The Auburn Tigers softball team (34-14, 11-11 SEC) will turn to its offense to try and snap a five-game conference losing streak as it hosts No. 3 Georgia (40-7, 14-6 SEC) this weekend.
The Bulldogs will bring a potent offense to the Plains with four players hitting .368 or higher.
These players are junior infielder Ashley Pauly, senior infielder Megan Wiggins, senior infielder Alisa Goler and senior infielder Brianna Hesson.
"They come in here, and they are ranked second in the conference in terms of run production and offensive production," said head coach Tina Deese. "So we are not looking for a shutout."
Pauly leads the Bulldogs with a .391 batting average, while Hesson is another threat who should not be overlooked. The Sugar Hill, Ga., native is hitting .368, has 12 home runs and 15 games with at least two or more hits.
Hesson also has 15 multiple RBI games.
Deese said the Tigers will have to see what Georgia's pitching is like as well as prepare a solid game plan. Deese also said the idea to earn a win against Georgia sounds simple: get hits.
"We are going to have to maximize our opportunities," Deese said. "When we get chances and get runners on, we are going to have to do everything we can to score runs."
In their last outing, the Tigers completed a sweep of Mississippi Valley State, a much needed win for a team that has its eye on post-season play, Deese said.
"We are looking forward to NCAA Regionals," she said. "I think this is a step forward. A loss (to Mississippi Valley State) could have been detrimental to those hopes and aspirations."
The Tigers earned 25 runs on 29 hits and had a season-high 14 runs in the second game while also registering 16 hits.
The 14 runs and 16 hits are the most by Auburn since scoring 15 runs and 18 hits against Jacksonville State on May 22, 2010.
Junior pitcher Lauren Schmaltz earned the victory after allowing one earned run on four hits and 10 strikeouts.
We came out swinging and putting some runs on the board," Deese said. "I thought we were selectively aggressive at the plate, and that proved to be good for us. I am very proud of my seniors, and it was fitting that the rest of the team stepped up around them."
Senior infielder Kelly Smiley was one of many Tigers who recorded hits.
Smiley scored a double and two RBIs in the first inning of the second game, and said the atmosphere was one of many contributing factors to the sweep.
"We were seeing the ball well, and we were pumped," Smiley said. "Knowing that it was senior day, the underclassmen always try to pick the seniors up and have their backs. We all made sure we were on our 'A' game today so that we could get the wins."
Auburn will host Georgia for a three-game series.
The first game will start Friday at 6 p.m.
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