AUBURN, Ala. – The 2020 season is still in its early stages, but Auburn softball (8-3) will face its toughest test to date, facing a loaded slate of opponents during the prestigious Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic at the Big League Dream Complex in Cathedral City, Calif.
Over their five games, the Tigers will face four ranked opponents, including the reigning national champion No. 1 UCLA. Auburn's slate of opponents has combined for over 50 Women's College World Series appearances.
"It's a world series field," head coach Mickey Dean said. "It's a great challenge for us. To be able to play in this environment against that caliber of teams, it's like a dream for an athlete. It's going to prepare us. I tell our young ladies that we just want to get better each day. The wins and losses will fall, but we just want to be a better team each day. This is going to be a challenging weekend for us in keeping our focus and getting better each day."
Auburn opens the tournament Friday against No. 16 Arizona State at 12:30 p.m. CT. The Tigers return to the diamond on Friday for its lone doubleheader of the tournament, facing No. 25 Northwestern at 12 p.m. CT before taking on California at 2:30 p.m. CT.
The final two days of competition features matchups against top-five opponents. On Saturday, the Tigers will have a rematch with their 2019 Tucson Regional foe in No. 5 Arizona at 11:30 a.m. CT. Auburn closes the weekend against the No. 1 Bruins on Sunday at 11 a.m. CT.
FloSoftball will provide live stream coverage of all games at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. A paid subscription is needed to access the streams. The Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic website is your hub for live streams, live stats, tickets and full schedule and results.
JJ Jackson will have the radio call on the Auburn Sports Network.
LEADING OFF
- Auburn puts its five-game win streak on the line against a field of four ranked opponents at the prestigious Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. Facing No. 1 UCLA to close the tournament, the Tigers are searching for their first win over a team ranked No. 1 since the 2017 season.
- After a hitless opening weekend, senior Alyssa Rivera stormed back with a vengeance as she closed Auburn's home-opening weekend with nine RBI, nine runs scored and two home runs. Her efforts jumped her to #10 in Softball America's SEC Power Rankings.
- With one lone strikeout in 28 at-bats, junior Makenna Dowell ranks as the fifth toughest player in the SEC to strike out after two weekends of play.
- The Tigers 18-1 victory over UNCW during the Plainsman Invitational was Auburn's largest margin of victory in a game since defeating Alabama State 22-0 in 2018.
ON DECK
Auburn returns to Jane B. Moore Field next weekend for its final non-conference tournament of the regular season with the 2020 Tiger Invitational. The Tigers open the tournament on Friday, Feb. 28 at 3:30 p.m. CT against Georgia Southern. Binghamton and No. 17 Minnesota round out the tournament field.