SEC Baseball: 3 things to watch for during final weekend of 2022 regular season
By Matt Melton
With the 2022 SEC Baseball Tournament set to begin early next week, the attention within the conference now turns to what is an important final weekend of the regular season. Entering the final weekend of the 2022 regular season, what are three things to watch for later this week?
3 things to watch for during final weekend of 2022 SEC Baseball regular season
Who will miss the 2022 SEC Baseball Tournament?
As you likely know, only 12 teams will be making the trip to Hoover for the SEC Tournament, meaning that two will be left out. Those two teams will be decided for certain this weekend, with Missouri (8-19) and Mississippi State (9-18) as the two teams on the outside looking in entering the weekend.
As for which teams are potentially in danger of missing the SEC Tournament, both Alabama and Kentucky enter the weekend with 10 wins in conference play this season. Of those four teams listed above, Missouri is the lone member of the group traveling over the weekend as the Tigers take on Georgia in Athens, while Mississippi State hosts No. 1 Tennessee, Alabama hosts No. 7 Arkansas, and Kentucky hosts No. 19 Auburn.
NCAA Tournament Implications
Arguably the SEC Baseball team facing the most-important weekend series is Alabama, as the Crimson Tide are trying to make both the SEC and NCAA Tournament. One of the teams on the outside looking in of the NCAA Tournament picture entering the weekend, the Crimson Tide have a big opportunity to pick up quality wins hosting an Arkansas team led by ace Connor Noland that is likely a lock to host at-least a regional.
Super Regional Hosts
This weekend is also important for teams such as Auburn, Vanderbilt, and Arkansas, all three of which are locks to host a regional, as well as candidates to host a super regional. As for the likeliest to host a super regional, it feels like Auburn is the favorite of the group, and could secure that spot with a strong series this weekend, followed by a run in Hoover.