BATON ROUGE -– The LSU Tigers have been selected to win the 2023 Southeastern Conference regular season baseball championship, and four Tigers earned Preseason All-SEC honors.
A total of four different schools received first place votes to win the 2023 SEC title. LSU led the way with 11 votes, while Florida, Ole Miss and Texas A&M had one.
Tiger junior centerfielder Dylan Crews and sophomore third baseman Tommy White were voted to the First-Team All-SEC squad, and junior first baseman Tre’ Morgan and junior right-handed pitcher/utility player Paul Skenes were named to the Second-Team All-SEC team.
Crews was a 2022 consensus First-Team All-American and the SEC Co-Player of the Year after he batted .349 with 11 doubles, four triples, 22 homers, 72 RBI and 73 runs. LSU’s star centerfielder was also named a semifinalist in 2022 for the Golden Spikes Award.
Crews finished the season as the SEC leader in runs scored (73), and he was No. 2 in the league in triples (4), No. 3 in RBI (72), No. 3 in total bases (172), No. 4 in home runs (22), No. 4 in slugging percentage (.691), No. 5 in hits (87), No. 5 in on-base percentage (.463) and No. 8 in walks (42).
White transferred to LSU after an incredible 2022 freshman season at North Carolina State, where he was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Freshman of the Year. White hit .362 last season with 85 hits, 12 doubles, 27 home runs, 74 RBIs and a .757 slugging percentage, setting the NCAA freshman record for homers in a season.
Morgan hit .324 in 2022 with 18 doubles, one triple, five homers, 54 RBI and 50 runs. As a true freshman in 2021, Morgan earned Freshman All-America, Second-Team All-SEC and SEC All-Defensive Team recognition.
Skenes, who transferred to LSU this season after two years at Air Force, recorded a 2.96 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 85.2 innings (15 starts) for Air Force, limiting opponents to a .224 batting average. He also hit .314 with 10 doubles, 13 homers and 38 RBI.
2023 SEC Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll
Eastern Division
- Tennessee (12) – 90
- Florida (2) – 79
- Vanderbilt – 64
- South Carolina – 51
- Georgia – 48
- Kentucky – 34
- Missouri – 19
Western Division
- LSU (12) – 88
- Texas A&M (1) – 69
- Arkansas – 68
- Ole Miss (1) – 64
- Alabama – 34
- Auburn – 33
- Mississippi State – 29