Alabama interim head coach Jason Jackson reveals message to Hunter Furtado ahead of Kentucky start

A few weeks ago, you would never expect Alabama to be in this position. Winners in eight of their last 10 games, interim head coach Jason Jackson have the Crimson Tide rolling into Hoover. Hunter Furtado will be the starter to kick off the SEC Tournament against Kentucky, stepping into a big position.

Jackson revealed his message to starting Furtado before the game, saying the left hander may have the advantage against Kentucky. Putting a few scoreless innings on the board is key before letting the Alabama offense put a few runs on the board.

“He gave us a good start a couple of weeks ago in a midweek game,” Jackson said. “We felt like going with a left handed pitcher was a good matchup for these guys. ‘Hey man, just go out, get the game off to a good start for us. Give us a couple of zeros early and let our offense do its thing.'”

Furtado started against Troy back on May 9, throwing for 3.2 innings. He allowed just two runs on two hits and two walked. The strikeouts were a huge positive though, with Furtado fanning seven batters. Most importantly, Alabama got a 7-2 win — part of their impressive record since Jackson took over.

For the most part, Furtado has come out of the bullpen against SEC play. His last outing against LSU was a disaster, not recording a single out while four runs came home for the Tigers.

Johnson will be hoping for something more similar to the Troy outing than LSU. If Furtado can come through, Alabama will feel pretty good about advancing to the double elimination portion of the SEC Tournament.

Alabama, Kentucky set to face off in SEC Tournament

Neither of Alabama and Kentucky finished in the top four of the SEC regular season rankings, meaning one of them could be sent packing on Tuesday. While both are expected to make the NCAA Tournament — and possibly even host a regional — making a run in Hoover is something the two programs want to do.

Kentucky has lost their last two series, while Alabama has won five consecutive SEC games. They come in as the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds, respectively, and are fighting for the right to play No. 1 Florida on Wednesday afternoon.

After a rain delay earlier in the day, first pitch at the Hoover Met is scheduled for 5:50 p.m. CT.