BATON ROUGE — The defending Southeastern Conference champion LSU softball team was picked to finish second in the SEC Western Division in a preseason poll by the league’s coaches released Wednesday.
Ranked No. 5 and No. 8 in the preseason national polls this season, the Tigers claimed their fifth SEC Championship, fourth SEC Tournament title and advanced to their second Women’s College World Series a year ago.
LSU earned 45 points and five first-place votes for a second-place ranking in the SEC West. Alabama was picked to finish first with 56 points and six first-place votes. Mississippi State ranked third with 38 points, followed by Auburn with 36 points, Arkansas with 23 and Ole Miss with 17 points.
Georgia led the SEC Eastern Division with 47 points and seven first-place votes. Tennessee ranked second with 44 points and received four first-place votes. Florida finished with 30 points in third place. South Carolina and Kentucky completed the division with 25 and 14 points respectively.
Georgia was picked to win the overall SEC title with six championship votes, while Alabama and Tennessee each had two and the Tigers garnered one championship vote.
Points for the poll were awarded on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis for the Eastern Division and 6-5-4-3-2-1 basis for the Western Division. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams.
LSU opens the 2005 season on Feb. 11 in Las Vegas at the UNLV Desert Classic against UCF and No. 11 Washington. The Tigers will conclude tournament play against No. 22 Illinois and Louisville, which is receiving votes in the poll. LSU will begin play at home on Feb. 18 in the Tiger Classic, facing Grambling, Indiana and Southern in the three-day event.
2005 SEC Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll (First-Place Votes in Parentheses)
EASTERN DIVISION WESTERN DIVISION No. Team Points No. Team Points 1. Georgia (7) 47 1. Alabama (6) 56 2. Tennessee (4) 44 2. LSU (5) 45 3. Florida 30 3. Mississippi State 38 4. South Carolina 25 4. Auburn 36 5. Kentucky 14 5. Arkansas 23 6. Ole Miss 17 SEC CHAMPION: Georgia (6), Alabama (2), Tennessee (2), LSU (1)