The Tigers prepare to face off against 2007 Southeastern Conference Champion Commodores this weekend in Nashville
Freshman Hunter Morris: leads the Tiger offense with a .372 batting average and eight home runs. The first baseman has started all 37 games at the position. Kyle Cooper / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR
The Tigers will travel to Nashville tomorrow to take on the Southeastern Conference defending champion Vanderbilt Commodores for a three game series this weekend. Friday’s game begins at 6 p.m., while Saturday’s starts at noon and Sunday’s first pitch is at 1 p.m.
As of Monday, Vanderbilt is ranked No. 14 in the nation in the USA Today/ESPN poll and fifth in the Southeast Conference’s eastern division with a 24-10 overall record. Auburn is third in the western conference with 6-9 and 22-15 conference and overall records, respectively.
The most recent conference series ended with the Tigers being swept by No. 10-ranked South Carolina last weekend. The Commodores last conference match-up had them dominate Mississippi State by an average of eight runs in the three-game series.
It was announced Monday that Vanderbilt’s outfielder David Macias received the SEC Player of the Week honor. He leads the Commodores in batting with a .386 average and has already reached his career-high homer mark with six from the leadoff spot. Macias’ performance against the
Bulldogs last weekend and the two games prior, going 13-for-23 and nine runs scored in five games, helped him earn the nod from the conference.
The Tigers are 3rd in the SEC West: behind Ole Miss and Alabama with 6-9 Conference and 22-15 overall records. After facing Vanderbilt the Tigers face Alabama, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and LSU in conference play before the SEC tournament, which begins May 21in Hoover.
Three other Commodores are also hitting above the .300 mark. Alex Feinberg, Andrew Giobbi and Ryan Flaherty represent the meat of the Vanderbilt line-up. Giobbi leads the team in doubles with 11, while Flaherty’s eight homers makes him the long-ball leader and Feinberg is the No. 2 leader in runs batted in with 23.
Redshirted freshman Caleb Cotham’s 3.22 earned run average is the best of the Vanderbilt pitching rotation. He holds a 5-2 record in nine appearances with 50 strikeouts, 16 earned runs and 18 walks in 44.2 innings pitched. Junior Nick Christiani and sophomore south paw Mike Minor are the other Commodore starters. They combine for a 3.76 ERA, 99 strikeouts, 94 hits and 51 runs in 97.1 innings.
The Commodores are led by Head Coach Tim Corbin, who is now in his sixth season with the team. Last year, he guided Vanderbilt to its first No. 1 ranking in school history, a position it held for 13 of 15 weeks of the regular season.
The Tigers’ offense is led by Hunter Morris whose .372 batting average is the best of the squad. He also leads in hits with 55, homers with eight and RBIs with 37. Six other Tigers aren’t far behind Morris as they also are batting at least .316. Auburn’s team batting average is .312 while Vanderbilt’s is .309. The Tigers also top the Commodores in runs with 263 to their 247 and hits with Auburn’s 402 to their 372.
Auburn utilizes much more of its bullpen than Vanderbilt as the Tigers have eight pitchers who have made at least 10 appearances. The Commodores have only five pitchers who have taken the mound that many times. Auburn’s pitchers combine for a 4.19 ERA, while Vanderbilt’s is 4.41.
Evan Crawford has been impressive on the mound this season as he holds a 3-0 record in 18 appearances with 30 strikeouts and just five earned runs in 25.2 innings pitched. True freshman Cory Luckie has made a name for himself on the Auburn squad. He started 11 games and holds a 3.60 ERA.
In the last meeting against Vanderbilt in the regular season, the Tigers won one out of three games that were played at Plainsman Park May 11-13, 2007. The second game of the series was extended to 10 innings after Auburn’s ninth-inning rally that put up a tie at 5. A fast ball in the top of the 10th allowed Vanderbilt to score the winning run for the 6-5 final tally. Auburn’s heavy-hitter Mike Biannuci was the designated hitter that series and went 6-10 overall.
Following the Vanderbilt games, Auburn has just four conference series before the SEC tournament beginning May 21.