AUBURN, Ala. – In the final weekend of nonconference action, No. 22/23 Auburn softball (16-4, 0-3 SEC) will face another Top 25 opponents as the Tigers are set to host Kennesaw State and No. 13 Florida State for the War Eagle Battle at Jane B. Moore Field.
Auburn was originally slated to face Charlotte over the weekend. Due to a positive COVID-19 test and subsequent contact tracing with the 49ers program, Charlotte was forced to pull out of this weekend tournament.
Head coach Mickey Dean took to social media to search of a new opponent to fill the open spot. Late in the weekend the Seminoles had its home conference series against North Carolina postponed due to COVID-19 protocols within UNC's program. Florida State head coach Lonni Alameda reached out and was able to get the Seminoles to the Plains for the weekend slate.
The War Eagle Battle will now begin on Saturday as the Tigers face Kennesaw State (8-11) at 1 p.m. CT before taking on No. 13 Florida State (13-5) at 4 p.m. CT. The tournament concludes on Sunday with a rematch with both squads. Auburn will open the finale against the Seminoles at 1 p.m. CT. The weekend finale against the Owls is slated for a 4 p.m. CT first pitch.
Saturday all 13 SEC softball programs will join together to wear teal or teal accents #AllForAlex as the league recognizes the impact of Alex Wilcox on the softball community. Wilcox was a member of the 2018 Mississippi State softball team. She inspired the nation with her courageous fight against cancer. The fight ultimately took her life in the summer of 2018.
All four games this weekend will air on the SEC Network +. Three-time All-American and former Auburn Tiger Kasey Cooper (analyst) will have the call all weekend long. Wiley Ballard (Saturday) and Brit Bowen (Sunday) will split duties at play-by-play this weekend.
Fans can also catch the action on the Auburn Sports Network with Bowen and JJ Jackson splitting the radio duties.
Auburn is looking to get back into the win column after opening SEC play against No. 4 Alabama over the weekend.
LEADING OFF
- Making a quick detour from Southeastern Conference play and navigating COVID-19 issues within Charlotte's program, Auburn will now host No. 13 Florida State in addition to Kennesaw State for the War Eagle Battle. This is Auburn's final nonconference weekend of the regular season.
- The Tigers earned a national ranking for the third straight week, checking in at No. 22 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll and No. 23 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25.
- Head Coach Mickey Dean is just 10 wins shy from his 600th career coaching victory. His career record currently stands at 590-222.
- With her 97 putouts this season, Justus Perry is just the sixth Tiger to reach 1,000 putouts during their Auburn career. Perry is just 47 putouts shy of overtaking Kendall Veach for fifth in program history.
- Tossing two no-hitters over the month of February, Maddie Penta is the first Auburn pitcher to toss multiple no-hitters in the same season since Marcy Harper (2) in 2014.
- Freshman Makayla Packer ranks third in SEC with a 0.55 stolen bases per game average. She is a perfect 11-for-11 in stolen base attempts. Her 11 stolen bases are tied for the fourth most by an Auburn freshman in program history.
- Auburn and Alabama are the only two SEC programs to have two players ranked in the top 10 in strikeouts. The Tiger freshman duo of Shelby Lowe (72) and Maddie Penta (66) rank fifth and seventh, respectively.
ON DECK
The Tigers return to Southeastern Conference play next weekend with its first road series of the season. Auburn will trek to Columbia, Mo., to face the No. 16/18 Missouri Tigers. The series begins on Friday, March 26 at 2:30 p.m. CT.