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The Southeastern Conference will expand its annual baseball tournament to 12 teams and five days beginning in 2013, commissioner Mike Slive announced on Friday (via Dog Bytes Online).
The tournament will now feature four teams receiving a bye, while the remaining eight teams will play on the opening day of action, which is currently slated for Tuesday, May 21. From there, the winners will advance to play the top four seeds for a chance at another bye before the single elimination portion of the tournament begins on Saturday, May 25.
The SEC Championship Game will be played on Sunday, May 26, and will be the last of 17 games overall played in the tournament.
In recent years, SEC baseball has established a football-like level of dominance nationally, with three out of the last four national champions coming out of the conference. In addition, an SEC team has played in the national championship game in each of the last five seasons.