Auburn continued its winning ways on Wednesday, defeating the Troy Trojans, 7-5. Auburn has now won two games in a row.
This was the Tigers 30th win of the season. This weekend, Auburn will host another group of Tigers, the LSU Tigers. LSU has enjoyed a very successful season so far.
LSU, currently ranked No. 13 in the country, is 33-8 this season, and 6-6 in SEC play. LSU has dominated this series all time, leading the series, 54-21. Auburn is 3-7 in its last 10 matchups against LSU.
This is the first time LSU makes the trip to Auburn since 2017. These two programs did not face one another last season, and they last played in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 2021, where LSU won two out of the three-game series. LSU is coming off a hard-fought loss to Oklahoma 3-0 but has won nine of its last 11.
Here is a breakdown of this weekend's top 25 matchup.
LSU's best hitter is Danieca Coffey, batting an incredible .450 batting average. The Tigers also have Taylor Pleasants playing shortstop who has a .350 BA to pair with eight home runs and 41 RBIs. These two make a deadly duo for the Tigers from Baton Rouge.
Auburn's season can be described by one term — inconsistency. However, Auburn is turning it around just at the right time. After dropping two hard fought battles against Florida, Auburn has won straight, including its first win in Gainesville since 2017.
Auburn's best hitter this year has been Nelia Peralta. Peralta is batting .324 and has been the most consistent bat of the season. She also has seven home runs to her name. However, the best home run hitter is Bri Ellis, who leads the team with 10 home runs on the season.
Auburn's pitching has been incredible this season. Auburn has recorded 17 shutouts this season, ranking second in the SEC only behind Tennessee. The leader of the pitching rotation is none other than Maddie Penta. Penta posts a 1.02 ERA, which is the 11th-lowest ERA in the country.
The keys to an Auburn victory are for the bats to stay the way they have been for the past two games. Auburn has won and has scored seven runs in each of those games.
However, that will not be easy to do as LSU ranks second in the SEC in ERA (1.92), and Auburn has struggled against top 25 competition this season, holding a 2-8 record against teams ranked. Auburn looks to change that this weekend.
LSU looks to put up big numbers and hopes to shut down an inconsistent offense. LSU will also look to put up early numbers and crush any hopes of a shootout.
The series starts on Friday at 5 p.m. CST at Jane B. Moore Field and will be broadcasted on the SEC Network.
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TP is a senior from Montgomery, Alabama, majoring in journalism. He started with The Plainsman in fall 2022.
Twitter: @tp_hammock
