STARKVILLE, Miss. — Five days after a thrilling come-from-behind win against Texas A&M, Auburn will put its undefeated Southeastern Conference record on the line at Mississippi State in a three-game series this weekend.
The two teams will square off on Friday at 6 p.m., before continuing on Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m., respectively. Both Saturday and Sunday's games will be broadcasted on SEC Network +, while all three games can be heard on the Auburn Sports Network.
"They are a strong hitting team with a lot of power," said Auburn head coach Mickey Dean on Mississippi State. "They mix up their pitchers and will throw a lot of different looks at you and they do a good job of running the bases."
No. 17 Auburn (26-4, 3-0) enters the weekend series on its best start in SEC play since the 2015 season. The Tigers, through 30 games this season, have already hit 41 home runs, which is two shy of last year's total. The home run total is powered by Kendall Veach's 13, which is a single-season career high for the senior.
QUICK HITTERS:
- Auburn is currently riding its second 10-game winning streak of the season. The Tigers won 11 in a row from Feb. 17 to Mar. 1, which included an 8-0 run-rule win over then-No. 20 Oregon in Fullerton, Calif., earlier this season. Auburn has won its last 10 games in a row since dropping to then-No. 5 Washington, 8-6, in nine innings.
- In its series against Mississippi State, Auburn has won the last four games after taking all three games against the Bulldogs last season and the final game of the 2016 series. However, Mississippi State holds the series lead, 15-11, in games played in Starkville, Miss.
- Auburn will be without its preseason All-SEC pitcher Makayla Martin, who will miss the next several weeks with a right-hand injury. Martin leads the team with an 11-2 record and 1.31 ERA in 15 appearances so far through her senior season.