SEC Baseball Tournament: Day One & Two Recap

Alabama then had a massive inning of its own. Brennan Norton got an RBI single, leaving two on with one out. Tennessee went to its big arm in the bullpen, top 2025 MLB Draft prospect AJ Russell, to try and get them out of the inning.

Russell got the top of the lineup and got Bryce Fowler to pop out. He then walked Alabama star Justin Lebron and needed to get Kade Snell out. 

It looked like he was going to get out of it as Snell grounded out, but a brutal throwing error by Dean Curley led to Alabama cutting the lead 5-4. Richie Bonomolo, Jr. came to the plate and capitalized, smashing an RBI double and giving Alabama a 6-5 lead.

It looked like the Crimson Tide were going to put themselves in the driver’s seat, but Tennessee had other plans. They were relentless and didn’t give up, and Coach Vitello felt that was a key part of getting the win.

They came out swinging in the bottom of the fifth. Four singles and a double led to a five-run inning, making it 11-6. 

Reese Chapman and Manny Marin kept piling it on in the bottom of the eighth as Chapman crushed a two-run home run to right field and Marin drove in two with a double. 

The pitching struggles ultimately bit them in this, and Coach Vaughn was asked many questions about why they opted not to go with their top pitcher, Riley Quick. “You want to win this, you do, but you also can’t put your arms at risk, especially a kid that’s poured his heart and soul into Alabama like Riley Quick has.”

It’s a tough loss for Alabama, but they are a shoo-in for the NCAA tournament and will look to make some more noise in a week or so. 

Oklahoma and Georgia face off in a pitcher’s duel that ends in a Sooners win

We had a pitcher’s duel between top 2025 MLB Draft prospect Kyson Witherspoon from Oklahoma and right-hander JT Quinn from Georgia. 

It was an absolute deal fest from Kyson Witherspoon, who went seven innings and two-thirds, gave up just five hits and two runs while striking out eight. Everything was working for Witherspoon.

“I think the fastball was working pretty good, slider, cutter, curveball, most everything, to be honest,” Witherspoon said. 

Georgia’s JT Quinn matched him, going four innings while giving up three hits and one earned run while also striking out six. 

Georgia started the scoring in the bottom of the third when Slate Alford hit a sacrifice fly for the Bulldogs, but they wouldn’t get much outside of that besides a solo shot from catcher Henry Hunter.

Oklahoma answered quickly in the top of the fourth as Brayden Horton hit his own sacrifice fly. The Sooners got two more runs at the top of the sixth thanks to a fielder’s choice and a single from Horton. 

That would be all she wrote as the Sooners’ bullpen dominated for an inning and a third and held the final score 3-2. It’s much needed for a team after facing some struggles in the SEC.

“It’s taking one pitch at a time. You can’t dwell on the past,” said Head Coach Skip Johnson. “You’ve got to move forward. They really have been playing the game one pitch at a time.”

A massive win for Oklahoma as they advance to the next round of the SEC tournament. 

Ole Miss vs. Florida

Florida ( ), Ole Miss ( )

Who doesn’t love a second pitcher’s duel for two games in a row?! Both Liam Peterson and Hunter Elliott had their best stuff going. The Rebels finally got to Peterson in the fourth. Well, we should say, got to the Florida Gators defense.

With one out in the top of the fourth, Judd Uttermark crushed a double that might be gone in most ballparks. Isaac Humphrey followed suit and crushed another double off Peterson. That’d be Peterson’s only earned run.

A fielding error by Florida third baseman Landon Stripling led to Humphrey getting to third and another batter reaching. A single scored Humphrey, but a throwing error scored another run. Just a rough inning defensively.

Shortstop Brayden Randle made Ole Miss’s own error in the top of the fifth, which led to one run for Florida.

It was basically silence from the bats from then on out. Hunter Elliott was masterful for Ole Miss as he went 5.1 innings, giving up just two hits, an unearned run, and one walk while striking out 8. He looked as if he definitely didn’t want to come out of the game when the coach came to get him.

Mason Morris followed him and was absolute fuel out of the bullpen. Fastball was in the upper-90s, and all his stuff was straight out of an electric factory.

Ole Miss moves on and will face a though Arkansas Razorbacks team on Friday at 4:00 EST.

MLB Draft Watch 

C Easton Carmichael – Oklahoma (#143 on the Top 200)

Day 1: 2-for-4, R, 3B, RBI

Day 2: 1-for-3, 2 R, BB

I feel like Carmichael is the catching prospect we never talk about because of Caden Bodine, Ike Irish, and Luke Stevenson, but Carmichael is having himself an incredible year. He’s had a solid two games in the SEC tournament thus far. The biggest issues with Carmichael’s game is he doesn’t walk a tone and chases a bit more than you want to see. He would benefit from a more patient approach, but that hasn’t kept him from producing despite the aggressiveness. He’s got solid contact skills and hits the ball hard to all fields. He’s a name to continue watching as we approach July. 

OF Jace LaViolette – Texas A&M (#16 on the Top 200)

Day 2: 1-for-4, HR, 4 RBI, BB

The struggles have been real for Jace LaViolette over the last few weeks. In the last weekend series against Georgia, LaViolette was 0-for-10. He’s someone who has needed to showcase his abilities from 2024 to really boost his draft stock back up to a top 10 pick. A grand slam to start the SEC tournament is a great way to do that. There is no doubt about LaViolette’s 70-grade power. The hit tool has always been a concern for scouts. The whiffs have gone up, and he has been a bit stiff this year. There is no doubt a team will take a shot on him given the upside.

LHP Ryan Prager – Texas A&M (#162 on the Top 200)

Day 2: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K

Prager turned in a much-needed performance for the Aggies, whose postseason hopes hang on a bit of life support. It was a classic Ryan Prager outing where he filled up the strike zone and kept hitters off balance. The Angels drafted Prager in 3rd round of the 2024 MLB Draft, and he opted to come back to campus. Unfortunately, his performance took a step back, and he saw some velo drop in his fastball as well. He looked like he was back to his old self in this one. It might be too late to do much for his draft stock, but a performance like that against a good Mississippi State lineup won’t hurt. 

SS Gavin Kilen – Tennessee (#9 on the Top 200)

Day 2: 2-for-5, 2 R, 3 RBI, 1 BB

Kilen is your definition of a table setter, and he showcased that immensely in this one. It was an absolute barrel party for him as he laced to line-drive singles to help get Tennessee on the board in this one. He is one of the best pure contact hitters in college baseball, and that hasn’t changed since he’s come to the SEC. The power was the question mark this yea,r and he’s showcased that he can tap more into it. He’s got a solid hard-hit rate, an average exit velo of 85 mph, and hit a max exit velo over 110 this year. Kilen continues to trend up on our board, and he’ll likely be even higher in our next update. 

3B/OF Andrew Fischer – Tennessee (#31 on the Top 200)

Day 2: 3-for-5, R, BB

There might not be a hitter who’s been on more of a tear lately than Andrew Fischer. The bat was already intriguing before he came to Tennessee, but he’s gotten even better since coming to Rocky Top. He’s showcasing the same power with an improved hit tool as his chase percentage, walk percentage, and strikeout percentage all rank in the top in college baseball. It was more of the same in this one. He showcased a patient, confident approach at the plate and found ways to do damage. Fischer is answering many doubts about him potentially being a first-rounder and has seemed to solidify himself as a potential first-round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft.  

RHP Kyson Witherspoon – Oklahoma (#11 on the Top 200)

Day 2: 7.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 8 K

What a performance by Kyson Witherspoon. He dominated one of the best lineups in the entire country in the Georgia Bulldogs. The fastball was in the mid-to-upper 90. His cutter was low-90s and firm. He was dotting the strike zone with this pitch. He had a slider but often went to his curveball to get strikeouts. It was in the mid-to-upper 70s. Just an incredible outing for a guy who has already been skyrocketing up boards for the 2025 MLB Draft. There isn’t a question of if Kyson is going in the first round, it’s a matter of where in the top 15.