AUBURN, Ala. – Starting the second half of Southeastern Conference play, Auburn (21-15-1, 5-10 SEC) hosts Mississippi State (22-15, 5-10 SEC) for three games this weekend. First pitches at Plainsman Park are scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m. CT, Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.
Up Next:
vs. Mississippi State
Friday-Sunday, Apr. 21-23, 2023
6 p.m. | 2 p.m. | 1 p.m. CT
TV: SEC Network+
Radio: Auburn Sports Network
"We're home to start the second half, and this is a huge series," head coach Butch Thompson said. "It's huge for everybody. Every matchup in this league is huge this week.
"It always feels the same for me regardless of what team it is. We've had a chance to win every series except maybe the first one on the road," Thompson added. "We have to take it a step up. We need to be at a better brand than we've played to have a chance to win this series."
All three games will be broadcast on the Auburn Sports Network and can be heard locally on 93.9 FM. The games will also be streamed digitally on SEC Network+.
PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday – Gr. LHP Tommy Vail (3-1, 4.34) vs. Jr. RHP Cade Smith (1-1, 6.19)
Saturday – R-Jr. RHP Christian Herberholz (0-3, 5.74) vs. So. RHP Colby Holcombe (2-2, 5.32)
Sunday – TBA vs. Fr. BHP Jurrangelo Cijntje (3-2, 5.09)
QUICK HITTERS
Auburn is 16-6-1 at home this year and has won 29 of its last 38 games at Plainsman Park dating back to last year (29-8-1; .776).
The Tigers are hitting .305 and are scoring 8.1 runs per game at home.
The team has scored five or more runs in 15 of the last 17 games dating back to Mar. 21.
Auburn and LSU are the only two teams in the league with five players who have made 20 or more starts hitting .320 or higher - Ike Irish (.384), Bryson Ware (.359), Bobby Peirce (.347), Cole Foster (.338) and Chris Stanfield (.320).
Kason Howell and Irish are first and second in the SEC with 18 and 17 doubles, respectively.
Howell is third in program history and the NCAA active leader with 66 career doubles.
Auburn's weekend rotation of Tommy Vail and Christian Herberholz combined to turn in a 1.69 ERA in 10.2 innings in starts at Alabama last weekend.
Auburn is 94-115-1 all-time against Mississippi State but leads the series at Plainsman Park 51-43.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Mississippi State enters the weekend with a 22-15 overall record and 5-10 mark in SEC play after winning five of its last eight league games and each of its last two conference series at Alabama and vs. Ole Miss.
Offensively, the team is fifth in the league with a .299 batting average and are hitting .269 in SEC play.
Hunter Hines poses the biggest threat with a .336 average and team best 17 homers and 47 RBI. He ranks third and eighth in the league respectively in the categories.
Mississippi State is 12th in the league with a 6.21 ERA and last with a 9.58 ERA in SEC games only. The Bulldogs also rank last in the conference with a .960 fielding clip.
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, Neville Arena lot and stadium parking 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.