Following her game one shutout and game two save at No. 14 Alabama this past weekend, both wins, Auburn junior Kaylee Carlson has been named the SEC’s Pitcher of the Week. Carlson joins Jenee Loree as the second Tiger to ever receive the award. Loree did it back in 2012.
The recognition for Carlson comes on the heels of Auburn’s historic series victory over No. 14 Alabama. It was the first time in program history that the Tigers defeated the Tide in Tuscaloosa. In the series opener, Carlson directed the Tigers to victory with a complete game shutout, tallying her SEC-leading 25th win in the process. Her save on Saturday for sophomore Makayla Martin clinched the best of three series.
Carlson recorded 10 scoreless innings, sending leadoff hitters back to the dugout in eight of nine such instances. The Crimson Tide bats allotted just six hits off Carlson’s pitches, falling victim to a trio of strikeouts on the weekend.
The Auburn pitchers as whole allowed only four runs during their trip to Tuscaloosa, the lowest mark all-time for Alabama in a series against the Tigers. Carlson has not allowed a run in her last 11.1 innings pitched and has held conference opponents to one earned run or fewer in 10 SEC games in 2017.
Carlson will lead to the Tigers to Knoxville on Thursday, when No. 2 seed Auburn takes on the winner of No. 7 seed Kentucky and No. 10 seed South Carolina. The Tigers clinched the second seed and a first-round bye with Tennessee’s victory over Texas A&M on Sunday afternoon. The SEC Network will have the broadcast of the Thursday’s contest, with the first pitch set for 4 p.m. CST.
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