UF Baseball Picked 2nd in SEC Eastern Division
Wednesday, January 15, 2003 | Baseball
The University of Florida baseball team has been selected to finish second in the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division in the 12th annual preseason baseball coaches' poll. LSU was selected by the league's 12 coaches to win the overall SEC title with seven total championship points while Mississippi State received three votes and South Carolina one.
In addition to picking a preseason SEC champion, the league's head coaches voted a predicted order of finish in the SEC Eastern and Western Divisions. South Carolina was picked by 11 coaches to win the SEC Eastern Division title while Florida received the other vote. The Gamecocks received 61 points followed by Florida's 49, Georgia (40), Tennessee (33), Vanderbilt (19) and Kentucky (14). LSU earned eight first place votes and 52 total points as the predicted winner in the SEC Western Division.
Florida has been picked to finish no less than second place in the SEC Eastern Division voting since 1995.
Points were compiled on a 6-5-4-3-2-1 basis for each division. Coaches were allowed to vote for their own team and each coach voted for one team as an overall conference champion.
The 2003 Gators open team practice on Monday, January 20th at McKethan Stadium at 9:30 a.m. ET. Second-year head coach Pat McMahon and requested players will be available prior to practice on weekdays from 1:25-2:00 p.m. The Gators will host their annual alumni weekend Saturday and Sunday, January 25-26, with the Alumni Game scheduled to be played Jan. 26 at 1:10 p.m. ET. More details are available on www.gatorzone.com. Florida opens its 2003 season with a three-game home series against Mercer University on Feb. 7-9. Season ticket information is available by calling the Gator ticket office at 1-800-34-GoUF.
The Gators concluded the 2002 season with a 46-19 overall record and 20-10 SEC mark. The Gators return 19 letterwinners and four position starters from a squad that appeared in the school's 20th NCAA Regional and advanced to its 14th SEC Tournament over the last 15 years. In addition, head coach Pat McMahon welcomes 20 newcomers to the squad.
SEC COACHES' PICKS
SEC Eastern Division
| No. | Team (1st place votes) | Pts. | '02 SEC Rec/Fin. |
| 1. | South Carolina (11) | 61 | 21-8/1st |
| 2. | FLORIDA (1) | 49 | 20-10/2nd |
| 3. | Georgia | 40 | 15-15/3rd |
| 4. | Tennessee | 33 | 12-18/4th |
| 5. | Vanderbilt | 19 | 7-21/5th |
| 6. | Kentucky | 14 | 6-24/6th |
SEC Western Division
| No. | Team (1st place votes) | Pts. | '02 SEC Rec/Fin. |
| 1. | LSU (8) | 52 | 19-10/2nd |
| 2. | Mississippi State | 43 | 14-15/4th |
| 3. | Auburn | 34 | 15-15/3rd |
| 4. | Alabama | 28 | 20-10/1st |
| 5. | Ole Miss | 27 | 14-16/6th |
| 6. | Arkansas | 11 | 13-14/5th |
SEC Champion: LSU (7); Mississippi State (3); South Carolina (2)
--UF--
