AUBURN, Ala. – Coming off a series win last weekend, Auburn (23-17-1, 7-11 SEC) will look to seize the opportunity with a three-game series at No. 2 South Carolina (34-6, 13-4 SEC) this weekend in Columbia, S.C.
Up Next:
at No. 2 South Carolina
Friday-Sunday, Apr. 28-30, 2023
6 p.m. / 3 p.m. / 11 a.m. CT
TV: SEC Network+ (Fri/Sat) / SEC Network (Sun)
Radio: Auburn Sports Network
"I like the word 'opportunity' for this series," head coach Butch Thompson said. "We're really at a point where we have to play a certain level of baseball to continue. We have the opportunity to build a resume, and I don't think there should be any more pressure on our ball club. We should absolutely just go play. Those will be the two messages I'm trying to get across to the team for this weekend in Columbia."
First pitches at Founders Park are scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m. CT, Saturday at 3 p.m. and Sunday at 11 a.m.
All three games will be broadcast on the Auburn Sports Network and can be heard locally on 93.9 FM. Friday and Saturday's contests will be streamed digitally on SEC Network+ and Sunday's finale will air nationally on SEC Network.
PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday – Gr. LHP Tommy Vail (3-1, 3.83) vs. Jr. RHP Will Sanders (4-1, 4.76)
Saturday – R-Jr. RHP Christian Herberholz (0-3, 4.95) vs. Jr. RHP Jack Mahoney (4-1, 3.26)
Sunday – TBA vs. So. LHP Matthew Becker (4-0, 3.38)
QUICK HITTERS
This weekend marks Auburn's third SEC road trip against a top-three team in the country.
The Tigers are the only team in the league to play three road series against teams ranked in the top three at the time of competition.
Bobby Peirce and Cooper McMurray are hitting a combined .500 (18-for-36) with 14 runs and 15 RBI in five games since the beginning of last week.
McMurray is the reigning SEC Player of the Week after leading the league in home runs (five) and tying for the league lead in RBI (nine) last week.
Auburn's starting rotation of Tommy Vail and Christian Herberholz have a combined 0.87 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 20.2 innings the last two SEC weekends.
The Tigers are 8-2 in series openers this season, including 4-2 in SEC series openers.
Auburn is 30-47 all-time vs. South Carolina, including 12-21 against the Gamecocks in Columbia.
The Tigers have won each of the last four series and nine of the last 11 games in the matchup.
SCOUTING THE GAMECOCKS
South Carolina enters the weekend with a 34-6 overall record and 13-4 mark in SEC play.
The Gamecocks are coming off a sweep of Florida and have lost just one series and back-to-back games on just one occasion this season.
The team leads the SEC and ranks second in the country in home runs (92) and rank top 10 in runs (374), walks (259) and on-base percentage (.431).
Freshman outfielder Ethan Petry leads the way with a .427 average, 20 home runs and 64 RBI. He ranks second in the SEC in all three categories.
On the mound, the Gamecocks lead the SEC and rank second in the NCAA in ERA (3.23). The team has posted a 3.35 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 10.4 strikeout-per-9.0-inning rate, both top 20 marks in the country.