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The University of Mississippi Athletics
SEC Announces Preseason Poll
1/18/2017 | Softball
OXFORD, Miss. - With the season just 23 days away, the Southeastern Conference released its 2016 Preseason Softball Poll with the Rebels checking in at 10th, the league office announced Wednesday.
In a vote of the 13 SEC head coaches in the annual poll, Florida, the two-time defending SEC regular-season champion, has been selected as the preseason favorite. Auburn received two first-place votes in second, while Alabama, LSU and Tennessee rounded out the top five.
The Rebels' 45 points in the poll put them ahead of SEC foes South Carolina (11th), Mississippi State (12th) and Arkansas (13th). Last year, the league's head coaches picked Ole Miss 12th, before they went on to finish ninth en route to a program-best 41-win season and first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.
Ole Miss returns 14 players from the 2016 squad including nine starters, and welcomes 10 newcomers to the 2017 roster. The Rebels open the 2017 slate Feb. 10-12 at the Easton Invitational in Fullerton, California.
2017 SEC Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll
(First-Place Votes in Parentheses)
Place | School | Points |
1. | Florida (9) | 141 |
2. | Auburn (2) | 126 |
3. | Alabama | 118 |
LSU (1) | 118 | |
5. | Tennessee | 98 |
6. | Texas A&M (1) | 83 |
7. | Georgia | 78 |
8. | Kentucky | 75 |
9. | Missouri | 53 |
10. | Ole Miss | 45 |
11. | South Carolina | 38 |
12. | Mississippi State | 28 |
13. | Arkansas | 13 |
For all Ole Miss Softball news and information, go to OleMissSports.com and follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissSoftball, on Facebook at Ole Miss Softball and on Instagram at Instagram.com/olemisssoftball. Fans can also follow head coach Mike Smith on Twitter at @msmithsb16. Additionally, fans can get a behind-the-scenes look at Ole Miss Softball on Snapchat under the handle, @OleMissSoftball.
