SEC releases baseball preseason poll. Where South Carolina was picked to finish
For the third time in four years under coach Mark Kingston, South Carolina baseball has been picked to finish fourth in the SEC Eastern division in the league’s preseason poll.
The Gamecocks checked in behind College World Series favorites Florida and Vanderbilt, as well as Tennessee, in the poll conducted among the conference’s coaches and released Thursday.
USC was picked to finish fifth in the 2020 preseason poll, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the season before confference play started. In 2019, the Gamecocks were slotted fourth, but wound up finishing in sixth. And in 2018, Kingston’s first season at Carolina, the team was picked fourth as well and landed in third.
South Carolina enters 2021 ranked in the top 25 of every preseason poll, as high as No. 18 in the Baseball America rankings. The Gamecocks return most of their production from last season, which they finished with an abbreviated 12-4 record. Right-handed pitchers Thomas Farr and Brannon Jordan are expected to anchor the weekend rotation, while power-hitting outfielders Andrew Eyster and Brady Allen and third baseman Brennan Milone will feature in the lineup.
One Gamecock in particular, though was singled out for preseason All-SEC honors Thursday — junior Wes Clarke, who was named to the second team as a designated hitter/utility player. Clarke led the SEC last year in home runs with 8 and was third in RBIs with 22, slugging .714.
That marks the third year in a row a Gamecock has picked up preseason accolades after second baseman Noah Campbell did so in 2019 and 2020.2021
SEC Baseball Coaches Preseason Poll
Eastern Division
1. Florida (13) - 91
2. Vanderbilt (1) - 79
3. Tennessee - 58
4. South Carolina - 55
5. Georgia - 51
6. Missouri - 28
7. Kentucky - 23
Western Division
1. Ole Miss (7) - 78
2. Mississippi State (3) - 73
3. Arkansas (2) - 72
4. LSU (2) - 63
5. Texas A&M - 36
6. Auburn - 32
7. Alabama - 31
() - First place votes
SEC Champion: Florida (12), Mississippi State (1), Vanderbilt (1)
2021 SEC Baseball Coaches Preseason All-SEC Team
First Team
C: Casey Opitz, Arkansas
1B: T.J. Collett, Kentucky
2B: Robert Moore, Arkansas
3B: Rankin Woley, Auburn
SS: Ryan Bliss, Auburn
OF: Jud Fabian, Florida
OF: Christian Franklin, Arkansas
OF: Tanner Allen, Mississippi State
DH/UTL: Matt Goodheart, Arkansas
SP: Kumar Rocker, Vanderbilt
SP: Connor Prielipp, Alabama
RP: Devin Fontenot, LSU
Second Team
C: Hayden Dunhurst, Ole Miss
1B: Josh Hatcher, Mississippi State
2B: Max Ferguson, Tennessee
3B: Tim Elko, Ole Miss
SS: Josh Rivera, Florida
OF: Rowdey Jordan, Mississippi State
OF: Owen Diodati, Alabama
OF: Cade Beloso, LSU
DH/UTL: Wes Clarke, South Carolina
SP: Jack Leiter, Vanderbilt
SP: Tommy Mace, Florida
RP: Ben Specht, Florida
*Tie (ties are not broken)
This story was originally published February 11, 2021 at 2:17 PM with the headline "SEC releases baseball preseason poll. Where South Carolina was picked to finish."
