After losing their sixth consecutive SEC series, the Auburn Tigers (20-20, 2-16 SEC) travel to Death Valley in hopes of snagging their first conference series against the defending national champions, the LSU Tigers (26-16, 5-13 SEC).
The Bayou Bengals and the Tigers have struggled this season as both teams sit as the bottom of the SEC-West totem pole – with LSU at sixth and Auburn at seventh. However, LSU and Auburn’s offense are still lethal.
The Bayou Bengals have a solid presence at the plate with a .284 batting average and a strong capability to get on base with a .403. Third baseman Tommy White leads LSU’s offense with a .341 batting average, 40 runs, 59 hits, five doubles and 15 home runs.
Whereas, the Tigers have a .274 batting average and a .395 on-base percentage. First baseman Cooper McMurray carries Auburn’s offense with his .350 at the plate, 12 doubles and 12 home runs.
Although their hopes of making the SEC tournament continue to diminish, the Tigers are determined to wrap up the 2024 season with their heads held high.
“I want the fog gone, and I want a ton of gratitude for the rest of this year because we march into our postseason right now,” said head coach Butch Thompson. “Our postseason began today, in all honesty. I want these guys to play with gratitude. If not, you know we have to intervene and make sure whoever’s out there is playing with a ton of gratitude.”
Auburn’s final four conference series against LSU, Ole Miss, Missouri and in-state rivals Alabama will be crucial for Thompson and his Tigers’ confidence moving forward.
Christian Hall (#19) celebrates his home-run with his teammates
“We’re gonna show a ton of great gratitude for the rest of this stretch because we’re not gonna wait till next year to reset this program, and we’ve all invested work too hard for this program not to get back to competitive baseball,” Thompson said.
Thompson is sticking with the same weekend rotation against Mississippi State with RHP Dylan Watts on Friday, LHP Tanner Bauman on Saturday and LHP Carson Myers on Sunday.
Senior Mason Maners, graduate Bobby Peirce and sophomore Ike Irish were absent from the Tigers’ lineup on Tuesday due to injuries. However, Thompson stated – depending on how batting practice goes – Maners could make an appearance this weekend.
“I could see Maners being in the mix, but he’s starting to graduate through rounds of batting practice,” Thompson said. “I think he’s close, and he can be available.”
Whereas, Thompson is less hopeful about Peirce’s and Irish’s return to the field against LSU.
“Peirce’s return is a little less doubtful,” Thompson said. “But we’ll stay at it because this is the last go around.”
The three game series is set to start on Friday, April 26, at 6:30 p.m. CST. Saturday’s game will start at 6 p.m. CST, while Sunday’s starts at 1 p.m. CST. All games will be broadcast on the SEC Network+ and fans in the Auburn area can also tune in on Wings 94.3 FM.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
Caitlyn Griffin is a sophomore from Huntsville, Alabama, majoring in journalism. She started with The Plainsman in fall 2022.
Twitter: @caitlyngrif99
