The SEC released its preseason baseball coaches poll on Thursday. According to the coaches, Alabama is projected to finish fourth in the SEC West and eighth overall.

No. 17 Alabama enters 2024 under new leadership, as former Maryland coach Rob Vaughn takes over after a gambling scandal led to the firing of Brad Bohannon near the end of last season. The Crimson Tide lost eight of their nine position starters from 2023 to the transfer portal, or the MLB draft, so Vaughn's first season will rely on the production of fresh faces and rising young talents.

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One such rising talent is sophomore left-handed pitcher Alton Davis II, who was voted by the SEC coaches as a relief pitcher for the All-SEC second-team. The only Alabama player to make either the first- or second-team, Davis II is coming off a standout freshman season where he established himself as the Tide's primary closer. He appeared in 25 games, finishing with a 1-2 record and eight saves. Those eight saves led Alabama and tied for second in the SEC last year with six of them coming in conference play. Against conference opponents, Davis II maintained a 2.76 ERA.

Alabama is projected to finish behind No. 4 Arkansas, No. 2 LSU and No. 10 Texas A&M in the West. No. 3 Florida, No. 8 Tennessee, No. 6 Vanderbilt and No. 21 South Carolina from the East were also projected to finish ahead of the Crimson Tide. The coaches predicted Arkansas to win the conference championship.

Alabama opens the 2024 season with a three-game series against Manhattan College the weekend of Feb. 16-18.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Where Alabama baseball was picked to finish in the SEC in 2024