BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Florida and LSU have been predicted to win the 2017 Southeastern Conference baseball championship as voted by the league’s 14 head coaches in the annual preseason poll released Thursday. The Preseason All-SEC First and Second Teams, as determined by the head coaches, were also announced.
Florida and LSU each garnered six votes, while South Carolina earned two votes. The Gators were predicted to win the SEC Eastern Division, while the Tigers were the favorite to win the SEC Western Division.
Since 1996, the SEC has named a regular season champion as well as a tournament champion. Prior to 1996, the tournament champion was considered the SEC champion.
Points were compiled on a descending basis for each division. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team, and each coach also voted for one team as an overall conference champion.
For the second consecutive year, two Preseason All-SEC Teams were selected by the SEC head coaches, and ties were not broken. Nine of the 14 schools were represented on the All-SEC teams with Florida leading the way with six total selections. LSU and Vanderbilt each garnered four selections, while Mississippi State and South Carolina had two. The Gators also claimed an SEC-best five first-team accolades.
The 2017 regular season for SEC teams begins Feb. 17, with conference play set to begin March 17.
A total of seven SEC teams qualified for NCAA Regionals in 2016, and a record four teams were selected as national seeds.
2017 SEC Baseball Coaches Preseason Poll
Eastern Division
1. Florida (10) – 70
2. South Carolina (4) – 61
3. Vanderbilt – 52
T4. Georgia – 29
T4. Kentucky – 29
6. Tennessee – 20
7. Missouri – 12
Western Division
1. LSU (13) – 72
2. Texas A&M (1) – 55
3. Ole Miss – 51
4. Mississippi State – 36
5. Arkansas – 27
T6. Alabama – 16
T6. Auburn – 16
SEC Champion: Florida (6), LSU (6), South Carolina (2)
2017 SEC Baseball Coaches Preseason All-SEC First Team
POSITION NAME SCHOOL
C Mike Rivera Florida
1B Evan White Kentucky
2B Cole Freeman LSU
SS Dalton Guthrie Florida
3B Jonathan India Florida
OF Jake Mangum Mississippi State
OF Jeren Kendall Vanderbilt
OF Antoine Duplantis LSU
DH/UTL JJ Schwarz Florida
SP Alex Faedo Florida
SP Kyle Wright Vanderbilt
RP Tyler Johnson South Carolina
2017 SEC Baseball Coaches Preseason All-SEC Second Team
POSITION NAME SCHOOL
C Jason Delay Vanderbilt
1B JJ Schwarz Florida
2B Tate Blackman Ole Miss
SS Kramer Robertson LSU
3B Colby Bortles Ole Miss
OF Greg Deichmann LSU
OF Brent Rooker Mississippi State
OF Luke Bonfield Arkansas
DH/UTL Alex Destino South Carolina
SP Alex Lange LSU
SP Tanner Houck Missouri
RP Matt Ruppenthal Vanderbilt
