After going 1-8 to start conference play, Butch Thompson and his Auburn Tigers (17-11) hope to change the direction of their season with the Tigers' series against the No. 4 Tennessee Volunteers (24-5, 5-4 SEC).
Returning from College Station, Texas, where they faced Texas A&M, the Tigers will host the Vols for a three-game series that will be broadcast on the SEC Network+. The series will open on Friday, April 5, at 6 p.m. CST. Saturday’s game will start at 3:30 p.m. CST, and Sunday’s game is at 1 p.m. CST.
“We’ve been on the road these first few weeks, so it’s gonna be awesome to be back home for this weekend and next week and try to make the most out of trying to scratch and claw our way back in the middle of things in this league,” Thompson said.
Although Auburn has struggled on the mound, Thompson’s confidence in his pitching staff remains unwavering as the Tigers’ bullpen takes one step closer to finding their identity.
“This is my identity, and this is who I am,” Thompson said. “And that’s kind of the hope that I have about the ball club. Everybody has continued to work and find strategies instead of moping, laying around or wallowing in this deal. I think we’re taking some steps that will absolutely be good for us.”
Catcher Ike Irish reaffirmed that the Tigers’ offense has complete faith in its pitching staff, citing their performance against Texas A&M.
“Our goal as an offense is to score one more run than the other team,” Irish said. “Keeping that same mentality that you saw against Texas A&M, we were down big – pretty early – but we kept finding a way, and our pitchers didn’t let the lead get out of hand. So it’s the little things like if we give up a lead early, can our pitching staff hold it because our offense is good enough to always come back.”
Thompson is straying away from his usual weekend rotation: Conner McBride on Friday, Chase Allsup on Saturday and Joseph Gonzalez on Sunday. Although these pitchers probably won’t start, Thompson reassured they will pitch in a reliever capacity.
“We have every intention of factoring in those guys,” Thompson said. “I guess they both still could start, but I would expect them to throw somewhere in the middle for us and just see if somebody else can step up and start.”
Sophomore Dylan Watts – who is typically a reliever – will get his first start on Friday, while Saturday and Sunday’s starters are to be determined.
“Watts is the guy that we’ll put out there to start tomorrow, and he’s a guy that can throw two times a weekend,” Thompson said.
Regarding his bullpen, Thompson is taking a “strength in numbers” approach against Tennessee that fits his program best.
“We’re going to take a different approach to maybe – like you see in the mid-weeks – where you use five or six guys and don’t feel bad about it,” Thompson said. “I think that might be a recipe to find yourself again as a pitching staff. I think it’s healthy and the right move. And now it’s the time to implement.”
Irish asserted that sticking together is key for Auburn’s success against Tennessee, backing up his head coach.
“When you look at our staff as a collective, it’s like 'Man, we’re so much better in numbers than we are individually, and we are taking that approach into a weekend,'” Irish said. “I think we’re gonna be really successful.”
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Caitlyn Griffin is a sophomore from Huntsville, Alabama, majoring in journalism. She started with The Plainsman in fall 2022.
Twitter: @caitlyngrif99
