AUBURN | It took nearly six weeks but it turned out to be quite a tune-up for John Armstrong.

In his first two appearances since March 29, the Auburn freshman allowed just one hit and no runs against No. 3 Arkansas and Alabama.

“Really evolved. Was in the garage, has changed a lot of things and was spot on for two weeks. It’s good stuff,” said Auburn coach Butch Thompson.

Armstrong spent the six weeks working to refine his delivery. The right-handed, side-armer had been struggling with his control, walking five batters in his previous 2.0 innings out of the bullpen.

“If you’re on the rubber as a pitcher and you’re right-handed and throw from a lower slot, if your head goes to third base initially before it goes to the plate, now your energy flow is off. He was all over the place and scattered,” explained Thompson.

Under the guidance of pitching coach Tim Hudson, Armstrong worked to keep his head aligned with home plate and also made an adjustment to the grip on his slider.

“I just feel more controlled,” said Armstrong. “It’s a lot more simple. I’m just keeping my head still. That’s really it. Dominating part of the zone, that’s what I’m supposed to do and it’s a lot easier to do that now.”

Armstrong is part of an Auburn bullpen that’s had a resurgence the second half of the season. Sophomore Carson Swilling, freshman Chase Allsup and junior Chase Isbell have also stepped up their play giving the Tigers a lot more options late in games besides just Carson Skipper and Blake Burkhalter.

And Thompson hasn’t been afraid to use them in pressure situations. In back-to-back wins over Arkansas and Alabama, Swilling didn’t allow a hit. Allsup made two appearances against the Hawgs and got a save against the Tide. Isbell has allowed just one earned run in his last five appearances including Mississippi State, Tennessee, Arkansas and earning the win at Troy.

Armstrong threw 2.2 hitless innings against the Razorbacks May 8 and allowed just one hit in 2.2 innings against Alabama Friday, earning his first-career win.

“I definitely wanted to come back this year,” said Armstrong. “It was hard but it worked out. A lot of simple things that I fixed and hopefully I can keep it going.”

The Tigers return to action Tuesday night against Samford at the Hoover Met. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT on ESPN+. AU senior right-hander Jordan Armstrong (no relation), who is 3-1 with a 5.46 ERA, will face SU sophomore right-hander Cole Fryman (0-0, 10.80).

Auburn will wrap up the regular season next weekend with a three-game series at Kentucky beginning Thursday night at 5:30 p.m.