AUBURN, Ala. – After two weeks of travel, No. 19 Auburn softball (14-1) returns to Jane B. Moore Field to begin a six-game home swing, starting this weekend with the annual Jane B. Moore Memorial tournament.
“It’s nice to have a bit of a home stretch here,” said assistant coach Ryker Chason. “This weekend, we need to focus on putting all three phases of the game together. When we get into conference play, we have to pitch, play great defense and hit. We’ve seen flashes of that from our team. We have a strong field this weekend to compete against and hone that in.”
Auburn opens the tournament on Friday with Rutgers (7-9) and McNeese State (10-5). The doubleheader action begins at 3 p.m. CT. Saturday features a similar set up with the Tigers taking on Louisiana (8-4) followed by a rematch with the Cowgirls. Saturday’s doubleheader also begins at 3 p.m. CT. Sunday’s finale versus Louisiana is slated for 11:30 a.m. CT.
All five contests will be available on the SEC Network+. Friday and Sunday will be passthrough broadcasts with the call from the Auburn Sports Network radio team. Saturday’s doubleheader will feature JJ Jackson and Auburn softball alum Shelby Lowe in the booth.
Radio coverage for all five games is available on WEGL 91.1 FM and the Auburn Sports Network. Brit Bowen and Caleb Robinson will have coverage on Friday. Bowen returns to the booth on Saturday with Micah Farmer. Jacob Hillman and Cohen Dalzell will take over the call on Sunday.
This weekend will be a reunion of sorts for the Auburn coaching staff as several members have ties to the tournament field.
Chris Malveaux’s first head coaching job was at McNeese from 2005-2008. Chris and Kate Malveaux also both coached at Louisiana. Chris was an assistant coach from 2009-11 before returning for a stint as associate head coach for the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Kate served as director of operations for the Ragin’ Cajuns from 2015-16 before taking on a role as an assistant coach in 2017. DJ Sanders was also an All-American shortstop during her collegiate career at Louisiana.
SJ Geurin continues to anchor the Auburn pitching staff through the first three weeks of the season. At the Rocket City Showcase, Geurin earned all three Tiger victories and turned in a 0.55 earned run average over the course of the tournament.
The left-hander is off the best start in program history for a Tiger pitcher. With her 9-0 record, she’s the only pitcher in program history to record nine wins through the first 15 games. She’s currently tied with Oregon’s Lyndsey Grein for the national lead in wins.
she’s also tied for the national lead in wins 👀💪#WarEagle | @sjg__85 pic.twitter.com/Q0ugswKTdP
— Auburn Softball (@AuburnSoftball) February 25, 2025
While the offense took a hit in Madison battling the cold temperatures, Auburn still ranks 14th in the country with 22 home runs through the first 15 games. The total is just under half of Auburn’s entire 2024 home run total. The Tigers have also scored 10 or more in four games this season, already doubling its 2024 total of two.
Abbey Smith leads the Auburn offense as she enters the weekend with a .417 batting average from the ninth spot in the batting order. In her first three seasons on the Plains, Smith had combined for 18 total hits. She already has 15 to her credit to go along with 14 runs scored.
Despite a quiet weekend at the Rocket City Showcase, Icess Tresvik still has monster numbers on her stat line. She ranks fourth in the SEC with six home runs. She’s added two doubles for a .822 slugging percentage. She also has 17 runs scored and 16 RBI to her credit.
This weekend’s tournament in held in memory of Dr. Jane B. Moore, one of the most influential women in Auburn Athletics history and the namesake for Auburn’s softball complex. Moore was the first woman to serve on the Auburn University Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics and went on to serve on multiple athletics committees for over 40 years on top of her 28-year career as a faculty member of the College of Education. Moore passed away in 2021.