AUBURN | Three weeks down, seven to go. Auburn is off to a tough 1-8 start in conference play but still has plenty of games — 21 to be exact — to turn it around.
The Tigers enter this weekend’s series against No. 4 Mississippi State knowing that five of their losses were by one run and two more by two runs.
“Our offense and defense has been phenomenal,” said senior pitcher Jack Owen. “I think we're second in the SEC in a lot of offensive categories. We turned seven double plays against an Arkansas team that had hit into one previously.
“We're playing really good, and even when we're not performing to the best of our ability, we're losing by a run, two runs here and there. That's close to being a completely different story right now and a completely different mindset. You’ve got to keep doing what you're doing because, really, we're not that far off.”
Auburn is second in the SEC with a .298 batting average, third with a .484 slugging percentage, eighth with 193 runs scored. seventh with 37 home runs and third with a .978 fielding percentage.
The pitching has been the issue as AU ranks 13th with a 4.72 ERA, 14th with 215 strikeouts, seventh with 99 walks, 14th with two saves and 13th with 19 wild pitches.
But there are reasons to believe the pitching is starting to come around.
Owen, who missed the first six weeks of the season with a dislocated finger, threw 5.1 scoreless innings at No. 2 Arkansas in his first start of the season last weekend.
“Jack was incredible last week,” Auburn coach Butch Thompson said. “A fastball to both sides, he got his breaking ball over, and his changeup really took the sting out of some swings. It was typical Jack.”
Owen combined with Cody Greenhill and Joseph Gonzalez to go 1-0 with a 1.56 ERA against the Razorbacks. The bullpen, however, was 0-2 with a 10.00 ERA, but Carson Skipper returned last weekend and Hayden Mullins could be available Sunday giving AU two key left-handed relievers.
After being forced into a starting role, projected closer Mason Barnett will be in the bullpen for a second consecutive weekend.
“I think we do add Mullins. But it’s really, really, really us telling three guys we have a commitment that they’re the guys and they’re going to get this done for us and keep adjusting and keep playing and go out there and execute for us,” Thompson said. “We want less talk and a little more action. At this stage of the game, it matters. Being in so many games, we’ve done so many things well, I don’t want those things to go away either.”
The Bulldogs will enter the series 21-7 overall and 5-4 in the SEC. MSU opened conference play taking 2 of 3 at LSU before being swept at home by Arkansas. They bounced back with a sweep of Kentucky last weekend.
MSU is eight in the conference with a .272 batting average, 12th with a .419 slugging percentage, ninth with 192 runs scored, 13th with a .972 fielding percentage, second with a 2.76 ERA and first with 372 strikeouts.
“I think this staff is definitely talented enough to get some strikeouts,” said Thompson. “We have to be prepared and ready to not let that get us away from the bullseye for when we do get a pitch to hit. We’ve got to be ready to do some damage.”
The series at Plainsman Park will get underway Friday at 6 p.m. CT. Saturday and Sunday’s game are scheduled to start at 2 p.m. Friday and Saturday’s games will be on SECN+/ESPN+ and Sunday’s on SEC Network.
