Auburn will face their first SEC opponent in Missouri later this week, but it’s important they don’t overlook a tough in-state matchup.
Coming off a dominant three-game sweep against Winthrop in which they conceded just a single run and improved upon their six-game winning streak, the Tigers are hoping to snowball their momentum and barrel into this weekend’s SEC opener in Columbia. Their 13-2 record is their best start to a season since 2019, although overall records are not what manager Butch Thompson’s group is focused on.
“Our team was present,” Thompson said on Saturday night. “I talked about confidence this weekend, because I knew (Winthrop) was going to be confident coming in. Today, I talked about, ‘Can you be present? Be able to focus for a period of time? Be able to think about game one first, and then game two, and then a rain delay?'"
The 10-6 Blazers carry a three-game winning streak of their own, coming off of an incredibly high-octane series against Middle Tennessee State in which they swept the Blue Raiders with final scores of 12-2, 9-8, and 16-14. Casey Dunn’s squad is proven against tough opposition as well, with high-scoring victories over both Florida and Cincinnati earlier this spring.
Led by left fielder John Paul Head, who has slugged 10 long balls to a tune of a 1.397 OPS across 16 games, UAB is enjoying a revitalized offense after finishing ninth in the American Conference with an 8-19 conference record last year, featuring a deep group of contributors with six batters hitting above .300. Most importantly though, the squad has compiled 34 home runs, good for third in all of college baseball behind Georgia and Vanderbilt, and is already close to eclipsing last year’s full-season mark of 45.
With a team ERA of 6.64, the Blazers have struggled to put together complete pitching performances—a stark contrast with the Tigers, who carry a 2.68 mark, good for seventh in all of college baseball. This season, they have given up less than five runs in a game just three times, a good sign for an Auburn offense that has feasted on starting pitching in recent weeks.
That offense runs through Chase Fralick, who continues to be the Tigers’ best hitter. Collating two more multi-hit games last weekend with a home run and five RBIs, he carries a .414/.500/.707 triple slash into this matchup. Chris Rembert has begun to emerge from his ruffled start as well, combining five hits with flawless defense from the keystone in his return to the top third of Auburn’s lineup.
Bristol Carter has been making his case as Auburn’s permanent leadoff hitter, now slashing .432/.544/.591 through 13 games. He’s continued to dominate on both the basepaths and the field, stealing three bags on Friday to increase his season total to a team-leading 13 and scoring a run in 10 straight games while leading an Auburn outfield that is yet to make an error.
Brandon McCraine still leads SEC freshmen in hits (21), batting average (.477), and on-base percentage (.579) across 14 games, but it was his brother, Mason, who stole the spotlight last weekend—the right fielder went 4-for-11 with a home run, four runs scored, and five RBIs against Winthrop.
Andreas Alvarez is expected to get the starting nod for the Tigers, as he has in all three previous midweek outings. The sophomore right-hander holds a 1.84 ERA across 14.2 innings of work, striking out 23 and allowing 13 hits with five bases on balls.
Drew Whalen has been a stellar piece out of the bullpen for the Tigers, pitching to a 0.87 ERA across his five appearances this season. After an unsettling opening night performance where he gave up three bases on balls, the Western Kentucky transfer has since allowed just one earned run and turned in three shutout outings, including a 20-pitch, 14-strike two-inning performance to close out the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader.
Yet to get through six innings in a game this season, Alvarez will likely concede the mound to multiple bullpen arms, and Ethan Harden may be in line to step up—his 7.71 ERA ranks last among Auburn pitchers with multiple appearances, but manager Butch Thompson ate up three bullpen arms in the series finale against Winthrop and a 15-pitch, 13-strike single-inning performance on Friday night bodes well for the junior’s confidence going forward.
The first of two fixtures this season, continuing a home-and-home arrangement that has endured since 2017, this marks the 27th all-time meeting between the clubs dating back to 2001. Auburn leads the all-time series 21-5, but this marks a major get-right game for the Tigers after succumbing to the Blazers in both 2025 matchups to scores of 5-6 and 2-4. First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. CST this Tuesday, available to stream on SEC Network+.
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