Auburn softball hosts Ole Miss in home series finale

In the final Southeastern Conference series at Jane B. Moore Field this season, Auburn softball (24-22, 3-15 SEC) welcomes Ole Miss (28-21, 2-16 SEC) for a three-game stand.

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Auburn vs. Ole Miss

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AUBURN, Ala. – In the final Southeastern Conference series at Jane B. Moore Field this season, Auburn softball (24-22, 3-15 SEC) welcomes Ole Miss (28-21, 2-16 SEC) for a three-game stand.

“Ole Miss is going to fight and keep you on your toes,” said co-head coach Kate Malveaux. “They are going to be sound defensively, and they are going to come right at you. The thing is that we can’t be surprised when a team, regardless of record, comes right at you. Ultimately, we’re focusing more on us and making sure we have our ducks in a row. When we play like us and take care of ourselves, you get a Saturday performance at Florida in a tough environment. We’re looking to carry that same thing into our Ole Miss series, regardless of what they throw at us.”

The series begins Friday at 6 p.m. CT. Graham Doty and Auburn softball alum Shelby Lowe will have the call on SEC Network+. Fans will receive Auburn softball player trading cards while supplies last.

Saturday is set for a 2 p.m. CT start on SEC Network+. Doty returns to the booth alongside Auburn softball alum Kim Owens. Auburn will hold a pregame on-field graduation ceremony for its graduating student-athletes: SJ Geurin, Destiny Rodriguez, McKaela Walker and Ma’Nia Womack.

It’s Senior Day on the Plains for Sunday’s series finale as the Tigers honor Destiny Rodriguez and McKaela Walker in a pregame ceremony. First pitch on SEC Network is set for 12 p.m. CT. Alex Loeb and Cat Osterman will be on the call.

“It’s really cool to celebrate the accomplishments of our team,” Malveaux added. “At the end of the day, they are here to get a degree and go on to do some really cool things in life. Our two seniors are very special to the program and this team specifically.”

Brit Bowen will have radio coverage for all three games on WEGL 91.1 FM. Fans can also listen via the Auburn Tigers website and mobile app or stream the booth cam on the Auburn Softball Facebook page. Bowen will be joined by Rett Krome (Friday), Cohen Dalzell (Saturday) and Micah Farmer (Sunday).

Auburn enters its final homestand after suffering a tough midweek loss at Troy on Wednesday. The Tigers are searching for their second SEC series win after taking down Kentucky to open conference play in March.

The Rebels are also searching for a second conference series win. Ole Miss took two of three at No. 4 Tennessee in Knoxville for its lone series victory of the season. The Rebels have been swept in league play by Alabama, Texas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and LSU.

Slugging has been a major part of Auburn’s success this season, with 37 percent of its hits going for extra bases. The Tigers have hit 53 home runs as a team, the ninth most in a single season in program history. Junior Ma’Nia Womack leads the team with 11 home runs.

Freshman Ava Ratliff is one of Auburn’s hottest bats as of late. She led the team last weekend at No. 4 Florida with a 3-for-7 effort, recording at least one hit in each game of the series. She extended her hit streak to four games with a single at Troy on Wednesday.

Junior Ella Harrison leads Auburn’s pitching staff with a 3.64 ERA and 11 wins. She ranks ninth in the SEC with 216 strikeouts and is averaging 6.6 strikeouts per seven innings. Freshman Charley Butler has been strong in relief of late and has not allowed an earned run in six of her last seven appearances.

The Rebels are led by freshman Madi George. She has set single-season program records for home runs (20) and total bases (125) while adding a .394 batting average with seven doubles, 50 RBI and 25 walks. George has hit 10 home runs over her last nine games and holds an .880 slugging percentage.

In the circle, Kyra Aycock and Emilee Boyer have seen the bulk of the work as both have tossed over 100 innings this season. Aycock leads the team with 11 victories while Boyer is the Rebels’ strikeout leader with 114.

While Ole Miss has won two of the last three series, Auburn has dominated at Jane B. Moore Field. The Tigers have won five straight home series against the Rebels.

For fans traveling to Jane B. Moore Field, Auburn University will begin construction on Wire Road in March to install a sidewalk from Lem Morrison Drive to Samford Avenue. Once construction begins, northbound Wire Road will be reduced to one lane. See map below for more details. 

Wire Road