By Cole Frederick/Sports Correspondent
Vanderbilt outlasted Ole Miss, 11-10, in an offensive outburst to win its third SEC Tournament championship in school history. Philip Clarke hit a single up the middle in the bottom of the ninth to score the winning run, and the Commodores overcame an eight-run deficit to win the title.
The Commodores went a perfect 4-0 in Hoover during the tournament, including wins over Auburn, Mississippi State, LSU and Ole Miss – each of which made the NCAA Tournament. It was an impressive run for perhaps the best team in college baseball.
In the semifinals, Vanderbilt stormed past LSU, 13-4, and Ole Miss beat Georgia 5-3. The Rebels lost their second game in the tournament to Arkansas but rallied from the losers’ bracket to earn a spot in the championship game. Ole Miss won the SEC conference tournament title a season ago.
SEC baseball rankings
1. Vanderbilt (49-10, 23-7)
2. Mississippi State (46-13, 20-10)
3. Arkansas (41-17, 20-10)
4. Georgia (44-15, 21-9)
5. Ole Miss (37-25, 16-14)
6. Texas A&M (37-21-1, 16-13-1)
7. LSU (37-24, 17-13)
8. Auburn (33-25, 14-16)
9. Tennessee (38-19, 14-16)
10. Missouri (34-22-1, 13-16-1)
11. Florida (33-24, 13-17)
12. South Carolina (28-28, 8-22)
13. Kentucky (26-29, 7-23)
14. Alabama (30-26, 7-23)
NCAA Tournament Preview
Ten teams from the Southeastern Conference made the NCAA Tournament, and six of those teams will host regionals this weekend. Four teams – No. 2 Vanderbilt, No. 4 Georgia, No. 5 Arkansas and No. 6 Mississippi State – are in position to host the Super Regionals if they advance past the regionals.
Ole Miss is the No. 12 overall seed, followed by LSU at No. 13. The Rebels could match up with Arkansas in the Super Regionals and LSU could travel to Georgia if both teams advance. Additionally, Auburn, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Florida all made the tournament. The Tigers are in the Atlanta Regional with Georgia Tech, Tennessee is in the Chapel Hill Regional with North Carolina and Texas A&M is in the Morgantown Regional with West Virginia. Florida was one of the last at-large teams to make the tournament field and will travel to Lubbock, where Texas Tech will host. The Gators made the tournament field over Missouri despite the Tigers having a better season up until the last two weeks. Missouri ended the year on a five-game losing streak and hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament since joining the SEC.
Vanderbilt, Georgia, Arkansas, and Mississippi State should all advance to the Super Regionals. Nothing is guaranteed in the NCAA Tournament, but those four teams have been strong all season. Ole Miss possesses the offensive firepower to advance as well, but the Revels’ pitching is a concern in the postseason. LSU also has a good chance of advancing, even though the Tigers have been inconsistent at times. Of the four SEC teams not hosting this weekend, Texas A&M probably has the best chance to advance to the Super Regionals.
NCAA Regional Tournament Predictions
Los Angeles Regional
No. 1 UCLA vs. No. 4 Omaha, No. 2 Baylor vs. No. 3 Loyola-Marymount
Winner: UCLA
Corvallis Regional
No. 1 Oregon State vs. No. 4 Cincinnati, No. 2 Creighton vs. No. 3 Michigan
Winner: Oregon State
Oklahoma City Regional
No. 1 Oklahoma State vs. No. 4 Harvard, No. 2 UConn vs. No. 3 Nebraska
Winner: Oklahoma State
Lubbock Regional
No. 1 Texas Tech vs. No. 4 Army, No. 2 Dallas Baptist vs. No. 3 Florida
Winner: Texas Tech
Fayetteville Regional
No. 1 Arkansas vs. No. 4 Central Connecticut, No. 2 Cal vs. No. 3 TCU
Winner: Arkansas
Oxford Regional
No. 1 Ole Miss vs. No. 4 Jacksonville State, No. 2 Illinois vs. No. 3 Clemson
Winner: Clemson
Baton Rouge Regional
No. 1 LSU vs. No. 4 State University of New York at Stony Brook, No. 2 Arizona State vs. No. 3 Illinois
Winner: LSU
Athens Regional
No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 4 Mercer, No. 2 Florida Atlantic vs. No. 3 Florida State
Winner: Florida Atlantic
Nashville Regional
No. 1 Vanderbilt vs. No. 4 Ohio State, No. 2 Indiana State vs. No. 3 McNeese State
Winner: Vanderbilt
Morgantown Regional
No. 1 West Virginia vs. No. 4 Fordham, No. 2 Texas A&M vs. No. 3 Duke
Winner: Texas A&M
Greenville Regional
No. 1 East Carolina vs. No. 4 Quinnipiac, No. 2 North Carolina State vs. No. 3 Campbell
Winner: East Carolina
Louisville Regional
No. 1 Louisville vs. No. 4 Illinois-Chicago, No. 2 Indiana vs. No. 3 Illinois State
Winner: Louisville
Starkville Regional
No. 1 Mississippi State vs. No. 4 Southern, No. 2 Miami vs. No. 3 Central Michigan
Winner: Mississippi State
Stanford Regional
No. 1 Stanford vs. No. Sacramento State, No. 2 UC-Santa Barbara vs. No. 3 Fresno State
Winner: UC-Santa Barbara
Chapel Hill Regional
No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 4 UNC-Wilmington, No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 3 Liberty
Winner: North Carolina
Atlanta Regional
No. 1 Georgia Tech vs. No. 4 Florida A&M, No. 2 Auburn vs. No. 3 Coastal Carolina
Winner: Georgia Tech