AUBURN, Ala. – Following a hot start in Clearwater, Florida, picking up a nation-leading four shutout victories, No. 21 Auburn softball (4-1) opens its home slate at Jane B. Moore Field this weekend, hosting the Tiger Invitational.
Auburn's home opener features a twin billing as the Tigers face Austin Peay (0-3) and Villanova (3-2) on Friday. The doubleheader slate begins at 3 p.m. CT. Due to cooler temperatures in the forecast Saturday, the Tigers' second doubleheader of the weekend was pushed up 30 minutes to a 2:30 p.m. CT first pitch as Auburn faces the Wildcats before taking on Dayton (3-2)
The Tigers face Austin Peay in Sunday's finale with first pitch set for 2:30 p.m. CT.
"We've got a mixed bag of competition coming to the Plains this weekend," said head coach Mickey Dean. "The game doesn't move any faster than one pitch at a time, so that's how we are going to take it and see what the weekend brings us. It felt like home games down in Clearwater with how well our fans travel. We're excited to be home and perform in front of our fans because we appreciate them."
All five of Auburn's contests will be stream on SEC Network+. Brit Bowen and three-time Auburn All-American Kasey Cooper will have the call Friday. On Saturday, Cooper is joined by Jack Sadighian. Sadighian will have the call Sunday with Auburn softball alumna and former assistant coach Amy Reif.
"This past weekend was great for us," said sophomore Nelia Peralta. "It was good to see competition. I'm excited to go over areas we saw weaknesses and clean up mistakes so we can go into this weekend with a new mindset and new plan."
Behind the efforts of Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Week Maddie Penta, Auburn was one of seven programs in the country to record at least four shutouts over opening weekend. Penta (3-0) combined for three. The right-hander enters the weekend as the nation's leader in both victories and strikeouts. Surpassing 400 career strikeouts over the weekend, Penta became just the fifth player in program history to hit the milestone.
Auburn's offense came out swinging over opening weekend, scoring at least seven runs across the five-game slate. Senior Aspyn Godwin and sophomore Annabelle Widra both paced the team with a pair of home runs, including Godwin's walk-off grand slam to secure a six-inning win over Fordham.
"It was really exciting to be out on the field with the girls," said Widra. "I'm very proud of myself for being able to perform both at the plate and in the circle. I've been doing that my whole playing career. I'm just thankful for the opportunity to do it all."
Not only was Widra impressive at the plate but turned in a dominating performance in the circle. Earning the start in the Tigers' season opener, Widra went the distance shutting out St. John's behind 10 strikeouts.
At the plate Peralta and senior Carlee McCondichie paced the way with eight hits each over opening weekend. Peralta added two triples and a home run for the top of the lineup for a .938 slugging percentage.
The Tiger Invitational marks the beginning of an 11-game homestand for the Tigers and is the first of three nonconference tournaments scheduled at Jane B. Moore Field.
No. 21 softball opens home slate hosting Tiger Invite
