With the NCAA Baseball Tournament selection coming up on May 30, No. 20 Auburn will look to solidify its position with a trip to Hoover for this year’s SEC Tournament. The twelve participating teams will play from May 24-29 with Regional seeding on the line.
Auburn (37-18, 16-13 SEC) will take on the Kentucky Wildcats (30-24, 12-18 SEC) Tuesday night to kick off the tournament slate. Auburn enters the tournament directly on the heels of losing a season-ending series win to the Wildcats
“I think our guys are really interested,” said head coach Butch Thompson. “We felt like we left some stuff on the table... Some of our best guys didn’t have as many hits or the type of at bats that we wanted."
In the program’s fifth consecutive SEC tournament appearance, the Tigers begin as the No. 5 seed for the first time since winning the SEC West in 2010. Auburn is 4-0 all time against Kentucky in tournament play.
For Thompson and his players, another game against a familiar opponent represents a chance to improve on an existing foundation.
“This is not about redemption or revenge... This is about execution” Thompson said. “Our practice today has a lot to do with what success we’ll have tomorrow... We get another chance against a team we just played that we feel like they didn't see our best and we can do more. We have to execute some things at a higher level."
On the heels of being named SEC Co-Player of the Year, Hoover native Sonny DiChiara returns to his hometown, where he was a regular spectator of tournament games in his childhood.
“It’s going to be crazy. I’ve watched that tournament every single year of my life except for when I got to college," DiChiara said. "Just being able to go back and play in it is gonna be awesome."
The confines of Hoover Metropolitan Stadium might be the change of scenery Auburn needs to reverse recent fortunes in Lexington. The Tigers finished with 15 neutral site and road victories, tied for the SEC lead.
While a lower seed, the Wildcats are no shrinking violet, with four top-25 series wins this season and the year’s only weekend defeat of No. 1 Tennessee. Kentucky enters Tuesday’s contest hitting .276 as a team, led by junior Chase Estep’s 13 HR, 48 RBI and .996 OPS.
Tuesday’s play will see the 5-12 seeds compete in single elimination, before a shift to double elimination on Wednesday. The game will be aired nationally on the SEC Network at 8 p.m. CST, barring any weather delays. Storms are forecast for the Birmingham area throughout the tournament.
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