After a 10-run victory Tuesday against Samford, Auburn baseball (20-15-1) is set to host Mississippi State (22-15) at home for its sixth series of conference play.
This will be the first series hosted by Auburn since its loss against Texas A&M, so the Tigers are hoping their home-field advantage aids in their perseverance.
“We’ve been on the road a decent amount so it’s good to be back here,” said senior outfielder Bobby Peirce. “Especially for the SEC weekends here it helps a whole lot to be here.”
Both teams have something to prove with 5-10 records in conference play, but the Bulldogs have something going into this weekend that the Tigers don’t: a series win against rival and 2022 College World Series Champions, Ole Miss.
“We’ve put ourselves in a position now where execution has to take place. Can our best players play great and can we perform at a higher level than we did the first 15 games?” said head coach Butch Thompson. “This is a huge series for everybody.”
Mississippi State, currently ranked fifth in the SEC west, possesses some key players that will provide a competitive edge against the Tigers.
Dakota Jordan, a freshman from Canton, Mississippi, has 92 at-bats with a .348 batting average and is just shy of .500 on-base percentage. Jordan has been an unexpected powerhouse at the plate for the Bulldogs and has racked up 17 runs.
Sophomore Hunter Hines leads the Bulldogs in RBIs with 47 while junior outfielder Colton Ledbetter sits close behind at 43. Jordan, Hines and Ledbetter are all contributing factors to Mississippi State's explosive offense with batting averages over .300.
The Bulldogs have the ultimate curveball on the mound and his name is Jurrangleo Cijntje. Cijntje is a switch pitcher from Pembroke Pines, Florida, and has obtained a 5.09 ERA during his 35.1 innings for the Bulldogs.
“I’ve never even watched somebody, let alone play against somebody like that, so I think it’ll be cool,” Peirce said.
Along with the switch pitcher, the Bulldogs have an experienced bullpen prepared to execute. Landon Gartman has 43.1 innings under his belt at Mississippi State. The senior transfer racked up over 96 innings at Memphis with a 3.74 ERA. Sophomore right-hand pitcher Nate Dohm has secured five wins and three losses for the Bulldogs.
Pitching has been an ongoing issue for Auburn throughout the duration of the season. After its reliable starter Joseph Gonzalez suffered a shoulder injury early in the season, the Tigers bullpen has been all over the place.
A plethora of pitchers reached the bump for Auburn since losing six dependable veterans to the 2022 MLB draft. Fifth-year Tommy Vail and newcomer Christian Herberholz have shown potential for Auburn.
“Can Tommy Vail continue to kind of show consistency? We feel like two of the last three weekends we’ve seen some of that,” Thompson said. “Herberholz gave us a promising outing last week, can he do that for a run here?”
Other newcomers including sophomore Will Cannon and Zach Crotchfelt have taken the bump for the Tigers, but a set lineup on the mound is something Auburn is still working towards.
“Not the start we wanted. I think everybody knows that being 5-10, but I think we know what we can do in the second half. I think the pitching is starting to get there and bats are starting to heat up a little bit more so I think we’re ready to go to the second half,” Peirce said.
As the series approaches, both teams are geared up and ready to prove their athleticism in this challenging conference.
The first game of the series is set for 6 p.m. CST and can be streamed on SEC Network+.
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