The Tigers (20-4, 4-2 SEC) hit the road this weekend to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide (19-7, 3-3 SEC) in a key rivalry matchup.
Auburn recently faltered in SEC play for the first time this season, dropping the final two games against No. 2 Texas last weekend to lose the series, but head coach Butch Thompson praised his team following Tuesday’s 10-0 win over South Alabama.
”I just think it’s one of the most complete games we’ve played this year,” Thompson said. “The offense only struck out three times. I know we don’t feel like every one of our offensive players have reached their full potential yet. We’re at that midway point now, and it’s time to get going. I think they responded great to that with only striking out three times. Some low line drives and good at-bats all the way around.”
The Tigers will need that momentum this weekend as they face an Alabama squad that is heating up after an uncharacteristically bumpy start under head coach Rob Vaughn. Friday starter Tyler Fay tossed a complete-game no-hitter against Florida in last weekend’s series opener — Alabama’s first since 1942 — sparking a dominant sweep of the No. 18 Gators.
Behind Fay, whose shutout bid lowered his ERA to 4.06 and built on his team-leading 47 strikeouts, Alabama is expected to feature junior southpaw Zane Adams and freshman right-hander Myles Upchurch on the mound. Adams and Upchurch carry ERAs of 4.11 and 3.97, respectively, across six games each.
Auburn should be an especially tough matchup for Upchurch, whose high walk rate (15.2%) and reliance on strikeouts match up poorly against a Tigers lineup that has shown strong plate discipline in recent weeks.
Five-tool phenom Justin Lebron, a top 2026 MLB Draft prospect, is the focal point of Alabama’s offense and should be a priority for Auburn’s pitching staff this weekend. The shortstop’s 31 runs, 11 home runs and 1.110 OPS rank first on the team, and his 22 stolen bases lead the SEC.
Catcher Brady Neal earned SEC Player of the Week honors, going 7-for-12 with 11 RBIs and 11 total bases in Alabama’s three-game sweep of Florida. The senior backstop leads the Crimson Tide in batting average and RBIs this season.
The Tigers will roll out their familiar weekend pitching rotation once again, with Jake Marciano leading the charge on Friday before Jackson Sanders and Alex Petrovic make the start for Auburn on Saturday and Sunday.
Marciano’s 1.00 ERA ranks second in the SEC, behind fellow Tiger Andreas Alvarez, whose seven-inning shutout on Tuesday vaulted him to the top of the leaderboard. Marciano, Auburn’s unquestioned ace, leads the team with 36 innings pitched, 51 strikeouts and a .132 opponent batting average.
Sanders has had an up-and-down start to the season, allowing one or fewer runs on three separate occasions. However, he's also given up four runs in three different outings, as well, including last Saturday against Texas. The Opelika, Ala., native will hope to return to the form he showed against Missouri, allowing just four baserunners across seven innings in his 2026 SEC debut.
Petrovic has put together a stellar campaign as Auburn’s Sunday starter, carrying a 2.97 ERA into the weekend. He gave up more than one earned run for the first time since February in his last start against Texas, but the team captain has shown an apt ability to recover and leave bad outings behind him.
Star second baseman Chris Rembert has continued to heat up after an ankle injury derailed his start to the season, putting together three multi-hit performances in his last four games. He hit the game-sealing home run on Tuesday, putting the Tigers up 10-0 to invoke the run rule in the top of the eighth and cap a season-high four-RBI night. The sophomore now slashes .353/.427/.559 with 20 RBIs, tied for second on the team.
Eddie Madrigal made his Auburn debut on Sunday, stepping up as a pinch-hitter and lining a double against the Longhorns. The St. Mary’s transfer, who hit 21 home runs last year with the Gaels as a redshirt sophomore, underwent surgery on a torn ACL in October that left him unable to take on a full workload into the spring.
Originally acquired to fight for the starting gig at first base, the emergence of Ethin Bingaman makes it harder for Madrigal to contribute every day, but he is expected to see weekly reps in the Tigers’ 1B/DH platoon alongside Lucas Steele, Logan Gregorio and Todd Clay. He got the start on Tuesday in Montgomery, going 1-for-4 with a run scored as the designated hitter.
First pitch for Friday’s series opener is scheduled for 6 p.m. CDT. Saturday’s tilt will start an hour later at 7 p.m., with the series concluding at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
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