AUBURN, Ala. – Looking to carry momentum into its first road test of Southeastern Conference play, No. 24 Auburn softball (19-7, 2-1 SEC) travels to Norman to face No. 6 Oklahoma (25-2) in a three-game series at Love’s Field.
“It’s an amazing environment there,” said co-head coach Chris Malveaux. “It can be daunting, but it’s going to be a blast. I want our players to experience and appreciate it, but to also eliminate all that clutter. At the end of the day, the ball doesn’t know who is supposed to win. It’s going to come down to competing, winning the next pitch and keeping our minds in the right space. Our process is going to be the same. We’ve got to make sure we’re locked in and doing whatever we need to do to win.”
The series begins on Friday at 6:30 p.m. CT. Saturday’s contest is slated for a 2 p.m. CT start, while Sunday’s finale is set for 12 p.m. CT.
The first two games of the series will be available on the SEC Network+. Chad McKee and Destinee Martinez will be in the booth. Auburn makes its SEC Network season debut Sunday with Kevin Fitzgerald and Amanda Scarborough on the call.
Brit Bowen will have radio coverage on WEGL 91.1 FM throughout the weekend. Fans can also listen on the Auburn Tigers website and mobile app or stream the booth cam on the Auburn Softball Facebook page.
Despite having a rich postseason history with the Sooners, this weekend marks Auburn’s first-ever trip to Norman. It’s also their first meeting as SEC opponents.
The Tigers opened SEC play last weekend, sweeping a Saturday doubleheader to clinch a series win over Kentucky. It was Auburn’s first series win to open conference action since 2022.
Junior Alyssa Hastings had a strong start to league action and delivered the walk-off double in Auburn’s 13-inning marathon win over Kentucky to clinch the series win. Hastings leads the team and ranks 13th in the SEC with a .476 batting average while also slugging a team-leading seven doubles. She enters the weekend with a 1.216 OPS.
Whether it’s via a base hit or a walk, sophomore Kylie Shaw is the toughest out in the Tiger lineup as she has reached base safely in all 26 games to start the season. Leading the SEC with 29 total walks, Shaw ranks seventh in the league and 12th nationally with a .610 on-base percentage. She has recorded at least one hit in 20 of Auburn’s 26 games.
While sophomore Ella Harrison remains the workhorse in the circle for the Tigers, junior SJ Geurin delivered an impressive performance to open league play. After tossing a complete-game effort in game one of Saturday’s doubleheader, Geurin returned to throw 4.2 innings of scoreless relief to secure the series win. The left-hander holds a 1.20 ERA against league opponents.
This weekend marks the first conference series for the Sooners, who enter with a 25-2 overall record after defeating Tulsa in midweek action Wednesday.
Offense has been the defining story for Oklahoma this season as the Sooners rank first nationally in numerous team categories, including batting average, total runs, home runs, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. The Sooners are averaging more than 14 runs per game.
“Offensively this is going to be the best lineup we’ve seen,” Malveaux said. “Oklahoma is incredibly deep. Their staff works hard and grinds. They are on top of it in the recruiting realm. They develop athletes. Their expectation is to win a national championship every single year. When you add all of that together, it makes Oklahoma become ‘Oklahoma’. They are going to be an incredibly complete team.”
Oklahoma has four players with double-digit home runs this season with Kendall Wells leading the country with 19. Wells also paces the team with a staggering 1.158 slugging percentage and has added 37 RBI. Audrey Lowry has thrown the most innings in the circle for Oklahoma and holds a 1.76 ERA with an 11-1 record this season.