Despite being 13-4 after playing some good competition during the non-conference schedule, Butch Thompson isn't sure what to make of his team yet. The Auburn coach will get a good look at who the Tigers are starting Thursday when they host No. 1 Ole Miss in the first of a three-game series.

"I'm interested to see how big a gap there is between the Ole Miss Rebels and the Auburn Tigers," Thompson said.

The Rebels enter 13-3 but have lost their last two games, including to Southeastern Louisiana. Thompson mentions how veteran of a team Mike Bianco's team is, with plenty of players at the ages of 22 and 23. He expects this to challenge his pitching staff.

"They're an older club that knows how to navigate," the coach said. "They walk as much as they strike out, so we're going to have to be in the zone. We're going to have to make quality pitches, not be scared of anything, but we just can't flip get-me-over stuff to a veteran lineup like this."

The duties of hurling to the Ole Miss lineup will likely belong to Mason Barnett (1-0, 2.13 ERA) and Trace Bright (2-0, 1.17) on Thursday and Saturday, but Friday's starter is still up in the air, per Thompson. One option is junior lefty Hayden Mullins (1-1, 4.91), while the Tigers will likely go with Jordan Armstrong (1-1, 4.15) if they want a right-hander on the mound.

Offensively for Auburn, slugger Sonny DiChiara is back in the lineup, but his coach says he still has one problem with his foot: stopping.

"I wish we had a parachute, like the funny car," Thompson said with a laugh. "Once he gets going, I watched him pass the back, and he kept going. I thought he was going to run over the tart, and I'm like, 'Son, are you okay?'"

DiChiara, hitting .462 with five homers and 11 RBIs, is fine, albeit having trouble putting the brakes on, but his bat is crucial against the Rebels.

"I want us to have as many threats in that lineup as we possibly can," Thompson said. "We will have to score if you ask me what one of the keys of victory against Ole Miss we will need to score."

It will be a tough test for the Tigers, but the Auburn coach is expecting his team not to be intimidated.

"It's our chance to put our best foot forward," Thompson said. "I think we match up very well."

The first pitch between Auburn and Ole Miss is at 6 p.m. CT on Thursday and airs on the SEC Network.