BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Auburn standouts Ike Irish and Cooper McMurray have been named preseason All-SEC by the league office Wednesday.
Irish was tabbed a First Team Preseason All-SEC catcher and McMurray was named a Second Team Preseason All-SEC first baseman.
It marks the second straight season Irish has been named First Team Preseason All-SEC and is the first preseason recognition for McMurray. Irish has also earned preseason All-America honors from Baseball America, D1 Baseball and Perfect Game.
The top two hitters on last year’s team, Irish and McMurray collected a combined 28 home runs with 115 RBI a year ago and both enter their third season on The Plains in 2025.
A 2024 First Team All-SEC performer, Irish led or tied for the team lead in all three major offensive categories with a .319 average to go along with 14 homers and 59 RBI. He also led the team in runs (47), tied for second in doubles (11) and threw out nine would-be base stealers from behind the plate.
In 105 career games, the Hudsonville, Michigan native has turned in a .343 average and has totaled 145 hits, including 35 doubles, three triples and 20 homers, and has driven in 109 runs. He earned Freshman All-America and SEC All-Freshman Team honors in 2023 and was named ABCA First Team All-Region and a semifinalist for both the Golden Spikes Award and Buster Posey Award in 2024.
McMurray is coming off a season in which he led the team with a .449 on-base percentage and 13 doubles, tied with Irish for the team lead with 14 homers and ranked second in average (.296) and RBI (56). He also turned in a .990 fielding percentage at first base, starting all 52 games played at the position.
With 14 home runs in each of the last two seasons, McMurray became just the second Auburn player (Edouard Julien, 2018-19) since 2009-10 to hit double digit home runs in back-to-back seasons. His 37 career home runs, including a year at Kansas, are tied for eighth most among active SEC players and his 124 career RBI are ninth. He also ranks second among active players in the league with 115 career walks.
2025 SEC Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll
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
() – First place votes
2025 SEC Baseball Coaches Preseason All-SEC 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/UTL: Hayden Schott, Texas A&M
SP: Ryan Prager, Texas A&M
SP: Liam Doyle, Tennessee
SP: Kade Anderson, LSU
RP: Nate Snead, Tennessee
RP: Alton Davis II, Georgia
RP: Gavin Guidry, LSU
Second Team
C: Rylan Galvan, Texas*
C: Luke Heyman, Florida*
1B: Cooper McMurray, Auburn
2B: Gavin Kilen, Tennessee
2B: Wyatt Henseler, Texas A&M
2B: Daniel Dickinson, LSU*
3B: Andrew Fischer, Tennessee
3B: Slate Alford, Georgia*
SS: Colby Shelton, Florida
OF: RJ Austin, Vanderbilt
OF: Hunter Ensley, Tennessee
OF: Caden Sorrell, Texas A&M
DH/UTL: Will Hodo, Alabama
SP: Zane Adams, Alabama
SP: Landon Beidelschies, Arkansas
SP: Hunter Elliott, Ole Miss*
SP: JD Thompson, Vanderbilt*
SP: Kyson Witherspoon, Oklahoma*
RP: Christian Foutch, Arkansas
RP: Miller Green, Vanderbilt
RP: Robert Hogan, Kentucky
* - Ties