AUBURN, Ala. – With weather altering the schedule, No. 25 Auburn softball (1-1-1) preps for the PV College Challenge a day earlier than previously scheduled as the Tigers trek to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for a tough slate of games to be played at the Nancy Almaraz Stadium.
Auburn's tournament slate now begins on Wednesday as the Tigers face Wichita State (2-0) at 4 p.m. CT. The Tigers are still slated for a doubleheader versus UC Davis (2-2) and 2023 Women's College World Series participant No. 13 Utah (4-1) on Friday, but first pitch has been adjusted to 12 p.m. CT.
The Tigers were slated for a postseason rematch with No. 7 Clemson (4-1) on Saturday, but schedule adjustments for the remainder of the tournament are expected and will be announced throughout the week. Fans are encouraged to follow Auburn Softball's official social media accounts for additional updates.
"We're getting two tournaments back-to-back where we are going to be tested to the fullest," said head coach Mickey Dean. "That gives us another month to get things worked out before we get into SEC play. I think that's important. You don't want to still be searching and figuring things out in your first two conference series. This year, we've put together that schedule where we are test early enough and often enough that we can figure things out well before then."
All games of the PV College Challenge are available to stream with a FloSoftball account.
Auburn is returning to Puerto Vallarta for the first time since 2017. That season, Auburn went 3-1 with wins over No. 1 Oklahoma, Nebraska and BYU.
Coming off opening weekend, Auburn stands at 1-1-1 after a pair of competitive contests with a ranked Virginia Tech squad. Auburn recorded just its third tie in program history and the first since 2015 after its 5-5 contest with the Hokies was called in the sixth innings last Saturday. It was the first tie to ever be recorded at Jane B. Moore Field.
Amelia Lech and KK McCrary led the offense with a pair of home runs over opening weekend. The duo is tied for fourth in the SEC in total home runs. Freshman Chalea Clemmons had a strong debut at the plate, recording a hit in each of her first three collegiate games. Icess Tresvik turned in a pair of multi-hit performances in Auburn's first three contests.
Senior Makayla Packer was a perfect 3-for-3 in stolen base attempts last weekend to bring her career total to 54. She now holds the highest stolen base percentage in school history with a .885 mark,
While not finding the win column last weekend, Maddie Penta paced the pitching staff with 16 total strikeouts. She is now just seven strikeouts shy of becoming just the fourth Tiger in program history to record 700 career strikeouts.
The Tigers have history with all four of its slated opponents at this year's PV College Challenge with its most recent foe being the Tigers of Clemson. Auburn has competed in the Clemson Regional in both 2023 and 2024. A meeting this weekend would mark the first time the two squads have faced in the regular season.
No. 25 Auburn begins PV College Challenge on Wednesday
