3 scariest SEC baseball teams to face in the 2025 conference tournament
The Montgomery Advertiser’s Adam Cole breaks down why Auburn, Tennessee and Vanderbilt are the toughest teams to play in the 2025 SEC baseball tournament.
Vanderbilt baseball might have just locked up the No. 1 overall seed of the NCAA baseball tournament with another SEC championship win on Sunday.
The Commodores held off red-hot Ole Miss 3-2 on Sunday to lock up their fifth conference championship ever, all of which have come under coach Tim Corbin. Vanderbilt’s pitching staff carried the win as Austin Nye, Miller Green, Luke Guth, Levi Huesman and Sawyer Hawks combined to allow just four hits with 10 strikeouts.
There was some late-inning drama, though, as Ole Miss’ Isaac Humphrey launched a solo home run to right field to make the score 3-2. Hawks then walked two consecutive Ole Miss batters to put runners on first and second, before forcing a game-ending flyout for the win.
Vanderbilt appears poised to return to the College World Series, having not reached Omaha since 2021.
Follow along here for highlights of Vanderbilt’s SEC championship win over Ole Miss on Saturday in Hoover, Alabama:
SEC baseball championship live score
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | F |
| Ole Miss | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Vanderbilt | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 |
Sawyer Hawks picks up save, Vandy Boys win
Sawyer Hawks walks Hayden Federico to put runners on first and second but gets a pop up for the final out of the game, securing another SEC championship for Vanderbilt.
Commodores hold on for a 3-2 win and have a strong case for being the No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
Sawyer Hawks balks
Wow, Sawyer Hawks balks. That moves Campbell Smithwick to scoring position at second base for Hayden Federico. Here we go.
Ole Miss puts tying run on base
Campbell Smithwick pops up for the second out of the inning, but Austin Fawley draws a two-out walk to put a runner on first for Ole Miss. Hayden Federico coming up to bat now.
Ole Miss strikes back
Vandy’s Sawyer Hawks gets a strikeout to start the ninth inning, but Ole Miss’ Isaac Humphrey crushes a home run to right field to make it a 3-2 game.
Rebels down a run with two outs left.
Hawks was dominant in the eighth, allowing no baserunners and striking out one Ole Miss hitter on a 95 miles-per-hour cutter.
Ole Miss is down to its final three outs, but Vanderbilt’s bats get at least another chance in the bottom of the eighth.
Vanderbilt is turning to Sawyer Hawks after Levi Huesman threw only two pitches last inning. Hawks has a 1.50 ERA in 42 innings pitched this season and might be asked to get the last six outs here.
Levi Huesman only needs two pitches to get out of the top of the seventh inning, as he gets a groundball that’s turned into a 6-4-3 double play. Vanderbilt still leads 3-1 heading into the bottom frame.
Luke Guth’s afternoon is done after walking two of his last three batters faced. Left-hander Levi Huesman is coming in with runners on first and second, as Ole Miss looks to do some damage here.
Luke Guth has been nails since entering out of the bullpen, with no hits allowed and two strikeouts in 1 2/3 innings of work. Austin Nye finished the afternoon with one earned run on two hits with five strikeouts across 4 2/3 innings.
Ole Miss’ Taylor Rabe gets the first out of the inning on a groundball to Luke Hill, who gets the lead runner out at third base. Rabe then gets another groundball, which is turned into a 4-6-3 double play to get out of the fifth inning.
Huge response for Rabe after giving up the leadoff home run and having runners in scoring position with no outs.
Vandy 8-hole hitter Jacob Humphrey comes up big, hitting a solo home run down the right-field line to kick off the fifth inning.
The Commodores then put runners on first and second with no outs following Mike Mancini’s double and a hit by pitch to Rustan Rigdon.
Ole Miss finally gets a run on the board in the top of the fifth inning after Mitchell Sanford scores Hayden Federico from third on an RBI-single to left field. The Rebels have runners on the corners with two outs.
The Rebels were at risk of falling further behind the Commodores, but manage to get out of a jam after allowing singles to Johnston and Braden Holcomb in the bottom of the fourth. Johnston advances to third on a wild pitch before Hooks gets Colin Barczi and Jonathan Vastine to strike out swinging. It remains 2-0 Vanderbilt heading into the fifth.
The third inning is much the same as the second, with neither team mustering a run (though each team did have a batter reach base).
No offensive fireworks in the second inning for either the Rebels or Commodores, each of whom go three up-three down.
The Commodores strike first off a two-run homer from Brodie Johnston, who also scores Riley Nelson after he was hit by a pitch.
Will Furniss gets the lone hit for the Rebels in the first inning, but the Rebels can’t muster a run. That’ll do it for the top of the first.
Here’s who Ole Miss has lined up for the SEC championship:
- Ole Miss pitcher: Walker Hooks
Ole Miss batting order:
- Mitchell Sanford
- Luke Hill
- Will Furniss
- Judd Utermark
- Isaac Humphrey
- Campbell Smithwick
- Austin Fawley
- Hayden Federico
- Luke Cheng
Here’s a look at the starting pitcher and lineups for Vanderbilt:
Vanderbilt pitcher: Austin Nye
Vanderbilt batting order:
- Rustan Rigdon
- RJ Austin
- Riley Nelson
- Brodie Johnston
- Braden Holcomb
- Colin Barczi
- Jonathan Vastine
- Jacob Humphrey
- Mike Mancini
Not that the fan bases need it, but here’s a hype video ahead of the SEC championship between Vanderbilt and Ole Miss:
The Rebels have arrived at the Hoover Metropolitan Stadium for Sunday’s SEC championship:
SEC baseball championship odds
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of noon ET on May 25.
- Spread: Vanderbilt (-1.5)
- Over/under: 10.5 runs
- Moneyline: Vanderbilt (-160) | Ole Miss (+125)
What time does SEC baseball championship start??
- Date: Sunday, May 25
- Time: 1 p.m. ET
- Where: Hoover Metropolitan Stadium (Hoover, Alabama)
First pitch for the SEC baseball championship is scheduled for 1 p.m. Et from the Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Alabama
What TV channel is SEC baseball championship today?
The SEC championship game will air live on the SEC Network. Streaming options include the ESPN app (with a cable login) and Fubo, the latter of which offers a free trial.
