No. 21 Auburn (15-8) welcomes Jacksonville State (9-14) to Plainsman Park for a midweek matchup, the Tigers’ third-straight midweek contest vs an in-state opponent. Auburn comes into the matchup off the back of its first SEC win on Saturday over Arkansas, though the Tigers still lost the series 2-1.
Jacksonville State’s lineup is led by junior infielder Brennen Norton, who sits T-25th in Division I and T-1st in C-USA with 10 home runs on the season. The Gamecocks also have two batters with batting averages at or over .300: Junior outfielder Logan Walters (.303) and RS Sophomore catcher Bear Madliak (.300).
Despite their sizzling bats, Jax State enters this contest on a five-game losing streak, including a series sweep at the hands of C-USA leaders Louisiana Tech. Jax State’s team ERA currently sits at 7.27, the third worst in C-USA, which is good news for an Auburn lineup that sits 36th in Division I in slugging percentage.
Though SEC play has been a struggle for Auburn so far, they have faired well in midweek contests, recording a 5-0 record in such games this season. The Tigers will look to use the midweek contest to iron out their pitching issues, which have been a major concern in SEC play so far. Auburn’s ERA in conference play currently sits at 7.67, which is a glaring problem in a league with the hitting talent the SEC possesses.
"We're just going to keep fighting and taking it a day at a time," said head coach Butch Thompson. "This is huge for us tomorrow versus Jacksonville State. It'll be another one of those in-state matchups where everyone is ready to go."
First pitch is scheduled for 6 pm CT, and coverage can be found on SEC Network+ and the Auburn Sports Network.
