AUBURN | Butch Thompson said he looked like Casper the Friendly Ghost out on the mound Saturday, but Tommy Vail persevered.

Vail battled through an illness to throw 2.0 innings in a win over Missouri in the regular season finale. He’ll face Mizzou again Tuesday night in the opening round of the SEC Tournament — this time as a starter.

“He battled,” said sophomore right-hander Will Cannon. “Tommy’s always been that guy for us the whole entire year. Him going out there just giving us two innings was huge. You could tell he wasn’t feeling too great. To have him start (Tuesday) is huge for us.”

Vail, a graduate transfer from TCU, has been one of the driving forces behind the No. 13 Auburn’s 12-3 record in the second half of SEC play. The left-hander led the league with a 1.26 ERA in his last five starts.

“We used that as his bullpen. Threw a couple of innings for us and gave us everything he had,” said AU coach Butch Thompson. “It’s not like a new game, it’s a continuation of a series. This is like game four.

“Tommy Vail is fixing to try and go through a lineup for a second time. He needs to pickup where he left off mentally.”

Auburn finished the season with eight consecutive SEC wins including a sweep of Mizzou at Plainsman Park.

First pitch for No. 5 seed Auburn against No. 12 seed Missouri is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT Tuesday night on SEC Network. The winner will play No. 4 seed Vanderbilt Wednesday night.

“We’ve worked hard for a long time to be playing for something,” said Thompson. “It’s like a second wind … so we’re trying to sell that to our ball club heading into arguably the best amateur tournament that exists on the planet.

“I hope there’ll be a little hunger, a little fight. We can’t look past Tuesday. We were in this 5-12 game last year and lost it.”

BEEN A MINUTE: Auburn hasn’t won an SEC Tournament championship in 25 years. The 1998 team opened the tournament with wins over Alabama and Florida, lost to Alabama in a rematch and then defeated the Tide in an elimination game. AU beat Arkansas in the championship game for the first title since 1989.

“Your goal is to win it every single year,” said senior catcher Nate LaRue. “Obviously, that doesn’t happen. We come into August with one thing on our mind and that’s dog piling in Omaha, being the last team standing. This is the same way. Coach Thompson says everyday is the World Series. So we’re going to go in there and treat it exactly the same way.”

STOCK GOING UP: The latest projection from D1 Baseball has the Tigers as a No. 12 national seed with a possibility of getting into the top eight discussion with a run to the semifinals of the SEC Tournament. “It is out of our control. That will go to a committee,” said Thompson. “I think the SEC Tournament is big. I still think there’s a lot out there. We absolutely feel like we’re playing for something. Really, this whole tournament has great meaning for seeding, positioning. You can continue to build your resume.”

THE SOONER, THE BETTER: Injured pitcher Christian Herberholz was expected to miss two weeks before potentially returning for an NCAA Regional. That timeline could move forward, however. “He is throwing again with no discomfort. I would say there’s a slight chance that we would have him before the weekend. I think (Tuesday), a little bullpen work is going to determine that,” said Thompson.

SURGERY FOR TWO: Both Joseph Gonzalez and Tommy Sheehan underwent surgery last week. Gonzalez had minor shoulder surgery to repair an impingement and is expected to go through a six-month rehab. Sheehan had bone spurs removed from his forearm. “Both had procedures. Both, I think, went good,” said Thompson. “They’ll both be going with us on this trip. They both mean a lot to me and this team. (Gonzalez) might have a fork in the road coming up. Is it a return to Auburn or start a professional career?”

THE ONE THING: Auburn’s pitching staff has a 3.21 team ERA through the eight-game winning streak. LaRue credits throwing first-pitch strikes more consistently for the turnaround. “I feel like our guys have done a really good job of getting in the bullpen, getting their stuff set before the game,” said LaRue. “During practices, they’re always down there working, trying to perfect the little things they can control. Those first-pitch strikes have been huge for us. It makes it a lot easier to call a game when you’re 0-1 instead of 1-0.”

CONFIDENCE BOOST: After getting off to a slow start at the plate, LaRue has hit .283 with eight runs scored, one double, five home runs and 10 RBI in the last 14 games. He credits a meeting with Coach Thompson that helped give him a confidence boost going into the final half of conference play.

“I was kinda worried a little bit at the beginning. I wasn’t hitting and we weren’t doing too well,” said LaRue. “But Coach Thompson called me back into his office and said, ‘Hey man, you’re our guy and we’re gonna stick with you. We know what you can do behind the plate and that’s more valuable to us than your bat.’ Just having that little confidence boost of knowing that I am doing at least one thing good helped ease my mind a little bit.”

RECORD CHASERS: Kason Howell tied Todd Faulkner for the all-time Auburn record with 71 doubles on Friday. Bryson Ware is up to 21 home runs, which is two behind Hunter Morris’ single-season record of 23 set in 2010.

FRESHMAN HONORS: Ike Irish earned his third SEC Freshman of the Week honors Monday along with being named by the coaches to the postseason Freshman All-SEC team. Irish hit .333 with two doubles, one home runs and four RBI in three games last week. On the season, he’s hitting .364 with 21 doubles, six home runs and 50 RBI.