Auburn's ace pitcher added to his collection of preseason accolades Thursday morning, however his team's preseason outlook was given a gut-check by the SEC's coaches.
Florida was picked to win the SEC, and Auburn was slated to finish sixth in the SEC West in the conference's preseason coaches polls.
Through a point system, coaches were restricted from voting for their own team, making one selection for the conference's champion as well.
The projected champion Gators led the pair of All-SEC teams with five players selected, including three on the First Team, followed by Arkansas with four and Kentucky with three. Tennessee, which was selected to finish last in the East, is the only school with no players on either All-SEC team.
Auburn baseball opens its 2018 campaign Friday, Feb. 16 vs. Longwood at Plainsman Park. The first pitch will be at 5 p.m. CT.
2018 SEC Baseball Coaches Preseason Poll
Eastern Division
- Florida - 91 (points)
- Kentucky - 74
- Vanderbilt - 72
- South Carolina - 50
- Georgia - 41
- Missouri - 32
- Tennessee - 25
Western Division
- Arkansas - 90
- Texas A&M - 72
- Ole Miss - 62
- LSU - 59
- Mississippi State - 44
- Auburn - 38
- Alabama - 20
SEC Champion: Florida (12), Arkansas (1), Texas A&M (1)
2018 SEC Baseball Coaches Preseason All-SEC Team
First Team
C: Grant Koch, Arkansas
1B: Julian Infante, Vanderbilt
2B: Cobie Vance, Alabama
SS: Braden Shewmake, Texas A&M
3B: Jonathan India, Florida
OF: Antoine Duplantis, LSU
OF: Tristan Pompey, Kentucky
OF: Jake Mangum, Mississippi State
DH/UTL: Michael Curry, Georgia
SP: Brady Singer, Florida
SP: Casey Mize, Auburn
RP: Michael Byrne, Florida
Second Team
C: JJ Schwarz, Florida
1B: Kameron Misner, Missouri
2B: Luke Becker, Kentucky
SS: Jax Biggers, Arkansas
3B: George Janca, Texas A&M
OF: Dominic Fletcher, Arkansas
OF: Zach Watson, LSU
OF: Carlos Cortes, South Carolina
DH/UTL: JJ Schwarz, Florida
SP: Sean Hjelle, Kentucky
SP: Blaine Knight, Arkansas
RP: Dallas Woolfolk, Ole Miss
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