AUBURN, Ala. – In its first home midweek stand of the season, No. 17 Auburn softball (27-4) hosts Alabama State (14-15) Wednesday at 5 p.m. CT for its annual Bark in the Park game at Jane B. Moore Field.
"Wednesday gives us a chance to bounce back from a tough loss in Lexington," said head coach Mickey Dean. "We're excited to be back home with a big slate of games on deck. Wednesday's a great tune-up before we head into this weekend's series."
With a purchase of a special ticket package, fans are welcome to bring their four-legged friends to Wednesday's midweek contest.
Wednesday's midweek test is available on the SEC Network+. Fans can also hear the action on the Auburn Sports Network.
LEADING OFF
- Returning to Jane B. Moore Field for midweek action, Auburn hosts Alabama State for its annual Bark in the Park game. Auburn leads the all-time series 14-0. Five of Auburn's last 10 wins in the series have come via the run rule.
- Standing at 32-for-35 in career stolen base attempts, sophomore Makayla Packer enters the weekend series tied for ninth program history for career stolen bases.
- Turning in one of the best individual pitching performances in school history, Maddie Penta currently ranks in the top five in four Auburn single-season pitching records: strikeouts per seven innings, opponent batting average, earned run average and walks allowed per seven innings.
- Auburn is one of just five programs in the SEC to have a pitching staff combine for over 200 strikeouts this season. Auburn leads the SEC with 280 strikeouts as a staff. Auburn is the only program with two pitchers to rank in the top five in the league in total strikeouts. Maddie Penta is second with 147 while Shelby Lowe is fourth with 104.
- Bringing power to the plate, Auburn's freshman class has slugged 24 of Auburn's 50 home runs. Three Auburn freshmen has knocked multiple homers this season with Bri Ellis leading the charge with 11.
- The Tigers have been locked in at the plate with two outs on the scoreboard. Six of Auburn's starters have a batting average over .300 with two outs with Denver Bryant leading the team with a .387 mark. Bryant (14) along with freshman Jessie Blaine (10) both have double-digit, two-out RBI totals while the team as whole has accounted for 63 two-out RBI.
- At the plate, Auburn has slugged 50 home runs through its first 31 games. The 50 homers stand as the seventh most recorded in a single season at Auburn.
- Picking up the program's 27th win of the season at No. 8 Kentucky, Auburn has already matched its 2021 season win total. The Tigers closed 2021 with a 27-22 overall record.
- The SEC leader in victories, Maddie Penta ranks second nationally with 17 wins over her sophomore season. Penta just needs two more wins to crack into the top 10 for Auburn's single season wins by a pitcher.
ON DECK
Auburn preps for another top-25 showdown as the Tigers welcome No. 7 Florida to Jane B. Moore Field. The series opens on Friday, April 1 at 6 p.m. CT on the SEC Network+.