AUBURN, Ala. – Hitting the road for the first of five consecutive weekends of exhibition contests, Auburn softball opens its fall slate Sunday with a pair of games against Pensacola State College and UAB in Birmingham.
"We're excited to get our first taste of competition this weekend," said head coach Mickey Dean. "We have several new faces on the team, and the fall is always an excellent opportunity to see how they react during game situations. This weekend will be a great gauge of where we are in our preseason preparation. Being on the road also allows us to create team chemistry."
Auburn opens the doubleheader against Pensacola State at 3:30 p.m. CT before taking on the Blazers at 6 p.m. CT. Both contests will be played on UAB's campus at Mary Bowers. All eight contests of Auburn's fall exhibition slate will be played on the road due to renovations on going at Jane B. Moore Field.
The Tigers are led by a veteran group consisting of seniors Lindsey Garcia, Carlee McCondichie and Maia Engelkes along with Aspyn Godwin, who returns for her fifth season on the Plains after electing to use her extra season of eligibility granted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Auburn also returns its All-Southeastern Conference selection from a season ago in junior Maddie Penta and sophomore Bri Ellis.
After turning in one of the top pitching performances by a Tiger in two decades, Penta looks to continue her dominance in the circle. An All-SEC and National Fastpitch Coaches Association first team selection in 2022, Penta led the conference in wins (24), earned run average (1.76) and innings pitched (195.0) while finishing second in the conference in total strikeouts (269). Penta became the first Auburn pitcher since Anna Thompson (2000) to surpass 250 strikeouts in a single season.
Reigning as the SEC Freshman of the Year, Ellis took the league by storm with her power at the plate, slugging 20 home runs and setting the program's freshman record. A top-10 finalist for Schutt Sports/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year, Ellis led the team with 15 multi-RBI games last, driving in a total of 49 runs during her debut season. When her sophomore campaign officially begins in February, Ellis needs just 10 homers to jump to 10th in Auburn career history.
This weekend's doubleheader will not be streamed, but fans can stay updated through the Auburn softball Twitter account: @AuburnSoftball.