The No. 16 Auburn Tigers travel to Lexington, Kentucky to face off against No. 24 Kentucky Wildcats Thursday evening for this SEC matchup at Kentucky Proud Park.
The Tigers have come out of the gates hot this spring, winning five of their last six games, including a series victory over the then No.13 Vanderbilt Commodores in their weekend set. The excitement of the final game of the series rivaled the emotions of an SEC tournament game, with Cade Belyeu hitting a grand slam with two strikes and two outs in the bottom of the 8th inning, giving Auburn a 7-6 lead that the Commodores were unable to overcome.
As impressive as Belyeu’s late game heroics and .300 batting average are, head coach Butch Thompson’s team is as well-rounded as they come from top to bottom. The Tiger’s have nine players hosting a .300 batting average or above, with sluggers Chase Fralick and Cooper McMurray having over a .380 batting average.
While the bats are firing on all cylinders, Auburn’s pitching is just as strong. SEC Freshman of the Week, Andreas Alvarez, threw 6 scoreless innings last week, including 4 in Sunday’s series clinching win against Vanderbilt to claim that title. Alvarez and senior pitcher Samuel Dutton, who holds the team-leading 1.63 ERA, are anchoring Auburn’s pitching staff, with key contributions from relief pitchers Jett Johnston and Ryan Hetzler.
Kentucky hopes to bounce back in this series after losing three of their last four outings, including a disappointing loss to unranked Murray State. While the Wildcats have struggled as of late, expect Cole Hage’s bat to continue to strike hot as the senior is batting .424 with six home runs to add to his tally. With an accompanying role from redshirt freshman Hudson Brown, who's hitting a stout .467 from the batter’s box, the Wildcats can strike hot quick and spoil Auburn’s hot streak.
Kentucky’s 1-2 punch from starting pitcher’s Nic McCay and Scott Rouse are as good as it comes in the SEC for starting pitchers. The pair host 1.52 and 1.89 ERAs respectively with over 20 strikeouts for both on only three starts this season. With both pitchers having a week or more of rest since their last start, expect McCay and Rouse to have a role Thursday night or in the remaining two games of the series.
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