SEC Tournament – Alabama Meets with Kentucky on Tuesday in Hoover

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama baseball begins Southeastern Conference Tournament play on Tuesday when the ninth-seeded Crimson Tide squares off with eighth-seeded Kentucky at 4:30 p.m. CT inside Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. Fans who are unable to attend can watch live on SEC Network with Tom Hart and Chris Burke on the call.

Follow the Tide

Fans can follow Tuesday's game via the below outlets:
Watch: SEC Network
Listen: 100.9 FM / CTSN / The Varsity App
Twitter: @AlabamaBSB
Live Stats: StatBroadcast.com

Probable Starting Pitching Matchup

TUESDAY: UA – Hunter Furtado (So., LHP) vs. UK – Darren Williams (Gr., RHP)

Leading Off

Alabama and Kentucky will meet for the 111^th time in history when the two SEC cross-divisional foes meet on Tuesday afternoon at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. The Crimson Tide leads the all-time series, 65-45, including a 5-3 mark at neutral sites.
The two teams met earlier this season from March 24-26 at Sewell-Thomas Stadium, when a windy weekend kept the ball in the park and limited the Tide's offense. Kentucky earned a 4-3 win in 12 innings in game one before clinching the series with a 9-5 victory on Saturday. Alabama avoided the sweep with a 4-3 win on getaway day.
Alabama and Kentucky last met in Hoover during the 2016 SEC Tournament on May 24. The Tide came away with a 5-2 win to advance to the double-elimination portion of the tournament while ending UK's season.

About Alabama

Alabama heads to Hoover riding a five-game winning streak that includes a sweep of Ole Miss across Thursday and Friday. The Crimson Tide has now won five of its last six SEC series entering the postseason, including three straight series victories. The sweep was also the Tide's second in as many seasons against the Rebels.
The three wins helped Alabama finish the regular season at 38-17 overall and a season-best 21 games over .500. The 38 wins are the most by a Tide team in the regular season since 2006.
UA's record included a 16-14 mark in Southeastern Conference matchups to help UA finish above .500 in league play for the first time since 2014. The 16 wins were also the most for the Tide since 2009.
Alabama used early offense to claim a 4-1 win over Ole Miss last Thursday evening at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.
The Tide loaded the bases in the first and came away with two runs before adding a single tally in the third on an Andrew Pinckney solo homer. UA then added one more in the fourth on an RBI-single from Jim Jarvis to put the game out of reach. Ole Miss got on the board in the seventh with one run but would get no closer for the 4-1 final.
The early offense allowed Luke Holman to settle in for the win, tossing 6.2 innings and allowing just one run on four hits and four walks with five strikeouts. He turned the ball over to his pen with Kade Woods and Alton Davis II combining to hold the Rebels scoreless over the final 2.1 frames. Davis II earned his seventh save with a scoreless ninth.
Alabama secured the series sweep of Ole Miss with a pair of wins in last Friday's doubleheader. The Tide claimed a 12-2 win across seven innings in game one before a 5-1 victory in the nightcap to complete the sweep.
UA earned a 12-2 win in seven innings to start the day's doubleheader and clinch the series.
The Crimson Tide jumped out to an 8-0 advantage after three innings, scoring two apiece in the first and third frames to go with a four-run second. Ole Miss got on the board with one in the fifth and added one in the seventh, but UA answered with a four-run home half to push the advantage to 10 and end the game after seven innings of play.
All nine starters reached base safely for the Tide with eight of the nine recording at least one hit. Jarvis led the way with a 3-for-5 showing that included a double and team-high tying three runs scored. Caden Rose matched Jarvis in runs as part of his 2-for-3 day that included a home run, one RBI and a walk. Pinckney led in RBI with three.
Garrett McMillan earned his third win of the season with another impressive outing, allowing one run on five hits and three walks with three strikeouts across 5.2 innings of work.
Despite only four hits in game two, Alabama was able to secure a 5-1 win over the Rebels to complete the sweep.
Both teams scored one apiece in the third with the Tide's run coming on a Bryce Eblin solo homer. The offenses then went quiet until the eighth when Alabama was able to move in front and add insurance with a four-run frame.
A Tommy Seidl RBI-single gave UA the lead before a three-run home run by Drew Williamson put things out of reach in that four-run eighth.
Jacob McNairy was solid once again, contributing 5.2 innings of one-run baseball. He gave up just five hits and issued two walks to go with six strikeouts before turning the ball over to the bullpen. Aidan Moza earned the win with 3.1 scoreless relief frames that included three strikeouts.

About Kentucky

Nick Mingione is in his seventh season as a collegiate head coach, all with Kentucky. Mingione entered the 2023 campaign with a 176-129 career record. A 2000 graduate of Embry-Riddle, he is joined on staff by assistants Will Coggin and Dan Roszel along with volunteer assistant Nick Ammirati.
Kentucky finished the 2022 season at 33-26 overall, including a 12-18 mark in Southeastern Conference play.
The Wildcats were selected to finish sixth in the Eastern Division and tied for 11th overall in the SEC in the league's preseason poll, as voted on by the conference's head coaches.

Back in Hoover

Alabama will return to SEC Tournament on Tuesday when the No. 9 seed Crimson Tide squares off with No. 8 seed Kentucky at 4:30 p.m. CT for the play-in game at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. The Crimson Tide has now appeared in three consecutive Tournaments for the first time since 2014-16.
The Tide and Wildcats are meeting for the 13th time in the SEC's postseason with Alabama owning an 8-4 record in the previous 12 pairings.
The Crimson Tide is 53-47 (.530) all-time in the Tournament and is appearing for the 36th time in 2023.
Alabama went 2-2 in Hoover last season. The Tide first took down Georgia, 5-3, to a earn a spot in the double-elimination portion of the Tournament. Wednesday's game saw UA defeat 10th-ranked Arkansas by a 4-3 margin. The Tide then fell in back-to-back games, first to No. 3 Texas A&M on May 27 followed by a loss to Florida the next morning.

On Deck

With a win, Alabama would advance to the double-elimination portion of the SEC Tournament and face top-ranked Florida on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. CT. With a loss, the Crimson Tide's time in Hoover would come to an end.

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