Senior southpaw Jack Owen will make his first start of the 2021 season Friday on the road against No. 1 Arkansas, according to head coach Butch Thompson.
Thompson also mentioned that Cody Greenhill and Joseph Gonzalez will start the Thursday and Saturday games, respectively.
Owen missed the start of the season with an injury, dislocating a finger on his throwing hand before the season started. Mason Barnett, who will now become the closer, made five starts in his place.
Owen has made two relief appearances in the past couple of weeks. His first, against Ole Miss, saw him let up five runs on four hits while only getting one out. His second was on Sunday against Kentucky, where he was perfect for five outs, but let up a two-out rally in the top of the ninth to let the Wildcats score the winning run.
Owen has made 21 starts in his career, and Auburn’s coaches believe he can truly help their team gain traction in the SEC as a member of the rotation.
“We feel the most confident about our pitching then we have the last couple of weeks,” Thompson said. “With all the pieces finally we’re allowed to get everybody back in a situation where they’ve had success in the past.”
Gonzalez, who made his first SEC start on Sunday, will also claim the third rotation spot this weekend in Arkansas. Barnett, who pitched Saturday, will be used as a closer, where Thompson had hoped to put him at the start of the season.
“There were some things we really liked out of Joseph Gonzalez," Thompson said. "We’ll continue to believe in that and have him be the game three starter. What we think it does for us, to put our best foot forward this weekend, is that it will allow Mason Barnett to go to the back end of the bullpen. His velocity is ticking up and he’s getting a lot of experience.
Cody Greenhill makes the feature start on Thursday. So far this year, he’s been the most consistent pitcher on this staff, boasting a 1.71 ERA through five starts.
The Razorbacks are currently the top-ranked team in the nation according to Baseball America and are fresh off of a sweep of Mississippi State on the road. Thompson says that his team doesn’t fear the challenge.
“They have really good intention, they’re aggressive hitters, and I think they play with a lot of charisma,” Thompson said. “If you can play with them and beat them, it just gives you instant confidence.”
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Dylan Fox, Junior in Civil Site Design Engineering, joined The Plainsman as a sports writer in Spring 2020. From Geneva, IL.
