The Auburn Tigers will once again travel to Clearwater, Fla. to open their season this weekend. This time, they will compete in the 2023 NFCA Leadoff Classic starting on Friday, Feb. 10, for a double-header against St. John’s and Fordham.
Last season, the Tigers opened the spring with the Tiger Invitational, where they defeated this year’s opponent St. John’s twice by way of run rule with scores of 14-0 and 9-0, respectively.
They then traveled to Clearwater for the 2022 St. Pete Clearwater Elite Invitational presented by Wilson, leaving the prestigious tournament with their only loss to then-ranked No. 3 UCLA and a notable victory against then-No. 11 Texas, who later appeared in the 2022 Women’s College World Series championship series.
Auburn went on to have one of the best starts to a season, tying the historic 2015 squad for a 24-1 start until a March 19 loss to South Carolina. With a roster of mostly freshmen and sophomores, the Tigers finished 10th in the SEC and went on to lose to Louisiana in the NCAA Regional.
Head coach Mickey Dean also stressed how important defense is to advance past regionals.
“Our focus right now is really defense. If you go back and you look at the teams over the last four or five years that have been there (Women’s College World Series) year in and year out, they were the best defensive teams in [their] conference,” Dean said.
After another stellar recruiting class by Dean to add even more depth to a young roster, the Tigers were ranked preseason No. 21 by the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 Poll.
With a healthy pitching staff and all returning starters from the 2022 season, the Tigers are poised to, and have the weapons to, make a big splash in the SEC this season.
“Strengths are always the home runs, the power that we have. One through nine, we always have that power and that dynamic at the plate," said senior Carlee McCondichie. "Mentally and emotionally, I think we have a great bond. We really focused on team chemistry and like I said, getting our mental health right."
Auburn will kick off the 2023 NFCA Leadoff Classic against St. John’s at 12:30 p.m. CST. The Red Storm finished the 2022 season with a 12-35 record, going 5-18 in Big East play. Fordham, the Tigers’ second opponent on Friday, finished the 2022 season with a 30-22 mark, going 15-7 against Atlantic 10 competition.
The Tigers will then face Pittsburgh and Indiana on Saturday and finish the Leadoff Classic against Illinois on Sunday, Feb. 12.
To start the season off strong, the Tigers need to look at keeping their pitching staff healthy. Junior Maddie Penta had the majority of workload from the 2022 season upon her shoulders due to the injuries sustained by fellow junior Shelby Lowe.
With the addition of pitchers in the 2022 class (freshman Emma Rolfe and Michigan transfer Annabelle Widra), Penta and Lowe will hopefully have other arms to lean on to distribute the load, especially when it comes to SEC play.
“(The pitchers) are so driven and determined. Just like, the work they put in, and they’re just determined to win. They pitch as if no one can beat them. I think it’s just really inspiring and really powerful,” McCondichie said.
A trio of starting seniors (McCondichie, Aspyn Godwin and Lindsey Garcia) are set to be the leaders on the field this season with their veteran experience. Sophomore first-baseman Bri Ellis returns this year, named to the 2023 Preseason All-SEC team alongside Penta and who broke the Auburn freshman home-run record last year.
Also crucial for the Tigers is to see the healthy return of second baseman Denver Bryant, who started the 2022 season off promisingly, but had a season-ending injury in March during the series versus Kentucky. It will also be interesting to see how Dean builds his starting lineup with the return of Bryant.
Overall, the Tigers need to take this tournament as a way to measure where the offense is and how pitchers are coming along to start the season. Auburn will return back to The Plains next weekend for the Tiger Invitational, which will be streamed on SEC Network+.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
Emily Porch is a senior from Sylacauga, Alabama. She joined The Plainsman in fall 2021.
Twitter: @emilycporch
