Tennessee baseball has been picked to finish fourth in the SEC East for the 2020 season. The Vols received 50 total votes, but did not receive any first place votes on Thursday by the SEC coaches who voted.
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. Since 1996, the SEC has named a regular season champion as well as a tournament champion.
Vanderbilt was predicted to win the 2020 Southeastern Conference baseball championship. The Commodores received eight first-place votes, and Florida received two. Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, and Mississippi State each received one first-place vote.
The Commodores were predicted to win the SEC Eastern Division, while Arkansas was voted the favorite to win the SEC Western Division.
Behind the Commodores in the SEC East, Florida is predicted to finish second, Georgia third, the Vols fourth, South Carolina fifth, Missouri sixth, and Kentucky last.
Following the Razorbacks in the SEC West, Mississippi State is predicted to finish second, LSU and Auburn tied for third, Texas A&M fifth, Ole Miss sixth, and Alabama last.
The 2020 regular season for SEC teams begins Feb. 14th, with conference play set to begin March 13th. Tennessee begins its season with a three-game series against Western Illinois over Valentine’s Day weekend.
Tennessee will play 37 games at Lindsey Nelson Stadium this season. The Vols will also play four neutral-site games, including one at nearby Smokies Stadium against UT-Martin on March 24. The Vols will play 20 games against teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament last year. That includes 11 games against programs that made it to the Super Regionals and seven versus teams that made it to the College World Series.
The Vols went 40-21 last season while making the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005. UT finished third in the SEC East with an SEC record of 14-16, which was the highest finish in the division since ’05.
