AP Sports Preview

HOOVER, Ala. (Interstat) — The Florida Gators and Alabama Crimson Tide meet Thursday in the 2026 SEC Baseball Championship at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium, with both teams seeking to rebound from a lopsided regular-season series.

Florida (38-18) enters as the seed after closing the regular season with a 8-3 win over Vanderbilt on Wednesday. The Gators have won 12 of their last 15 games, powered by an offense that averaged 10.2 runs over the final week of the regular season.

Alabama (37-18), the seed, won six of its last seven games, including a 6-2 victory over Mississippi on Saturday. The Crimson Tide swept Florida in a three-game series March 20-22 in Tuscaloosa, outscoring the Gators 28-11.

Florida outfielder Blake Cyr, who went 4-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs in Wednesday’s win over Vanderbilt, is a central figure in the Gators’ order. Over his last 10 games, Cyr has recorded four multi-hit performances but also four hitless outings, including an 0-for-5 at LSU on May 16 and 0-for-4 in consecutive games at Oklahoma earlier this month.

Alabama counters with right-hander Myles Upchurch, who is 3-0 in his last three starts. Upchurch threw seven innings, allowing two earned runs with six strikeouts against Mississippi on Saturday. He also tossed six shutout innings at South Carolina on May 10, yielding one unearned run with five strikeouts.

The Gators will send a pitcher to be named later. Florida’s bullpen has been solid but struggled against Alabama’s lineup in March, when the Crimson Tide scored 14 and 8 runs in the first two games of that series.

Alabama’s offense has been steady, led by center fielder Bryce Fowler, who went 3-for-4 with an RBI against Mississippi. The Crimson Tide also rely on a deep pitching staff; Ashton Crowther threw two scoreless innings of relief in that game.

Florida’s lineup features shortstop Brendan Lawson, who went 3-for-3 with a homer and two RBIs against Vanderbilt, and right fielder Hayden Yost, who added three hits and a home run.

The Gators have been strong on the road, going 18-8 away from Gainesville this season, while Alabama is 20-10 at home but just 12-12 in neutral-site games.

First pitch is set for 7 p.m. EDT. The game will be televised on the SEC Network. The winner advances to the semifinals Friday.