What to know about Alabama baseball going into SEC Tournament in Hoover

Alabama baseball will play in Hoover at the SEC Tournament for the third straight season and will look to build some momentum going into the NCAA Tournament.

Alabama has battled its way to near-lock status for the NCAA Tournament, finishing the regular season with a sweep of Ole Miss. The three wins secured a winning record in SEC play for the first time since 2014. The Crimson Tide have won three straight SEC series, also for the first time since 2014.

Alabama will start its SEC Tournament run against Kentucky at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday on SEC Network. The Crimson Tide needs to win to get into the double-elimination portion.

Could Alabama baseball host an NCAA regional?

Alabama has an RPI of 12 and its 16 wins in the SEC have put it into consideration for hosting. D1 Baseball has Alabama as the No. 14 overall seed. Southern Miss, Arizona State and Samford are projected to join that regional group; Alabama would be paired with 3-seed Arkansas in the super-regional round if it advanced in that mock bracket.

Alabama has gone 8-2 in the last 10 games, peaking at the right time. If Alabama can pick up some wins in Hoover, it should cement the first Tuscaloosa Regional since 2006.

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These freshmen are leading Alabama baseball

Alabama landed just one player on All-SEC second team: Andrew Pickney, who also earned Co-Scholar Athlete of the Year honors, but landed two on the All-Freshman team: Colby Shelton and Alton Davis II. Shelton leads the Crimson Tide with 20 home runs and is third with 42 RBIs. Davis has developed into the Tide's closer with seven saves with a 3.49 ERA.

What happened with Alabama baseball's coach?

On May 4, Alabama fired coach Brad Bohannon for his involvement in a betting scandal. The process to fire Bohannan for cause has started. The Tuscaloosa News learned that Bohannan was linked to the bets that led to suspicious activity in Ohio. While the scandal thrust Alabama into the national spotlight, no players, other coaches, or staff members have been connected to the scandal.

Jason Jackson has taken over as the interim, going 8-2 in that role.

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