LEXINGTON, Ky. ? A year after winning its first Southeastern Conference Championship in school history, the Kentucky baseball team has been picked to finish fourth in the SEC East as voted on by the league?s 12 baseball coaches in the 16th annual preseason SEC poll, the league office announced Wednesday.
The Wildcats completed the most improbable league championship in SEC history a year ago as UK climbed from a last place 2005 finish to the 2006 league crown. Kentucky entered last season having been picked to finish last in the conference, only to rise from the conference cellar to win a school-record 44 games and host the first NCAA Regional in school history.
Kentucky returns several starters from the championship club, including preseason All-Americans Sean Coughlin (Sr., C), Collin Cowgill (Jr., OF), and Greg Dombrowski (Jr., RHP). Coughlin and Cowgill will provide some significant pop to the lineup after combining for 33 home runs and 116 RBI a year ago. Dombrowski established himself as the ace of the staff in 2006, picking up 10 wins and a 2.83 ERA as the Sunday starter.
Joining the trio of All-Americans as a returning starter is arguably the best defensive centerfielder in all of college baseball, Antone DeJesus. DeJesus (Jr., CF), a career .333 hitter, will yet again be a force as the Wildcats disciplined lead-off hitter.
Atop of the coaches poll sits the South Carolina Gamecocks, who were picked as both the Eastern Division champ and the overall SEC Champion. Following closely behind are the Arkansas Razorbacks who were selected as the Western Division Champions.
The 2007 Kentucky baseball season gets started with a three-game road series at Furman (Feb. 16-18) in Greenville, S.C. The Wildcats then open up the home portion of their schedule with a 20-game homestand beginning with Murray State on Feb. 21.
Eastern Division Team Pts. ’06 SEC Rec/Finish
1. S. Carolina (9) 63 15-15 / 4th
2. Vanderbilt (3) 54 16-14 / 3rd
3. Tennessee 39 11-18 / 5th
4. Kentucky 31 20-10 / 1st
5. Georgia 30 18-12 / 2nd
6. Florida 29 10-20 / 6th
Western Division Team Pts. ’06 SEC Rec/Finish
1. Arkansas (11) 66 18-12 / 2nd
2. Ole Miss (1) 53 17-13 / 3rd
3. Alabama 47 20-10 / 1st
4. LSU 33 13-17 / 4th
5. Auburn 24 9-21/ 6th
6. Mississippi St. 23 12-17 / 5th
( ) – First Place Votes
SEC Champion: South Carolina (7); Arkansas (3); Vanderbilt (2)
