AUBURN, Ala. – Hosting for the fourth time in the last five seasons, No. 4 Auburn (38-19) opens its 26th NCAA regional appearance against Milwaukee (25-31) Friday at noon CT at Plainsman Park.
“The journey is what’s awesome about this,” Auburn coach Butch Thompson said. “I’ve had as much fun as I’ve ever had in my career, and I’m thanking them every day. I care about these guys, and I want them to have success. I’m going to have a blast. I’m fired up to see them compete. Everybody’s supposed to feel like they can make a run. We certainly do, but we’ve got to be ready to fight.”
The winner of Friday’s game will play the winner of Friday night’s matchup between UCF (31-21) and NC State (32-22) Saturday at 7 p.m. CT. The losers will play in an elimination game Saturday at 2 p.m.
“You learn a lot about the Auburn family,” sophomore catcher Chase Fralick said. “They show up and they’re loud. You learn playing at home, you’ve got to keep momentum, shutting teams down when you score and getting on the scoreboard first and keeping fans into the game. We’re going to play our best baseball, and we’re excited that we get to do it at Plainsman Park.”
Friday’s game will be broadcast on the Auburn Sports Network and can be heard locally on Wings 94.3 FM. It will also be streamed digitally on ESPN+. Television designations for the remainder of the regional are to be determined.
PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday – So. LHP Jake Marciano (5-5, 2.64) vs. Gr. RHP Gavin Theis (2-3, 4.91)
QUICK HITTERS
Auburn is making its 26th regional appearances, including its seventh under Butch Thompson.
The program is 54-35 in regionals all-time, including 14-4 with four titles under Thompson.
Thompson’s four regional titles are the most by a head coach in program history.
The Tigers are one of two programs to host four of the last five years, joined by North Carolina.
The team is the only in the country to earn a top-four seed each of the last two seasons.
Auburn’s 13 wins and 25 games played against fellow regional hosts are the most in the field.
SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS
UCF enters the regional with a 31-21 overall record after going 19-11 in Big 12 play, finishing tied for third in the conference standings.
Offensively, the Knights are hitting .292 as a team with 361 runs scored on 526 hits, including 87 doubles and 51 home runs. Zak Skinner leads the way with a .365 average in 51 games played, while John Smith II and Andrew Williams have accounted for nearly half (24) of the team’s home runs.
On the mound, UCF has turned in a 4.37 staff ERA with 404 strikeouts and 198 walks in 459.1 innings pitched. Second Team All-Big 12 pitcher Camden Wicker will start Friday night, boasting a 5-3 record and 4.00 ERA in 72.0 innings pitched.
SCOUTING THE WOLFPACK
Led by retiring head coach Elliot Avent, who is finishing his 30th season with the Wolfpack, NC State enters the regional with a 32-22 overall record and went 14-16 in ACC play.
Offensively, the Wolfpack rank 25th in the country and third in the ACC with a .307 team average. The team also ranks 25th in the country in scoring (8.2 runs/game), totaling 441 runs on 549 hits, including 100 doubles and 77 home runs. Five everyday players enter the postseason hitting .319 or better.
On the mound, NC State has turned in a 5.63 staff ERA with 529 strikeouts and 244 walks in 450.2 innings pitched. Right-hander Anderson Nance will make his second start of the season Friday vs. UCF and is 4-2 with a 3.78 ERA in 47.2 innings.
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
Riding a seven-game win streak into the postseason, Milwaukee has turned in a 25-31 overall record and 14-10 in the Horizon League before winning its conference tournament by outscoring the opponents 23-7.
The Panthers turned in a .275 average with 369 runs on 511 hits in 56 games played. Dylan O’Connell leads the team with a .338 average and 67 hits and ranks sixth in the country with 40 of the team’s 122 stolen bases, good for the most in the Horizon.
On the mound, Milwaukee posted a 7.01 staff ERA with 388 strikeouts and 264 walks in 466.0 innings pitched. Graduate Gavin Theis will make the start in the opener vs. Auburn and posted a 2-3 record with a 4.91 ERA in 13 starts this season.
AUBURN REGIONAL CENTRAL
The all-encompassing Auburn Regional Central page, including opponent and game info, links to tickets, ballpark policies and more, can be found here.
EXPANDED SEATING AT PLAINSMAN PARK
In order to expand Plainsman Park capacity to enable as many fans as possible to watch the Auburn Regional, three expanded seating options are being introduced.
Atop the YETI Yard will be a new multi-tiered terrace featuring 320 reserved chairback seats with a general admission standing terrace above, designed to accommodate approximately 200 additional fans. Additionally, chairs will be pre-placed throughout the YETI Yard terrace to maximize seating capacity, providing general admission seating opportunities for approximately 800 fans on a first-come, first-served basis.
In addition to the normal general admission tables and chairs, the Plainsman Patio will also feature a five-tiered structure with 48 reserved chairback seats, including access to the new Donahue Club, located next to the Donaldson Hitting Lab. Atop the reserved seating structure will be two tiers of general admission standing terrace, available on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Back Forty located in right field has also been expanded with three additional standing terraces, providing general admission access for approximately 1,000 students and fans. Outfield general admission tickets are discounted and do not provide ballpark access.
PLAINSMAN PLAZA
Plainsman Plaza will be back for postseason at Plainsman Park. The plaza will open beginning Friday and will be open throughout the weekend. The space will feature food trucks, inflatables, live music, a large video screen and more.
Plainsman Plaza will open Friday at 10 a.m., two hours prior to first pitch, and will close at the conclusion of game one. In order to prepare for the pregame festivities, Donahue Drive from Samford Avenue to Heisman Drive will close at 8:30 a.m.
For Saturday and Sunday, the Plaza will reopen at noon and remain open through the sixth inning of game one or 4 p.m., whichever is earlier. At that time, the plaza will open for ticket holders of the day’s second session.
Once capacity within Plainsman Plaza is reached, entry will be paused until Plainsman Park gates open for the next game. Guests who have been admitted into Plainsman Plaza will be given first access to Plainsman Park when gates open. Access via other stadium gates will follow.
TICKET INFORMATION
Currently, all reserved tickets for the regional are sold out. General admission all-session and single-session tickets are on sale at AUBTIX.com. All-session tickets are $90 for ballpark general admission and $70 for outfield general admission. Single-session general admission tickets are available for as low as $15.
Additional tickets may become available for purchase on gameday based on the participating teams' needs and stadium capacity. If participating teams return tickets, they would be made available for purchase on-line by mid-morning on gamedays. There is no
guarantee teams will return tickets for sale.
Limited numbers of tickets may become available for purchase at the gates based
on stadium capacity. If any tickets become available, they will be sold in person at
Plainsman Park on a first come, first serve basis around first pitch.
PARKING INFORMATION
Parking passes for the Neville Arena, Coliseum and Athletics Complex lots are available for purchase at AUBTIX.com.
Free parking lots on campus include Ag Heritage, Aquatics Center, Campus Safety, Extension Loop and McWhorter Center along with the Stadium Deck.
A digital parking map can be found at the Auburn Regional Central page linked above.
Due to the Plainsman Patio occupying Donahue Drive all weekend long, the road will close from Samford Avenue to Heisman Drive at 8:30 a.m. Friday and remain closed throughout the weekend.