The No. 7 Auburn Tigers (10-2) are set to face the Winthrop Eagles (10-2) as a final tune-up series before SEC action begins next weekend.
Auburn is seeking its 12th consecutive regular-season home series win, a streak dating back to the final series of 2024. It marks the longest regular season home series winning streak since 1998-2000, during which the Tigers claimed 13.
And speaking of winning streaks, Butch Thompson and company are currently riding a three-game winning streak after defeating Samford on Tuesday and claiming two consecutive wins over Nebraska to take the series against the Cornhuskers last weekend.
Auburn dropped its first game to Nebraska, 9-8, but managed to bounce back in dominant fashion. The Tigers took down the Cornhuskers 15-4 and 12-3 in the second and third contests, respectively, of the weekend, and they followed the series win with a solid 6-2 victory over Samford in the midweek.
On the other hand, however, the visiting Eagles enter the weekend boasting an identical 10-2 record. After starting the year at 3-2, Winthrop has won eight straight, during which the Eagles have outscored their opponent 72-31. They most recently took down Michigan State 5-2 on Tuesday, and their only two losses of the season came in mid-February to Georgetown and at No. 17 NC State.
Thompson spoke on the Eagles’ impressive season thus far, and he seems to recognize that this weekend won’t be any light task, considering how well Winthrop seems to be clicking in all facets.
“We’re definitely continuing that trend of trying to play some of the best baseball in the country,” Thompson said. “Winthrop comes in here winning eight games in a row. They’re 10-2. They’ve absolutely pitched it. They’ve stolen bases. They’ve reached base at a high rate. They present a ton of challenges.
“Much like last weekend, we’re seeing a team that’s playing well,” Thompson added. “They come in here playing very good baseball.”
Although they only have two games in the loss column, the Eagles have played 10 of their 12 games on their home turf, and their only true road game of the year was a loss to NC State.
Winthrop has won all three weekend series it has played thus far, defeating Georgetown two games to one and sweeping both Morehead State and Maine.
At the plate, the Eagles are hitting .275 collectively, and they are led by redshirt junior infielder Gabe Natividad, whose .395 batting average leads the team. Junior Jaylen Hernandez leads Winthrop with four home runs and 16 RBIs.
However, Auburn’s starting pitching has been absolutely dominant this season. It seems as if the Tigers have a solidified starting rotation in sophomore LHP Jake Marciano (Friday), sophomore LHP Jackson Sanders (Saturday), and redshirt sophomore RHP Alex Petrovic (Sunday).
The weekend starter trio of Marciano, Sanders, and Petrovic boasts a 73-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 46.1 innings pitched. Furthermore, as a pitching staff, Auburn has struck out 10 or more batters in 11 of its 12 games, including the last seven outings.
This weekend will mark the first time these two programs have met since 2000, and the Tigers currently hold a 7-2 record all-time against the Eagles.
Auburn and Winthrop will face off as the Tigers’ final non-conference series before heading to Missouri next weekend. First pitch Friday is set for 6:00 p.m. CST, and Saturday will be a doubleheader with game one set for 1:00 p.m. CST.
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Gunner is a sophomore majoring in journalism. He started with The Plainsman in the fall 2024.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @norene_gunner10
