Road test begins for No. 7 Auburn
AUBURN | No. 7 Auburn begins a long road trip this weekend with a three-game series at Texas A&M. The Tigers play at Tennessee next weekend and have non-conference road games against Samford next Tuesday and Kennesaw State the following Tuesday.
Auburn will play eight-straight road games before hosting Arkansas April 21-23.
“This is the longest one of the year we’ll be away from Plainsman Park. It’s a great growing experience for us,” Auburn coach Butch Thompson said. “It’s going to be filled with a ton of challenges — two SEC series in a row on the road — but I think it’s a chance for us to get closer together.”
With 23 wins, Auburn has already matched its total from last season and is off to its best start in SEC play since 2003 with a 7-2 record. The Tigers have opened the season with seven consecutive series wins for the first time since 2003.
“For us to continue to have success, for us to continue to do anything, starting pitching is what we have to continue to hang our hat on,” Thompson said. “We’ve got to keep playing good defense and we’ve got to keep finding timely hitting.
“I think we’re built for the starting pitching, playing solid defense and winning close games. I’m not sure we’re built to just go out and maul everybody. I think it’s just nip and tuck and all are games are tight.”
Auburn is 8-2 in one-run games this season after going 1-11 a year ago. The Tigers are eighth in the conference in hitting (.284), ninth in pitching (3.57) and ninth in fielding (.973). In conference games, however, Auburn is third with a 3.26 ERA and second with a .982 fielding percentage.
The Tigers enter the series as healthy as they’ve been all season with the return of starting pitcher Keegan Thompson and outfielder Bo Decker.
Texas A&M is 20-10 on the season and 3-6 in the SEC. The Aggies were swept at home by Kentucky, lost 2-of-3 at Vanderbilt, but bounced back to take 2-of-3 at LSU last weekend.
“Texas A&M going to Baton Rouge and winning a series, I think they probably have a feeling this week like, ‘Here we go. Now we’re getting it started,’” Thompson said. “There’s such an ebb and flow in the SEC for these 10 weeks. I think it will be a good series. I think it will be competitive. I hope every game is close and competitive and we find a way to keep having success.”
| AUBURN | TEXAS A&M | |
|---|---|---|
|
FRI |
So. RHP Casey Mize (4-1, 1.58) |
Jr. RHP Brigham Hill (5-2, 2.60) |
|
SAT |
Jr. RHP Keegan Thompson (4-0, 0.70) |
Jr. RHP Corbin Martin (3-2, 3.90) |
|
SUN |
Fr. RHP Davis Daniel (2-1, 4.83) |
So. RHP Stephen Kolek (1-2, 5.15) |
The Aggies are fifth in the SEC with a .291 batting average, 11th with a 3.91 ERA and 10th with a .973 fielding percentage. Texas A&M leads the SEC with 15 triples and is tied for fourth with 39 stolen bases.
Freshman second baseman Braden Shewmake leads TAMU with a .364 average, 12 doubles and 35 RBI. Junior right-hander Brigham Hill is the reigning SEC Pitcher of the Week after limiting LSU to three hits and no runs in 8.0 innings of a 4-0 win last Friday.
“It’s going to be power arms, power breaking balls,” Thompson said. “What we have to continue to do, especially with our right-handed hitters, is do a good job of taking balls, swinging at strikes and attacking (our) pitch.”
Game times for this weekend at Blue Bell Park will be 6:30 p.m. CT Friday, 3 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. Friday and Sunday’s games will be available on SECN+ and WatchESPN. Saturday’s game will not be televised.
“It’s a great atmosphere,” Thompson said. “Another one of our venues and atmospheres that makes the SEC second to none. We’re embarking on an eight-game road trip and we’ve got to take one pitch at a time. All we’ve got is Friday night to think about and then we’ll reset for each day.”