No. 20 Auburn looks to improve its seven-game win streak against UAB, who holds its own five-game win streak, at Jane B. Moore Field on Wednesday.
The Tigers are coming off of a sweep of the Tiger Invitational, where they went 5-0 and outscored their opponents 43-7 in that span.
They look to keep the bats hot, with eight home runs scored this past weekend by five different Tigers. Over the weekend, Auburn (9-1) posted a .394 combined batting average.
The offense features five players batting .500 or better through the first 10 games. Sophomore Nelia Peralta leads the team in batting average and OPS (on-base plus slugging) with a .517 batting average and 1.484 OPS. The in-state opponent visits Auburn for the sixteenth meeting in a lopsided rivalry. The Tigers have claimed victory over the Blazers (7-4) in their last 11 meetings, with a 14-2 all-time record.
The Tigers' dominance on the mound was on full display this past weekend as the pitching staff allowed only seven runs, with just three of them earned. These numbers put the Tigers ninth in the country for ERA, allowing just an average of 1.17 as a team. They come into this game leading the nation in strikeouts with 14.3 per seven innings.
The leader of the team's rotation, Maddie Penta, has played a significant factor in the Tigers' success on the mound. Penta has not given up an earned run this season and ranks second in the nation in strikeouts.
The pitching staff looks to keep building on a dominant season, as the team has pitched five shutouts and allowed 1.5 runs per game through 10 games. The Tigers will face a UAB team that has put up five runs per game through 11 games.
After beginning their season 2-4, the Blazers have been able to turn things around and currently sit at 7-4 as they look to pick up their sixth straight win in their first true road game of the season.
“UAB is a good team,” said head coach Mickey Dean. “They are well-coached. They swing the bat well and they have good pitchers in the circle. They aren’t going to give the game away. They are off to a good start this season. It’s going to be a great challenge for us.”
The first pitch between the Tigers and Blazers will be at 5 p.m. CST from Jane B. Moore Field as Auburn looks to pick up its sixth straight win at home.
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Craig Noyes is a junior from Kensington, Maryland, majoring in journalism. He joined The Plainsman in January 2023.
Twitter: @craignoyes58
