AUBURN, Ala. – After reshuffling a series that was originally scheduled to be played across the country earlier this week, No. 17 Auburn (3-1) welcomes USC (3-1) to town for a three-game series this weekend.
First pitches at Plainsman Park are scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m. CT, Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at noon.
This Weekend:
USC
Feb. 24-26, 2023
6 p.m. | 2 p.m. | 12 p.m. CT
Radio: Auburn Sports Network
TV: SEC Network+ (Sat/Sun)
"(USC) wants to play. We want to play. I hate it for our guys not being able to make that trip, but I tip my hat to a lot of people in administration, our travel people, Southern Cal's administrators," head coach Butch Thompson said. "It's tough to pick up a college baseball team and travel across country, so I tip my hat to both administrations for going, 'This is the right thing to do. How do we get there?'. I would say they did that between 6-8 hours.
"We're going to have a 12-time national champion at Plainsman Park for the first time. It keeps getting neater," Thompson added. "I appreciate (USC). I appreciate our fans for how they've jumped on the tickets. I'm just thankful this series is about to be pulled off."
Limited reserved seating remains available for Friday and Saturday, and Tiger Terrace tickets are still available for all three games. Visit aubtix.com to purchase yours.
All three games will be broadcast on the Auburn Sports Network and can be heard locally on 93.9 FM Friday and 95.9 FM Saturday and Sunday. The final two contests of the series will also be streamed on SEC Network+.
PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday – So. RHP Chase Allsup (0-0, 9.00) vs. Jr. RHP Tyler Stromsborg (0-0, 5.06)
Saturday – Jr. RHP Joseph Gonzalez (1-0, 0.00) vs. Jr. RHP Jaden Agassi (1-0, 1.42)
Sunday – TBA vs. R-Fr. Eric Hammond (0-0, 3.00)
QUICK HITTERS
Auburn is 3-1 or better through four games for the sixth straight season under Thompson.
Bryson Ware is 10-for-15 with five extra-base hits through four games. He has multiple hits in all four contests and ranks top five in the league in average (.667), hits (10) and doubles (4).
SEC Co-Freshman of the Week Ike Irish is 9-for-16 with three doubles and four RBI in his first four games in an Auburn uniform. He has multiple hits in three of the first four contests.
Auburn's pitching trio of Konner Copeland, John Armstrong and Chase Isbell didn't walk a batter and struck out 12 in 7.0 innings vs. North Alabama Tuesday.
Armstrong and Isbell were both named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award Watch List.
In five regular season, non-conference starts since the beginning of last season, Joseph Gonzalez is 3-0 with a 1.31 ERA in 20.2 innings pitched.
This weekend marks the first meeting between Auburn and Southern Cal.
Friday is Auburn's sixth matchup vs. a Pac-12 foe in the last 12 games dating back to 2022 (4-1).
SCOUTING THE TROJANS
Led by first-year head coach Andy Stankiewicz, USC is off to a 3-1 start in 2023 after sweeping Marist last weekend, outscoring the opponent 37-12, before dropping a midweek contest vs. UC Irvine Tuesday.
Offensively, the Trojans are hitting .316 as a team, led by a pair of hitters in Nick Lopez and Ryan Jackson with a .500 average. Lopez also leads the way from a power standpoint with three homers and seven RBI.
On the mound, USC has turned in a 3.50 ERA with 45 strikeouts in 36.0 innings. The starting rotation turned in a combined 3.07 ERA last weekend.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Gates open one hour prior to first pitch.
Fans are encouraged to park in the athletics complex parking deck, coliseum lot and stadium parking deck this weekend. Parking in the Neville Arena lot will be limited Friday due to a home Auburn gymnastics meet.
Sunday's game will coincide with the end of the scheduled War Eagle Run Fest. Access to campus prior to 11 a.m. will only be available via Shug Jordan Parkway to Wire Road and Heisman Drive. Parking for baseball will be available in the Coliseum lot, stadium deck and athletics complex deck.
All transactions for concessions, merchandise and tickets will be contactless and cashless (credit/debit and Tiger Cards only).
In addition to the home plate concessions, Chick-fil-A will be available on the patio located down the first base line and in the Tiger Terrace down the left field line, excluding Sundays.
A pop-up Auburn Team Shop will be located inside the gates behind home plate.
Auburn Athletics will continue to provide digital tickets for the 2023 baseball season. Digital tickets help to increase convenience, flexibility and safety for fans on gamedays. Click here for more information on digital tickets.