Auburn is ranked No. 2 coming into this weekend and has won 5 in a row and 10 of their last 12 games. The Tigers sit at 37-15 on the year, while Ole Miss comes into this game at 35-17 on the year. The Tigers are one of the hottest teams in the country and, with another strong showing this weekend, should have a regional host bid locked up.
The Tigers' bats have been on fire recently, especially in the last 5 games. Ike Irish, Chris Rembert, and Eric Guevara have been leading the charge. Guevara was even named National Player of the week last week. The third baseman tallied 12 hits on the weekend with two homers and nine RBIs, upping his average to .340 on the season. The Tigers now have five players hitting over .330.
The Rebels have a very balanced team. Both their pitching and hitting are just above average in the SEC for the season. They have a .284 team batting average, led by Luke Deal and Mitchell Standford, who are both hitting over .300 on the year with over a 1.000 OPS. Their hitting as a whole is balanced, hitting from top to bottom, and they have three guys in the lineup that boast plenty of power with over 10 home runs, and seven guys with eight or more deep homers.
Their pitching staff is headlined by their No. 1 starter, Hunter Elliot, who has a 3.66 ERA on the year. Their other two weekend starters, Mason Nichols and Riley Maddox, both have ERAs that sit in the mid-fives. Their pitching staff as a whole has a 4.55 team ERA. They don't have any dominant arms but rather a bunch of solid arms, especially in their bullpen, which is led by Mason Morris, Walker Hooks, and Conor Spencer.
The Rebels are looking to grab a much-needed series win heading into the SEC tournament after losing their last two series.
The SEC has been a dogfight all year and has arguably been the best conference, and before the last weekend starts, Auburn sits in a three-way tie for fourth with Georgia and Vanderbilt. This means Auburn is playing for the coveted double bye for the SEC tournament, which only the top four seeds receive. Ole Miss is sitting at 9th right now and needs to win this weekend's series for a chance at a single bye.
Both Auburn and Ole Miss have a lot to play for this weekend with the SEC Tournament seeding on the line and as well as the NCAA tournament seeding down the road, setting the scene for a great weekend of baseball. First pitch is set for 6:30 CT on Thursday, May 15th on SEC Network+.
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Jack is a sophomore majoring in sports production. He started with The Plainsman in the fall 2024.
