HOOVER, Ala. — South Carolina baseball coach Mark Kingston could have predicted the first question he fielded during his postgame news conference Tuesday.

Why? Because it’s one he frequently discussed with his team leading into the 10-5 win against No. 7 seed Alabama in the first round of the SEC tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.

Did you feel like your players would be able to flush a six-game losing streak to close the regular season?

“I told our team, people who are asking us those questions don’t really know what you guys are made of, don’t know what’s going on inside this building, don’t know the investment you have all made to support each other for the last 10 months, starting on the first day of class,” Kingston said. “We are very intentional about trying to build a group of guys that know there are going to be ups and downs in this league.”

The No. 10 seed Gamecocks showed their bounce-back ability in commanding fashion, overcoming an early 3-0 deficit with a four-home run barrage, highlighted by Dalton Reeves’ third-inning grand slam.

However, Kingston believes his team proved more than its ability to respond to adversity. He views the team’s résumé, which added a top-20 RPI win against the Crimson Tide, as one fit for an NCAA tournament at-large bid.

“I thought we were solidly in before,” Kingston said. “I think this just makes us a slam dunk now.”

The victory ensured South Carolina would enter the double-elimination portion of the conference tournament, which will start Wednesday (approximately 2 p.m. CT, SEC Network) against No. 2 seed Arkansas. Rather than thinking about the bubble to get into the field of 64, Kingston is now thinking about how high the team’s RPI can get.

The Gamecocks didn’t want to leave Hoover quickly to embark on another long bus ride home. An improved résumé could help avoid unfavorable travel in the NCAA tournament as well.

“I think the focus changes to what happens if we go on a run,” Kingston said.

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Since 1999, 26 teams in the SEC have collected exactly 13 conference victories in the regular season. Ten of those teams (38%) have made the NCAA tournament.

The SEC has five teams at that mark this year — South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Florida, LSU and Alabama. If all five make it, with various projections suggesting it could happen, the SEC would have a record 11 teams in the field.

To Kingston, that shouldn’t scare the selection committee.

“If the SEC deserves 11 teams, give the SEC 11 teams,” he said. “These players, these coaches, these athletic departments work very hard to become the best they can. If 11 teams deserve to get in, 11 teams should get in.”

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mark Kingston: South Carolina baseball belongs in NCAA tournament