SEC baseball preseason accolades announced; Where is South Carolina predicted to finish?

The countdown is officially in the single digits. In just nine more days, South Carolina baseball will begin the 2025 season at Founders Park, hoping to make a run at Omaha for the first time since 2012.

In the weeks leading up to Opening Day, there have been a handful of preseason polls, awards and other lists to have come out. On Wednesday, the Preseason All-SEC Team and Coaches Poll were revealed.

Junior infielder/outfielder Ethan Petry was the lone Gamecock to make the cut, earning Preseason All-SEC First Team honors. He made the team as an outfielder, which has been his primary position throughout college. But he has been playing in the infield at first base for most of the preseason this year.

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This is the second straight year that Petry has received a Preseason All-SEC honor. He was also named a Second Team Preseason All-American by both Perfect Game and D1 Baseball. Petry enters his third year at South Carolina with a .341 career batting average, 44 home runs (tied for fifth in program history) and 128 RBI.

Here’s a look at the entire 2025 Coaches Preseason All-SEC Baseball First Team.

First Team
C: Ike Irish, Auburn
C: Devin Burkes, Kentucky
1B: Jared Jones, LSU
1B: Hunter Hines, Mississippi State
2B: Cade Kurland, Florida
3B: Gavin Grahovac, Texas A&M
SS: Justin Lebron, Alabama*
SS: Dean Curley, Tennessee*
OF: Jace LaViolette, Texas A&M
OF: Ethan Petry, South Carolina
OF: Max Belyeu, Texas*
OF: Tre Phelps, Georgia*
DH/Util: Hayden Schott, Texas A&M
SP: Ryan Prager, Texas A&M
SP: Gabe Gaeckle, Arkansas
SP: Liam Doyle, Tennessee
SP: Kade Anderson, LSU
RP: Nate Snead, Tennessee
RP: Alton Davis II, Georgia
RP: Gavin Guidry, LSU

*Ties

In addition, the SEC’s annual preseason poll was released. South Carolina is predicted to finish 14th of 16th as voted on by the the league’s 16 head coaches.

Here’s a look at the full predicted order of finish for the SEC. First place votes in ().

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1	Texas A&M (10) – 228
2	Tennessee (1) – 215
3	Arkansas (3) – 214
4	LSU (1) – 204
5	Florida (1) – 183
6	Georgia – 165
7	Vanderbilt – 156
8	Texas – 146
9	Mississippi State – 112
10	Kentucky – 102
11	Oklahoma – 101
12	Auburn – 100
13	Alabama – 98
14	South Carolina – 61
15	Ole Miss – 60
16	Missouri – 31

South Carolina opens the 2025 season on Friday, Feb. 14, when it takes on Sacred Heart. First pitch is at 4 p.m.

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