Following a nail-biting win over West Georgia which came in walk off fashion on Wednesday night, Auburn baseball now turns its attention to a three-game series against Nebraska over the course of the weekend at Plainsman Park.
The mid-week victory for the Tigers marked their fourth win in the last six days after going undefeated in Texas against tough competitions such as No. 9 Florida State and No. 15 Louisville. Auburn will now carry a 7-1 record into the weekend, with their sole loss coming from Cincinnati in their previous mid-week clash.
“This team is learning and growing, but I do not think we have it all figured out,” said Auburn head coach Butch Thompson. “We have a long way to go, but I just have to keep them growing and keep building a habit, so that a month from now, we can make better decisions and better choices. That is what I want our focus to be on. I do like the resilience when it is not going well, and we keep pitching and playing defense the way we have. It was a good battle there at the end to pull it out.”
Nebraska is another team full of talent, yet the team is just one game over .500 prior to their series at Plainsman Park. The Cornhuskers played in the same annual competition that Auburn partook in in the Lone Star State, but escaped with just one victory, which came against Florida State in dominating fashion.
This weekend will mark the first time this season that Nebraska will compete in a series, and it will be one that both coaches can agree will not be easy.
“They played some winning baseball. This is going to be an SEC type weekend. It’s going to be a rehearsal,” said Thompson.
Not only will this series be a great challenge for both squads, but both teams also match up perfectly with one another, as Nebraska’s powerful offense against Auburn’s dominant arms should make for an exciting battle for fans to watch. The Cornhuskers have recorded seven runs per game at this point in the season as well as a team batting average of .319, which is good for 36th in the NCAA.
Auburn’s pitching staff is highly touted this season, holding opponents to just 2.76 runs per game thus far which is a top 20 ERA in the country. In the Tigers only other series, they successfully held Youngstown to just four total runs over the course of the opening weekend, which allowed for victories, despite a struggling offense at the time.
“Their starting pitching has been dominant and elite,” said Nebraska head coach Will Bolt. “It’s going to be a great challenge.”
Thompson is set to throw his top three weekend starters as LHP Jake Marciano will take the mound Friday night against RHP Ty Horn for the Cornhuskers, while LHP Jackson Sanders faces RHP Carson Jasa for Saturday's contest. Alex Petrovic and Gavin Blachowicz will likely take the mound on Sunday for a right-on-right matchup.
This weekend on the Plains will mark the first time these two programs have faced each other, but Auburn will look to continue its dominance at home and pick up its 11th straight regular season home series victory.
First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 6 p.m. CST, while Saturday and Sunday’s contests are set for 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., respectively. All games will be available to stream on SEC Network+, and audio will be aired on the Auburn Sports Network.
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Will is a sophomore majoring in journalism. He started with The Plainsman in the spring of 2025.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @willdembo
