Bama Central

SEC Coaches Reveal Preseason Rankings, Name Alabama Star to All-SEC Team

The Crimson Tide was picked in the bottom half of the conference following a 40-win season in 2025.
Theodore Fernandez|
May 21, 2025; Hoover, AL, USA; A ball hit by a Tennessee batter gets into left field beyond the reach of Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron (1) in the second round of the SEC Baseball Tournament at the Hoover Met.
May 21, 2025; Hoover, AL, USA; A ball hit by a Tennessee batter gets into left field beyond the reach of Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron (1) in the second round of the SEC Baseball Tournament at the Hoover Met. | Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The excitement for Alabama baseball is continuing to mount in Tuscaloosa with the start of the season just over a week away. The SEC Preseason Coaches' Poll and Preseason All-SEC teams were announced on Thursday afternoon, leaving Alabama low on the list while forecasting a big season for one of the team's stars.

Alabama came in at 12th in the preseason poll, one spot higher than its No. 13 ranking last year. The Crimson Tide received 87 points in the voting, just one point and three points ahead of Texas A&M and Oklahoma, respectively. South Carolina and Missouri are the only other two teams ranked below the Crimson Tide in the conference.

Rob Vaughn's team won 41 games in 2025 and tied for seventh in the conference standings with a 16-14 record in SEC play. Alabama flamed out in the postseason, winning an opening round matchup against the bottom-feeding Missouri Tigers before falling to Tennessee in the SEC Tournament, before going 0-2 in the Hattiesburg Regional with losses to Miami and Southern Miss.

Alabama has been excluded from most of the national polls entering the season, and the SEC Coaches poll provides what the team will likely use as bulletin board material. Florida, Mississippi State, and Kentucky all finished below the Crimson Tide in last year's standings and are now ranked above the team.

LSU, the reigning national champions, came in at No. 1 in the poll with nine of the 16 first-place votes. Mississippi State received four votes as Hall of Fame coach Brian O'Connor has drawn national attention with a retooled roster in Starkville. Arkansas (2) and Texas (1) received the other first-place votes.

2026 SEC Preseason Coaches Poll
2026 SEC Preseason Coaches Poll | Southeastern Conference

The coaches also voted on the preseason All-SEC teams. Alabama junior Justin Lebron was named to the first team at shortstop, the only Crimson Tide player named to the first or second team.

Lebron is one of the most hyped players in the nation this season as a projected top-five MLB Draft pick. He batted .316 with 18 home runs, 72 RBIs, and received All-American honors at the end of the season. He was selected to the Preseason All-SEC First Team in 2025 as well, and ultimately ended up on the conference's second team as well as the All-Defensive Team.

Lebron has also been named a D1 Baseball Preseason All-American and was one of 20 players named to Baseball America's Preseason Player of the Year Award Watchlist.

Alabama opens the season with a weekend series at Sewell-Thomas Stadium against Washington State, beginning on Feb. 13. The team just made an appearance at Alabama's basketball game against Texas A&M on Wednesday night, with Lebron speaking to the crowd at midcourt to recruit fans to come to the opening series.

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Theodore Fernandez
THEODORE FERNANDEZ

Theodore Fernandez is an intern with Alabama Crimson Tide On SI/BamaCentral and combined with his time with The Crimson White and WVUA 23 News has covered every Alabama sport across He also works as the play-by-play broadcaster for Alabama’s ACHA hockey team and has interned for Fox Sports.

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