HOOVER, Ala. (Interstat) — The 2026 Southeastern Conference Baseball Championship opens Tuesday with a matchup of teams traveling opposite trajectories when South Carolina faces Tennessee at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.

The No. 3-seeded Volunteers (37-19) enter as heavy favorites against the 12th-seeded Gamecocks (22-34), who limp into the tournament having lost 10 consecutive games. Weather at first pitch is forecast for clear conditions.

Tennessee brings a potent offense led by outfielder Reese Chapman, who went 4 for 5 with two RBIs in the Vols’ 12-9 loss at Oklahoma on Saturday. Chapman’s power has been on display recently, including a two-homer, six-RBI performance against Texas on May 10. Over his last five games, the right-handed hitter is batting .368 with three home runs and 11 RBIs. He figures to be a catalyst for a Tennessee lineup that has scored at least nine runs in four of its last seven outings.

South Carolina counters with right-handed reliever Cooper Parks, who has been a bright spot amid the Gamecocks’ struggles. Parks threw 3.1 scoreless, hitless innings with three strikeouts in Saturday’s 5-3 loss at Vanderbilt. Over his last four appearances totaling 8.1 innings, Parks has allowed two hits and no earned runs while striking out nine. The Gamecocks will lean heavily on their bullpen after losing their last 10 games by a combined 35-run margin, including series sweeps at LSU and Vanderbilt.

Tennessee took two of three at Oklahoma over the weekend and has won six of its last nine games overall. The Volunteers’ pitching staff enters after Will Haas tossed two scoreless innings in Saturday’s loss.

South Carolina has not won since April 26 against Kentucky, a stretch that includes a sweep by Alabama and a midweek loss to Winthrop. The Gamecocks managed just three runs in their three-game series at Vanderbilt.

Tuesday’s winner advances in the double-elimination tournament. Interstat’s game simulator projects Tennessee winning 7-0. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. CDT.