UF Baseball Picked To Win SEC In Coaches' Poll
Monday, February 13, 2012 | Baseball
The University of Florida was predicted to repeat as the 2012 Southeastern Conference baseball champions, as voted by the league's 12 baseball coaches in the 21st annual preseason SEC poll released on Monday. The Gators occupy the top spot in the four major collegiate baseball preseason polls: Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers (NCBWA) and the USA Today/ESPN Coaches'.
Under the direction of fifth-year head coach Kevin O'Sullivan, the Gators return 18 letterwinners, seven position starters and nine pitchers from last season's squad which finished as the runner-up at the NCAA College World Series for the second time and established a school record for victories by going 53-19.
With a 22-8 performance in the SEC that matched South Carolina and Vanderbilt for the top spot, the Gators blanked the Commodores, 5-0, to capture the 2011 SEC Tournament in Hoover, Ala. It was the first time in 20 years that Florida won the league's tourney and the triumph also represented the first time since 1988 that the Orange and Blue had won the SEC and SEC Tourney in the same season.
Since 1996, the SEC has named a regular season champion as well as a tournament champion. Prior to 1996, the tournament champion was considered the SEC Champion.
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. After capturing three-straight divisional flags, Florida was the favorite in the East with all 66 points. Two-time defending national champion South Carolina was second with 56 points, while Georgia finished third with 42 points. In the West, Arkansas was the favorite with 64 of a possible 66 points. LSU came in second with 58 points and Alabama third with 38 points.
Points were compiled on a 6-5-4-3-2-1 basis for each division. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team. Each coach also voted for one team as an overall conference champion.
The Gators will raise the curtain on their campaign Friday at 7 p.m. versus No. 16 Cal State Fullerton at McKethan Stadium. Season-ticket information is available by calling the Gator Ticket Office at 1-800-34-GATOR or by visiting www.GatorZone.com/tickets.
The 2012 SEC regular season begins Friday, Feb. 17, with conference play set to begin Friday, March 16. The SEC Tournament will be played at Regions Park in Hoover, Ala., May 22-27. The 2011 SEC Baseball Tournament drew nearly 100,000 fans. Six times in the last nine years the tournament has surpassed the six-digit mark in total attendance. The 2010 event drew close to 130,000 fans, an all-time record. An NCAA-record of over two million fans attended games in the SEC last season, the 10th year in a row the SEC has topped the one million mark in attendance, leading the nation once again in that category by a wide margin.
2012 SEC Baseball Preseason Coaches' Poll
Eastern Division
| No. | Team | Pts. | 2011 SEC Record/Finish |
| 1. | FLORIDA | 66 | 22-8/T-1st |
| 2. | South Carolina | 56 | 22-8/T-1st |
| 3. | Georgia | 42 | 16-14/4th |
| 4. | Vanderbilt | 40 | 22-8/T-1st |
| 5. | Kentucky | 25 | 8-22/5th |
| 6. | Tennessee | 18 | 7-23/6th |
Western Division
| No. | Team | Pts. | 2011 SEC Record/Finish |
| 1. | Arkansas | 64 | 15-15/1st |
| 2. | LSU | 58 | 13-17/T-5th |
| 3. | Alabama | 38 | 14-16/T-2nd |
| 4. | Ole Miss | 34 | 13-17/T-5th |
| 5. | Mississippi State | 33 | 14-16/T-2nd |
| 6. | Auburn | 20 | 14-16/T-2nd |
SEC Champion: FLORIDA
