Conference Coaches Pick Tennessee Baseball To Finish Second In SEC East

The SEC released its Preseason Coaches Poll on Thursday morning with the league’s coaches picking Tennessee to finish second in the SEC East behind only Florida.

Florida earned 88 votes in first place while Tennessee earned 75 votes in second place right ahead of Vanderbilt’s 73 votes in third place. The rest of the SEC East rankings were South Carolina, Kentucky, Georgia and Missouri.

The Gators earned an overwhelming 11 first place votes while Tennessee earned two first place votes and Vanderbilt earned one first place vote.

The conference’s coaches picked Arkansas to win the SEC West (nine first place votes) just ahead of LSU (five first place votes). Texas A&M, Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss and Mississippi State follow the Razorbacks and Tigers in the rankings.

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Tennessee is coming off a strong 2023 season that saw them advance to the College World Series for the second time in three seasons and earn their first College World Series victory since 2001. Tony Vitello’s sixth Tennessee team struggled the first half of SEC play before going 11-4 the back half of conference play and winning the Clemson Regional and Hattiesburg Super Regional on the way to Omaha.

The Vols had three different players land on the two Preseason Coach All-SEC teams. Starting pitcher Drew Beam landed on the first team while second baseman Christian Moore and third baseman Billy Amick landed on the third team.

Tennessee landed between fifth and twelve in the preseason rankings, coming at No. 5 in the NCBWA’s poll, No. 5 in USA Today Coaches Poll, No. 8 in Baseball America’s rankings, No. 9 in D1Baseball’s rankings and No. 11 in Perfect Game’s rankings.

Complete Rankings

SEC East

1. Florida (11) — 88
2. Tennessee (2) — 75
3. Vanderbilt (1) — 73
4. South Carolina — 50
5. Kentucky — 44
6. Georgia — 36
7. Missouri — 19

SEC West

1. Arkansas (9) — 87
2. LSU (5) — 82
3. Texas A&M — 68
4. Alabama — 47
5. Auburn — 46
6. Ole Miss — 32
7. Mississippi State — 23

SEC Champion: Arkansas (9), LSU (3), Florida (2)