SEC Baseball: Opening weekend schedule for all 16 teams

On Feb. 14, the 2025 college baseball season will commence, beginning the long road to Omaha.

The SEC, now 16 teams deep, is looking for its sixth consecutive College World Series title. The conference, to no surprise, is once again loaded. Nine teams are featured in the D1Baseball Preseason Top 25, including six of the top 10. 

Of the 16 teams, 10 will begin their seasons on their home field. Preseason No. 1 Texas A&M will begin the Michael Earley era with three games against Elon at Blue Bell Park. Defending champions Tennessee will welcome Hofstra to Lindsey Nelson Stadium. 

Four teams will open their year with a tournament. Both Texas and Ole Miss are featured in the Shriners Children’s College Showdown six-team field and will face each other once in Arlington. Missouri is one of eight teams taking part in the inaugural Puerto Rico Challenge in Caguas, P.R., while Vanderbilt heads to Phoenix to play in the MLB Desert Invitational.

Here’s a look at who all 16 SEC teams will open their 2025 campaigns against this weekend: 

Alabama

Opponent: Bradley (three games)
Location: Sewell-Thomas Stadium — Tuscaloosa, Ala.

In its first season under head coach Rob Vaughn, Alabama rode through peaks and valleys en route to a 33-24 season and a third NCAA Tournament berth in the last four years. The Crimson Tide were bounced in the Tallahassee regional last season and will look to fight in the middle of the pack in the SEC once again in 2025.

Bradley heads to Tuscaloosa for three games after finishing each of the past two seasons at the bottom of the Missouri Valley standings. Elvis Dominguez enters his 17th season as head coach of the Braves.

Alabama begins its season with five home games in six days before heading to Jacksonville to take part in the Jax Classic from Feb. 21-23.

Arkansas

Opponent: Washington State (four games)
Location: Baum-Walker Stadium — Fayetteville, Ark.

The D1Baseball preseason No. 5 team in the nation, Arkansas has eyes on Omaha once again after its 44-win season in 2024 ended abruptly in the Fayetteville Regional. The Razorbacks will look to reach an eighth consecutive Regional as Dave Han Horn enters year No. 23 as head coach.

They’ll host Washington State for a four-game set to kick things off. The Cougars, who will now take on a Mountain West conference slate in 2025, are looking for their first postseason berth since 2010 — they lost to Arkansas in that year’s Fayetteville Regional. 

The Hogs will take part in the College Baseball Series in Arlington the following week, but won’t play a true road game until they open SEC play at Ole Miss on March 14. 

Auburn

Opponent: Holy Cross (three games)
Location: Plainsman Park — Auburn, Ala.

After missing the postseason in 2024, Auburn, much like its rival in Tuscaloosa, has the potential to emerge in the top half of the pack in the SEC this season. Racking up wins before conference play rolls around will be as crucial as ever for Butch Thompson’s group.  

First up for the Tigers is Holy Cross, which is looking to produce its first Regional berth since 2017. The Crusaders were picked third in the Patriot League, while two-way star Sean Scanlon was named conference Preseason Player of the Year. 

Auburn will play its first nine games of the season at home before heading to Arlington for the final weekend of the College Baseball Series at Globe Life Field.  

Florida

Opponent: Air Force (three games)
Location: Condron Family Ballpark — Gainesville, Fla.

Year 18 of the Kevin O’Sullivan era in Gainesville is likely to feature more elite baseball. Tabbed as the D1Baseball preseason No. 10 team in the nation, Florida is seeking a third straight trip to the College World Series after a turbulent 2024 campaign that saw the Gators get hot at the right time.

Air Force will make the long trek to the Swamp, beginning a six-game swing that will also see it head to Nashville to take on Vanderbilt. The Falcons snapped a 53-year postseason drought in 2022 and will look to be competitive in the Mountain West this season. Head coach Mike Kazlausky enters year No. 15 at the helm.

Florida’s non-conference slate features road games at Jacksonville, Stetson, UCF and Florida State. The Gators also play Miami for three games in Gainesville. 

Georgia

Opponents: Quinnipiac, UNC Wilmington (two games vs. each)
Location: Brooks Field — Wilmington, N.C.

Georgia’s first season with Wes Johnson as head coach was a success, as the Bulldogs won 43 games and hosted a Super Regional. Checking in at No. 8 in the D1Baseball preseason poll, UGA is looking to mash its way to Omaha in 2025.

They’ll head to North Carolina for a four-game set against Quinnipiac and UNC Wilmington. First up is a pair of games vs. the Bobcats out of the MAAC. Quinnipiac won 30 games two seasons ago and is eyeing its first Regional berth since 2019.

The Dawgs will then take on UNCW for two. The Seahawks out of the CAA have been mid-major mainstays in the postseason, reaching a Regional in six of the last 10 seasons. Wilmington first baseman Tanner Thach has been tabbed to multiple Preseason All-American teams.

Georgia’s home opener at Foley Field in Athens will come on Feb. 20 when it hosts UIC for the first of four games. 

Kentucky

Opponent: Lipscomb (three games)
Location: Dugan Field — Nashville, Tenn.

Kentucky reached its first College World Series in program history last season, setting the high bar that Nick Mingione has strived for since arriving in Lexington back in 2017. Many aren’t pegging the Wildcats to reach those same heights in 2025, but they’ll try and get back to a Regional for the third year in a row.

Once again, a Mingione-led ballclub is getting on the road to begin the year. UK will make the short trip down to Nashville to square off against Lipscomb for three games. The Bison won the Atlantic Sun in 2023 but were middle of the pack a season ago. Jeff Forehand enters year No. 19 as Lipscomb head coach.

Kentucky will head back to Nashville later in February for three games against Belmont. Hofstra and Wofford will both come to Kentucky Proud Park for weekend series before conference play begins.

LSU

Opponent: Purdue Fort Wayne (three games)
Location: Alex Box Stadium — Baton Rouge, La.

The 2023 National Champions were unable to recreate that same magic a season ago, losing in the Chapel Hill Regional, closing 2024 with a 43-23 record. LSU, ranked No. 3 in the D1Baseball preseason poll, is expected to look elite once again this time around.

Year No. 4 for head coach Jay Johnson begins with a three-game set at home against Purdue Fort Wayne. The Horizon League program hasn’t finished with a winning record since 2016 and heads to Baton Rouge for its first-ever matchup with the Tigers.

LSU won’t play a full series on the road until SEC play when it heads to Texas in late March.

Mississippi State

Opponent: Manhattan (three games)
Location: Dudy Noble Field — Starkville, Miss.

Mississippi State rebounded from a two-year skid in 2024, winning 40 games, reaching a Regional. Now ranked No. 18 in the preseason poll, the 2021 National Champs have a real chance to bring postseason baseball back to Starkville later this year.

Manhattan heads to Dudy Noble Field as it looks to separate from the middle of the MAAC and reach its first Regional since 2012. The Jaspers have won 22 games in each of the past two seasons. 

Miss State will compete in the Astros Foundation College Classic a couple of weeks after at Daikin Park in Houston and will also host Missouri State and Queens for weekend series before jumping into the SEC gauntlet.

Missouri

Opponents: Penn State, UConn, Stetson (one game vs. each)
Location: Yldefonso Solá Morales Stadium — Caguas, P.R.

Once again pegged to finish at or near the bottom of the SEC, Missouri once again faces the tall task of surviving the SEC. The Tigers, led by second-year head coach Kerrick Jackson, are still searching for their first Regional bid since joining the conference in 2013. 

Mizzou will have a chance to make an opening-weekend splash as it is one of eight teams participating in the inaugural Puerto Rico Challenge in Caguas. The Tigers will face Penn State, UConn and Stetson once each. 

UConn has made the postseason four years running and advanced to the Tallahassee Super Regional a season ago. The Huskies are once again tabbed as the favorites in the Big East. Stetson, pegged as a top contender in the ASUN, also made it to the postseason in 2024.

Mizzou is also set to compete in the Andre Dawson Classic in Vero Beach, Fla. the following week. The Tigers’ home opener is set for Feb. 25 against Lindenwood. 

Oklahoma

Opponent: Lehigh (three games)
Location: L. Dale Mitchell Park — Norman, Okla.

After a successful final season that saw it win the 2024 Big 12 regular season title, Oklahoma makes the towering transition to the SEC and is eyeing its fourth Regional berth in a row. The Sooners finished runner-up in the 2022 College World Series and Skip Johnson’s crew is projected for a middle-of-the-pack finish in its new conference this time around.

OU welcomes Lehigh, a middling Patriot League program that’s won 24-26 games in each of the last four seasons. The Mountain Hawks were picked to finish fifth in their conference in 2025. 

The Sooners will represent the SEC in the Karbach Round Rock Classic later in the month. They’ll take on Minnesota and preseason top-10 clubs in Oregon State and Virginia.

Ole Miss

Opponents: Arizona, Texas, Clemson (one game vs. each)
Location: Globe Life Field — Arlington, Texas

Ole Miss has now missed the postseason two years in a row and finds itself projected near the bottom of the pack in the SEC for the upcoming season. It’s year No. 25 for head coach Mike Bianco and the Rebels are looking to make a big early-season splash against some top talent.

In the Shriners Children’s College Showdown in Arlington, they’ll take on Arizona, Texas and Clemson, all three of which are ranked in the preseason poll. Feb. 15 will see the Rebels and Longhorns square off for the first SEC matchup of the season. Ole Miss could bank a couple of résumé-boosters to open its campaign.

Once the Rebels get back to Oxford, they’ll play 13 home games in a row in the lead-up to SEC action. 

South Carolina

Opponent: Sacred Heart (three games)
Location: Founders Park — Columbia, S.C.

Despite a losing record in conference play, South Carolina still cracked its third Regional in the past four seasons in 2024. Legendary former LSU head coach Paul Mainieri has made the move to Columbia and is looking to avoid a projected letdown this year. 

Now in the MAAC, Sacred Heart will head to Columbia to try and build on a program-record 35-win season a year ago. The Pioneers will play their first 14 games of the year away from home.

A three-game series against Clemson highlights the non-conference slate for South Carolina. Milwaukee and Morehead State will also play a series at Founders Park. 

Tennessee

Opponent: Hofstra (three games)
Location: Lindsey Nelson Stadium — Knoxville, Tenn.

After claiming its first National Championship in 2024, Tennessee is starting near the top of the pack in 2025. The Volunteers rank No. 4 in the D1Baseball preseason poll and have a real chance at getting back to Omaha this summer behind another strong cast of bats. 

Tony Vitello’s squad will welcome Hofstra to Lindsey Nelson Stadium to open things up. The CAA squad made its first Regional appearance in 2022 and is coming off a 24-win campaign in 2024. Pride head coach Frank Catalanotto enters his fourth season in charge in Hempstead.

Tennessee will also compete in the Astros Foundation College Classic later in the month and is set to take on preseason top-25 programs in Oklahoma State and Arizona. 

Texas

Opponents: Louisville, Ole Miss, Oklahoma State (one game vs. each)
Location: Globe Life Field — Arlington, Texas

The illustrious Texas baseball program enters the SEC fresh off a 36-win season and another Regional berth in 2024. The Longhorns, now headed by former Texas A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle, have been to the College World Series three times since 2018 and will open 2025 as the No. 19 team in the nation.

Texas also heads to Globe Life Field for the Shriners Children’s College Showdown, where it’ll take on Louisville, Ole Miss and No. 17 Oklahoma State. The Longhorns will get a sample of SEC action against the Rebels, while games versus the Cardinals and Cowboys will also provide a welcomed opening test to the year.

The Longhorns will also play in the Las Vegas Classic the following week, adding three more Power Four matchups under their belt. They’ll open SEC play at Mississippi State on March 14.

Texas A&M

Opponent: Elon
Location: Blue Bell Park — College Station, Texas

After a runner-up finish in the College World Series last season, Texas A&M promptly lost its head coach, who left to join now-SEC foe and in-state rival Texas. Despite that adversity, the Aggies enter 2025 as the preseason No. 1 team in the nation. D1Baseball also tabbed outfielder Jace LaViolette as the Preseason SEC Player of the Year and left-handed pitcher Ryan Prager as Preseason SEC Pitcher of the Year.

New head coach Michael Earley will watch his team open the year against Elon in College Station. The Phoenix haven’t appeared in a Regional since 2013 and are coming off a 21-win campaign a season ago. Head coach Mike Kennedy is set to begin his 29th season at the helm of the CAA program. 

Like Mississippi State and Tennessee, A&M is also in the field for the Astros Foundation College Classic at the end of the month in Houston. It is scheduled to take on No. 21 Arizona, No. 17 Oklahoma State and Rice. 

Vanderbilt

Opponents: Grand Canyon, Nebraska, UC Irvine (one game vs. each)
Locations: GCU Ballpark, Salt River Fields, Sloan Park — Phoenix, Ariz.

2024 saw Vanderbilt bow out of a Regional for the third season in a row. While the Commodores won 38 games, Tim Corbin’s crew is now three seasons removed from its last trip to the College World Series, when it finished runner-up in the 2021 season. Vandy enters 2025 ranked No. 16 in the nation.

It heads to Phoenix to take part in the MLB Desert Invitational, where it will play Grand Canyon, No. 24 Nebraska and UC Irvine, all of which also made a Regional last season. The Huskers are one of just two Big Ten teams ranked in the preseason poll. Both GCU and UC Irvine will likely be in contention for their respective conference crowns. 

Vanderbilt will then head back out west at the end of February to play in the Southern California College Baseball Classic against UCLA, USC and UConn. The Dores will play six games at home between the trips westward.