Auburn’s ace returns for key road series
AUBURN | Auburn’s ace will be back on the mound this weekend.
Junior right-hander Keegan Thompson, who sat out last weekend’s series against South Carolina due to shoulder tendonitis, will be back in the starting rotation for the 7th-ranked Tigers visit to Texas A&M.
Thompson is scheduled to start Saturday’s game.
“I was thinking more Sunday … but (Wednesday) went so good — it was a heavy pen,” Auburn coach Butch Thompson said. “Once we dig into it and make sure everything is good, I’m trying to buy as much time as we possibly can. He’s chomping at the bit and ready to get back out there.”
Thompson is 4-0 on the season with a 0.70 ERA. He has 26 strikeouts and seven walks in 38.2 innings.
Sophomore right-hander Casey Mize will start Friday night’s game. In his first-ever Friday night start last weekend he threw his first-career complete game and tied a career-high with 12 strikeouts in a 5-4 win over the Gamecocks.
Mize is 4-1 on the season with a 1.58 ERA. He has an SEC-high 63 strikeouts and seven walks in 45.2 innings. Freshman right-hander Davis Daniel will start Sunday. He’s 2-1 on the season with a 4.83 ERA.
“I feel like I’ve got two Friday night guys and then I’ve got Davis Daniel, who I believe in but is a little bit younger. At the same time, he walked out to the fifth inning with a no-hitter. He was overshadowed by Clarke Schmidt,” Thompson said.
Senior Bo Decker has been cleared to play in the outfield this weekend. He’s missed the last 21 games since injuring his ankle against Lipscomb March 3. He's hitting .321 with two doubles in nine games.
“That was a pretty significant ankle rolling that he had there at first base,” Thompson said. “He’s back and we thought he was one of our best outfielders and one of our best team leaders. It’s a coaches’ decision now if Bo comes back into play and what that looks like and when that happens.”
Auburn, 23-8 overall and 7-2 in the SEC, will face a Texas A&M squad that is 20-10 and 3-6 in the conference. The Aggies are coming off a series win at LSU.
Game times for this weekend will be 6:30 p.m. CT Friday, 3 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. Friday and Sunday’s games will be available on SECN+ and WatchESPN. Saturday’s game will not be televised.
“I think this is the healthiest our club has been in a while,” Thompson said. “I think we do a good job of next man up and we’ve developed our whole team.”