The preseason predictions for the SEC were released on Thursday, and Auburn didn't receive much love. The Tigers were pegged to finish sixth in the division, just ahead of Alabama.
Points were compiled on a 7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis for each division. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team, and each coach also voted for one team as an overall conference champion.
The top 25 is loaded with seven SEC teams, four of which are in the top 10. Thursday, the panel forecasted that the Florida Gators would win the conference, with 13 out of the 14 possible first-place votes.
Florida finished 52-18 in last year and was knocked out in the semifinals of the College World Series by the Virginia Cavaliers, who later ended up winning the tournament against Vanderbilt, who finished 51-21.
Auburn finished last year at 36-26 (13-17 in conference play) and was predicted to finish sixth in the SEC West, a peg below its fifth place finish in 2015. A bright spot for the Tigers was outfielder Anfernee Grier, who was named Preseason First Team All-SEC.
Grier, a prodigy from Phenix City, started 38 games in his freshman year, where he finished with a .255 batting average, 1 home run, and 11 RBI’s; he also recorded seven stolen bases.
Grier’s sophomore season was a different story. He started all 62 games and led the team in numerous offensive statistics, including batting average (.323), runs scored (41), hits (82), doubles (22) and triples (3).
He ranked second in the SEC with 22 doubles, and second on the team in stolen bases (9).
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