Tigers open with WCWS rematch
AUBURN | Eight months and one day. That’s how long it’s been since Oklahoma beat Auburn 2-1 in the championship game of 2016 Women’s College World Series.
Thursday afternoon, No. 2 Auburn will face No. 1 Oklahoma in the opening game of 2017 with an opportunity for a little redemption.
But revenge, the hype of No. 1 vs. No. 2 or playing the opener on ESPNU are exactly the kind of distractions Auburn has tried to avoid during three weeks of preseason practice.
“We think about playing the game instead of the opponent,” junior outfielder Victoria Draper said. “Yes, we know we're playing a good opponent but we try to amp ourselves up to play the best we can at softball and not just the opponent.”
It’s the first-ever season-opening matchup between the nation’s top two softball teams and the first time ESPN has televised a softball game in February or outside the U.S. It’s part of a tournament in the resort city of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
“If they just take what they practice into games we're going to be in pretty good shape,” Auburn coach Clint Myers said. “It's getting caught up in ESPN. It's getting caught up in Oklahoma. It's getting caught up being in Mexico.
“It's the ability to really handle the variables that are on the outside, not the softball things. Because we're young, that's what we're putting the emphasis on now.”
Oklahoma returns six of its seven All-Big 12 players from last season including infielder Shay Knighten and ace pitcher Paige Parker, who had two complete-game wins over Auburn in the WCWS.
“They were young and we were old. Now we're young,” Myers said. “It's going to be one of those things to try and go out there and live up to the expectations that we have. As long as we stay in the real time I think we should be OK.
“Understand it's going to be Feb. 9. We're not going to be at our best as we would be on June 5th or something like that.”
Auburn will be led at the plate by All-American Kasey Cooper along with several returning starters including Draper, Haley Fagan, Carlee Wallace and Whitney Jordan.
Auburn will be without one of its top power hitters. Sophomore Tannon Snow, a Washington transfer, did not make the trip due to an illness.
The top-ranked Sooners are just the first of four games the Tigers will play in three days at the Triple Crown Tournament. Auburn will play a second game Thursday night against No. 13 Washington followed by games against Nebraska and BYU.
Sophomore Makayla Martin will start against Oklahoma while junior Kaylee Carlson will take the mound against Washington.
First pitch against the Sooners is set for 1 p.m. CT on ESPNU followed by the matchup against the Huskies at 7 p.m. on Watch ESPN. Auburn plays Nebraska at 2 p.m. Friday and BYU at 10 a.m. Saturday.
“We've got a couple of 100 bats to get. We've got 100 innings to pitch so that we can go out there and have the consistency we need,” Myers said. “Playing well, that's the key thing we have to go and do. If we do that, it's going to be fun, it's going to be exciting, it's going to be on television so the world gets to see it.”
Following the tournament, Auburn returns for 21-straight home games beginning with SIUE Feb. 16.
CHECK OUT ALL OUR PRESEASON SOFTBALL COVERAGE…
Auburn’s pitching ‘much better’
Lineup nearly set for No. 2 Auburn
Cooper excelling on and off the field
Good competition in Auburn’s infield
Fagan back healthy and ready to roll