Bama Wins SEC Tournament Championship Over LSU, 10-3
8/28/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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*The Alabama Crimson Tide (37-22) won its fourth straight game en route to the 2003 SEC Tournament Championship with a 10-3 win over No. LSU (40-19-1) for the school's seventh post-season tournament title and second in-a-row.
*The No. 7 seed Crimson Tide is the lowest seeded team to ever win the SEC Tournament. Prior to today, No. 5 seed Auburn was the lowest seed to win the championship under the current eight-team format, beating Arkansas 7-5 in the title game. Miss. State won the 1987 SEC Tournament as the No. 6 seed beating LSU in the title game in Athens, Ga.
*Alabama has captured SEC Tournament Championships in 1983, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2002 and 2003.
*Alabama improved to 7-0 (1.000) in SEC Tournament Championship games with today's win over LSU. The Crimson Tide is 3-0 in tourney championship games against the Tigers, winning in 1995, 1997 and 2003.
*Alabama head coach Jim Wells tied former LSU head coach Skip Bertman with is sixth all-time SEC Tournament championship. Wells has led the Crimson Tide to post-season titles in 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2002 and 2003.
*Coach Jim Wells notched his 600th all-time coaching victory with today's win over LSU. In 14 seasons as a collegiate head coach, Wells has compiled a 600-262 (.696) at Northwestern State and Alabama. At the Capstone, Wells is 408-174 (.702) in nine seasons.
*Alabama's four SEC Tournament wins came against Top 15 teams, including wins over No. 14 South Carolina, No. 13 Auburn (twice) and No. 8 LSU. The Crimson Tide has won four straight games against Top 15 teams and has played seven straight games against Top 20 clubs.
*Alabama senior right fielder Beau Hearod (Jennings, La.) was named the 2003 SEC Tournament Most Valuable Player. In four games, Hearod batted .467 (7-for-15) with two doubles, eight RBI and five runs scored.
*Junior shortstop Adam Pavkovich was named to the SEC All-Tournament team after batting .563 (9-for-16) with one home run and two RBI. In addition, Pavkovich added eight runs, four doubles and three walks.
*Sophomore first baseman Zac Welch was also named to the SEC All-Tournament team with a .400 (6-for-15) average at the plate. In four games, Welch added six runs, three doubles and eight RBI.
*Hearod and Welch led all SEC Tournament hitters with eight RBI each.
*Junior left-hander Jeffrey Norris was the winning pitcher for the Crimson Tide in the SEC Tournament championship game over LSU. Norris (6-2) limited LSU to one run and nine hits (all singles) in 5 1/3 innings. He added two walks and four strikeouts.
*With the win over LSU, Norris becomes just the second pitcher in SEC Tournament history to win back-to-back championship games joining former Florida ace Rich Bombard, who beat Kentucky (11-5) and Tennessee (9-3) in 1981 and 1982.
*Norris is just the third pitcher in SEC Tournament history to start two straight SEC Championship games joining Bombard and former LSU right hander Gregg Patterson (1986-87).
*The NCAA Division I Baseball Selection Committee announced the 16 sites for next week's 2003 NCAA Baseball Regionals next weekend. The sites were awarded to Arizona State, Auburn, Cal State Fullerton, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Long Beach State, LSU, Miami, Fla., Mississippi State, Nebraska, North Carolina State (Wilson, NC), Rice, Southern Mississippi, Stanford, Texas and Texas A&M.
*The complete 64-team bracket will be announced on Monday, May 26 at 11:30 a.m. on espn2. Alabama is expected to be one of those 64 teams.
SEC All-Tournament Team
P Jaime Gant Mississippi State
P Arnold Hughey Auburn
C Bobby Huddleston Auburn
1B Zac Welch Alabama
2B Thomas Berkery Mississippi State
3B Steve Gendron Mississippi State
SS Aaron Hill LSU
OF Beau Hearod Alabama
OF Javon Moran Auburn
OF Nick Pitts Arkansas
DH Adam Pavkovich Alabama
Most Valuable Player: Beau Hearod, Alabama
Unanimous Decision
