AUBURN, Ala. – Advancing to a third straight NCAA regional for the first time in 16 years, Auburn looks to duplicate the postseason excellence that helped the Tigers sail to a super regional last season.
"The opportunity to still get to play this time of the year is exciting for our ball club," Auburn coach Butch Thompson said Monday, when the Tigers were the final team to hear their named called during the selection show.
The Tigers play Coastal Carolina Friday at 11 a.m. CT in the Atlanta Regional, hosted by Georgia Tech. Florida A&M is the other regional participant. Last year, Auburn swept the Raleigh Regional in North Carolina, outscoring its three opponents 40-12.
The 112-mile drive from Plainsman Park to Tech's Russ Chandler Stadium will make it easier for Auburn fans to attend while allowing several Tigers to play in their hometown, including infielders Will Holland, Rankin Woley and Conor Davis.
"We have a ton of players from Georgia on our team," said Davis, Auburn's leading hitter (.290). "I'm sure a lot of families will be there. It could be like another home game if we get the Auburn fans we want there."
"We're excited, especially to go to Atlanta," said Holland, whose nine home runs are a team high. "We have a lot of Auburn fans in Georgia. It's a short drive from Auburn. We're looking forward to it."
The host Yellow Jackets took two from the Tigers this season, winning 9-3 at Auburn on April 2 and 11-6 on April 16 in Atlanta.
"We kind of owe them a little something, they swept us," said Ryan Bliss, a Freshman All-SEC infielder from LaGrange, Georgia. "We know how the field plays, know how the backdrop is. We've been there before and played nine innings on the field. We don't have to worry about the field because we already played there, a good benefit for us."
The Tigers will benefit from a rested Tanner Burns, who did not pitch in the SEC Tournament while recovering from a sore shoulder.
"We already played there, pitchers have already thrown off the mound, hitters know what the ballpark is like," said Burns, Auburn's strikeout leader with 95 in 74 innings. "Hopefully we can draw a large crowd."
Auburn locked up its regional bid by winning its regular season finale at LSU and, for the third consecutive year, its SEC Tournament opener.
With their No. 1 strength of schedule, the Tigers trust that the competition they've faced in the unforgiving SEC has prepared Auburn for the high stakes of college baseball in June.
"Can we get fresh? We're getting three lifts in," Thompson said. "We're doing everything we can to spend time away from the field together to keep trying to build a team, with 18 new players.
"There's no quit. There's no, 'Hey, we'll get them next year.' We are still trying to build this team and see if something neat can come together because we've had a 15-game win streak during this year, but it's been a couple months since we felt like we were playing our best baseball. That's still out there for us because we have this opportunity to go to Atlanta."
"The last 27 years, Rod has been telling the story of @AuburnBaseball "
— Jeff Shearer (@jeff_shearer) May 28, 2019
🗣@3strikes_AU reacting to the loss of @AUSportsNetwork announcer Rod Bramblett & his wife Paula
Butch's opening remarks after Auburn received a bid to the @NCAACWS Regional at Georgia Tech. pic.twitter.com/0HMIZtc8oH
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer