BATON ROUGE — The LSU softball team was picked to finish second in the Southeastern Conference Western Division Tuesday as chosen by the conference’s coaches in the league’s annual preseason poll.
The Tigers totaled 21 points, 11 points behind division favorite Alabama. Mississippi State was selected third with 30 points, followed closely by Auburn with 35 points. Arkansas and Ole Miss finished out the Western Division with 49 and 50 points, respectively.
Florida led the Eastern Division with 10 points. The Gators also picked up 10 of the 11 votes for the overall conference championship. Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina and Kentucky complete the Eastern Division.
LSU also earned a No. 19 national ranking Tuesday in the NFCA Preseason Top 25 as the Tigers entered its third week of practice.
“The pieces are starting to come together where the players are most comfortable on the field,” head coach Yvette Girouard said. “We’ve got some great work done over the last couple of days. The players are getting challenged and responding. We’re right on track with where we want to be at this point.”
The NFCA/USA Today poll is voted on by 30 NCAA Division I coaches representing the nation’s different conferences. Florida edged out defending national champion Arizona State at the top of the poll.
LSU is slated to play 15 games against Top 25 opponents, including 11 contests against six teams that are ranked in the Top 12. Ranked opponents on the Tigers’ 2009 schedule are No. 1 Florida, No. 3 Alabama, No. 5 Texas A&M, No. 9 Northwestern, No. 10 Oklahoma, No. 12 Tennessee, No. 15 DePaul and No. 22 Georgia. LSU also faces off against Mississippi State, Hawai`i and Auburn who are receiving votes in the preseason Top 25.
Over last weekend, LSU softball hosted a winter clinic at Anderson-Feazel Field at the Charles McClendon Football Practice Facility as approximately 100 players ranging from ages 8-18 attended the two-day event.
“The players did an outstanding job of reaching out to the community during our winter clinic,” Girouard said. “It’s important for them to build relationships and remember that they were once these girls. Now, it has come full circle, and they are the ones being looked up to.”
LSU embarks on the 2009 season at the Paradise Softball Classic, squaring off against No. 10 Oklahoma, UAB and host Hawai`i from Feb. 5-7. The new Tiger Park opens against McNeese State on Feb. 11.
Season tickets are on sale now at www.LSUSports.net, the official Web site of LSU Athletics. Tickets also can be purchased at the ticket office or by calling (225) 578-2184 or (800) 960-8587. LSU students, faculty and staff are admitted free with a LSU ID.
There are a limited number of chair-back seats still available for $100, while reserved bleacher seating is $75. Fans are encouraged to get their season tickets to guarantee great seats for LSU’s marquee home schedule that features six games against teams that made the 2008 Women’s College World Series.
SEC Coaches’ Preseason Order of Finish
Conference Champion: Florida (10), Alabama (1)
Eastern Division:
1. Florida (10 points)
2. Tennessee (19 points)
3. Georgia (30 points)
4. South Carolina (36 points)
5. Kentucky (45 points)
Western Division:
1. Alabama (10 points)
2. LSU (21 points)
3. Mississippi State (30 points)
4. Auburn (35 points)
5. Arkansas (49 points)
6. Ole Miss (50 points)
USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll — Preseason
The USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll is voted on by NCAA Division I head coaches, one representing each conference. Final 2008 records are shown. First-place votes are in parentheses.
Rank Team Record Pts Pvs
1 Florida (14) 70-5 728 3
2 Arizona State (15) 66-5 691 1
3 Alabama 58-8 578 4
4 UCLA (1) 51-9 638 5
5 Texas A&M 57-10 533 2
6 Louisiana (1) 52-15 544 6
7 Arizona 51-19 542 7
8 Michigan 52-8 527 9
9 Northwestern 50-16 511 12
10 Oklahoma 41-14 498 10
11 Stanford 49-15 456 11
12 Tennessee 50-16 302 14
13 Houston 54-11 285 13
14 Fresno State 54-13 280 15
15 DePaul 51-18 279 22
16 Missouri 47-17 270 19
17 California 43-27 255 16
18 North Carolina 50-12-1 222 20
19 LSU 44-18 210 18
20 Virginia Tech 49-19 201 8
21 Washington 30-25-1 193 NR
22 Georgia 46-24 169 17
23 Nevada 44-18 157 21
24 Long Beach State 40-17 108 23
25 San Diego State 44-17 99 24
Others receiving votes:
UMass 68, Mississippi State 46, Iowa 43, South Florida 42, Hofstra 27, Oklahoma State 19, BYU 17, Hawai’i 15, Notre Dame 12, Nebraska 8, Purdue 8, Central Florida 8, Creighton 6, Auburn 6, Oregon 4, Oregon State 4, Jacksonville State 4, East Carolina 4, Louisiana Tech 3, Texas 2, Chattanooga 2. Six schools received one point apiece.