The Auburn baseball team faces a tough opponent this weekend in the No. 20 Arizona Wildcats. The Tigers will travel to Tuscon to play the Wildcats at Hi Corbett Field.
The Wildcats are 3-1 this season after a series with North Dakota State and a win against Utah Valley.
Offensively, the Wildcats are led by outfielder Robert Refsnyder, who in 13 at bats has seven hits and five RBIs. Another key contributor to the Wildcats is outfielder Johnny Field, who in nine at bats has six hits and one RBI.
Pitching is a strength for Arizona, with one pitcher already having pitched a shutout. In nine innings, pitcher James Farris gave up five hits, but struck out six to preserve the shutout.
Pitcher Konner Wade played seven innings in game two, giving up two hits, two runs and two walks with 13 strikeouts.
In order for the Tigers to compete with the Wildcats, batters will have to capitalize on runners on base. There were runners in scoring position several times in the Missouri series, but the Tigers were unable to finish.
Auburn did put together an offensive showcase against Alcorn State in the first game of a two-game series Tuesday.
The Tigers pounded out 20 hits--nine for extra bases--to shut out the Braves 22-0.
In total, 13 players scored at least one run, and 13 had at least one hit.
The winning margin was the largest since a 28-6 victory against the Samford Bulldogs in 2000.
"Offensively, it started early and we put some pressure on them early in the game. We did some things with our speed and saw some guys go first-to-third," said coach John Pawlowski.
Senior second baseman Creede Simpson led the Tigers, going four-for-four at the plate with two RBIs and one score.
Sophomore outfielder Jay Gonzalez will need to continue to use his speed to pressure opponents on the basepaths. Gonzalez has recorded two stolen bases this season.
After the weekend series in Arizona, the Tigers look to a two-game series against Alabama State starting Tuesday.
The Hornets are currently 0-4 after losing to the University of California-Irvine, Grambling State, Southern and UAB.
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