With his Auburn squad sitting at 13-4 heading into conference play, coach Sunny Golloway said he feels his team is ready to get into the thick of the season.
“We’re excited to be going to Texas A&M and excited to be starting conference play,” Golloway said during Wednesday’s teleconference. “Entering at 13-4, I think anybody would look back and say maybe there’s one or two we let get away, but through a lot of experience, I know that there’s one or two we were able to hold up and maybe stole from an opponent.”
Auburn, predicted to finish last in the SEC West before the season, currently sits at fourth in the division based on nonconference games. The Tigers’ first SEC opponent, Texas A&M, is undefeated at 17-0.
Sophomore Keegan Thompson will get the start Friday in the opening game, and senior Rocky McCord will be tabbed as the starter for Saturday.
Sunday’s starting pitcher is still undetermined, but it will likely be either Cole Lipscomb or Trey Wingenter.
“Right now, we are going with TBA on Sunday,” Golloway said. “It has to do with how we would use Cole Lipscomb in relief. He has been a starter for us and has pitched out of the bullpen, very effectively I might add, against Oklahoma State from the Big 12 in a victory.”
After losing to Samford Tuesday, March 10, Golloway said he realized his team has to perform better during midweek games, games that they can’t afford to overlook.
“We didn’t work on getting better last night,” Golloway said. “We got behind and showed a lack of confidence in our ability to come from behind. We definitely lost focus.”
With a tough matchup this weekend, Auburn will be tested from the first pitch.
“It’s going to be a tough road,” Golloway said. “We realize that and our kids realize that. I’m going to assume that Rob (Childress, coach for Texas A&M) and his guys are going to take care of business tonight so we can face an undefeated team. That challenge is very exciting to us.”
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