Auburn softball returns home to continue SEC play after the Tigers lost their opening series on the road against No. 11 Missouri and look to capture their first win over the Arkansas Razorbacks since 2018.
After Auburn dropped the first two games of the series against the Missouri Tigers 5-2 and 5-0, it left Columbia, Missouri, with a 4-0 win on Sunday, bringing home some momentum to carry over to another ranked opponent.
No. 20 Arkansas has yet to face an SEC opponent this season but comes into this matchup on a three-game winning streak and a 20-5 overall record.
The Razorbacks have been a thorn in the Tigers’ side. Arkansas holds a nine-game win streak over Auburn, and the Tigers have not won a game against them since 2018.
Despite the recent struggles, Auburn still leads the all-time series 38-34 with a 21-13 record against the Razorbacks at home.
Players to Watch
Auburn: Amelia Lech
The Maryland transfer has been impressive for Auburn all season long and is tied for fourth in the SEC with seven home runs. She also leads the team in RBIs, total bases and slugging percentage.
Lech’s offense powered Auburn to a victory in the series' final game against Missouri. She hit two home runs and recorded three RBIs. Lech finished the trip with three hits and four RBIs.
Auburn will need Lech to lead the offense to help break the Tigers’ losing streak to the Razorbacks.
Auburn: Shelby Lowe
With the reigning SEC pitcher of the year on the roster, it isn’t hard to imagine why Auburn’s other pitchers might get overlooked, and Lowe is currently posting some of her best statistics since her freshman year.
Lowe has not allowed an earned run since Feb. 24 and has only allowed six hits in her last five games.
In her last appearance, when starter Annabelle Widra allowed five earned runs in 1.1 innings, Lowe took over for Widra and pitched 3.2 innings of shutout ball, only allowing one hit in the losing effort.
Arkansas: Bri Ellis
After spending two seasons in Auburn and earning multiple SEC honors, the first baseman transferred to Arkansas this past offseason and will make her return to the Plains in the opposite dugout.
Ellis earned All-SEC Second Team honors with the Tigers in 2022 as a freshman and is continuing to impress as she earned SEC Player of the Week honors last week thanks to her .636 batting average across four games.
Arkansas will continue to rely on Ellis' home run power in this series to help it continue its dominance over Auburn.
The three-game series at Jane B. Moore Field starts with the first game on Friday, March 15, with the first pitch set for 5 p.m. CST. The two will meet again on Saturday at 3 p.m. CST and wrap up the series on Sunday at 1 p.m. CST.
All games will be broadcast on SEC Network+.
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Craig Noyes is a junior from Kensington, Maryland, majoring in journalism. He joined The Plainsman in January 2023.
Twitter: @craignoyes58
