AP Sports Preview: Florida, Vanderbilt Open SEC Tournament in Hoover

HOOVER, Ala. (Interstat) — The Florida Gators and Vanderbilt Commodores open the 2026 SEC Baseball Championship on Wednesday in a doubleheader at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.

The game, part of the tournament’s first round, is scheduled for an afternoon start, with the second game of the doubleheader set for the evening. The Gators (37-18) enter as the seed, while Vanderbilt (33-23) is the seed.

Florida brings momentum from a three-game sweep at LSU over the weekend, capped by a 15-11 slugfest victory Saturday. The Gators’ offense has been prolific, and center fielder Hayden Yost has been a major catalyst. Yost went 4-for-5 with three home runs and five RBIs in that win, extending a torrid stretch. Over his last five games, Yost has four homers and 11 RBIs, including a two-homer, three-RBI performance at Oklahoma on May 3.

Vanderbilt counters with right-hander Alex Kranzler, who has been dominant out of the bullpen. Kranzler earned a win Tuesday against Kentucky, tossing 4.1 innings of one-hit relief with five strikeouts. He has not allowed an earned run in 13.2 innings over his last four appearances — all wins for the Commodores — spanning four different opponents. Over that stretch, he has surrendered just one hit while striking out 14.

The Commodores trail in the all-time series but are 2-3 against Florida this season. Vanderbilt rebounded from a three-game sweep at Alabama to take two of three from South Carolina and then beat Kentucky 8-5 on Tuesday. Third baseman Brodie Johnston was key in that win, going 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs.

Florida’s pitching staff, led by Russell Sandefer — who threw 4.1 scoreless innings in the LSU series — will look to slow a Vanderbilt lineup that has scored eight or more runs in five of its last seven games.

First pitch is set for 2 p.m. CT, with the winner advancing in the double-elimination tournament.