Auburn softball is back on the Plains, as the Tigers are gearing up for their first action at Jane B. Moore Field in nearly 290 days.
Co-head coaches Chris and Kate Malveaux and company host the War Eagle Classic this weekend, a five-team invitational that spans across four days and includes Illinois (0-5), Binghamton (1-4), Campbell (5-0), and Bradley (2-3).
The Tigers are currently sitting at 4-2 after an initial action-packed four days last weekend, with the majority of Auburn’s matchups coming at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Fla.
Auburn opened the season with an 11-3 loss at North Florida to kick off the 2026 campaign, but the Tigers found a way to bounce back, winning four of their next five, including a top-10 win over the No. 9 Clemson Tigers. They also defeated Notre Dame, Michigan State, and Penn State, but fell just short of Pittsburgh in a 9-inning thriller.
The Orange and Blue are set to square off against Illinois on Thursday evening at 5 p.m. CST to open the invitational, which marks the third Big Ten opponent Auburn will have faced in its first seven games of 2026.
Illinois enters the War Eagle Classic winless, dropping its first five matchups to No. 16 LSU, Nevada, NC State, and twice to Lamar at LSU’s Tiger Classic. The Fighting Illini were outscored by 26 runs across their five games last weekend.
The Illini are led by junior outfielder Skylar Brennan, who currently boasts a .462 batting average and .500 on-base percentage. She is tied for first on the team, as both Brennan and Adisyn Caryl have totaled six hits thus far this season.
On Friday, Auburn will face Bradley at 4:30 p.m. CST and Campbell later that night at 7 p.m. CST.
Bradley’s only pair of wins have come against Prairie View A&M, while their three losses were to Incarnate Word (twice) and Marshall. Auburn co-head coach Kate Malveaux played her college softball with the Braves, and the Malveauxs met at Bradley as both were on the coaching staff in 2012.
On the other hand, Campbell heads to the Plains undefeated, as the Camels have previously defeated Tennessee Tech (twice), Florida A&M (twice), and Howard. Interestingly enough, Campbell is led by head coach Emily Carosone, a former three-time All-American at Auburn who played a key role in the Tigers’ back-to-back Women’s College World Series appearances in 2015 and 2016.
Carosone returned to the Plains as the associate head coach under Mickey Dean in 2024, but Dean was fired a couple of years ago.
Saturday’s action will feature a second meeting with Bradley at 4:30 p.m. CST, followed by Binghamton at 7 p.m. CST.
Binghamton may be entering the weekend at an unimpressive 1-4, but all five matchups have been against Power Four opponents. The Bearcats opened the year with a win over Syracuse before falling to No. 19 Virginia Tech (twice), Syracuse (again), and No. 12 South Carolina.
Finally, the Tigers will round out the War Eagle Classic with another showdown against Carosone and the Campbell Camels at 11:30 a.m. CST on Sunday morning.
Auburn, along with the baseball team, is also planning to honor and pay tribute to the late Mike “Helmet Guy” Cooper, a dedicated fan that passed away this offseason.
All six Auburn games this weekend will be broadcast on SEC Network+.
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Gunner is a freshman majoring in journalism. He started with The Plainsman in the fall 2024.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @norene_gunner10
