Following a three-game series in which the Tigers got swept by the No. 4 Florida Gators, Auburn will look to change its momentum, heading into a weekend series against the Kentucky Wildcats on the road in Lexington, KY. Three games will be played over the course of this weekend with the first pitch commencing the series on Friday, April 4.
After starting the season winning 20 out of the team’s first 21 games and looking like one of the more powerful teams in the league, the Auburn Tigers have struggled tremendously in conference play. Since Auburn kicked off SEC play on March 8 vs. Mississippi State, the Tigers are 0-14 in the conference while getting outscored by an average of 4.4 runs per game. Once ranked in the top 20, Auburn is now unranked and the Malveauxs will look to end this negative trend against the Wildcats and help pick up the Tigers' first wins in the conference.
Led by veteran head coach Rachel Lawson, the Wildcats currently hold a 21-15 record with a 5-7 conference record in Lawson’s 18th year in Lexington, KY. Similar to the Tigers, Kentucky has found themselves hovering around the top 25, yet due to recent failures the Wildcats are currently unranked as well.
While the Tigers and Wildcats each hold a bottom three position in both ERA and batting average in the SEC, both teams alike have batters that put a spotlight on their respective teams.
Freshman utility player AnnaLea Adams has shined for Auburn in the 27 games she has played as she has recorded a .437 average with six home runs and 20 RBIs. Although Adams is in just her first year on the plains, her impact has been noticed tremendously by coaches and fans as she also hit her first career walk-off home run against South Alabama just two weeks ago.
In the spotlight for the Wildcats is outfielder Peyton Plotts. Plotts is a sophomore from Kentucky’s home in Lexington, KY and has started each of the Wildcat’s 37 games in 2025. The renowned outfielder currently leads her team with a .372 batting average and 35 RBIs after coming off a .512 season in 2024.
Although Auburn has struggled immensely with pitching this season as they are bottom of the SEC in ERA, Kentucky has similarly struggled with their offensive performances with a near bottom batting average. Sophomore pitcher for Auburn, SJ Geurin has shined in her role as a dominant starting pitcher as she currently holds a team leading 2.93 ERA in 110.2 innings of work. Geurin is a transfer from Oklahoma and will most definitely be a crucial part of the team’s performance this weekend against Kentucky.
While the Wildcats have dominated the Tigers recently, winning eight of the last 13 contests, Auburn carries a winning head-to-head record into the weekend as they are 45-25 all time against Kentucky, dating back to the team’s inaugural season in 1997. The Tigers are also 19-17 while on the road in Lexington, KY so the team will look to maintain this winning tradition this weekend.
First pitch for the games Friday-Sunday is set for 5:30 PM CST, 1:00 PM CST and 11:00 AM CST respectively. Friday’s contest will be televised on SECN+, Saturday’s game will be on SECN and Sunday’s series finale will be on ESPNU. All games will also be available for audio on WEGL 91.1 FM.
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Will is a freshman majoring in journalism. He started with The Plainsman in the spring of 2025.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @willdembo
