The college baseball postseason has arrived for the Southeastern Conference. The 2021 SEC Baseball Tournament is finally here and the 12 best teams in the conference have gathered together to find out which team will take home the tournament crown this year.
The second day of the 2021 SEC Baseball Tournament is set to begin and with it, the second round starts. Mississippi State and Florida will face off in the first game of the double elimination portion of the 2021 SEC Baseball Tournament.
The Bulldogs were able to earn a bye thanks to their regular season success, so they didn’t have to face anyone in the opening round of the SEC Tourney. Meanwhile, Florida, the 6th Seed, had to handle Kentucky in the first game of the tournament. Florida won 4-1 and will now meet up with Mississippi State.
Here’s what you need to keep up with the Florida Gators and the Mississippi State Bulldogs as they meet up in the 2021 SEC Baseball Tournament:
How to watch Florida Gators vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs
- Who – Florida (36-19 overall, 17-13 SEC) vs. Mississippi State (40-13 overall vs. 20-10 SEC)
- What – 2021 SEC Baseball Tournament
- When – May 26 at approximately 9:30 a.m.
- Where – Hoover, Alabama (Hoover Met. Stadium)
- TV channel – SEC Network
- How to stream – Watch ESPN
- Live stats – Stat Broadcast
- Listen – Florida broadcast – Mississippi State broadcast
And who will win this match up between the Florida Gators and the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the 2021 SEC Baseball Tournament?
This is a tough draw for Mississippi State. The Gators come into the game with some momentum and the Bulldogs will be starting a pitcher who only has 29.1 innings pitched on his stat sheet so far this season. Brandon Smith has earned the start for MSU and he’s been solid this season, having been used primarily in relief efforts, and has compiled a 2.76 ERA. Smith has struck out 35 batters this year.
Florida, meanwhile, is starting Hunter Barco, a freshman who has a 4.04 ERA, but considerably more starting experience. Barco has struck out 92 batters this year and has started in 14 games. Between the two starting pitchers, Barco has done more to prove himself throughout the season.
And that’s what makes this tough. Mississippi State has been the better team all year, but Florida has a pitcher who appears to be a better option starting today. I think the Bulldogs can and should win, but I suspect it’ll be closer than we all would appreciate.
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