AUBURN | Auburn had to fight and claw just to earn the 12th and final spot in the SEC Tournament. Now, if they want to keep playing into June, they’ve probably got to win the whole thing.
“We know we have to win the SEC Tournament. We know that’s our goal It’s laid out there,” Auburn coach Butch Thompson said. “This tournament in some way, for or fashion is probably the toughest hurdle of them all. I think it’s been 1998 since our Tigers have won a conference tournament.
“Other programs I’ve been in, when we’ve won the SEC championship, man, you thought you could go to Omaha, you thought you could do anything."
The Tigers have a tough road ahead of them starting with No. 5 seed Ole Miss Tuesday night, one of four single elimination games to open the tournament. The winner plays No. 4 seed Vanderbilt Wednesday night in the start of the double elimination round.
Auburn has been one of the SEC’s best hitting and defensive teams for most of the season. The starting pitching is coming around but it’s the bullpen that will need to step up in a big way if AU is to make a run in Hoover.
“We can’t do it without some consistency in the bullpen when you start talking about a tournament format,” Thompson said. “If that one area could figure something out for a week. We’ve got to get past Tuesday, but I’d love to get into double elimination and back into single elimination. I’d love for Auburn to be a part of the tournament through the weekend and find a way to win.”
The Tigers opened SEC play at Ole Miss March 19-21, losing the first two games 1-0 and 6-5 before falling 19-11 in game three. Jack Owen, who missed the first month of the season with a dislocated finger, made his first appearance out of the bullpen in game three allowing five runs on four hits and two walks in 0.1 innings.
The senior left-hander, who has 11 career wins, is set to start against the Rebels Tuesday night.
“I know he’s excited to get back out there and compete against those guys and let them know what they saw is not the Jack Owen and who he is,” said Thompson.
Auburn, which began conference play 3-16, finished 10-30, winning three of its last four series. AU has dealt with a number of injuries throughout the season, especially to its pitching staff, and then lost one of its all-time best sluggers Thursday night when Steven Williams was hit in his face by a pitch.
Thompson reflected on what has been a challenging season shortly after AU wrapped up a series win at Missouri last Saturday.
“I’m appreciative,” he said. “I think of Ryan Bliss and how he’s continued to play ball and lead and get after it every day. I think about Steven Williams and all his contributions to Auburn baseball, to have played his last game because of the injury he suffered this weekend. I think about (Richard) Fitts’ perseverance the entire year trying to get it going and Jack Owen, and Cody Greenhill threw a bullpen today fighting to get back out there for his team.
“It’s been pretty good resilience by this ball club and I respect them for never packing it in and continuing to play hard and having a winning second half after what we incurred the first half.”
First pitch at the Hoover Met is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT on the SEC Network.
