The weekend of the 2026 SEC Tournament in Hoover, Alabama, began with heavy rain before leading to a pair of lopsided results Friday.
The first game of the day was delayed 90 minutes, but that did not slow Arkansas, which scored six runs over the first two innings against Texas.
Camden Kozeal led the Razorbacks by going 3 for 4 with two home runs and five RBIs. His most impressive homer traveled 450 feet to dead center with an exit velocity of 111 mph. Kozeal’s aggressive approach still comes with swing-and-miss concerns, but the power is undeniable. He also has shown improved discipline in 2026, and his defense projects well at first base.
On the mound, Hunter Dietz threw just 21 pitches before taking a Casey Borba line drive off the lower leg at 106 mph. Dietz exited the game, forcing Arkansas to lean heavily on its bullpen. According to coach Dave Van Horn, sophomore Steele Eaves was the first option in the emergency situation following a decision from pitching coach Matt Hobbs.
Eaves faced nine batters across 2 1/3 innings, striking out five and walking one. Junior Gabe Gaeckle then matched Kozeal’s dominant performance in an 8-1 Arkansas victory.
Gaeckle delivered his most impressive outing of the season against the Longhorns. The right-hander matched season highs in innings pitched (6) and strikeouts (9). It also marked the first time this season he held an SEC opponent scoreless through six innings. Gaeckle is a name to watch late in the first round of the 2026 MLB Draft. His feel for spin, paired with an effective splitter, highlights a deep arsenal. He also flashes impressive command of a mid-90s fastball.
Downpour of Runs Continues in Hoover
Auburn followed Arkansas’ lead in Friday night’s game, jumping on Texas A&M early behind a strong outing from starter Andreas Alvarez.
Bub Terrell started the scoring with a two-out RBI double in the first inning. Freshman Mason McCraine followed with a leadoff home run in the second inning, sparking a four-run frame for Auburn. The offensive cushion allowed Alvarez to settle in against a potent Aggies lineup.
Alvarez matched Gaeckle’s nine strikeouts from the earlier game. The sophomore now has recorded 20 strikeouts against Texas A&M in 12 innings this season. Earlier this month, Alvarez posted a career-high seven innings and 11 strikeouts against the Aggies.
After beginning the season as a midweek starter, Alvarez has emerged as Auburn’s Friday night ace and is tied for the team lead with nine wins. The right-hander impressed in Hoover with an expanded pitch mix, highlighted by a slider-cutter variation. Combined with his ability to command a five-pitch repertoire that includes a north-to-south curveball and fading changeup, Auburn may possess the deepest pitching staff in the country. Four Tigers pitchers have logged more than 60 innings with a WHIP of 1.25 or lower.
Alabama native LJ Cormier recorded his second save of the season by throwing four scoreless innings in Auburn’s 7-0 victory over Texas A&M. The freshman now has 49 strikeouts and 12 walks in 39 1/3 innings.
Quotes From Friday Night in Hoover
According to Van Horn, Dietz was already under the weather before making his 15th start of the season, making the bullpen’s response even more significant.
“What a great job by Steele Eaves and Gabe Gaeckle,” Van Horn said. “I mean, just an amazing job. When your starter takes one off the shin, plus he was already sick, and we didn’t know if he was going to give us but one or two innings anyway. Found out he was sick about five minutes before the game started. And he gets hit in the shin and we were concerned about that, obviously. Just a gutsy performance by our bullpen. Gave some guys a chance to rest. Three or four really big swings for us and some good at-bats. Texas pitching is awfully good, struck us out a lot. But Gaeckle made sure that that lead held up for us.”
Semifinal Saturday
Game 13 in Hoover opened similarly to Friday’s contests, with the visiting team striking early. Florida was powered offensively by 2026 MLB Draft prospects Blake Cyr and Caden McDonald, though the Gators also suffered an injury to starting pitcher Russell Sandefer.
Like Dietz the day before, Sandefer was struck by a line drive. After a scoreless first inning, he took a comebacker off the bat of Georgia’s Kenny Ishikawa on his throwing arm. Following an evaluation, Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan turned to sophomore Jackson Barberi.
Florida’s offense quickly provided support. Cyr launched a fastball into the left-center power alley at 107 mph off the bat. In the third inning, Cyr and McDonald delivered again. Cyr singled with the bases loaded against Dylan Vigue before McDonald crushed a hanging sinker for a three-run homer to right field, capping a five-run inning.
The Gators eventually saw their six-run lead disappear as Georgia scored eight runs on nine hits the rest of the way. The Bulldogs rallied for an 8-7 semifinal victory.
Ishikawa led Georgia by going 3 for 4 with two RBIs. Daniel Jackson delivered the winning run with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth inning.
O’Sullivan on Sandefer
Sandefer has posted 55 strikeouts against 18 walks in 51 1/3 innings this season. The junior transfer from UCF has become a steady Sunday starter in his first SEC season, joining Liam Peterson and Aidan King to give Florida one of the nation’s most talented pitching staffs.
Losing Sandefer would create a major void, but O’Sullivan said after the game that X-rays showed no broken bones in the pitcher’s throwing arm.
Development Leads to Success in Hoover
Despite the semifinal loss, Florida remains positioned for postseason success, with Cyr continuing to play a major role in the lineup.
The senior outfielder has posted two separate 10-game on-base streaks this season while hitting .338 with 13 home runs. Across three games in Hoover, Cyr totaled 19 bases and eight RBIs.
Cyr credited his development in the SEC for his success during his second season in the conference.
“Being a senior, I’ve had a lot of developing to do,” Cyr said. “Especially being from two different schools and being in the ACC and SEC. But the SEC development has been unbelievable. I really do think this is like Double-A, Triple-A, man. You see guys come out of the SEC and in a couple of months, they’re big-leaguers, some arms, even some bats. I think the development in the SEC is number one in the country. If you want to go play professional baseball, you come to the SEC to play.”
Cyr has faced adversity throughout his path from the ACC to SEC. He will be a targeted bat from the older demographic group in this year’s draft. You can read about his story here.
