AUBURN, Ala. – Finishing up a stretch of five straight series against top-10 teams, No. 4 Auburn (35-16, 16-11 SEC) hosts No. 5 Georgia (41-11, 21-6 SEC) to wrap up the regular season Thursday through Saturday at Plainsman Park.
First pitches are scheduled for Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m. CT and Saturday at 2 p.m.
“We’ve been fighting like crazy. I think our guys have done an amazing job. What a journey this has been,” Auburn coach Butch Thompson said. “We’re excited to host these guys, the national leaders in home runs, top five in about every offensive category. We’ll have our work cut out for us. We’ve played some of the best teams, and now we’re seeing the summit. The best team in our league is coming here to finish so we’re excited about that.”
The games will be broadcast on the Auburn Sports Network and can be heard locally on Wings 94.3 FM. The first two games will also be broadcast nationally on SEC Network, while Saturday’s game will be streamed digitally on SEC Network+.
A limited number of general admission single-game tickets remain available and can be purchased here.
PROBABLE STARTERS
Thursday – So. LHP Jake Marciano (4-4, 2.71) vs. Jr. RHP Joey Volchko (7-2, 4.41)
Friday – So. RHP Andreas Alvarez (8-2, 2.66) vs. Jr. RHP Dylan Vigue (4-1, 2.79)
Saturday – R-So. RHP Alex Petrovic (8-2, 3.15) vs. TBA
QUICK HITTERS
Auburn enters the weekend with six straight SEC series wins in a single season for the first time since 1995, marking two more consecutive series wins than anyone else in the league.
Georgia represents Auburn’s fifth straight top-10 opponent to end the regular season.
The Tigers are 8-4 against those top-10 teams in the last four weeks.
Auburn is coming off a stretch of 12 of the last 15 games since Apr. 16 being played away from home. The Tigers went 8-4 in those road games, with 10 of the games against ranked teams.
Auburn is 14-13 against ranked team this season, tied for the most ranked wins in the league.
The Tigers are 32-1 when outhitting the opponent this season and 136-17 in the last five years.
The team is also 25-2 when scoring six or more runs this season and 147-29 in the last five years.
The starting rotation remains the same three guys for the seventh straight week.
The trio is a combined 20-8 with a 2.85 ERA and 249 strikeouts in 205.1 innings pitched.
Auburn leads the series against Georgia that dates back to 1896, 183-173-4, including an 88-65-4 record against the Bulldogs at home.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Winners of eight straight SEC games, Georgia enters the weekend having clinched the SEC regular season title with a 41-11 overall record and 21-6 mark in league play.
Offensively, the Bulldogs lead the country with 140 home runs and rank top five in the country in average (.328), on-base percentage (.445), slugging percentage (.628) runs (502) and hits (584). Catcher Daniel Jackson leads the team and league in multiple offensive categories including average (.384), home runs (25) and RBI (74).
On the mound, Georgia has turned in a 4.91 staff ERA with 544 strikeouts and 233 walks in 442.0 innings. Game one starter Joey Volchko leads the team with 81 strikeouts, while dual-role pitcher Caden Aoki leads the way with an 8-0 record and 3.20 ERA.
PREGAME RECOGNITIONS
Thursday – Senior Day at 6:30 p.m. honoring Abe Chancellor, Todd Clay, Logan Gregorio, Mason Koch and Lucas Steele along with student assistant Sonny DiChiara and student manager Drew Wren.
Friday – Josh Donaldson Wall of Fame Induction at 6:45 p.m.
Saturday – On-field graduation ceremony at 1:30 p.m. honoring Trevor Booton, Chancellor, Clay, Gregorio, Koch and Steele along with DiChiara.
PROMOTIONS & GIVEAWAYS
Thursday – Orange rally towel giveaway
Saturday – Senior trading cards giveaway and postgame autographs
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
For a one-stop show for all things surrounding an Auburn baseball game at Plainsman Park, visit the revamped Auburn baseball gameday page.
Specific to this weekend, fans should be mindful of the Donahue Drive road closure north of Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Plainsman Plaza, the new pregame block party that debuted prior to the middle game against Texas on Mar. 21, returns this Saturday.
- Located along Donahue Drive, the space features food trucks, live music and a DJ, inflatables for kids, videoboards for watching live games across the country, and more.
- Plainsman Plaza will open at 11 a.m. Saturday with the main seating area of the ballparking opening as usual at 12:30 p.m. In preparation for Plainsman Plaza’s opening, Donahue Drive from Heisman Drive to Samford Avenue will be shut down beginning at 8 a.m.
- With the closure of Donahue Drive, fans are encouraged to use the following routes to access parking
- Coliseum: Samford Drive to Biggio Drive
- Neville Arena: Wire Road to Heisman Drive
- Stadium Deck: Samford Avenue to Duncan Drive
- Fans should access Plainsman Plaza through the entry gates near the intersection of Heisman and Donahue Drives. The space will be considered part of the ballpark, and a game ticket is required for entry. Once inside, fans will not need to scan again for entry into the seating bowl. Similar to regular gamedays, fans will not be permitted to leave and re-enter.
Fans with general admission tickets are invited to visit the following links to familiarize themselves with the layout of some of our seating/standing-room-only areas.
- Plainsman Patio: Located down the first base line, this expanded space features seating, high-top tables, and a Fast Flight Grab-N-Go concessions market with an upgraded menu.
- War Eagle Wall: A one-of-a-kind, two-tiered standing-room-only viewing area in left field, accessible by stairs or ramp off the left field concourse.
- YETI Yard: YETI Yard (previously known as Tiger Terrace) includes three paved general admission terrace levels plus a large green space with enhanced concessions. Fans may bring tailgate chairs in this area only.