With less than two weeks to go until softball’s opening day in Alabama, the national polls are out. Along with them came the SEC trainer survey on how the conference will run. And there seems to be a difference of opinion.
When it comes to the AFCA coaching surveys that are conducted for football in the fall, it’s probably safe to say that most of them are filled out by someone other than the head coach. Conversely, the opinions of the SEC Softball Coaches Poll tend to come from every head coach.
In this poll, conference coaches aren’t as high on the Crimson Tide as national journalists (coaches weren’t allowed to vote for their own team). Alabama has national rankings of 6th, 7th and 8th preseason. However, coaches believe the tide is fourth in the conference.
| rank | d1softball | ESPN/USA Softball | Softball America | SEC trainer |
| 1 | Oklahoma | Oklahoma (25) | Oklahoma | Florida |
| 2 | UCLA | UCLA | State of Oklahoma | Tennessee |
| 3 | State of Oklahoma | State of Oklahoma | State of Florida | Arkansas |
| 4 | State of Florida | State of Florida | UCLA | Alabama |
| 5 | Florida | Florida | Florida | LSU |
| 6 | Alabama | Arkansas | northwest | Georgia |
| 7 | northwest | Alabama | Arkansas | Kentucky |
| 8th | Arkansas | northwest | Alabama | Missouri |
| 9 | Clemson | Texas | Texas | maroon |
| 10 | Georgia | Clemson | Clemson | Ole Fraulein |
| 11 | Stanford | Virginia Tech | Virginia Tech | State of Mississippi |
| 12 | Tennessee | Tennessee | Georgia | Texas A&M |
| 13 | Virginia Tech | Georgia | Tennessee | South Carolina |
| 14 | Texas | Stanford | Arizona | |
| fifteen | UCF | Arizona | duke | |
| 16 | Kentucky | Washington | UCF | |
| 17 | LSU | Kentucky | Washington | |
| 18 | Arizona | UCF | maroon | |
| 19 | maroon | duke | Kentucky | |
| 20 | Louisiana | LSU | Stanford | |
| 21 | Washington | maroon | Michigan | |
| 22 | duke | Oregon | Louisiana | |
| 23 | Oregon | Missouri | State of Mississippi | |
| 24 | North Texas | Louisiana | Oregon State | |
| 25 | Ole Fraulein | Oregon State | State of Arizona |
OBSERVATIONS
- Last year’s Bama roster started Season 2, 2, 3 and leads the conference.
- Of its 57 regular-season games, Team27 faces nine teams that are ranked in at least two polls in 18 games this season: Arkansas (3 games), Auburn (3), Duke (1), Florida State (1), LSU (3rd place). ), Tennessee (3), Texas (2), UCF (1), UCLA (1).
- Mississippi State, Missouri and Ole Miss (3 games each) are scored in a poll.
- Tennessee ranks 12th, 12th and 13th in the three polls, but the SEC coaches still see them as the second-best team in the conference.
- At 3, 3, and 2, Oklahoma State may have its highest preseason finishers of all time. hmm I wonder if it’s because of the transfers they brought in.