AUBURN, Ala. – No. 12 Auburn (20-5, 4-2 SEC) closes a stretch of eight straight games away from home with a three-game series at South Carolina (16-9, 1-5 SEC) this weekend.
First pitch from Founders Park is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT on Friday night. Game two is slated for Saturday at 12 p.m., and the series will conclude Sunday at 11 a.m.
Friday's game is available for streaming on SEC Network+, while the final two games of the series will be broadcast on national TV on SEC Network. All the action can be heard locally on WTGZ-FM (93.9) or WQSI-FM (95.9), online at AuburnTigers.com, or on a mobile device via the Auburn Athletics app.
PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday -- So. RHP Tanner Burns (3-0, 1.41) vs. Fr. RHP Daniel Lloyd (2-1, 4.32)
Saturday – Fr. LHP Brooks Fuller (1-0, 1.62) vs. Jr. RHP Reid Morgan (2-0, 2.56)
Sunday -- TBA vs. TBA
QUICK HITTERS
Auburn's 15-game winning streak was snapped last Saturday at Mississippi State. The 15-game streak was the second longest in the country and tied for the third longest in program history.
The Tigers became the third team in program history to start a season 20-2 with the series-opening win at Mississippi State. The 1997 and 1999 teams also started the season 20-2 or better.
Conor Davis leads the team with a .395 average (15-for-38) in the last 10 games.
Burns will make his 24th consecutive start to begin his Auburn career Friday.
Burns is 6-0 with a 1.71 ERA in his last 10 starts dating back to last season. He has struck out 64 batters and issued 17 walks in 63.1 IP during the span.
Fuller will make his first career SEC and weekend start Saturday.
Fuller has pitched a season-high 3.2 innings of relief in back-to-back conference series the last two weekends.
SCOUTING THE GAMECOCKS
South Carolina enters the weekend at 16-9 overall and 1-5 in SEC play after dropping a series on the road against Tennessee and falling in midweek action against North Carolina A&T.
The Gamecocks currently lead the SEC and are second in the country in home runs (42). Senior Jacob Olson paces the club with nine homers so far this season.
Offensively, South Carolina is hitting .254 as a team and is led by TJ Hopkins and Olson at a .327 clip. Hopkins leads the team in runs (26), hits (34), RBI (25), triples (three) and total bases (70).
On the mound, the Gamecocks have turned in a staff ERA of 4.44. Freshmen right-hander Cam Tringali leads the conference in appearances (13) and has turned in a 1.82 ERA in 24.2 innings of relief.
SERIES HISTORY
Auburn trails South Carolina 25-46 in the series and is 10-20 against the Gamecocks on the road.
Auburn has won back-to-back series against South Carolina for the first time since 1996-97.
The Tigers have never won three straight series or back-to-back road series against the Gamecocks.
The last time the two teams met, Davis lifted Auburn to a series win with a three-run, walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning of the rubber game in 2017.