SEC Baseball Tournament 2015: Final Four Results and Championship Predictions

The Vanderbilt Commodores and Florida Gators are one game away from a 2015 SEC Championship.

Vandy knocked out the Texas A&M Aggies earlier Saturday in the semifinal round, while the Gators scored two runs in the final two innings to upset the top-seeded LSU Tigers.

The two teams played a three-game series earlier in the month, and Florida walked away with two wins in Nashville.

Not a lot has changed since then, but the Commodores are one of the hottest-hitting teams in the conference, while the Gators' pitchers have stepped up in a big way.

Sunday's championship should be a tight affair.

Semifinals Results

Game #	Matchup
15	No. 2 Vanderbilt vs. No. 3 Texas A&M	Vanderbilt wins, 12-3
16	No. 1 LSU vs. No. 4 Florida	Florida wins, 2-1

Championship Preview

I'll admit to having underestimated Florida ahead of the semifinals. I predicted a 5-1 win for LSU, only to see the Tigers fall on the strength of Mike Rivera's solo home run in the top of the ninth inning.

Richard Johnson of the Florida Times-Union likely wasn't the only writer who had to furiously alter the narrative of his or her recap of the game:

"

Wow Mike Rivera. What a shot. 2-1 lead in the ninth as a type the paragraph about how missed opps cost UF the game...

— Richard Johnson (@RagjUF) May 24, 2015"

PGA Tour veteran Billy Horschel was proud to see his alma mater reach the final:

While the Gators were unquestionably underdogs against the Tigers, they've been one of the best teams in the SEC all year.

Heading into Saturday, they ranked third in batting average (.293), fourth in slugging percentage (.446) and third in runs scored (378). Their pitching staff also sat fourth in earned-run average (3.39) and opponent batting average (.233).

Florida's pitchers will certainly be tested against a Vanderbilt offense that has scored 28 runs over its last two games.

Dansby Swanson has been the spark so far. The SEC Network posted his numbers in the conference tournament:

During the postgame press conference Saturday, Swanson spoke about his strong run of form (via CSTV.com):

"

I think it is just one of those things that it is tournament time, and we just want to play our best ball. We never try to hang our hat on awards because that is not why we play the game. It is just one of those things where I am just trying to do whatever I can to help us win.

"

Baseball America's JJ Cooper highlighted how the junior shortstop's power laid dormant during his first two years at Vanderbilt and has emerged in a big way:

Swanson earned plenty of praise after the Commodores' semifinal win, but Michael Lananna of Baseball America wanted to make sure that Vandy reliever John Kilichowski received his just due as well:

Kilichowski went five innings against the Aggies and failed to surrender a hit or a walk. He also struck out five batters.

Given the strength of Vanderbilt's and Florida's respective lineups, good pitching will be at an even higher premium in the championship game.

Gators head coach Kevin O'Sullivan isn't losing any sleep about whether he can rely on his staff tomorrow, per Adam Sparks of the Tennessean:

Although O'Sullivan should have no shortage of arms available, Florida simply can't match the strength and depth of Vanderbilt's staff. The Commodores are fifth in the NCAA in hits allowed per nine innings (7.05), first in strikeouts per nine innings (9.7) and 20th in earned run average (20th).

Sparks predicts that Vandy head coach Tim Corbin will use the full complement of his available pitchers in the championship game rather than rely on one or two guys.

Don't expect a lot of runs in the title game, and if it indeed becomes a pitcher's duel, the advantage goes to the Commodores.

Prediction: Vanderbilt 2, Florida 1

Note: Stats are courtesy of ESPN.com and NCAA.com.