The Southeastern Conference softball head coaches picked the No. 19 LSU softball team to finish fourth in the SEC in a vote for the conference’s annual preseason poll, the league office announced Thursday morning.
For the poll, points are allocated on a one through 12 basis with coaches being prohibited from picking their own teams.
The defending national champion Florida topped the poll with 11 of the possible 13 first-place votes. The Gators were followed by Alabama, which finished second in the nation last year, and Kentucky finished off the top three.
The Tigers finished last season tied for sixth in the conference with a 13-11 conference record. In the program’s record ninth-straight postseason appearance, LSU reached the semifinals of the SEC Tournament and the final of the NCAA Tucson regional.
LSU opens its season with the annual Tiger Classic in Tiger Park, beginning on Feb. 6 with a matchup against Memphis at 4 p.m.