SEC Baseball Tournament 2016: Championship Schedule and Predictions
Following a wild semifinal rally Saturday, the Texas A&M Aggies will face the Florida Gators in Sunday's SEC baseball tournament championship game.
Down 8-5 to the Ole Miss Rebels after seven innings, the Aggies stormed back, scoring five runs in the eighth and two more in the ninth. They survived a 12-8 slugfest spanning over four hours to earn their first-ever SEC title game appearance.
Meeting for the second time in the tournament, Florida earned the last laugh with a 1-0 win over the LSU Tigers. Even though both schools have one loss, the Gators will have an opportunity to win their second straight SEC crown.
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The chaotic action in Hoover, Alabama, will conclude Sunday, when the Aggies and Gators clash for conference supremacy and a chance at earning the NCAA bracket's top seed.
| Sunday, May 29 | No. 3 Texas A&M vs. No. 4 Florida | 3 p.m. | ESPN2 |
Championship Preview
Including Saturday's late offensive explosion, the Aggies have scored 25 runs in their last two tournament games. The Gators can hope they used up their ammo, but forceful hitting is nothing new for the No. 3 seed.
Texas A&M leads the conference in slugging percentage, and seven of Saturday's nine starters sport batting averages over .300. Boomer White, who reached base four times (three walks and a double) Saturday, boasts a .402 clip.
Yet Walker Pennington broke the game open with a pinch-hit three-run home run in the eighth. Despite getting touched up early, A&M broke the matchup open late. During the postgame press conference, head coach Rob Childress commended his team's perseverance, per the Battalion's Heath Clary.
“Very proud of our team’s toughness today,” Childress said. “Giving up the five runs in the third inning all with two outs—to be able to overcome that—I couldn’t say enough about our guys just staying in the game.”
Their bats have kept them alive, but the Aggies have relinquished 18 runs in four tournament games. SportsRadio 1150's Gabe Bock reported the team will task Turner Larkins with holding down the fort Sunday:
Larkins has made only three starts this season, spending the rest of his time in the bullpen. The sophomore is a curious choice after having yielded six walks and five runs over his past six innings. A day after starter Jace Vines lasted two frames, Childress will again have to piece together multiple innings from his relievers.
Boasting one of the nation's finest pitching staffs, Florida has yielded 11 runs in the tournament. The Gators can also hit, as the Aggies should know. Early in April, Florida outscored A&M 21-13 during a three-game sweep, the only series the Aggies lost all year.
While the 47-12 Gators wield the better overall record, they have suffered five conference losses this month. LSU, which topped them three times in the last two weeks, has a gripe over the tournament's transition from single to double elimination.
On the bright side for A&M, Florida's A.J. Puk shouldn't be available after working 7.1 innings Wednesday. The junior southpaw could get selected at No. 1 overall in June's MLB first-year player draft.
Predictions
Texas A&M is on an offensive tear, but Florida's pitching staff has locked down other superb SEC lineups. Although the battle of strengths will help determine the conference champion, don't overlook the other side of the equation.
Larkins' command will make or break Florida's chances Sunday afternoon. The Gators lead the SEC in walks drawn, so look for them to wait out their erratic opponent and create early run-scoring opportunities.
After Saturday's prolonged contest, the Aggies' red-hot lineup will meet its match against a prolific pitching staff. Once again, the Gators will seize the conference championship with a close win.
Florida wins, 6-4.
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