Bama Central

SEC Coaches Pick Alabama Softball to Finish ... Fourth?

Crimson Tide doesn't get the benefit of doubt from the rest of the league after the way the 2022 season ended.
Christopher Walsh|
SEC Coaches Pick Alabama Softball to Finish ... Fourth?
SEC Coaches Pick Alabama Softball to Finish ... Fourth?

If the Alabama Crimson Tide softball team needed any more motivation for the upcoming 2023 season, it was delivered on Thursday. 

The annual preseason poll by the league's head coaches was released and the Crimson Tide was picked to  finish ... fourth. 

Alabama finished second to Arkansas last season during the SEC regular season, and was upset in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. Seeded sixth in the NCAA Tournament, the Crimson Tide (44-13) did not make the Super Regionals for the first time in program history as Stanford ended its season early. 

But fourth? 

The only preseason rankings out so far, the DI preseason Top 25, has Patrick Murphy's team at No. 6 in the nation, right behind Florida at No. 5.

We'll have to wait and see what the Crimson Tide thinks about the snubbing. SEC teams are slated to begin the 2023 softball season on February 9, with conference play set to begin on Friday, March 10.

Specific to the SEC coaches' poll, the Gators received five first-place votes and 134 points to lead the preseason poll. 

Tennessee garnered three first-place votes and 126 points to finish in second place.

Arkansas, the defending SEC Champion, earned five first-place votes and 122 points to take third place. 

Alabama tallied 118 points to place fourth, and LSU rounded out the top five with 87 points.

Points were compiled on a descending basis. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team.

The 2023 SEC Softball Tournament is scheduled for May 9-13 at Bogle Park in Fayetteville, Ark.

SEC Preseason Softball Poll

  1. Florida (5) 134
  2. Tennessee (3) 126
  3. Arkansas 122
  4. Alabama 118
  5. LSU 87
  6. Georgia 85
  7. Kentucky 84
  8. Missouri 63
  9. Auburn 61
  10. Ole Miss 49
  11. Mississippi State 44
  12. Texas A&M 28
  13. South Carolina 13

See Also: 

Inside Alabama Softball's Busy Offseason

Outfielder Faith Hensley Explains Why She Transferred to Alabama

Published
Christopher Walsh
CHRISTOPHER WALSH

Christopher Walsh is the founder and publisher of Alabama Crimson Tide On SI, which first published as BamaCentral in 2018, and is also the publisher of the Boston College, Missouri and Vanderbilt sites . He's covered the Crimson Tide since 2004 and is the author of 27 books including “100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die” and “Nick Saban vs. College Football.” He's an eight-time honoree of Football Writers Association of America awards and three-time winner of the Herby Kirby Memorial Award, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s highest writing honor for story of the year. In 2022, he was named one of the 50 Legends of the ASWA. Previous beats include the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally from Minnesota and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, he currently resides in Tuscaloosa.

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