BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The No. 18 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.
Points for the poll were awarded on a 1-2-3-4-5 basis for the Eastern Division and on a 1-2-3-4-5-6 basis for the Western Division. Coaches weren’t allowed to vote for their own team as the league placed a record nine teams in the 2009 NCAA Tournament.
“We have a much more seasoned group after starting as many as seven freshmen and sophomores last season,” head coach Yvette Girouard said. “There are a lot of things that I like about the 2010 Tigers. We understand that it’s going to be a battle every time we take the field because the talent level in the SEC is phenomenal.”
The Tigers garnered 17 points, five points behind division and conference favorite Alabama. Auburn was selected third with 33 points, while Mississippi State and Ole Miss tallied 39 and 40 points to finish fourth and five, respectively. Arkansas tallied 54 points to finish out the Western Division.
Florida headlined the Eastern Division with 13 points. Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky and South Carolina complete the Eastern Division. LSU was one of four teams to pick up a first-place vote for the overall conference championship. Alabama tallied six votes followed by Florida’s three votes. Georgia joined the Tigers with one vote apiece.
The Tigers square off against No. 19 North Carolina, No. 21 DePaul and host Texas, a trio of 2009 NCAA Tournament squads, at the Time Warner Cable Texas Invitational starting on Friday.
Season and individual game tickets are on-sale now and can be purchased online on LSUSports.net, the official Web site of LSU Athletics. Tickets also can be purchased in person at the ticket office on the first floor of the Athletics Administration Building or by calling (225) 578-2184 or (800) 960-8587.
Fans are encouraged to get their season tickets to guarantee great seats for LSU’s impressive home slate that features 16 games against 2009 NCAA Tournament teams highlighted by match-ups against Michigan and Georgia, a pair of Women’s College World Series squads.
Conference Champion: Alabama (6), Florida (3), LSU (1) and Georgia (1)
Eastern Division:
1. Florida (13 points)
2. Georgia (18 points)
3. Tennessee (25 points)
4. Kentucky (34 points)
5. South Carolina (46 points)
Western Division:
1. Alabama (12 points)
2. LSU (17 points)
3. Auburn (33 points)
4. Mississippi State (39 points)
5. Ole Miss (40 points)
6. Arkansas (54 points)