FAYETTEVILLE — Expectations, both internal and external, are high at Baum-Walker Stadium this season.
Arkansas baseball was picked to win the SEC in the annual preseason poll of the league’s coaches. Coach Dave Van Horn’s Razorbacks received nine of the 14 first-place votes, with the other five going to LSU (three) and Florida (two). Arkansas was also picked to win the SEC West, five points ahead of second-place LSU.
This is the first time since 2013 that Arkansas was picked to win the SEC.
Outfielder Kendall Diggs and pitcher Hagen Smith were both named to the preseason All-SEC team. Diggs hit 12 home runs to go with 63 RBI last season. Smith is a consensus All-American following a sophomore season in which he went 8-2 with a 3.64 ERA and 65 strikeouts.
Last season, Smith was the first Razorback pitcher to be named to the All-SEC first team since Ryne Stanek in 2013 and was a National Pitcher of the Year semifinalist.
2024 SEC Baseball Preseason Coaches’ Poll
Eastern Division:
1. Florida (11 first-place votes) — 88 points
2. Tennessee (2) — 75
3. Vanderbilt (1) — 73
4. South Carolina — 50
5. Kentucky — 44
6. Georgia — 36
7. Missouri — 19
Western Division:
1. Arkansas (9) — 87
2. LSU (5) — 82
3. Texas A&M — 68
4. Alabama — 47
5. Auburn — 46
6. Ole Miss — 32
7. Mississippi State — 23
SEC Champion: Arkansas (9), LSU (3), Florida (2)