ORLANDO, Fla. – No. 15 Auburn hits the road in the non-conference for the first time since 2012 as the Tigers take on UCF in a three-game series beginning Friday.
First pitch in games one and two Friday and Saturday is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT, and the series finale will take place Sunday at 12 p.m.
All three games are available for streaming on the subscription-based UCFKnights.TV. The games can be heard locally on WTGZ-FM (93.9) and WQSI-FM (95.9), online at AuburnTigers.com, or on a mobile device via the Auburn Athletics app.
Probable Starters
Friday – So. RHP Tanner Burns (0-0, 1.80) vs. LHP Grant Schuermann (0-0, 1.50)
Saturday – R-Jr. LHP Kyle Gray (0-0, 0.00) vs. RHP Trevor Holloway (0-0, 0.00)
Sunday – TBA vs. RHP Jordan Spicer (1-0, 0.00)
QUICK HITTERS
Auburn's trip to Orlando marks the program's first three-game road series in non-conference play since taking on Arizona in Tucson in 2012.
The Tigers have won 11 straight weekend series dating back to the season-opening series in 2016.
Newcomers Kason Howell and Rankin Woley rank first and second on the team in batting average and have recorded a hit in all five games to start their Auburn careers. The duo has combined for 10 runs, 18 hits, four doubles, one triple and 10 RBI this season.
Auburn's pitching staff has turned in a 1.53 ERA - nine earned runs in 53.0 innings pitched - and has recorded 57 strikeouts compared to 16 walks this season. The Tigers rank second in the SEC and 16th in the country in ERA.
Freshman All-American Edouard Julien is coming off his first career multi-HR game. In his first 66 games in an Auburn uniform, Julien has hit 20 home runs and driven in 78.
Auburn is 5-1 all-time against UCF. The last time the two teams met was in the opening game of the 2017 Tallahassee Regional with the Tigers emerging victorious, 7-4.
SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS
Head coach Greg Lovelady is in his third season at UCF and sixth season overall as a head coach with a career record of 203-99.
UCF enters the weekend 4-0 after a weekend sweep of Siena and a 10-2 midweek victory over Stetson.
The Knights are in the midst of an eight-game stretch against 2018 NCAA Regional opponents including games against Florida, Jacksonville and the aforementioned Stetson.
UCF enters the series hitting .311 after the first four games. Griffin Bernardo leads the way offensively for the Knights with a .333 average, three extra-base hits, five runs scored, a home run and a .667 slugging percentage.
The Knights currently rank seventh in the country with 52 strikeouts on the season. Collectively, the UCF pitching staff has a 1.25 ERA, and recorded 11 or more strikeouts in each game so far this season.
SERIES HISTORY
Auburn is 5-1 all-time against UCF and 1-1 in Orlando.
The two teams last met on June 2, 2017 in the Tallahassee Regional. The Tigers defeated the Knights 7-4 behind Keegan Thompson's nine strikeouts and Will Holland's three-run home run.