ATLANTA – The hits just kept on coming.
Starting with back-to-back hits from Auburn's first two batters and ending with a five-run eighth inning, the Tigers recorded 18 hits in Friday's 16-7 win vs. Coastal Carolina, duplicating the offensive explosion that helped Auburn cruise to an NCAA Tournament regional championship last season.
"Probably our best offensive game of the season," Auburn coach Butch Thompson said.
At the top of lineup, Judd Ward and Ryan Bliss each had three hits. Near the bottom of the order, Steven Williams had four hits and five runs batted in, including a three-run blast that gave Auburn a 6-2 lead in the fourth inning. All nine Auburn batters recorded at least one hit.
"Everybody was really hitting the ball today really good, all around the yard," said Bliss, who drove in three runs. "Steven's home run was really a momentum changer, a game-changer. To see him get going, it really fired up the whole lineup. It just set the tempo."
"This was like a new start of my season," said Williams, who raised his average from .227 to .240. "What happened in the regular season happened. This is a new season for me and for all us. We just came out with a fresh mind, just wanted to have fun and play the game."
Like Williams, Atlanta native Conor Davis also hit his seventh home run, a solo shot in the sixth inning.
"I loved it," Davis said. "I heard the place erupt. I heard my brother, my girlfriend and my little sister up in the stands yelling for me. When I hit home plate I pointed up at them."
Last year, Auburn swept the Raleigh Regional, scoring 40 runs and belting 50 hits in three games. A year later, the Tigers continued their postseason power surge.
"If we can repeat what we did last year in the regional, that would be pretty good, and I'd definitely be okay with that," said Williams, who tallied eight of the Tigers' 50 hits in regional play in 2018. "The potential has been there the whole time, the whole year.
"It's taken a little bit of time for us to figure some things out. We've had our ups and downs, but this game was really big for us, getting our momentum going. If we can carry that momentum into tomorrow and the rest of the regional, I think we'll be set up pretty well."
The Tigers wrote Rod Bramblett's initials on their hats in honor of Auburn baseball's play-by-play announcer for the past 27 seasons. Bramblett and his wife, Paula, died last Saturday from injuries suffered in a car accident.
"Rod and his family will be a part of the Auburn baseball program for history," Williams said. "We're glad we can come out here and we could play for him and get a good win today."
"I think it showed that Rod had a little push for us today," Davis said. "He's going to be with us all week."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer