With almost every SEC softball team likely to be selected for the NCAA Tournament, the SEC Tournament isn’t the end goal, but it doesn’t diminish the importance. Just ask Georgia, who is the odd team out. Since Vanderbilt doesn’t have a team, the 13th ranked team gets lost at home hoping for a miracle to join the NCAA Tournament while the rest of the SEC field tries to improve their seeding. Wins in the conference tournament can mean moving up vital positions or even claiming a regional host spot.
Last season, the SEC hosted an astounding eight regionals, a true testament to just how good this conference has become. The elevation of Auburn, in particular, has done wonders in turning the SEC into a conference that may provide one elite team a season to one that has almost two guaranteed semi-finalist. At one point of this season, every SEC team was ranked in the top 40, an amazing feat considering how well many mid-major teams do in college softball.
Auburn’s series win against Alabama, a first ever in Tuscaloosa, locked down the number two seed. Either a second or third seed would have been fine, as it would accomplish the same feat: avoiding Florida until the finals. For the second straight year, Florida will enter the SEC tournament ranked the number one team in college softball. Like Auburn, Florida has seen a bit of a transition from a pure power team to an ace pitching team. Unlike Auburn, however, the Gator bats have stayed just as hot, which is why Florida has been unbeatable this season.
Before we get ahead of ourselves and begin to compare Auburn and Florida, Auburn has to first navigate a gauntlet of very, very good teams.
Auburn will get the winner of the South Carolina vs Kentucky matchup. The matchup today between the Wildcats and the Gamecocks takes place on the SEC Network at 4PM central.
Break down of the match-ups after the jump:
While the Gamecocks have a fairly bad record overall, they have played the top half of the SEC and some very good out of conference teams. They were swept this season at home by Florida and outscored 29-1 by the Gators. They have just two series wins, coming against Georgia and LSU. Both of those series wins came in the last two weeks of the season and Carolina has won five of their last seven games meaning they are presently playing their best ball of the season.
Kentucky on the other hand has had a terrific season to back up a resurgent 2016 campaign that saw them go deep in the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats have won three series against unranked Arkansas, Missouri, and No. 11 Texas A&M. They ended the season losing a series to Mississippi State.
Auburn lost game three against South Carolina just two weeks ago after winning the series by shutting out the Gamecocks in games one and two. Auburn was searching for identity fresh off the Makayla Martin/Haley Fagan arrests. The Tigers were shut out, but three errors (one by Fagan’s replacement) spelled doom. While Auburn didn’t play Kentucky, a comparison of common opponents show the ‘Cats were 7-8 vs 11-4 for the Tigers.
Elsewhere in the bracket, Tennessee waits for the winner of the LSU vs Missouri game today. LSU is expected to advance. Auburn fans will want to watch this game and the proceeding one against the Vols. The LSU Tigers lost to Auburn in last year’s SEC Championship game and the Vols fell to the Tigers in the 2015 finals.
Alabama takes on Arkansas today in the first game of the tournament with Texas A&M awaiting the winner. While Alabama sits in the fifth seed, they are a much better team than their ranking and it is expected they will meet Florida in the semifinals. If Auburn were to advance to the finals, it would be the third different finals opponent in three years.
The first round bye is critical for the top half of the league because it means that each team’s ace will be fresh for an opponent that likely just pitched their No.1 or 2 starters. Truly, the advantage is amplified for these top half teams because they typically have two or even three good pitchers while the bottom of the league has just one. This is why there are so few upsets in the SEC Tournament.
In Auburn’s case, there are options. Auburn could roll with Makayla Martin, the typical Saturday starter, in game one with full confidence. This would save Kaylee Carlson for the semifinal game. Conversely, they could start Carlson and sit her early, saving her arm for game two against a better opponent.
Regardless, Auburn has to turn up the flame on a lackluster season of hitting. There has been a palpable change in tactics this year as pitching has overcome hitting as the Tigers’ strength. Home runs, in particular, have taken a drastic step back. Auburn hit 89 in 2016 after hitting 99 in 2015. This season, the Tigers sit on just 46. While one can’t rely on homers in postseason, statistics show a drop batting average by almost 30 points and almost 250 less runs scored. The good news is, its a lot easier for hitting to get hot rather than pitching. This year, pitching has been no problem.
Other questions remain, such as the health of Kasey Cooper.
Auburn will play Thursday at 4PM, central. The game is slated for the SEC Network. Make sure to follow me on Twitter as I live tweet the contest.
The post SEC Softball Tournament Kicks Off – (A Tourney Preview) appeared first on Track 'Em Tigers, Auburn's oldest and most read independent blog.
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