SEC Baseball Tournament 2024: Final Four Schedule and Bracket Predictions
And then there were four.
The Vanderbilt Commodores, Tennessee Volunteers, South Carolina Gamecocks, and LSU Tigers will compete on Saturday to determine the two teams that will battle Sunday afternoon for the SEC Baseball Championship.
Saturday's two games are rematches from earlier in the tournament, where Vanderbilt stunned Tennessee and LSU just slipped by South Carolina.
With a date in the finals at stake, history may fuel the teams but will be but the results of those first two games will be but distant memories for the players involved as they look to survive and advance.
Who will do so?
Find out with this preview of the games and predictions for each.
Final Four Bracket and Schedule
South Carolina Gamecocks vs. LSU Tigers (12:00 p.m., SEC Network)
Tennessee Volunteers vs. Vanderbilt Commodores (30 minutes after, SEC Network)
Prediction: South Carolina vs. LSU
LSU narrowly escaped their first showdown with South Carolina on Thursday with a one-run victory, 11-10, and Saturday's match-up provides the Gamecocks an opportunity for revenge against the Tigers.
South Carolina has scored 16 runs in their last two games and enters the semifinals with the hottest bats in the tournament. Considering that LSU had a day off, there is reason to believe that momentum is on the Gamecocks' side and an upset win is not out of the question.
Except LSU has superior, deeper pitching.
South Carolina used four pitchers in their victory over Kentucky Friday, limiting the number of fresh arms available for their all-important rematch. Couple that with a roster of pitchers that includes starters Sam Dutton and Kade Anderson, as well as relievers DJ Primeaux and Aiden Moffat, both of whom have yet to make an appearance in the tournament, and you have strong, fresh arms ready to cash the Tigers' ticket to the finals.
Prediction: LSU wins another close one against South Carolina
Prediction: Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt
Among the biggest upsets thus far in the SEC tournament has been the eighth-seeded Vanderbilt's win over No. 1 Tennessee on Wednesday.
It was not a narrow victory as the Commodores obliterated the Volunteers 13-4, sending an early and definitive message that any team can win any game at any time in this tournament.
Tennessee responded, winning both of its next two games by a single run. Vanderbilt also earned a one-run victory over Mississippi State and had Friday off due to its unbeaten tournament record.
Emotions boiled over in Tennesse's victory Friday, with heated exchanges between coaching staffs, involving benches and umpires, and a rare ask by the SEC that the Vols not shake hands with Mississippi State out of an abundance of culture.
In terms of the on-the-field product, the Vols' bullpen shutdown the opposition and has to have head coach Tony Vitello feeling good about the depth of his pitching entering Saturday's game.
While Vandy got the best of Tennessee in their first showdown, the Vols have proven to have a gritty resiliency that has seen them beat their opponents under the closest circumstances. Look for that to be the difference as long as they can keep it close.
Otherwise, it will be a long night for a team that entered the field expecting to hoist a championship.
Prediction: Tennessee avenges their first loss, beats Vanderbilt