Arkansas picked 3rd in SEC West, 4 Razorbacks on preseason All-SEC team

Arkansas outfielder Christian Franklin (25) is greeted by second baseman Robert Moore in the dugout following a home run, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2020 during a baseball game at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville.

— Arkansas' baseball team was picked to finish third in the SEC West and the Razorbacks had four players named to the preseason All-SEC team that was voted on by league coaches.

A tight vote in the predictions reflects how competitive the SEC West is expected to be this season. The Razorbacks finished just six points behind division-favorite Ole Miss in the poll, and one point behind Mississippi State for second place.

Arkansas received two first-place votes in the division. LSU is predicted to finish fourth, Texas A&M fifth, Auburn sixth and Alabama seventh in the division.

The Razorbacks shared the division title in 2018 and 2019. There was no champion last year after play was suspended in March due to the covid-19 outbreak.

Arkansas is represented on the preseason All-SEC team by catcher Casey Opitz, second baseman Robert Moore, center fielder Christian Franklin and Matt Goodheart, a projected first baseman who was selected as a designated hitter and utility player.

The Razorbacks' four selections are tied with Florida for the most on the preseason All-SEC team.

Absent from the All-SEC teams is Razorback pitching. Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said last month he felt questions about starting pitching would push his team down some in preseason polls.

"I think a lot of people who maybe haven't been around here a lot, they like our lineup. They like our returners," Van Horn said Jan. 29. "They know we have a good amount of pitchers, but I think the difference between us being ranked 14th in a [national] poll or fourth in a poll is because of starting pitching.

"We don't have those two big-time guys back that Florida has or Texas Tech has, or some of those teams being ranked ahead of us. Like Ole Miss... I mean, they've got three starters back. So, we've got to get our rotation figured out."

Florida is predicted to win the SEC overall championship and received all but one first-place vote in its division. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team.

Vanderbilt was picked second in the SEC East, followed in order by Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, Missouri and Kentucky.

Florida is the top-ranked team in the preseason and one of nine SEC teams ranked in the USA Today Baseball Coaches Poll. Other ranked SEC teams in the preseason include Vanderbilt (3), Ole Miss (5), Mississippi State (7), Arkansas (8), LSU (9), Tennessee (16), South Carolina (20) and Georgia (24).

Arkansas is scheduled to play every ranked SEC team except Vanderbilt this season. The Razorbacks are scheduled to play 24 games against teams ranked in the preseason USA Today poll, including No. 4 Texas Tech, No. 10 Texas and No. 11 TCU during the College Baseball Showdown on Feb. 19-21 in Arlington, Texas.

"If you look at the schedule, it's loaded," Van Horn said. "We're going to find out pretty quick what we need to work on with who we play. I'm excited about that, and I know the players are."

SEC West Predicted Order of Finish

Rank — Team (First-Place Votes), Total Points

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

SEC East Predicted Order of Finish

1 — Florida (13), 91

2 — Vanderbilt (1), 79

3 — Tennessee, 58

4 — South Carolina, 55

5 — Georgia, 51

6 — Missouri, 28

7 — Kentucky, 23

Overall SEC Champion Prediction

Team, Number of First-Place Votes

Florida, 12

Mississippi State, 1

Vanderbilt, 1

Preseason All-SEC 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/UT — Matt Goodheart, Arkansas

SP — Kumar Rocker, Vanderbilt

SP — Connor Prielipp, Alabama

RP — Devin Fontenot, LSU

Preseason All-SEC 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/UT — Wes Clarke, South Carolina

SP — Jack Leiter, Vanderbilt

SP — Tommy Mace, Florida

RP — Ben Specht, Florida