Bama Baseball’s Hosting Dreams Ride on SEC Tourney Splash
Alabama baseball’s hoping to host a regional for the second time this decade, and their RPI is keeping that dream alive—at least for now. Playing in the SEC definitely helps the résumé, but the Tide needs to make a little noise in the conference tournament to lock things up.
The RPI (basically the ranking formula that matters most for NCAA seeding) plays a big role in deciding who gets to host regionals. Alabama pulled it off in 2023 with the same number of SEC wins it has right now, snapping a 16-year drought. This year, they’re sitting at No. 9 in the RPI after dropping two out of three games at Florida over the weekend. That’s just a one-spot fall, but it stings—especially after blowing a 5-0 lead in the opener and losing 7-6.
Had Alabama taken that series—or even better, swept it—they might’ve locked in hosting rights early. But now, things are murkier, and their SEC Tournament opener isn’t helping. Because of the Florida series loss, their first matchup in Hoover doesn’t do much for RPI.
Right now, the Tide is 40-15 overall and 16-14 in SEC play. They do have a huge feather in their cap: a series win over top-ranked Georgia on Mother’s Day weekend. That one’s big for the committee’s eyes and keeps their hosting hopes very much alive.
Up first in the SEC tourney? Missouri—ranked 144th in RPI. That’s a No. 9 vs. No. 16 seed game, kicking off Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. CT. Alabama already beat Missouri earlier this season, but just barely (7-5), so nothing’s guaranteed.
Bottom line: If Bama slips up against Missouri, their shot at bringing postseason baseball back to Tuscaloosa likely goes out the window. They didn’t get a bye in the tourney either, so they’ll need to earn everything from here on out.
