Alabama baseball has earned its highest seed in the SEC tournament in seven years.

The Tide will be the No. 9 seed in next week’s bracket in Hoover, where Alabama will face No. 8 seed Kentucky in a single-elimination first round game Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. CT.

Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee all finished with a 16-14 conference record, which for the Tide was the program’s best since 2009. No. 7 seed Tennessee won the tiebreaker over Alabama and Kentucky by virtue of its series sweep over tournament No. 1 seed Florida, and Kentucky won the tiebreaker over Alabama after winning two games of the teams’ three-game series in March.

The winner of Tuesday’s game will enter double elimination and play Wednesday against No. 1 seed Florida at 4:30 p.m. CT. With a loss, Alabama would play again midday Thursday. A win Wednesday would mean Alabama would next play Thursday night.

Alabama (38-17) won eight of its final 10 regular season games after firing coach Brad Bohannon on May 4.

Alabama entered Saturday ranked No. 10 nationally in adjusted RPI, and has a chance next week in Hoover to play into a No. 1 seed in next month’s NCAA tournament. D1Baseball.com projected this week Alabama would narrowly miss a top-16 overall seed but earn a No. 2 seed in the Durham, North Carolina regional with Duke.

Alabama last won the SEC baseball tournament in 2003.

Alabama in SEC baseball tournament since 2010:

• 2022: No. 11 seed, lost to Texas A&M and Florida in double elimination
• 2021: No. 10 seed, lost to Florida and Tennessee in double elimination
• 2020: no tournament (COVID-19)
• 2019: did not qualify
• 2018: did not qualify
• 2017: did not qualify
• 2016: No. 9 seed, lost to Mississippi State and Florida in double elimination
• 2015: No. 11 seed, lost to Texas A&M and Vanderbilt in double elimination
• 2014: No. 8 seed, lost to Kentucky in single elimination
• 2013: No. 7 seed, lost to LSU twice in double elimination
• 2012: did not qualify
• 2011: No. 7 seed, lost to Florida and Arkansas in double elimination
• 2010: No. 7 seed, lost to LSU in finals

Mike Rodak is an Alabama beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @mikerodak.