The SEC baseball tournament opens in Hoover, Alabama, with 16 teams battling in single-elimination play for conference bragging rights and bubble relief. Top seeds Georgia, Texas, Texas A&M, and Alabama headline a deep field that includes names like Daniel Jackson and Dylan Volantis who have carried their clubs all season. This write-up covers the format, the seeds, key players to watch, and the full Hoover schedule so you know when to tune in.

The SEC bracket is brutal and tiny mistakes end days. This year’s conference tournament takes every team and slams them into a 16-team, single-elimination gauntlet where the No. 1 through No. 4 seeds get byes to the quarterfinals. The No. 5 through No. 8 teams earn second-round byes while the bottom eight play on the opening day, so early wins are huge for bubble teams like Vanderbilt.

Seeding matters as much as ever. The top four seeds are Georgia, Texas, Texas A&M, and Alabama and they sit on quarterfinal byes, while Florida, Auburn, Arkansas, and Mississippi State hold seeds five through eight with second-round byes. The rest of the field must win on Tuesday just to advance, and every game is single elimination until Sunday’s title game in Hoover.

Here are the seeds and conference records you need to know for the field: 1. Georgia (24-6)
2. Texas (19-10)
3. Texas A&M (18-11)
4. Alabama (18-12)
5. Florida (18-12)
6. Auburn (17-13)
7. Arkansas (17-13)
8. Mississippi State (16-14)
9. Ole Miss (15-15)
10. Tennessee (15-15)
11. Oklahoma (14-16)
12. Vanderbilt (14-16)
13. Kentucky (13-17)
14. LSU (9-21)
15. South Carolina (7-23)
16. Missouri (6-24).

The bracket has been released and it’s set up to reward the regular-season standouts while giving underdogs a shot at glory. Below is the bracket image supplied by the conference to visualize matchups and potential paths to Sunday’s championship. Upsets will reshuffle the math for regional hosting and NCAA bubble teams, so keep an eye on the scoreboard.

Expect the usual suspects to be favorites, but the depth in the SEC means nobody is safe. Projections for the NCAA tournament currently peg 12 SEC teams into the field of 64, and several league clubs look poised to earn national seeds and regional hosting duties. Georgia, Texas, Auburn, Alabama, and Texas A&M are in the conversation for top-eight national seeds and that would shape the postseason map.

Georgia’s run to the No. 1 seed is anchored by a monster conference performance and some clear stars. Catcher Daniel Jackson led the way with a .394 batting average, 27 home runs, and 77 RBIs, capturing the conference Triple Crown and earning SEC Player of the Year honors. Jackson is also the first catcher in Division 1 history to post a 25/25 season, as he added 25 stolen bases along with his 27 home runs, and Georgia placed four players on All-SEC lists including Tre Phelps, Rylan Lugo, and Kolby Branch.

Texas brings a balanced roster that blends veteran pitching and high-end young talent. Freshman outfielder Anthony Pack Jr. was SEC Freshman of the Year after slashing .360/.479/.559 and swiping 20 bases, while freshman closer Sam Cozart posted a 1.59 ERA, a 0.640 WHIP and eight saves. Ace Dylan Volantis headlines the staff as a two-time First-Team All-SEC pick with an 8-1 record, a 2.05 ERA, a 0.991 WHIP and 105 strikeouts.

Even with those top teams, the field is wide open and several squads can make noise in Hoover. Texas A&M, Alabama, Florida, Auburn, Arkansas and Mississippi State all have the pitching and lineup firepower to grind through a single-elimination bracket. For bubble teams, a run in Alabama could flip Selection Monday in dramatic fashion.

All games will be played in Hoover, Alabama, and the lower seed is the visiting team in every matchup. First-round play begins Tuesday, May 19 and features Ole Miss vs. Missouri at 10:30 a.m. Eastern, Vanderbilt vs. Kentucky at 2:00 p.m. Eastern, Tennessee vs. South Carolina at 5:30 p.m. Eastern, and Oklahoma vs. LSU at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.

Second-round action on Wednesday, May 20 matches the winners against the No. 5-8 seeds with games at 10:30 a.m., 2:00 p.m., 5:30 p.m., and 9:00 p.m. Eastern. Quarterfinals begin Thursday and continue Friday with matchups against the top four seeds, setting up semifinals on Saturday and the championship on Sunday, May 24. Every contest matters for seeding, hosting hopes, and the players chasing hardware and postseason positioning.