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The 2022 SEC Baseball Tournament continues Saturday with the fourth round and the semifinals before a winner is crowned on Sunday at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama.
Saturday’s action follows up a Friday third round that saw impressive wins from No. 12 Kentucky, No. 7 Florida and No. 2 Texas A&M.
With a full day of college baseball ahead, let’s take a look at Friday’s scores, Saturday’s schedule and who to watch moving forward.
2022 SEC Tournament – Third Round Scores (May 27)
No. 7 Florida def. No. 3 Arkansas 7-5
No. 12 Kentucky def. No. 8 Vanderbilt 10-2
No. 2 Texas A&M def. No. 11 Alabama 7-6
No. 1 Tennessee vs. No. 4 LSU 5-2
Full scores available at SECSports.com
2022 SEC Tournament – Fourth Round and Semifinals Schedule (May 28)
Fourth Round
No. 7 Florida vs. No. 11 Alabama: 10:30 a.m. on SEC Network
No. 12 Kentucky vs. No. 4 LSU: Time TBD on SEC Network
Semifinals
No. 2 Texas A&M vs. winner of No. 7 Florida vs. No. 11 Alabama: Time TBD on SEC Network
No. 1 Tennessee vs. winner of No. 12 Kentucky vs. No. 4 LSU: Time TBD on SEC Network
Full schedule and bracket available at SECSports.com
Teams To Watch
No. 12 Kentucky
The Kentucky Wildcats, who are the lowest seed, have had an impressive run in the 2022 SEC Tournament and are arguably the most important team to watch on Saturday given their run of success.
Kentucky opened up the tournament with a 3-1 victory over No. 5 Auburn in the first round and also upset No. 8 Vanderbilt 10-2 in the third round on Friday. The team’s only loss came in the second round to No. 4 LSU, but it has both the talent at the plate and on the mound to clinch a berth in the championship game.
That said, the Wildcats will need their best players to ball out on Saturday if they hope to reach the championship game. Third baseman Chase Estep (.220 BA, 20 RBI), right fielder Adam Fogel (.257 BA, 17 RBI) and shortstop Ryan Ritter (.264 BA, 14 RBI) have been the team’s best batters against SEC opponents this year.
It’s unclear who will pitch on Saturday, but Tyler Guilfoil, Daniel Harper and Darren Williams, who all have an ERA of 1.98 or lower, figure to be key players on the mound for the Wildcats moving forward.
Both Harper and Guilfoil pitched against Vanderbilt on Friday and allowed just one run on five hits.
Kentucky has never won the SEC Tournament. Will this year finally be the year they do?
No. 7 Florida
Despite a 10-0 loss to No. 2 Texas A&M in the second round, the No. 7 Florida Gators have also had an impressive SEC Tournament.
Florida opened up the tournament with a 2-1 extra-innings win over No. 10 South Carolina and upset No. 3 Arkansas 7-5 in the third round on Friday to clinch a berth in Saturday’s fourth round.
Catcher BT Riopelle, left fielder Wyatt Langford and second baseman Sterlin Thompson have been the Gators’ best offensive weapons against SEC opponents this year and will be called upon to make an impact on Saturday.
Riopelle is hitting .319 with 10 home runs and 34 RBI, Langford is batting .333 with 12 home runs and 26 RBI and Thompson is averaging .330 with four home runs and 20 RBI.
The Gators have also received some strong pitching from Brandon Sproat, Brandon Neely and Hunter Barco. However, they haven’t been nearly as consistent as some of the other arms around the SEC and all have at least a 3.00 ERA or higher.
We know the Gators can put up runs, as seen in their 7-5 win over Arkansas on Friday, but they’ll need more out of their pitching if they hope to reach the championship game on Sunday.
Florida has not won the SEC Tournament since 2015.
No. 2 Texas A&M
Texas A&M enters Saturday’s action having played just two games in the SEC Tournament. They earned a dominant 10-0 win over No. 7 Florida in the second round but nearly fell to No. 11 Alabama on Friday.
The Aggies overcame a 6-1 deficit to defeat the Crimson Tide 12-8 in the third round on Friday and clinch a spot in the semifinals. The team’s pitching undoubtedly struggled, but luckily the bats woke up in the fifth inning to ignite the comeback.
That said, the Aggies will need a significantly better performance on Saturday to punch their ticket to the championship game.
Second baseman Ryan Targac, left fielder Dylan Rock and catcher Troy Claunch, who have been the team’s best hitters against SEC opponents, will need to be at their best on Saturday, though there’s no doubt they will be.
Targac is hitting .346 against SEC opponents with 10 home runs and 41 RBI, while Rock is smacking .345 with 13 home runs and 34 RBI. Claunch is batting .304 with two home runs and 31 RBI.
Texas A&M’s pitching staff also needs to prove it can be better on Saturday after allowing eight runs to Alabama. That said, Nathan Dettmer, Micah Dallas and Joseph Menefee have been solid this season and should continue their run of success for a berth in the championship game.
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