HOOOVER, Ala. (Interstat) — The Southeastern Conference baseball tournament opens Tuesday with a matchup between seed LSU and seed Oklahoma at the Hoover Met. First pitch is set for 5 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.

The Tigers (29-27) and Sooners (32-20) met in a three-game series in March, with Oklahoma winning two of the three games in Baton Rouge, La. The Sooners took the opener 4-2 on March 20 and the finale 4-3 on March 21, while LSU won the middle game 7-1 on March 19.

LSU enters the tournament having lost six consecutive games, including a three-game sweep at home against Florida last weekend. The Gators outscored the Tigers 37-20, with LSU’s most recent defeat a 15-11 loss Saturday. In that game, catcher Cade Arrambide went 3-for-6 with two home runs and four RBIs. The junior is hitting .278 with 12 homers and 45 RBIs on the season, and he has homered in three of his past seven games.

Oklahoma closed the regular season by taking two of three at home against Tennessee. The Sooners won Saturday’s series finale 12-9 behind a monster performance from catcher Deiten Lachance, who went 4-for-5 with three home runs and three RBIs. The senior is batting .312 with 18 homers and 55 RBIs. He has homered in four of his past six games.

Both teams leaned heavily on their catchers during the regular season. Arrambide has driven in 14 runs over his last 10 games, while Lachance has knocked in 14 in that same span, including a four-RBI game at Arkansas on May 10.

LSU’s pitching staff has struggled, posting a 5.42 ERA in SEC play. Oklahoma’s pitching has been more reliable at a 4.85 ERA in conference games. The Sooners’ bullpen blew a late lead in Thursday’s 9-7 loss to Tennessee but rebounded Saturday.

The winner advances to face seed Kentucky in the second round. The loser falls into the elimination bracket.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 4-3 LSU victory.

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