Shelby Lowe has a lot of fun in the circle.

Understanding that doesn't require an interview or even much experience watching the Auburn softball team play. A glance toward the Tigers' freshman left-hander yields the same result regardless of day, of opponent, of score.

She's smiling.

Her coach knows it's a function of Lowe's joie de vivre, but he nonetheless finds himself chuckling about it from time time.

"What pisses off an opponent more than anything else? They look at a pitcher in the circle just after they’ve gotten a hit — and she’s smiling," Mickey Dean said. "No matter what's going on, she's smiling. You’ve got to love it."

Lowe already plenty of reasons to enjoy her first college season. She's 8-2 in 12 starts, currently sports a 0.72 earned run average, leads the Tigers' staff in strikeout rate, walk rate and opponent batting average.

Shouldn't this be more difficult for a freshman?

The answer to that question begins seven years ago when Lowe, then a sixth grader at Pickens (Ala.) Academy, was pressed into emergency duty when the Lady Pirates' ace pitcher went down with an injury.

"I was basically the only other pitcher we had," Lowe said.

So began one of the most impressive prep careers imaginable. Lowe went on to win more than 70 games at Pickens, struck out at least 600 batters and led her travel-ball team, the Birmingham Thunderbolts, to a No. 1 ranking and a national title.

She's been in pressure situations so many times that pressure isn't really a concept she understands these days.

"They’ve put me in tight positions ever since I started playing," she said. "I don’t really get nervous. There’s not a reason to get nervous. I got put in that position when I was so young. I had to mature so fast. Now I’m here."

Pitching has become more about power during the past decade — with major-conference aces often throwing in the low 70s. Lowe is a throw-back in that way; she typically works in the high 60s yet flummoxes hitters with three different breaking pitches and a changeup for good effect.

Her goal is to give hitters something different every time they face her. Lowe levies her damage with location and strategy, not horsepower.

"The first time I saw her pitch, she was in the 7th or 8th grade. She seemed to just understand the game, where to put the ball," Dean said. "Even before she got all her pitches, she understood locations and she understood counts. As she’s learned pitches, she’s learned to have really tight spins — where you think it’s going to be is not where it ends up."

Lowe's deceptiveness was on full display at Mizzou last weekend. With fellow freshman Maddie Penta out with an injury, Lowe started two games, logged 14 1/3 innings and conceded a grand total of one run. She struck out 17 batters and walked one.

Her Sunday shutout yielded the Tigers their first conference victory.

Lowe's trajectory has Dean thinking big — "she could be the best that ever stepped foot on this campus," he said — but Lowe nonetheless is simply enjoying what every new start brings her.

"I love the game, I love to play," she said. "It’s a competition every day. You get to build a family in softball. It’s basically my family here. I enjoy it a lot."

ARKANSAS (28-3/9-0) at AUBURN (19-8/1-5)

Thursday, 5 p.m. on WatchESPN.com

Friday, Noon on SEC Network

Saturday, 1 p.m. on SEC Network