reverted to single elimination through the championship game. This was the sixth year of this format.^[2] ^[3]

Team	W–L	GB #1	Seed
Eastern Division
	20–10	–	1
	18–12		3
	17–13		5
	16–14		6
	13–17		10
	12–18		12
	12–18		–

Team	W–L	Seed
Western Division
	18–12	2
	18–12	4
	15–15	7
	15–15	8
	15–15	9
	13–17	11
	8–22	–

Schedule

Game	Time*	Matchup^#	Television	Attendance
Tuesday, May 22
1	9:30 a.m.	No. 6 vs. No. 11	SEC Network	5,514
2	1:00 p.m.	No. 7 vs. No. 10 Kentucky		5,514
3	4:30 p.m.	No. 8 LSU vs. No. 9 Mississippi State		8,072
4	8:00 p.m.	No. 5 South Carolina vs. No. 12 Missouri		8,072
Wednesday, May 23
5	9:30 a.m.	No. 3 vs. No. 11 Texas A&M	SEC Network	7,126
6	1:00 p.m.	No. 2 Ole Miss vs. No. 7 Auburn		7,126
7	4:30 p.m.	No. 1 Florida vs. No. 8 LSU		6,710
8	8:00 p.m.	No. 4 Arkansas vs. No. 5 South Carolina		6,710
Thursday, May 24
9	9:30 a.m.	No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 2 Ole Miss	SEC Network	7,197
10	1:00 p.m.	No. 8 LSU vs. No. 5 South Carolina		7,197
11	4:30 p.m.	No. 11 Texas A&M vs. No. 7 Auburn		9,651
Friday, May 25
12	10:00 a.m.	No. 1 Florida vs. No. 4 Arkansas	SEC Network	1,384
13	3:00 p.m.	No. 2 Ole Miss vs. No. 7 Auburn		8,945
14	6:30 p.m.	No. 8 LSU vs. No. 1 Florida		8,945
Semifinals – Saturday, May 26
15	Noon	No. 2 Ole Miss vs. No. 11 Texas A&M	SEC Network	10,381
16	3:00 p.m.	No. 8 LSU vs. No. 4 Arkansas	SEC Network	10,381
Championship – Sunday, May 27
17	2:00 p.m.	No. 2 Ole Miss vs. No. 8 LSU	ESPN	14,126
Game times in CDT. # – Rankings denote tournament seed.

Notes and References

Web site: SEC Championships - Full Schedule. Southeastern Conference. November 13, 2017.
Web site: SEC Announces Format Change to Baseball Tournament. Tennessee Volunteers. December 19, 2011. November 17, 2015. November 18, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151118074227/http://www.utsports.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/121911aac.html. dead.
Web site: SEC adds two teams, changes format for postseason conference tournament. December 22, 2012. November 17, 2015. NCAA.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20151118221950/http://www.ncaa.com/news/baseball/article/2012-12-22/sec-adds-two-teams-changes-format-postseason-conference-tournament. 2015-11-18. dead.