The Auburn Tigers softball team stayed put this week’s National Fastpitch Coaches Association Top 25 poll, remaining at the No. 4 spot.
The Tigers are coming off an undefeated outing in the University of South Florida Tournament, going 5-0 against the likes of North Dakota State, USF, Illinois, Ohio State and LIU Brooklyn. Against the Ohio State Buckeyes, Auburn junior pitcher Kaylee Carlson tossed just the second perfect game in program history in an 8-0 victory for the Tigers.
The Florida State Seminoles retain the top spot, followed by Florida. Pac-12 powers Oregon and Arizona round out the top five.
Auburn has been ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation this season, with the fourth spot being their lowest mark. The Tigers will travel to Gainesville, Florida this weekend to face the No. 2 Florida Gators. The three-game series spans from Saturday to Monday.
Clint Meyers’ squad won their first conference series of the season two weekends ago against the LSU Tigers, falling 8-0 in game two but winning games one and three, both by a score of 5-4. In game three, Auburn avoided extra innings by way of a Kendall Veach walk-off single to score Kasey Cooper’s winning run. The play was assisted by an LSU error on the throw to first base.
During Auburn’s 6-2 victory over Illinois, senior Kasey Cooper notched her 250th career hit thanks to an RBI double in the third inning. With that hit, Cooper joined Charlotte Morgan of Alabama, who played with the Crimson Tide from 2007-2010, as the only two players in NCAA history to record 250 career hits and 250 career RBIs.
Auburn (27-3, 2-1 SEC) will now work the through the thick of their SEC slate, leading off with their date with the Gators in The Swamp. Game one vs. Florida can be seen live on ESPN2, with the first pitch set for 5 p.m. CST.
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