Weeks ahead of the 2019 softball season, SEC supremacy has already begun.
After being picked to finish ninth in the conference earlier this month, Auburn softball came in at No. 17 in preseason Top 25 rankings by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, USA Softball and ESPN on Tuesday.
In the NFCA poll, eleven of the SEC’s 13 teams are ranked. Florida, the odds-on favorite to win the 2019 SEC title, lead the charge at No. 5, followed by No. 6 Georgia, No. 8 Tennessee, No. 9 Alabama, No. 9 South Carolina (tie), No. 11 LSU, No. 13 Kentucky, No. 14 Arkansas, No. 17 Auburn, No. 20 Texas A&M and No. 24 Mississippi State.
Missouri and Ole Miss, the conference’s remaining teams, also received votes in the poll, with Mizzou getting 10 and Ole Miss getting one.
In Mickey Dean’s first year at the helm, Auburn compiled an 11-12 record in the SEC, finishing under .500 in conference play for the first time since 2013.
The Tigers will rely heavily on ace Makayla Martin during her senior campaign. The Californian was named preseason All-SEC earlier this month. Her 1.36 ERA from last season is the second-lowest in single-season program history and was second among pitchers in the SEC last season (Kelly Barnhill, Florida).
Auburn opens the 2019 season Feb. 8 in Gulf Shores, Alabama, against Tennessee State.
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Nathan King, senior in journalism with a minor in business, is The Plainsman's sports editor.
