BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The LSU softball team is a unanimous choice by the league’s coaches to win the 2002 Southeastern Conference regular-season championship.
The Tigers, ranked fourth in the nation heading into the season, have won the past three conference crowns and have won five straight SEC Western Division titles.
South Carolina, with nine first place votes, is the choice to win the Eastern Division over Florida, which received the other two. Georgia, Kentucky and Tennessee rounded out the division selections. Vanderbilt does not field a team.
In the West, LSU garnered all 11 first place votes for 66 points. Alabama came in second with 52 points. Arkansas and Mississippi State were third and fourth, respectively. Auburn and Ole Miss were picked to finish in the final two spots.
The voting was done on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis in the East and a 6-5-4-3-2-1 in the West. The SEC season will conclude with the SEC Softball Tournament from May 9-12 at Chattanooga, Tenn.
LSU begins its season in the Tiger Classic at 2 p.m. on Feb. 8 against Jackson State.