After earning its highest ranking since 1999 on Monday, Auburn will receive a huge boost this weekend. SEC ERA leader Casey Mize will return to the Auburn rotation vs. arch rival Alabama.
The sophomore right-hander missed his previous two turns through the rotation due to forearm tightness.
“He was at full velocity. On Tuesday he faced five batters on our game field,” Auburn head coach Butch Thompson said. “It looked like he hadn’t pitched to hitters in a couple of weeks. Hopefully we can continue to work this week to get out command back abut from a health standpoint it made me comfortable seeing him face our hitters and more importantly it let Casey know he’s ready to head back and start a game.”
Mize, who has not pitched since a 3-2 win at Tennessee on April 13, will start Saturday afternoon’s game. Keegan Thompson will start Friday and Davis Daniel will complete the weekend rotation on Sunday.
“That’s back to the original way we started the season in conference play,” Thompson said. “After all these adjustments here, it’s nice to get back to our original starting rotation.”
Mize is 6-1 this season with a 1.23 ERA. He is third in the SEC with 82 strikeouts.
Auburn, who is 32-14 overall and 14-7 in the SEC, will welcome Alabama (15-29, 2-19) to Plainsman Park this weekend for a three-game series. Game times are set for 6 p.m. CST Friday, 2 p.m. CST Saturday and 4 p.m. CST Sunday. Sunday’s game will be televised by the SEC Network.
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