SEC Baseball Preseason Poll: Coaches pick Arkansas to win SEC title
The SEC has been the best conference in college baseball for more than 20 years now. Five teams, sometimes six or seven, find themselves ranked in the top 10 in the country.
When it comes to picking their finishing order against their league mates, though, things are tougher. The SEC coaches tried, their preseason poll released Thursday.
Florida topped the poll in the Eastern Division as the Gators were picked to win the East and finished with 88 points worth of votes, a total one higher than Arkansas’ total. The Diamond Hogs were tabbed as the projected winners of the SEC West, five points ahead of rival LSU.
But when it came to predicting the overall league champion, it was the Razorbacks capturing nine votes. LSU picked up three and Florida grabbed two.
LSU, Florida and Arkansas have combined to win nine SEC Championships since 2008. The Diamond Hogs have one, Florida two and the rest belong to the Bayou Bengals. Every other team in the SEC has won a total of six, with Vanderbilt having captured two.
Missouri registered the fewest points in the poll to be picked last in the league.
Here is the entire poll in order of total number of points registered.
14. Missouri (19 points in poll)
No postseason last year.
Final record: 30-24, 10-20
13. Mississippi State (23)
No postseason last year.
Final record: 27-26, 9-21
12. Ole Miss (32)
No postseason last year.
Final record: 25-29, 6-24
11. Georgia (36)
No postseason last year.
Final record: 29-27, 11-19
10. Kentucky (44)
Made NCAA Super Regional last year.
Final record: 40-21, 16-14
9. Auburn (46)
Made NCAA Regional last year
Final record: 34-23, 17-13
8. Alabama (47)
Made NCAA Super Regional.
Final record: 43-21, 16-14
7. South Carolina (50)
Made NCAA Super Regional last year.
Final record: 42-21, 16-13
6. Texas A&M (68)
Made NCAA Regional last year.
Final record: 38-27, 14-16
5. Vanderbilt (73)
Made NCAA Regionals last year.
Final record: 42-20, 19-11
4. Tennessee (75)
Made Super Regionals last year.
Final record: 44-22, 16-14
3. LSU (82)
Won national championship last year
Final record: 54-17, 19-10
2. Arkansas (87)
Made NCAA Regional last year
Final record: 43-18, 20-10
1. Florida (88)
Made College World Series in 2023
Final record: 57-17, 2010
