LSU the top seed, but challengers lurk at SEC Tournament

The two hottest teams in the Southeastern Conference struggled to stay above .500 for most of the season.

The regular-season champion won 46 games and didn’t clinch until the final day, when the defending national champion lost to the 11th-place team.

In other words, it’s just a normal set-up for the SEC Tournament.

“The fun begins now,” LSU coach Paul Mainieri said.

The 12-team tournament begins Tuesday morning in Hoover, Ala., when Ole Miss takes on Alabama at 9:30. Four of the top 10 teams in last week’s Baseball America poll are at the top of the bracket, and nine of the 12 teams have at least 30 wins.

“It’s a tremendous tournament,” Mainieri said in an interview with the SEC Network after Saturday’s 8-1 win over South Carolina. “The next closest thing is playing in Omaha because you’re only playing against ranked teams, it seems, every game.”

Mainieri’s Tigers finished the regular season 46-9 to win their 16th SEC regular-season championship. They’ll be going for their third straight tournament title, and the sixth since Mainieri was hired in 2007.

With so much success in Hoover, it’s no wonder Mainier said LSU has a “loosey-goosey” approach to the tournament.

“The 56-game, 30-game conference schedules are such grinds that when we get to Hoover it’s just fun,” Mainieri said. “Let’s relax and play, and let it rip, feeling like you’re already in a good position for the NCAA Tournament. So our guys just play all loosey-goosey and have a lot of fun. We love Hoover.”

They’ll be the top seed for the tournament, with defending national champion Vanderbilt (39-17) the second seed, Texas A&M (43-10) third and Florida (40-15) fourth.

The top four seeds have first-round byes and won’t play until Wednesday. Their NCAA Tournament status also seems secure, not only to get in but likely to host regionals as well.

The other eight teams are on far less solid footing. They’ll play Tuesday in single-elimination games, with the winners advancing to the main double-elimination bracket that begins Wednesday.

While the top four teams have been outstanding all season long, the most dangerous teams might come from the middle of the bracket.

Ole Miss (30-25) won six of its last seven games to earn the No. 6 seed. It split its series with Texas A&M over the weekend — the third game was rained out — and scored at least seven runs in each of its last four wins.

Tennessee (24-25), the only sub-.500 team in the field, also won six of its last seven. It clinched its spot by sweeping Mississippi State in the final weekend, capped off by a three-run rally in the bottom of the ninth to win the finale 3-2.

Tennessee earned the No. 12 seed and will open the tournament in the late game Tuesday night against Arkansas (33-20).

“The synergy that has somehow now crept into this team is unbelievable,” Tennessee coach Dave Serrano said after Saturday’s win. “You guys have heard me say all year long, as a coach you want your team playing its best baseball at the end of the year.”

In Tuesday’s other games, Missouri (29-26) plays South Carolina (32-24) at 1 p.m. and Kentucky (30-24) takes on Auburn (34-22) at 4. All four teams are looking for some traction.

Since having an 11-game winning streak early in the season, Kentucky has won more than two games in a row just once. Auburn is just 4-6 in its last 10 games. Missouri lost 12 of its last 15 games.

South Carolina, which has been beset by injuries, struggled this season by its high standards. It’s in danger of failing to reach the 40-win mark for the first time since 1999.

“We have an opportunity to play in the postseason as far as the SEC Tournament is concerned. If we can play our best baseball down there, who knows?” South Carolina coach Chad Holbrook said. “Let’s go down there and play one game at a time. Obviously the season is probably on the line Tuesday, let’s go down there and see if we can keep playing.”

Southeastern Conference Tournament

All games televised on SEC Network unless noted

At Hoover, Ala.

Tuesday

Game 1 – Ole Miss vs. Alabama, 9:30 a.m.

Game 2 – Missouri vs. South Carolina, 1 p.m.

Game 3 – Kentucky vs. Auburn, 4:30 p.m.

Game 4 – Arkansas vs. Tennessee, 8 p.m.

Wednesday

Game 5 – Texas A&M vs. Ole Miss-Alabama winner, 9:30 a.m.

Game 6 – Vanderbilt vs. Missouri-South Carolina, 1 p.m.

Game 7 – LSU vs. Kentucky-Auburn winner, 4:30 p.m.

Game 8 – Florida vs. Arkansas-Tennessee winner, 8 p.m.

Thursday

Game 9 – Game 5 loser vs. Game 6 loser, 9:30 a.m.

Game 10 – Game 7 loser vs. Game 8 loser

Game 11 – Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 4:30 p.m.

Game 12 – Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 8 p.m.

Friday

Game 13 – Game 9 winner vs. Game 11 loser, 3 p.m.

Game 14 – Game 10 winner vs. Game 12 loser, 7 p.m.

Saturday

Game 15 – Game 13 winner vs. Game 11 winner, Noon

Game 16 – Game 14 winner vs. Game 12 winner, 4 p.m.

Sunday

Championship game, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN2)