HOOVER, Ala. — On Monday afternoon, the day before first pitch at the 2026 SEC Baseball Tournament, the conference released its postseason awards. Five of the six individual awards went to programs at the top of this week’s bracket. Georgia catcher Daniel Jackson was named SEC Player of the Year. Texas freshman outfielder Anthony Pack Jr. won Freshman of the Year. Texas outfielder Aiden Robbins, a Seton Hall transfer, was named Newcomer of the Year. Texas A&M first baseman Gavin Grahovac was named Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Georgia head coach Wes Johnson, in his third season in Athens, was named SEC Coach of the Year.
Only Florida’s Aidan King — the SEC Pitcher of the Year — broke the top-four monopoly. Even then, his Gators are seeded No. 5, one spot outside this preview’s window.
This is the first of four World Baseball Network previews of the 2026 SEC Baseball Tournament. The tournament runs May 19-24 at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium, single-elimination format, with first-round play opening Tuesday on the SEC Network and the championship game scheduled for Sunday, May 24 at 2 p.m. EDT on ABC. This piece covers the top four seeds. (See also: [LINK] No. 5-8 preview, [LINK] No. 9-12 preview, [LINK] No. 13-16 preview.)
The top four:
- Georgia (43-12, 23-7 SEC) — Wes Johnson, 3rd season
- Texas (40-12, 19-10 SEC) — Jim Schlossnagle, 2nd season
- Texas A&M (39-13, 18-11 SEC) — Michael Earley, 2nd season
- Alabama (37-18, 18-12 SEC) — Rob Vaughn, 3rd season
Georgia, never an SEC Tournament champion in program history, arrives in Hoover as the top seed for the first time. Texas and Texas A&M are in their second season as SEC programs after the conference’s 2024 expansion. Alabama, the only top-four team without a major individual award, has the highest-ranked prospect on MLB Pipeline’s draft board in shortstop Justin Lebron — and a curious absence from the All-SEC selections that suggests the season hasn’t matched the pre-draft hype.
No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs (43-12, 23-7 SEC)
Head coach: Wes Johnson, 3rd season — 2026 SEC Coach of the Year
Georgia’s third season under Wes Johnson produced the program’s first SEC regular-season title since 2008. The Bulldogs went 23-7 in conference play, 43-12 overall, and earned a top-five national ranking and the No. 1 seed in Hoover. Johnson — formerly the pitching coach at Mississippi State, LSU, and the Minnesota Twins — was named SEC Coach of the Year on Monday for the work.
The headliner is junior catcher Daniel Jackson, the 2026 SEC Player of the Year. Jackson hit .394 with 27 home runs, 77 RBI, and 25 stolen bases this season — making him just the sixth player in Division I history, and the first catcher, to record a 25-HR / 25-SB season. He was named SEC Player of the Week three times and is a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award. MLB Pipeline has him at No. 55 on the 2026 draft board.
Players to watch:
- C Daniel Jackson — 2026 SEC Player of the Year · 1st-Team All-SEC · 55 G, .394 AVG, 84 H, 27 HR, 77 RBI, 25 SB, 1.328 OPS (Top 150: No. 55)
- INF/OF Tre Phelps — 1st-Team All-SEC (3B) · All-SEC Defensive Team · 54 G, .372 AVG, 77 H, 18 HR, 53 RBI, 1.176 OPS
- OF Rylan Lujo — 1st-Team All-SEC (OF) · 48 G, .359 AVG, 61 H, 9 HR, 37 RBI, 1.042 OPS
- UTL Henry Allen — 46 G, .321 AVG, 13 HR, 41 RBI, 1.078 OPS
- SS Kolby Branch — 2nd-Team All-SEC (SS) · 55 G, .309 AVG, 17 HR, 51 RBI, 1.056 OPS
- RHP Caden Aoki — 8-1, 4.12 ERA, 16 A (6 GS, 3 SV), 81 K in 63.1 IP
- RHP Joey Volchko — 8-2, 4.22 ERA, 87 K in 70.1 IP (Top 150: No. 85)
- RHP Dylan Vigue — 4-1, 3.57 ERA, 1 CG, 1 SHO, 66 K in 53.0 IP
- RHP Matt Scott — 6-0, 3.86 ERA, 4 SV, 60 K in 44.1 IP
Program resume:
College World Series Appearances: 1987, 1990, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2008
College World Series Runner-Up: 2008
NCAA Regional Champions: 1987, 1990, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2025
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 1986, 1987, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1995, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025
Conference Regular Season Champions: 1908, 1909, 1954, 1987, 1990, 2008, 2026
No. 2 Texas Longhorns (40-12, 19-10 SEC)
Head coach: Jim Schlossnagle, 2nd season
In Texas’s second season in the SEC, head coach Jim Schlossnagle — formerly of TCU and Texas A&M before crossing the border to Austin — has produced a 40-12 record and the conference’s No. 2 seed. The Longhorns are No. 6 in the D1Baseball Top 25. Two of the six SEC postseason individual awards went to Texas: freshman outfielder Anthony Pack Jr. won Freshman of the Year, and outfielder Aiden Robbins (Seton Hall transfer) won Newcomer of the Year.
Pack led the SEC in conference batting at .400 with 15 multi-hit games. Robbins led the Longhorns in hits (70), total bases (140), and slugging (.697). Left-hander Dylan Volantis is a 1st-Team All-SEC pick at 8-1, 2.05 ERA, with 105 strikeouts in 74.2 innings.
Players to watch:
- OF Anthony Pack Jr. — 2026 SEC Freshman of the Year · 2nd-Team All-SEC (OF) · Freshman All-SEC · Led SEC in conference batting (.400). 52 G, .394 AVG overall, 7 HR, 20 SB, 1.038 OPS
- OF Aiden Robbins — 2026 SEC Newcomer of the Year · 1st-Team All-SEC (OF) · 51 G, .348 AVG, 19 HR, 53 RBI, 11 SB, 1.132 OPS (Top 150: No. 26)
- INF Temo Becerra — 52 G, .326 AVG, 39 RBI, 11 SB, .908 OPS
- C Carson Tinney — 2nd-Team All-SEC (C) · 52 G, .321 AVG, 20 HR, 54 RBI, 1.168 OPS (Top 150: No. 99)
- INF Casey Borba — 52 G, .280 AVG, 17 HR, 55 RBI, .996 OPS
- LHP Dylan Volantis — 1st-Team All-SEC (SP) · 8-1, 2.05 ERA, 105 K in 74.2 IP, 0.991 WHIP
- RHP Ruger Riojas — 5-2, 4.02 ERA, 1 CG, 1 SHO, 100 K in 65.0 IP
- LHP Luke Harrison — 6-3, 4.76 ERA, 78 K in 70.0 IP
- RHP Sam Cozart — 1st-Team All-SEC (RP) · Freshman All-SEC · 6-0, 1.59 ERA, 8 SV, 66 K in 45.1 IP, 0.640 WHIP
- LHP Haiden Leffew — 4-1, 3.60 ERA, 31 K in 20.0 IP
Program resume:
College World Series Champions: 1949, 1950, 1975, 1983, 2002, 2005
College World Series Runner-Up: 1953, 1984, 1989, 2004, 2009
College World Series Appearances: 37 (most in NCAA history)
NCAA Regional Champions: 23 times
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 64 times
Conference Tournament Champions:
Southwest: 1979, 1989, 1995
Big 12: 1999, 2002, 2003, 2008, 2009, 2015, 2021
Conference Regular Season Champions:
Southwest: 79 times across program history
Big 12: 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2021, 2022, 2024
No. 3 Texas A&M Aggies (39-13, 18-11 SEC)
Head coach: Michael Earley, 2nd season
The defending NCAA runner-up arrives in Hoover as the No. 3 seed. Texas A&M went all the way to Omaha in 2024 under previous head coach Jim Schlossnagle (now at Texas), lost the championship series to Tennessee, and entered the 2025 season under Michael Earley as the new head coach. Now, 2026 finds Earley in his second season with a 39-13 club ranked No. 10 in D1Baseball’s Top 25.
First baseman Gavin Grahovac was named SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He also leads the SEC in slugging (.743), RBI (40), runs (35), and HR (11) in conference play. The Aggies have four players on MLB Pipeline’s Top 150 draft board: Hacopian (12), Sorrell (25), Grahovac (32), and Sdao (84) — the highest concentration in the conference.
Players to watch:
- 1B Gavin Grahovac — 2026 SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year · 1st-Team All-SEC (1B) · All-SEC Defensive Team · 52 G, .351 AVG, 19 HR, 71 RBI, 1.161 OPS (Top 150: No. 32). Leads SEC in slugging (.743), RBI (40), runs (35), and HR (11) in conference play.
- OF Caden Sorrell — 1st-Team All-SEC (OF) · All-SEC Defensive Team · 51 G, .343 AVG, 23 HR, 74 RBI, 1.202 OPS (Top 150: No. 25)
- 2B Chris Hacopian — 1st-Team All-SEC (2B) · (Top 150: No. 12)
- C Bear Harrison — 48 G, .303 AVG, 11 HR, 33 RBI, 1.122 OPS
- INF Nico Partida — Freshman All-SEC · 45 G, .317 AVG, 12 HR, 41 RBI, 1.003 OPS
- 2B Jorian Wilson — Freshman All-SEC
- OF Jake Duer — 52 G, .299 AVG, 47 RBI, .868 OPS
- RHP Aiden Sims — 8-1, 3.84 ERA, 1 CG, 1 SHO, 73 K in 68.0 IP
- RHP Gavin Lyons — 9-0, 5.31 ERA, 46 K in 59.1 IP
- LHP Shane Sdao — 4-4, 6.68 ERA, 75 K in 66.0 IP (Top 150: No. 84)
- RHP Clayton Freshcorn — 1st-Team All-SEC (RP) · 3-2, 2.42 ERA, 12 SV, 50 K in 44.2 IP, 1.052 WHIP
Program resume:
College World Series Runner-Up: 2024
College World Series Appearances: 1951, 1964, 1993, 1999, 2011, 2017, 2022, 2024
NCAA Regional Champions: 1989, 1993, 1999, 2011, 2017, 2022, 2024
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 1951, 1957, 1964, 1979, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024
Conference Tournament Champions:
Southwest: 1942, 1989
Big 12: 2007, 2011
SEC: 2016
Conference Regular Season Champions:
Southwest: 17 times across program history
Big 12: 2007, 2010, 2011
SEC: 2016, 2022
No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide (37-18, 18-12 SEC)
Head coach: Rob Vaughn, 3rd season
Alabama is the No. 4 seed at 37-18 overall, 18-12 in conference, in Rob Vaughn’s third season as head coach. The Crimson Tide are No. 18 in the D1Baseball Top 25. Shortstop Justin Lebron is MLB Pipeline’s No. 5 overall prospect — the highest-ranked draft prospect in the conference — but Lebron was conspicuously absent from Monday’s All-SEC selections, a divergence between draft pedigree and current-season production that’s been a quiet storyline in Tuscaloosa all spring.
Catcher Brady Neal landed on the 2nd-Team All-SEC. Right-hander Tyler Fay is 2nd-Team All-SEC on the mound. Freshman right-hander Myles Upchurch was named to the Freshman All-SEC team.
Players to watch:
- C/OF Brady Neal — 2nd-Team All-SEC (DH/Util) · 53 G, .322 AVG, 7 HR, 40 RBI, .970 OPS
- OF Bryce Fowler — 54 G, .321 AVG, 5 HR, 35 RBI, 15 SB, .894 OPS
- SS Justin Lebron — 53 G, .261 AVG, 14 HR, 40 RBI, 37 SB, .899 OPS (Top 150: No. 5 — highest in entire SEC)
- C/OF Johnny Lemm — 50 G, .250 AVG, 9 HR, 31 RBI, .851 OPS
- INF Jason Torres — 55 G, .239 AVG, 7 HR, 45 RBI, .759 OPS
- RHP Myles Upchurch — Freshman All-SEC · 8-3, 3.34 ERA, 68 K in 64.2 IP
- LHP Zane Adams — 6-4, 4.36 ERA, 85 K in 76.1 IP
- RHP Tyler Fay — 2nd-Team All-SEC (SP) · 9-3, 4.43 ERA, 1 CG, 1 SHO, 99 K in 85.1 IP
- LHP Ashton Crowther — 2-2, 1.74 ERA, 2 SV, 21 K in 31.0 IP
- LHP Matthew Heiberger — 3-2, 3.18 ERA, 4 SV, 30 K in 34.0 IP
Program resume:
College World Series Appearances: 1947, 1950, 1983, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2025
NCAA Regional Champions: 1996, 1997, 1999, 2025
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 1942, 1947, 1950, 1969, 1971, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2025
Conference Tournament Champions: 1996, 1999, 2002, 2006
Conference Regular Season Champions: 1947, 1950, 1969, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1995, 1996, 1999
Bracket entry path — top four seeds:
All four top seeds enter Thursday’s quarterfinals:
- No. 1 Georgia → Game 9, 4 p.m. ET Thursday May 21 on SEC Network, vs. Winner of Game 5 (Mississippi State vs. Ole Miss/Missouri winner)
- No. 2 Texas → Game 11, 4 p.m. ET Friday May 22 on SEC Network, vs. Winner of Game 7 (Arkansas vs. Tennessee/South Carolina winner)
- No. 3 Texas A&M → Game 12, 8 p.m. ET Friday May 22 on SEC Network, vs. Winner of Game 8 (Auburn vs. Oklahoma/LSU winner)
- No. 4 Alabama → Game 10, 8 p.m. ET Thursday May 21 on SEC Network, vs. Winner of Game 6 (Florida vs. Vanderbilt/Kentucky winner)
2026 SEC Baseball Tournament Reference
Venue: Hoover Metropolitan Stadium, Hoover, Ala. Capacity 10,800 (expandable to 16,000+ with patio, banquet, and grass seating). 12 suites. The Hoover Met hosted the SEC Tournament in 1990, 1996, and continuously since 1998. The Double-A Birmingham Barons of the Southern League — a Chicago White Sox affiliate — played at the venue from 1988 to 2012.
Format: 16-team single-elimination. First round Tuesday, second round Wednesday, quarterfinals Thursday and Friday, semifinals Saturday, championship Sunday.
Tournament Champions and National-Title Pairings: Programs that won the SEC Tournament and the NCAA national championship in the same season — LSU (2009, 2023), South Carolina (2010, 2011), Vanderbilt (2014, 2019), Florida (2017), Tennessee (2024). Vanderbilt won the 2025 tournament 3-2 over Ole Miss in the championship game, head coach Tim Corbin’s fourth SEC Tournament title.
2025 NCAA Champion: LSU. Defeated Coastal Carolina in a three-game sweep at Charles Schwab Field in the College World Series finals — the program’s eighth national championship. LSU and Arkansas were the SEC’s only representatives in the 2025 CWS.
NCAA Tournament Selection Show: Monday, May 25, 12 p.m. EDT on ESPN2. The 64-team bracket, top-16 national seeds, and regional host sites will be revealed.
2026 SEC Final Regular-Season Standings
- Georgia (23-7, 43-12)
- Texas (19-10, 40-12)
- Texas A&M (18-11, 39-13)
- Alabama (18-12, 37-18)
- Florida (18-12, 37-18)
- Auburn (17-13, 36-18)
- Arkansas (17-13, 36-19)
- Mississippi State (16-14, 39-16)
- Ole Miss (15-15, 36-20)
- Tennessee (15-15, 37-19)
- Oklahoma (14-16, 32-20)
- Vanderbilt (14-16, 32-24)
- Kentucky (13-17, 31-20)
- LSU (9-21, 29-27)
- South Carolina (7-23, 22-34)
- Missouri (6-24, 23-30)
2026 SEC Postseason Awards
- Player of the Year: Daniel Jackson, C, Georgia
- Pitcher of the Year: Aidan King, RHP, Florida
- Freshman of the Year: Anthony Pack Jr., OF, Texas
- Newcomer of the Year: Aiden Robbins, OF, Texas (Seton Hall transfer)
- Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Gavin Grahovac, 1B, Texas A&M
- Coach of the Year: Wes Johnson, Georgia
MLB Pipeline Top 150 — SEC Players
- No. 5 — SS Justin Lebron, Alabama
- No. 12 — 2B Chris Hacopian, Texas A&M
- No. 14 — RHP Liam Peterson, Florida
- No. 15 — OF Derek Curiel, LSU
- No. 16 — C Ryder Helfrick, Arkansas
- No. 18 — LHP Hunter Dietz, Arkansas
- No. 21 — RHP Cade Townsend, Ole Miss
- No. 23 — SS Tyler Bell, Kentucky
- No. 25 — OF Caden Sorrell, Texas A&M
- No. 26 — OF Aiden Robbins, Texas
- No. 27 — 2B Chris Rembert, Auburn
- No. 28 — 3B Ace Reese, Mississippi State
- No. 32 — 1B Gavin Grahovac, Texas A&M
- No. 43 — RHP Tegan Kuhns, Tennessee
- No. 45 — OF Jake Brown, LSU
- No. 55 — C Daniel Jackson, Georgia
- No. 83 — RHP Carson Wiggins, Arkansas
- No. 84 — LHP Shane Sdao, Texas A&M
- No. 85 — RHP Joey Volchko, Georgia
- No. 86 — RHP Gabe Gaeckle, Arkansas
- No. 96 — C/OF Brendan Brock, Oklahoma
- No. 99 — C Carson Tinney, Texas
- No. 119 — RHP Taylor Rabe, Ole Miss
- No. 123 — OF Kyle Jones, Florida
- No. 127 — RHP LJ Mercurius, Oklahoma
- No. 128 — 3B Camden Johnson, Oklahoma
- No. 132 — SS Jaxon Willits, Oklahoma
- No. 137 — 3B Henry Ford, Tennessee
- No. 139 — LHP Jake McCoy, South Carolina
Full Bracket Schedule
All times Eastern. Second game of each session begins approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first.
Tuesday, May 19 — First Round (SEC Network)
Game 1: No. 9 Ole Miss vs. No. 16 Missouri — 10:30 a.m.
Game 2: No. 12 Vanderbilt vs. No. 13 Kentucky — 2 p.m.
Game 3: No. 10 Tennessee vs. No. 15 South Carolina — 5:30 p.m.
Game 4: No. 11 Oklahoma vs. No. 14 LSU — 9 p.m.
Wednesday, May 20 — Second Round (SEC Network)
Game 5: Winner Game 1 vs. No. 8 Mississippi State — 10:30 a.m.
Game 6: Winner Game 2 vs. No. 5 Florida — 2 p.m.
Game 7: Winner Game 3 vs. No. 7 Arkansas — 5:30 p.m.
Game 8: Winner Game 4 vs. No. 6 Auburn — 9 p.m.
Thursday, May 21 — Quarterfinals (SEC Network)
Game 9: Winner Game 5 vs. No. 1 Georgia — 4 p.m.
Game 10: Winner Game 6 vs. No. 4 Alabama — 8 p.m.
Friday, May 22 — Quarterfinals (SEC Network)
Game 11: Winner Game 7 vs. No. 2 Texas — 4 p.m.
Game 12: Winner Game 8 vs. No. 3 Texas A&M — 8 p.m.
Saturday, May 23 — Semifinals (SEC Network)
Game 13: Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10 — 1 p.m.
Game 14: Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 12 — 5 p.m.
Sunday, May 24 — Championship (ABC)
Game 15: Winner Game 13 vs. Winner Game 14 — 2 p.m.
