PREVIEW: Hogs head to Hoover for SEC Tourney

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Arkansas is in Hoover, Ala., for the 2021 SEC Tournament this week. Here’s everything you need to know about the annual event…

Schedule (TV)

Wednesday, May 26 - vs. Georgia - 4:30 p.m. CT (SEC Network)
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WIN: Thursday, May 27 - vs. Vanderbilt/Ole Miss winner - TBD, approx. 8-8:30 p.m. CT (SEC Network)
LOSE: Thursday, May 27 - vs. Vanderbilt/Ole Miss loser - TBD, approx. 1-1:30 p.m. CT (SEC Network)
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START 1-1
Friday, May 28 - vs. TBD - TBD, approx. 6:30-7 p.m. CT (SEC Network)
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START 2-0 *OR* WIN 1-1 GAME
Saturday, May 29 - vs. TBD - TBD, approx. 3:30-4 p.m. CT (SEC Network)
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Championship: Sunday, May 30 - vs. TBD - 2 p.m. CT (ESPN2)

The entire SEC Tournament will be televised on the SEC Network until the championship game, which will be aired on ESPN2.

Arkansas will open against Georgia, which beat LSU 4-1 in an elimination game Tuesday, at 4:30 p.m. CT Wednesday. Its game times past that will be dictated by the result of that matchup.

A win over the the Bulldogs would put the Razorbacks in the late slot Thursday, while a loss would mean playing in the afternoon.

If they win both of their first games, they’d automatically advance to the semifinals and get a day off. If they split those games, they’d have to play Friday afternoon.

Once the tournament gets to Saturday, it returns to single elimination for the semifinals and championship.

Arkansas’ Side of the Bracket

1 seed: Arkansas - 42-10 (22-8), No. 1 in Composite Poll

4 seed: Vanderbilt - 39-13 (19-10), t-No. 2 in Composite Poll, DNP ARK

5 seed: Ole Miss - 39-17 (18-12), No. 12 in Composite Poll, 1-2 vs. ARK

8 seed: Georgia - 31-23 (13-17), NR in Composite Poll, 1-2 at ARK

Pitching Plans

Wednesday

Arkansas: Sr. LHP Lael Lockhart (12 games/11 starts, 2-2, 4.53 ERA, 49 K/16 BB, 43 2/3 IP)

Georgia: R-Fr. LHP Charlie Goldstein (10 games/5 starts, 1-0, 4.26 ERA, 19 K/16 BB, 19 IP)

Because the Razorbacks wrapped up the regular-season title with one game left, head coach Dave Van Horn decided to hold Lockhart back and pitch him in the first game of the SEC Tournament.

While most teams are pitching guys in Hoover on one or two less days rest, he’ll be pitching on extra rest - nine days to be exact.

No plans have been announced beyond Game 1, but Van Horn has indicated that he’d like to get Patrick Wicklander and Caleb Bolden each a start, which would require winning at least one game.

“I would like to see all of our weekend starters get on the mound in Hoover,” Van Horn said. “It’d be nice to play at least three games. I’d like to play more. I’d like to win it. But at the same time, you have to take care of the arms.”

Georgia was scheduled to start freshman left-hander Liam Sullivan, who had a career-high 11 strikeouts against the Razorbacks earlier this month, but it made a change Wednesday morning.

Instead, Goldstein will get the nod. He made just three SEC appearances this year and had a 6.75 ERA and 3.18 WHIP in 2 2/3 innings in those outings.

SEC Tournament Facts

Since the SEC Tournament went to its current format in 2013, the regular-season champion and No. 1 overall seed has won the event just once. That came the last year it was held, when 2019 Vanderbilt swept its four games en route to the tournament title. The Commodores went on to win the College World Series, as well.

However, that is extremely rare. Before Vanderbilt, the last No. 1 seed to win the SEC Tournament, regardless of format, was LSU in 2009 - and the Tigers actually shared the regular-season title with Ole Miss that year.

There have been 18 outright regular-season champions since 1996, when the SEC combined the two divisions for a single conference tournament, and only two have won the SEC Tournament: Vanderbilt in 2007 and 2019.

Over that 24-year span, the No. 1 overall seed - including teams that shared the regular-season title and earned the top seed via tiebreakers - has won the tournament just four times: Alabama in 1996, Vanderbilt in 2007 and 2019, and LSU in 2009.

It’s also worth noting that winning the SEC Tournament is not necessarily the “kiss of death” for a team’s postseason chances.

Vanderbilt, which won the event and went on to win the national championship in 2019, is one of four teams to make it to Omaha after winning the SEC Tournament since it went to its current format in 2013. The other three teams include one that reached the super regionals and two others who failed to make it out of a regional.

Webb’s Status

Outfielder Braydon Webb made the trip and is practicing with the team, but he is unlikely to start Wednesday’s game after being arrested on public intoxication charges early Sunday morning.

Had he not gotten in trouble, Van Horn said he “probably” would have started against Georgia, but now Zack Gregory will likely start in left field.

“We’re not happy with it,” Van Horn said. “He probably feels as bad as anybody I’ve ever seen when they’ve gotten in trouble. I mean, it was sincere and I just hope he learns from this. I know he will. I know he has.”

HR Tracker

With six more home runs against Florida last weekend, the Razorbacks are sitting at 89 heading into the postseason, which is third on the UA single-season chart and 10 shy of breaking the school record.

That was set by the 2018 team, which hit 98 home runs in 69 games. Arkansas had just 77 home runs through 52 games that year and didn’t hit its 89th home run until Game 59.