ATLANTA – Auburn (33-25) begins its third straight NCAA Tournament appearance by taking on Coastal Carolina (35-24-1) Friday at Georgia Tech's Russ Chandler Stadium.
First pitch in the first ever meeting between the Tigers and Chanticleers is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT on ESPNU.
Friday's action can also be heard on the Auburn Sports Network, which is available on the radio on WTGZ-FM (93.9), online at AuburnTigers.com, or on a mobile device via the Auburn Athletics App.
Regional all-session passes and single-game tickets, if still available, can be purchased here.
PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday – So. LHP Jack Owen (4-2, 2.29) vs. Jr. LHP Anthony Veneziano (5-2, 4.26)
Saturday – So. RHP Tanner Burns (4-3, 2.80) vs. TBD
QUICK HITTERS
Auburn's NCAA Tournament appearance is the program's third straight and 22nd overall.
It marks the first time since 2001-03 the Tigers have been to three straight regionals.
The Tigers are 45-33 all-time in NCAA regionals and most recently went 3-0 in the 2018 Raleigh Regional, outscoring Northeastern, Army and N.C. State 40-12 in the three games.
Auburn is 5-2 in regional play under head coach Butch Thompson. The five regional wins are the most in a two year span since winning six combined regional games in 1998-99.
Friday will mark the first time Auburn and Coastal Carolina have played.
The Tigers have also never played Georgia Tech or Florida A&M in the postseason but are 119-111-6 all-time against the Yellow Jackets and 4-0 all-time against the Rattlers.
SCOUTING THE YELLOW JACKETS
Record: 41-17, 22-12 ACC (ACC Coastal Division Champions)
RPI: No. 8
All-time series: Auburn leads, 119-111-6
Georgia Tech finished the regular season with a 41-17 overall record and 22-12 mark in ACC play. The Yellow Jackets have won 19 of their last 24 games heading into the NCAA Tournament.
Offensively, the Yellow Jackets are hitting .297 and are led by sophomore Michael Guldberg's .366 clip, which is good for second in the ACC. Junior catcher Kyle McCann leads the team in home runs (23), RBI (66), walks (59), total bases (143) and on-base percentage (.471).
On the mound, Georgia Tech has turned in a staff ERA of 4.58. The Yellow Jackets lead the ACC in walks allowed per nine innings (3.31).
SCOUTING THE CHANTICLEERS
Record: 35-24-1, 15-13 Sun Belt (Back-to-Back Sun Belt Tournament Champions)
RPI: No. 57
All-time series: Never met
Coastal Carolina enters the Atlanta Regional with an overall record of 35-24-1 and 15-13 mark in Sun Belt play. The Chanticleers won five straight games to take home the Sun Belt Tournament Championship.
Offensively, Coastal leads the Sun Belt and is 11th in the country with a .309 batting average and 501 runs scored. The Chanticleers are led by Jake Wright's .358 clip, while Zach Biermann paced the team with 17 home runs and 76 RBI.
On the mound, Coastal Carolina enters regional play with a 5.55 team ERA. Matt Eardensohn paces the staff with a 6-1 record and 3.86 ERA in 23 appearances.
SCOUTING THE RATTLERS
Record: 27-32, 14-10 MEAC (MEAC Tournament Champions)
RPI: No. 235
All-time series: Auburn leads, 4-0
Florida A&M enters the weekend with a 27-32 overall record and 14-10 mark in MEAC play. The Rattlers won four straight games in the MEAC tournament to make their first NCAA appearance since 2015.
Offensively, the Rattlers are sixth in the MEAC with a .254 batting average and are led by Octavien Moyer's .312 clip. Moyer also paces the club in runs (46), hits (72), doubles (12), home runs (6) and total bases (106).
On the mound, Florida A&M hurlers have combined for a staff ERA of 5.39 this season. Kyle Coleman has thrown three complete games for the Rattlers while compiling a 6-5 record with a 3.26 ERA.