Bobby Peirce understands what awaits him and his Auburn teammates this weekend in Knoxville. The top-ranked team in the nation, Tennessee, is in its home in front of a noisy crowd. And a team that's running through its schedule with a 38-3 record, including 17-1 in the SEC.

The outfielder knows the Tigers won't be intimidated, though, and that the team's preparation and attitude going into the series stays the same.

"They're a really good team, but I don't think it changes a whole lot," Peirce said. "We've played a lot of really good teams so far. And so I think our mindset's just kind of the same as it has been."

The Volunteers are explosive both at the plate and on the mound, leading the nation in ERA (2.00) and home runs (94) while averaging 9. 4 runs per game (sixth in NCAA). The pitching staff also is first in the nation in strikeouts to walks ratio at 4.95. And there are minimal holes in Tony Vitello's lineup as seven players with at least 74 at-bats are hitting above .300. The slugger for the Vols is senior Trey Lipscomb, who is raking at a .361 average while leading the team with 16 homers and 61 RBIs.

Facing a challenge like this is why these players decided to come to Auburn and play in the SEC, per assistant coach Gabe Gross.

"From my point of view, it's like, why in the world wouldn't you want that?" Gross said. "You want a chance to challenge yourself every day. We pride ourselves on that."

Auburn enters the weekend hitting .296 as a team, led by Sonny DiChiara and his nation-best .448 average. The Volunteers counter with a staff full of dynamic arms, including Chase Dollander and his 14.09 strikeouts per nine innings. But, as Gross points out, Tennessee can hit you with some finesse pitchers out of the pen.

"You get in the back end of the bullpen, all of a sudden it turns into soft left, and I think that's a great combination to have," the coach said. "On Friday night, you may face 97, 98 early in the game. And when the game's on the line, if it's close at the end, you're going against people that's throwing 85, 86 and spot."

Carson Skipper, who has proven himself as Auburn's reliable set-up man, sees a chance for the Tigers to seize the moment against Tennessee.

"It's a great opportunity for us to go out and prove to everybody how good we really are," the lefty said. "No better opportunity than this weekend."

The first pitch is set for Friday at 6 p.m. CT with the game airing on SEC Network.