AUBURN, Ala. –Returning a loaded roster that features a pair of preseason All-Southeastern Conference honorees, No. 21 Auburn softball opens the 2023 season in familiar territory at the Eddie C. Moore Complex at Clearwater, Florida, competing in five games at the NFC Leadoff Classic.
Auburn opens season against St. John's on Friday at 12:30 p.m. CT. The Tigers faced the Red Storm as part of the 2022 opening weekend, picking up a pair of run-rule victories at Jane B. Moore Field. Auburn closes Friday's action against Fordham at 3 p.m. CT.
The Tigers return to the diamond Saturday with a doubleheader slate against a pair of Power 5 opponents, opening the morning against Pitt at 10 a.m. CT. The Tigers will face the first of two Big Ten foe with a 12:30 p.m. CT against Indiana to wrap up Saturday's slate.
Sunday's finale is set for 11:30 a.m. CT with the Tigers squaring off against Illinois.
"It's a stiff field," said head coach Mickey Dean. "It's some veteran teams. It's going to be a great challenge for the first weekend of the season. On Friday, I will make the lineup. Then after Friday, our team is the one that will be really making the lineup. It's the first weekend. We are going to try and see a lot of players and give them opportunities the best that we can."
All five of Auburn's contests will be stream on the GameChanger app. Fans can create a free account and receive streaming access to every game as well as live stats throughout the tournament. Live radio coverage on the Auburn Sports Network will be provided by JJ Jackson.
Auburn holds a 21-4-1 record in season openers, winning eight of its last nine. Auburn is competing in the NFCA Leadoff Classic for the season time in the last four season. The Tigers last appeared in the tournament to open the 2020 season. Auburn went 3-2 against the tournament field with wins over Notre Dame, Liberty and Texas State.
Returning every starter from the 2022 lineup, Auburn returns a powerful offense that recorded the third most home runs in program history. The lineup is led by reigning Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year Bri Ellis and a talented senior class of Carlee McCondichie, Lindsey Garcia, Maia Engelkes and Aspyn Godwin. Godwin is returning for her fifth season with the program, electing to use her extra year of eligibility granted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"This season, I just want to hit for my team," said Ellis. "Records are cool. Getting awards are cool. But getting out of regionals, super regionals and going to the World Series is cooler. I can see a huge difference in practices of us consistently getting on base. That is going to be key for us this year."
The Tigers also added three transfers during the offseason in Annabelle Widra (Michigan), Icess Tresvik (North Carolina A&T) and KK McCrary (Tennessee) as well as a strong true freshmen class that are expected to be early contributors on both offense and defense.
The ace of the Tiger pitching staff returns as junior Maddie Penta is expected to be one of the top arms in the country once again after leading the SEC in both wins (24) and earned run average (1.76) a season ago. She's joined in the bullpen by junior Shelby Lowe, returning to the circle from offseason surgery, as well as newcomer Widra, Tresvik and true freshman Emmah Rolfe.
"We've put in a lot of work this preseason," said McCondichie. "We've really focused on staying positive and execution during practices. We've really focused on putting in quality work instead of quantity."