AUBURN | After giving up 45 runs including 40 earned last week, Auburn’s pitching staff was due for a shakeup going into this weekend’s series at South Carolina.

And it starts Saturday with freshman Brooks Fuller staring his first-career SEC game.

“Tanner Burns and Cody Greenhill last year showed a little bit of a road map that you can be a freshman here and be a freshman All-American. Their No. 1 skill is their ability to compete,” Auburn coach Butch Thompson said. “That’s what I think about Brooks first. We think there’s some pitchability and throw strike one and avoid the big miss and all that, but you’ve got a chance if you go out and compete.

“We’re playing in an offensive park again. Brooks is a lefty that has an opportunity to keep the ball down and that’s important.”

Fuller was the only Auburn pitcher with a sub-3.00 ERA last week, holding No. 2 Mississippi State to one run in 3.2 innings on Saturday. He throws a two-seam and four-seam fastball in the high 80’s along with a changeup and slider/slurve.

“I’ve been thrown out there the last two weekends and I’ve just tried to give my team a chance to win. I’m going to do the same thing Saturday,” Fuller said. “I’ll learn a lot from Tanner (Friday). He’s one of the best in the business, in the country. So I’ll just really lock in tomorrow night, watch him and how he throws to his batters. He’s got 94, 95, I don’t quite have that but pitching is pitching in the SEC.”

The Auburn native is the son of former Auburn pitcher and assistant coach Mark Fuller, who remains among the top 10 in a couple of AU career records including games pitched (87) and innings pitched (288.2).

“My dad is great. He kind of lets me run my own show. He’s not down my neck breathing or anything,” Fuller said. “It’s special to just to come and play here after what he’s done here, but there’s no added pressure or anything.”

Burns, who is fifth in the SEC with 52 strikeouts, will remain Auburn’s Friday starter. Thompson announced TBA for Sunday with hopes that Jack Owen can return from his sore shoulder in time to start.

The Gamecocks come into the series 16-9 overall and 1-5 in the conference. They’re ranked 14th in the SEC with a .254 average but have hit an SEC-best 42 home runs. They’re also 12th in ERA (4.44) and 8th in fielding percentage (.972).

No. 12 Auburn (20-5, 4-2 SEC) enters the series on a three-game losing streak. The game times are 6 p.m. Friday, noon Saturday and 11 a.m. Sunday. Friday’s game is on SECN+ while the SEC Network will carry both the Saturday and Sunday games.