Just 22 days before the 2018 softball season kicks off, the Southeastern Conference has announced the results of the preseason coaches’ poll. The University of Georgia has been picked ninth by the league’s head coaches.

Three-time defending SEC regular-season champion and national runner-up Florida was chosen the preseason favorite, garnering 11 of 13 first-place votes. Tennessee (one first-place vote), Texas A&M, LSU, and Alabama (one first-place vote) round out the top five.

Despite finishing last in the conference a season ago, Georgia punched its ticket to its 16th-straight NCAA Regional Tournament. The Bulldogs return a good number of student-athletes from the 2017 squad including two-time NFCA All-American outfielder Cortni Emanuel and All-Region third baseman Alyssa DiCarlo. Pitcher Brittany Gray is set for her senior campaign in the circle in 2018. The Bulldogs’ .338 team batting average in 2017 was the best in the SEC, 22 points higher than second-place Tennessee. That figure also ranked fifth in the country.

Georgia will kick off the 2018 season on Feb. 8 in Tempe, Arizona. 36 total contests are set to be played at Jack Turner Stadium this Spring.

2018 SEC Softball Preseason Coaches’ Poll

(First-Place Votes in Parentheses)

1. Florida (11) – 143 points

2. Tennessee (1) – 119

3. Texas A&M – 114

4. LSU – 109

5. Alabama (1) – 107

6. Auburn – 85

7. Ole Miss – 81

8. Kentucky – 76

9. Georgia – 49

10. Arkansas – 39

11. Missouri – 34

12. South Carolina – 30

13. Mississippi State – 28