AUBURN, Ala. – Kicking off the final half of the Southeastern Conference slate, No. 21 Auburn softball (30-12, 7-5 SEC) hosts No. 13 LSU (33-8, 6-6 SEC) in a crucial series this weekend at Jane B. Moore Field.
"LSU has played a tough schedule," said head coach Mickey Dean. "They have power, speed, good pitching and are well coached. Welcome to another SEC weekend. We need to be focused, to trust in each other and to bring the energy."
The series opens Friday at 5 p.m. CT. Roy Philpott and two-time Olympic gold medalist Michele Smith have the call on the SEC Network. Auburn continues its "Friday Night Lights" themed giveaways as fans will receive a free Auburn softball light-up baton while supplies last.
Saturday is Alumni Day at Jane B. Moore Field as the Tigers will recognize alumni in attendance in a special pregame ceremony. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. CT. JJ Jackson and three-time Auburn softball All-American Kasey Cooper will be in the booth for the SEC Network+.
"We're excited to recognize our alumni," Dean said. "We want to make sure our players understand that they are people who got our program to this point and helped to build it. When you're on the field playing with Auburn on your chest, you're playing for something more than just yourself."
The series finale is set for Sunday at 3 p.m. CT. Philpott and Smith return to the booth as Sunday's contest is available on ESPN2. Sunday will feature a postgame autograph session.
All three games are also available on the airwaves via the Auburn Sports Network.
LSU leads the all-time series 54-21. Auburn holds a 9-22 record against the Bayou Bengals in games on the Plains. LSU is making its return to Jane B. Moore Field for the first tie since 2017, which was also Auburn's last series win. The two squads last met in Baton Rouge to clos out the 2021 regular season. LSU won the series, but Auburn came away with their first win in Baton Rouge since 2015 with a 9-5 victory in game two.
The Bayou Bengals faced No. 1 Oklahoma on Wednesday and held the Sooners to season lows with two hits and a .083 batting average in the contest. The season LSU ranks second in the SEC with 343 hits and 159 walks and holds the second lowest ERA in the league at 1.90. LSU also ranks third in the conference with a .321 batting average.
It a critical matchup related to SEC standings, Auburn enters the weekend fourth in the league and holds a one-game advantage over LSU, which stands in seventh. LSU has series wins over South Carolina, Ole Miss and Missouri. Its lone series loss came by the hands of Tennessee as the Lady Vols swept LSU in Baton Rouge.
Auburn earned its 30th win of the season, knocking off in-state foe Troy 7-5 on Wednesday at Jane B. Moore Field. The Tigers secured their 30th win of the 2023 season, marking the fourth time that Auburn has won at least 30 games in a season during the Dean era.
Junior Maddie Penta earned the midweek victory to improve to 18-5 on the season. Penta leads the conference in wins, while raking second in the league in ERA (1.02), innings pitched (137.1) and strikeouts (212). She also ranks third in the league with an 8.15 strikeout-to-walk ratio, five shutouts and a 10.8 strikeouts per seven innings average.
Penta will be on milestone alert this weekend as she is just 14 strikeouts shy of becoming just the fourth pitcher in program history to record 600 career strikeouts.
Auburn's pitching staff has totaled 17 shutouts this season, the second most in the league and the fifth most in the country. The Tiger staff also tops on the nation with 345 strikeouts and a 6.39 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Penta, Shelby Lowe and Annabelle Widra all rank in the top seven in the SEC with their individual strikeout-to-walk ratios.
Thirteen different Tigers have knocked a home run this season with nine slugging at least two. Bri Ellis currently ranks seventh in the SEC with 10 home runs. Ellis enters the weekend tied for 10th in Auburn career history with 30 home runs. She is nine home runs shy of shattering the program's sophomore record held by Cooper.
As a team, the Tigers rank second in the conference with 49 home runs, the eighth most recorded in a single season on the Plains.
Nelia Peralta has reached base safely in 39 of Auburn's 42 contests and ranks seventh in the SEC with a .500 on-base percentage, the 10th highest mark by a Tiger in a single season. Peralta leads the team with 32 walks, the fifth most ever recorded by a Tiger sophomore, as she averages 0.76 walks per game, which ranks sixth in the SEC.
Auburn has turned the page defensively, committing just one error in its last 11 contests. Auburn has raised its fielding percentage to .975, the sixth best in the conference.
The Tigers continue their home stand on Wednesday, April 19 when Jacksonville State treks to Jane B. Moore Field. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. CT. The midweek tilt is available on the SEC Network+. Wednesday is also designated as Auburn's annual "Bark in the Park" game as four-legged fans are welcome.