AUBURN, Ala. – A top-25 battle awaits No. 17 Auburn softball (20-1) to start the Southeastern Conference slate as the Tigers trek to Starkville, Mississippi, to face the No. 21 Bulldogs (19-3) in a three-game series at Nusz Park.
“We start to shift gears now that we’re in conference play,” said co-head coach Chris Malveaux. “One of bonuses of having an older team is that they have gone through a conference schedule before. They are chomping at the bits. They know where we were picked to finish, and they want to prove the world wrong. It’s a fun part of the season. We have to make sure we’re dotting our I’s and crossing our T’s. Mississippi State is going to be tough. They’ve had some big wins and have been consistent. They are athletic. They have some good pitching. It’s a great place to play, great environment. It’s going to be a fun weekend.”
The series begins on Saturday with a 5 p.m. CT first pitch on the SEC Network+. Game two is set for Sunday at 5:30 p.m. CT while Monday’s finale is slated for 7 p.m. CT. The final two games of the series are both available on the SEC Network. Amanda Scarborough and Chuckie Kempf will have the call.
JJ Jackson will have the radio call live from Nusz Park for all three games of the series on WEGL 91.1 FM and the Auburn Sports Network.
Auburn has opened SEC play with a series win 14 times in program history. The Tigers are looking for their first opening series win since sweeping Texas A&M in 2022. Auburn is facing Mississippi State for just the second time to open SEC play. The other meeting came in 2008 with Auburn taking two games at Jane B. Moore Field to win the series.
The Tigers have also won nine consecutive series versus Mississippi State. Auburn’s last series loss to the Bulldogs came in 2010.
Auburn enters the weekend on a nine-game win streak after topping in-state foe Troy on Wednesday night. The Tigers used a 12-run fourth inning to complete their 13th comeback win of the season. Mississippi State is also entering the weekend coming off midweek win. The Bulldogs topped Louisiana 14-1 Wednesday night.
Sierra Sacco leads the Bulldogs with a .476 batting average and enters the weekend on a 20-game reached base streak. Sacco has totaled 30 hits, 28 runs scored and 25 RBI this season. With eight doubles, one triple and five home runs, she holds an .873 slugging percentage.
In the circle Raelin Chaffin is among the top 25 in the country in complete games (7), starts (10), wins (10), innings pitched (61.2) and strikeouts (78). She is among the top three in the SEC in all five categories.
SJ Geurin earned her 13th win of the season in Wednesday’s midweek. She leads the country in victories and ranks third nationally in saves with four. She is the only Tiger pitcher to record 13 or more wins through the first 21 games of a season. Geurin ranks 11th in the SEC with her 1.09 earned run average and has been involved in 17 of Auburn’s 20 victories by either recording the win or a save.
Earning her way into the lineup, AnnaLea Adams has made the most of her opportunities. In the last eight games, Adams has gone 11-for-18 at the plate for a .611 average. She’s recorded three doubles and two home runs for a 1.111 slugging percentage and added nine RBI. Abbey Smith enters the weekend with a team leading .404 batting average and has recorded a hit in 17 of Auburn’s 21 contests.
.@_annalea_adams_ last eight games 👀
— Auburn Softball (@AuburnSoftball) March 7, 2025
11 Hits
3 Doubles
2 Home Runs
9 RBI#WarEagle pic.twitter.com/MOzQN4h6iu
Anna Wohlers and Icess Tresvik have combined for almost half of Auburn’s 30 home runs this season. The duo is tied for 14th in the SEC with six home runs each. Wohlers has homered in four of Auburn’s last seven games.