Trojans visit Plains for first time in weekend matchup

Bouncing back from a loss in the series finale against Indiana, Auburn dominated North Alabama 13-1 on Tuesday and now turns its focus towards a weekend series against USC.

Konner Copeland led the way on the mound with six strikeouts in three innings. In two innings, Chase Isbell commanded the mound with four strikeouts. John Armstrong had two strikeouts in one inning. Combined, Auburn’s pitchers allowed one run on five hits with 12 strikeouts. 

The Tigers’ offense was strong throughout the game, thanks to Bobby Peirce, Ike Irish and Bryson Ware leading the way. Peirce and Irish had two runs and three hits, while Ware had one run and three hits. 

The young freshman Irish is making a name for himself on the Plains. The Michigan native was named SEC Freshman of the Week on Monday. In four games, Irish has nine hits and five runs with a .563 batting average, ranking him 47th nationally. 

Head coach Butch Thompson spoke highly about Irish’s talent. 

“One of the things you look forward to the first year of a very young player, are they strong enough? He’s strong. He just has all those attributes that of a young player that’s gonna be dynamic,” Thompson said. “A hitter that is gonna play for a long period of time, they must be able to evaluate. They must have eagle eyes. Ike checks a lot of those boxes, and we knew it from the start.” 

Along with Irish, Ware is also off to a hot start. In four games, the veteran has 10 hits, two runs, and one home run with a .667 batting average, ranking him 17th nationally. 

“I’m definitely feeling blessed to get the opportunity to get a few starts and to contribute as much as I can,” Ware said. “It’s been a bumpy first two years for me. Some ups and downs, but just tried to stay level-headed through it all.”` 

With a quick change of scenery, No. 17 Auburn will host the USC Trojans at Plainsman Park. For the first time in Auburn’s program history, the Tigers face the Trojans. 

“I tip my hat to both administrations for knowing this is the right thing to do,” Thompson said. “I just got a video of it hailing in Los Angeles just before sitting down. So just more evidence that everybody’s doing the right thing, and this can be a beautiful weekend here.” 

Thompson mentioned that although it was the right decision to move the series to Auburn, the team will lose good preparation for later in the season, especially in SEC play. 

“We did the right thing. We established that, so you’re going out there in the first place to get your team that camaraderie traveling across the country in a hotel room. It’s unbelievable preparation for the first time you do in SEC play,” Thompson said. “So, we have to fill in that gap. Because there are 18 returners and 20 new guys. These 20 guys haven’t been on the road with us, and we are going to fix that at some point.”

On Tuesday, USC suffered its first loss against UC Irvine, 8-7. Ranked 46th, the Trojans are strong in the batter’s box with a .316 batting average. Collectively, Southern California has eight home runs, ranking them 23rd.

“Southern California is a very patient-orientated ballclub. Their player, (Ryan) Jackson, is one of the best hitters. In these four games, he has seven walks and zero strikeouts,” Thompson said. “So, they’re evaluating pitches very well.”

Junior infielder Jackson and senior infielder Nick Lopez are players the Tigers must contain to secure a win. In four games, Jackson has six hits and six runs with a .500 batting average. Lopez has nine hits, seven runs and three home runs with a .500 batting average. 

Sophomore Chase Allsup and junior Joseph Gonzalez will start on the mound with Allsup pitching Friday and Gonzalez on Saturday. Thompson stated that Sunday’s starting pitcher is still undecided. 

Friday's first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. CST. Saturday and Sunday's games will be televised on SEC Network-plus.