AUBURN, Ala. – Looking to carry momentum into the weekend and secure a second straight Southeastern Conference series win, Auburn softball (23-13, 5-10 SEC) hosts No. 24 Kentucky (27-15, 5-10) at Jane B. Moore Field for a three-game slate.
"Kentucky is a well-coached team," said head coach Mickey Dean. "Rachel (Lawson) does a great job. They have some kids that can really swing the bat. They have a strong pitching staff. They are going to be hungry. We just have to make sure we are making good decisions. We'll play some softball and celebrate Shelby Lowe this weekend."
The series begins Saturday with Shelby Lowe Day. The Tiger will honor the senior left-handed pitcher in a special pregame ceremony. The first 100 fans at Jane B. Moore Field will receive a free Shelby Lowe t-shirt. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. CT. Lowe will also participate in a postgame autograph and photo session.
Sunday's middle game is slated for 6 p.m. CT. Monday's finale is also set for a 6 p.m. CT start time. In the weekly Mic'd Up Monday contest, Dean will be featured throughout the SEC Network broadcast.
All three games of the series will be televised on the SEC Network. Courtney Lyle and Danielle Lawrie will have the call throughout the series. Brit Bowen will have radio coverage locally on WEGL 91.1 FM and on the Auburn Sports Network. Bowen will be joined by Brany Daughtry (Saturday), Gehrig Gesch (Sunday) and Riley Kelton (Monday) over the weekend.
Despite Kentucky winning six of the last 10 meetings, Auburn holds the advantage in the all-time series with a 44-23 mark. The Tigers record gets even better at Jane B. Moore Field with a 25-6 record in the series. Auburn has won three straight home series over Kentucky with the last home series loss coming in 2012.
This weekend is critical in the SEC standings as both teams stand with identical 5-10 SEC records. Both squads are coming off upset SEC series wins as Auburn took a pair of games from No. 6 LSU in Baton Rouge while the Wildcats hosted No. 7 Georgia last weekend, clinching the series on Sunday.
Auburn is on a hot streak after winning eight of its last 10 games after taking its first series win in Baton Rouge since 2015. Three of those eight wins have been against ranked foes. Over its last 10 games, Auburn's offense is averaging 5.4 runs per game.
Lowe enters her senior weekend coming off one her best performances in the circle. In her first seven-inning contest in SEC play since her freshman season, Lowe held LSU to three hits and just one run to help the road Tigers to clinch the series.
With Lowe finding more endurance in the circle, her play compliments Maddie Penta. The anchor of the Auburn pitching staff is 5-1 over her last seven appearances with a 0.80 earned run average.
Over Auburn's' last 10 games, Icess Tresvik has led the Tigers at the plate. She's totaled 10 hits, including a home run, for a .417 batting average and has added eight runs scored and nine RBI. She has totaled at least one hit in seven of Auburn's last eight games.
Another key to Auburn's success over this stretch is its defensive play. Over the last 10 games, Auburn has committed just two errors to hold a .992 fielding percentage. For the season, Auburn has cemented itself as one of the top defensive teams in the country as its .976 fielding percentage is fourth in the SEC and 15th nationally.
The Tigers are facing a tough Kentucky offense that ranks fifth in the SEC with a .522 team slugging percentage. The duo of Erin Coffel and Grace Lorsung do most of the damage at the plate as the pair both rank in the top 10 in the SEC individually in total home runs. Kentucky ace Sephanie Schoonover stands second in the SEC with 17 victories and holds a 2.43 ERA this season.