No. 25 Auburn softball has traveled to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to compete in the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge from Wednesday, Feb. 14, through Saturday, Feb. 17.
The Tigers defeated Wichita State 8-6 on Wednesday and are set to face both UC Davis and No. 13 Utah on Thursday and No. 8 Clemson on Saturday.
Auburn’s season opening tournament didn’t go quite the way the Tigers expected, with two of Auburn’s five scheduled games being canceled due to weather. This resulted in Auburn ending last weekend with a 1-1-1 record.
In the Tiger Invitational, some new faces for Auburn made waves in their first appearances in an Auburn uniform.
Maryland transfer Amelia Lech notched two home runs and three RBIs in her first three games as a Tiger, following up a 2023 campaign that saw 16 home runs, which ranked second in the Big Ten.
Freshman Chalea Clemmons led Auburn with a .429 batting average in the Tiger Invitational. Ranked the No. 5 first baseman by Extra Innings Softball in the 2023 class, Clemmons started two of three games for Auburn last weekend.
UC Davis began its season with the NorCal Kickoff, earning a 2-2 record over the three-day tournament.
The Aggies have been led offensively by junior Bella Holtz. Starting in two of the Aggies’ four games and making a pinch-hitting appearance in another, Holtz is batting .500 to begin the season. This is the hot bat that the Auburn pitching staff is going to have to watch out for on Thursday.
After facing off with UC Davis, the Tigers then have to pivot to play 2023 Women’s College World Series participant No. 13 Utah.
The Utes participated in the NFCA Leadoff Classic to begin the season, staying perfect throughout the weekend except for a 4-3 loss to Missouri in the second game of the season.
Most notable for Utah is the return of senior standout pitcher Mariah Lopez.
Lopez’s phenomenal 2023 campaign saw her named an NFCA third team All-American and first team All-Pac-12, becoming the first Ute pitcher to be named an All-American since 1994.
Also returning for Utah are five 2023 all-conference performers who will be a handful for the Auburn pitching staff to handle.
After making back-to-back appearances in the Clemson regional to end its 2022 and 2023 season, Auburn is set to face the Clemson Tigers for the first time in the regular season on Saturday, Feb. 17.
The No. 8 Tigers traveled to Clearwater, Florida, to also kick off the season in the NFCA Leadoff Classic, coming away with a win versus Oregon but a loss to SEC opponent Missouri.
Most notable for Clemson is the return of Valerie Cagle for her graduate season. Last year, Cagle racked up accolades, earning her second straight ACC Player of the Year honors as well as being named the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year and a Rawlings Gold Glove recipient.
So far in the 2024 campaign, Cagle has appeared in all seven games for the Tigers, notching 18 innings in the circle and collecting a .435 batting average at the plate.
This game will also be a reunion for former Auburn outfielder Lindsey Garcia. Garcia transferred to Clemson for her graduate season but was one of two Auburn Tigers in 2023 to hit double-digit home runs.
Auburn is set to face off with UC Davis at noon CST on Thursday and then follows up with a matchup with the No. 13 Utes at 2:30 p.m. CST. The Tigers’ final game of the Collegiate Challenge against No. 8 Clemson is scheduled for 3 p.m. CST on Saturday. All games are available to be streamed on FloSoftball.
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Emily Porch is a senior from Sylacauga, Alabama. She joined The Plainsman in fall 2021.
Twitter: @emilycporch
