After missing out on last year’s Southeastern Conference tournament, the Alabama baseball team (34-26) put up an effort in the 2013 tournament at the nearby Hoover Metropolitan Stadium, reaching the quarterfinal knockout game against LSU. Though the Crimson Tide fell 3-2 in the game, its tournament performance was enough to improve an already impressive résumé.
As a No. 7 seed, the Crimson Tide was paired with none other than the Auburn Tigers for the first round, single-elimination stage of the tournament. The back-and-forth game saw Alabama eventually prevail over its cross-state rival 6-3, a result that likely secured the Tiger’s fate as a non-postseason team.
After the first-round game, head coach Mitch Gaspard stressed the importance of playing well in the conference tournament to improve his team’s chances on getting into the NCAA postseason.
“I felt like a win today would certainly solidify us getting in,” Gaspard said. “I know a lot can happen this week with tournament play. Good play in this tournament could potentially move you from a three-seed to a two-seed.”
Getting no rest throughout the week, the Tide went straight into a second-round matchup against the No. 2 seeded LSU Tigers, who were the eventual tournament champions. LSU jumped out on top in the first inning, 3-0, a lead that would not be altered. The loss put Alabama fighting for its life against the Ole Miss Rebels the next day.
The Tide fought through another roller coaster of a game, trading hits and runs in a contest that had to be settled with one extra inning. However, the Rebels succumbed to Alabama’s offense in the 10th frame, 7-5. The win had the Tide headed to a rematch against the now-established villain in the tournament, LSU.
In the quarterfinals, playing in front of an announced crowd of 11,207, runs certainly did not come easy for the two squads. Playing into a 2-1 lead, Alabama pitcher Mike Oczypok secured two outs in the ninth inning and looked to have the win all but wrapped up. With their back against the wall, however, the Tigers hijacked a one-run lead off of an improbable single, double and single.
All three Crimson Tide batters struck out in the bottom of the ninth to seal the deal in an unlikely 3-2 comeback for LSU and a heartbreaking elimination for Alabama.
Gaspard said he had confidence in the Tide getting into the national postseason race in the postgame conference.
“Wherever we go, we’re playing some pretty good baseball,” Gaspard said. “I know what they’re getting right now. They’re getting just what they deserve right now, which is getting an opportunity to go to the NCAA postseason.”
The conference tournament effort from the Tide was the farthest the team had been since the 2010 event, which saw the team lose to LSU in the championship game in a one-run contest. Action in the NCAA playoffs will begin Friday for the Tide
