SEC Baseball Championship Preview: Georgia vs. Florida

HOOVER, Ala. (Interstat) — Top-seeded Georgia (44-12) meets seed Florida (39-18) in the championship game of the Southeastern Conference baseball tournament Saturday afternoon at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.

The Bulldogs and Gators split their regular-season series two weeks ago, with Florida winning 13-7 and 8-2 at Gainesville before Georgia took the middle game 5-1. Saturday’s winner claims the tournament title and likely a national seed in the NCAA tournament.

Georgia counters with right-hander Matt Scott, who has been dominant in relief and as an opener. In his last four appearances, Scott has allowed two earned runs over 12 innings while striking out 13. He threw four shutout innings Thursday against Mississippi State, yielding two hits and striking out three in a 5-3 win. Scott also tossed four scoreless frames May 14 at Auburn (2-1 win) and has not allowed an earned run in three of his past four outings.

Florida will start left-hander Liam Peterson, who has struck out 19 batters over his past two starts. He fired five hitless innings Thursday at Alabama, allowing one earned run with eight strikeouts in a 13-3 win. On May 15 at LSU, Peterson threw seven shutout innings, scattering no hits and fanning 11 in an 11-1 victory. Peterson’s lone recent loss came May 9 against Kentucky, when he allowed four earned runs on eight hits over 7⅔ innings.

Both teams enter on hot streaks. Georgia has won six of its past seven, including a three-game sweep of LSU and a series win at Auburn. The Bulldogs tied for second in the SEC East but earned the top overall seed based on RPI. Florida won its final four regular-season series, taking two of three at LSU and sweeping a three-game set at Oklahoma.

The Gators’ offense is powered by third baseman Ethan Surowiec, who went 4-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs against Alabama. Caden McDonald added two hits and three RBIs in that game. For Georgia, first baseman Brennan Hudson hit a three-run homer in the win over Mississippi State.

The teams have met 14 times previously in the SEC tournament, with Florida holding an 8-6 edge. The Gators are seeking their eighth tournament title, while Georgia aims for its third. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. EDT.