Top 20 tussle between Auburn and South Carolina

AUBURN | No. 17 Auburn comes into this weekend’s series against No. 6 South Carolina off to its best start in more than a decade.

At 21-6, the Tigers have their best overall record since 2004 and at 5-1, the best SEC start since 2003.

It’s been a grind, however. Each of the last seven games have been decided by three runs or less including four one-run wins, and Auburn is returning home after five-straight road games.

“I told our team (Wednesday) for these next two days, these 48 hours heading into South Carolina, we don’t do tired, we do get fresh,” Auburn coach Butch Thompson said. “I think this is the first time this year everybody needs to get back fresh. I think that has as much to do with it as anything physical or mental.

“I think we’re still finding moments to win but as far as being a rock and roll show or explosive, we’re definitely slowing down. But our team has hung together and found ways to win ballgames.”

Auburn is third in the SEC with 157 strikeouts but has struck out 46 times in the last five games (9.2 per game), all on the road, while striking out 111 times in its first 22 games (5.0 per game), all at home.

“You tip your hat when a guy puts a good pitch over the plate, but over this stretch we’ve started chasing out of the zone a little bit and it created a little bit of a press where we gave our strike zone away,” Thompson said.

“You can come up with whatever — on the road, different backdrops, night games … but we really can’t focus on that. We’ve got to go back and focus on our strike zone awareness.”

With Keegan Thompson questionable due to a sore shoulder, Auburn has shaken up its starting rotation this weekend with Casey Mize scheduled to start Friday and Davis Daniel Saturday.

“It’s my first Friday night start; I hate it had to come like this, but I’m excited for it, excited for the moment,” Mize said. “Hopefully I’m up for the task. I’m going to try to get them all and get a win for the team.”

South Carolina enters the series 18-6 overall and 5-1 in the conference. The Gamecocks are ninth in the SEC with a .281 batting average, first with a 2.74 team ERA and third with a .979 fielding percentage.

Auburn is seventh in hitting (.288) second in doubles (56), seventh in pitching (3.17) and ninth in fielding (.972).

Senior left fielder Bo Decker, who has missed the last 17 games since injuring his ankle against Lipscomb on March 3, is available to play this weekend.

“I think Bo is as close as he’s been and ready to help us in some capacity this weekend,” Thompson said.

First pitch for Friday’s game at Plainsman Park is scheduled 6 p.m. CT on the SECN+. Saturday’s game will be at 5 p.m. on ESPNU and Sunday’s at 1 p.m. on SECN+.