HOOVER, AL — Vanderbilt baseball’s next opponent is Florida in the 2026 SEC Tournament.
The No. 12 seed Commodores (33-24) defeated No. 13 seed Kentucky (31-21) in the first game 8-5 on May 19 and will face No. 5 seed Florida (37-18) in the second round on May 20.
The Gators, who received a bye, finished 18-12 in the SEC regular season.
The SEC tournament is now single-elimination, and one loss could end Vanderbilt’s season. The Commodores last missed the NCAA tournament in 2005, but their poor RPI this season could sink them without at least three wins in Hoover.
The game will take place 30 minutes after the conclusion of the Mississippi State/Missouri game (which begins at 9:30 a.m. CT) and will be televised on SEC Network.
Florida is led by SEC Pitcher of the Year Aidan King, who was 8-2 and had a 2.50 ERA in 14 starts this season.
Vanderbilt has won the opening game in Hoover in seven straight seasons.
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X @aria_gerson.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: No. 12 seed Vanderbilt baseball to face No. 5 Florida in 2nd round of SEC Tournament