Friday afternoon in Hoover, Alabama, set the stage for semifinal matchups in the 2025 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.
The first game of the night featured the Mississippi Rebels squaring off with the Arkansas Razorbacks. Ole Miss is fighting to potentially host a regional in the NCAA Tournament, while Arkansas sits squarely in that position.
The night tilt pitted LSU against Texas A&M. The Tigers are set for a national seed, while the Aggies season hangs in the balance. Much Like the Rebels, the Bayou Bengals had big hits early that supported fantastic pitching.
Rebels Run in Hoover
The opening frame of the afternoon began with Mississippi’s Mitchell Sanford drawing a walk-off off Zach Root. A five-run inning consisted of three hits and a throwing error by SEC Player of the Year, Wehiwa Aloy. Ryan Moerman and Judd Utermark each collected singles. But the biggest knock came from the bat of Austin Fawley. The Ole Miss catcher sent Root’s hanging breaking ball 416-feet into the parking lot at The Met.
The five-run cushion after the top of the first inning was enough for the Rebels, as starter Riley Maddox stabilized the Razorbacks. The Mississippi right-hander allowed just two runs across 5 2/3 innings while recording seven strikeouts.
The Ole Miss bullpen held Arkansas scoreless the rest of the way en route to a 5-2 victory, advancing the Rebels to the semifinal round of the tournament.
LSU
The Friday night cap at Hoover showcased LSU and Texas A&M. But Kade Anderson stole the spotlight as Texas A&M’s season faded to black.
With the temperature 80 degrees and the evening sun gleaming behind the hospitality rafters at The Met, LSU’s Kade Anderson welcomed the first four A&M hitters with strikeouts. He went on to record 12 through six frames.
The weather in Hoover became more comfortable as the stage lighting transitioned from sunset to stadium lights. Anderson settled in as well, allowing three runs on the night while tossing 62 strikes on 84 pitches.
Designated hitter Ethan Frey drove in all four runs for the Tigers. One was unearned. LSU will now face Ole Miss on Saturday for a chance to advance to the SEC championship.
More from Hoover
Moerman and Ole Miss center fielder Isaac Humphrey collided while ranging for a line drive in the power alley during the second inning. Moerman exited the game while Humphrey stayed in. After the contest head coach Mike Bianco updated the status of the two players.
“I think it’s one of those – it’s pretty traumatic – guys running full speed in the moment, and he actually came out of the game because they just wanted to really check him out
because they weren’t really sure what was going on,” Bianco said. “Isaac, on the other hand, again, I think it just jarred his shoulder and his right arm. I think it bothered him the rest of the game, but he toughed it out. Don’t know what tomorrow will bring for either one of those guys, but yeah, it’s scary.”
From Hoover to MLB Draft
Anderson will likely hear his named called in the top 15 of this summer’s MLB draft. The traditional left-hander flashed his plus-command fastball and swing-and-miss breaking ball in Hoover. Those tools will speak even louder as his postseason continues. Anderson sat 96 comfortably on Friday night.
Laviolette recorded an RBI-single and drove in another run via a sacrifice fly all while dealing with broken hand on Friday. The Aggies outfielder suffered the injury on the previous night with a hit-by-pitch. The first-round prospect had surgery Friday morning.
