BIRMINGHAM — The LSU Tigers are predicted to win the 2009 Southeastern Conference baseball championship, as voted by the league’s 12 baseball coaches in the 18th annual preseason SEC poll.

The Tigers, ranked as high as No. 1 nationally in  multiple preseason polls, seek to capture their league-leading 14th SEC Championship and first since 2003.  LSU returns 14 position players with starting experience and ten pitchers from their 2008 squad which won the SEC Western Division, the SEC Tournament and advanced to the NCAA College World Series.

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 the overall SEC Champion vote, LSU received ten of a possible 11 votes. Ole Miss and Georgia also received one vote each.

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. In the Eastern Division, Georgia was the favorite with 62 of a possible 66 points.  Florida came in second with 52 points and Vanderbilt third with 40 points.  LSU was favorite in the Western Division with a total of 65 points. Ole Miss was second with 54, while Alabama finished third 44.

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.

Eastern Division       

Team                   Pts.        ’08 SEC Rec/Finish 

1) Georgia (10)   62           20-9-1 / 1st

2) Florida (2)       52           17-13 / 2nd

3) Vanderbilt        40           15-14 / 4th

4) S. Carolina      37           15-15 / 5th

5) Tennessee       28           12-18 / 6th

6) Kentucky          27           16-14 / 3rd

Western Division       

Team                  Pts.        ’08 SEC Rec/Finish 

1) LSU (10)          65           18-11-1 / 1st

2) Ole Miss (2)     54           15-15 / 3rd

3) Alabama          44           16-14 / 2nd

4) Arkansas         38           14-15 / 4th

5) Auburn             28           11-19 / 5th

6) Miss. State      18           9-21 / 6th

( ) – First Place Votes

SEC Champion:  LSU (10); Georgia (1); Ole Miss (1)