AUBURN, Ala. – In the second home tournament of the 2022 season, No. 21 Auburn softball (10-1) welcome a talented field to Jane B. Moore Field for the Plainsman Invite. Auburn will play a total of four games over the three-day tournament.
"I wish I could say that this a field that we could relax a little against after a tough weekend in Florida," said head coach Mickey Dean. "It's not. We've got several teams coming into this weekend that have winning records and are dangerous with their speed and power at the plate."
After a shuffling of the schedule, Auburn opens the Plainsman Invite with a single game against ULM (10-2) on Friday at 2:30 p.m. CT.
The Tigers are set for a doubleheader on Saturday, opening the afternoon against Delaware State (0-3) at 2:30 p.m. CT before facing Bradley (4-5) at 5 p.m. CT. JJ Jackson and Graham Doty will have the call on the SEC Network+.
Auburn closes the weekend with a second doubleheader. The Tigers take on Syracuse (8-2) at 11:30 a.m. before battling the Warhawks of ULM for a second time at 2 p.m. CT. Sunday's doubleheader will also air on the SEC Network+ as Jackson will be joined on the call by former Auburn softball student-athlete and assistant coach Amy Reif.
All four of Auburn's contests can be heard on the Auburn Sports Network.
LEADING OFF
- Behind its 10-0 run rule performance at Jacksonville State, Auburn softball made history by securing its 900th victory in program history.
- There are only two pitchers in the SEC that has recorded five wins this season: Maddie Penta and Shelby Lowe. Penta also leads the league with 52 strikeouts. She's the only pitcher in the league to surpass 50 strikeouts.
- After an impressive 4-1 performance at the St. Pete Clearwater Elite Invitational, which included a win over No. 11 Texas, Auburn finds itself ranked in all four major softball polls. Auburn is ranked No. 21 in three of the four polls.
- Auburn's power at the plate has been on full display through the first 10 games of the season. After slugging only 22 total home runs in 2021, Auburn has hit 17 total through its first 10 games of the 2022 season. Eight of Auburn's 17 homers have been hit by freshmen.
- After two weeks of player, Auburn has three student-athletes ranked in the top 15 in the SEC in slugging percentage. Freshman Bri Ellis leads Auburn and ranks ninth in the SEC with a .923 slugging percentage behind three doubles and four home runs
ON DECK
Auburn makes the trek to Atlanta, Georgia, on Wednesday for a midweek tilt at Georgia State. First pitch is set for 5 p.m. CT.