WEEK AT A GLANCE
Overall: 30-19-1
Last Week: 3-0
SEC: 14-13
Non-Conference: 16-6-1
Streak: W5
Last Week's Results:
Friday – at Ole Miss: W, 16-4 (8)
Friday – at Ole Miss: W, 8-2
Saturday – at Ole Miss: W, 13-5
This Week's Schedule:
Thursday – vs. Missouri (6 p.m.)
Friday – vs. Missouri (6 p.m.)
Saturday – vs. Missouri (2 p.m.)
OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Cole Foster – Jr. – IF – Plano, Texas
3 GP/GS, .600/.667/.1.267, 9-for-15, 7 R, 1 2B, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 2 SB
- Collected multiple hits and scored multiple runs in all three games in Oxford as Auburn turned in its most hits in a SEC series since 1997 and swept Ole Miss at Swayze Field for the first time since 2010.
- Tied for the league lead with three homers while ranking tied for second in hits (9), runs (7) and total bases (19).
- Matched a career high with four hits and reached base five times in the series opener, turning in his second career multi-homer game, including his first of the season and his first in SEC play.
- Also doubled and matched a season high with three runs and four RBI in the series opener against the Rebels – his three extra-base hits in the contest matched a career best.
- Went 2-for-5 and scored twice while adding his second stolen base of the weekend in the series-clinching win against the Rebels.
- Went 3-for-5 with a walk, two runs, two RBI and hit his third home run of the weekend and career-best 10th of the season in the series finale in Oxford.
- Narrowly missed his fourth home run of the weekend as a fly ball was brought back from beyond the wall in center field to end the fifth inning.
Kason Howell – Sr. – OF – Argyle, Texas
3 GP/GS, .500/.667/.800, 5-for-10, 3 R, 3 2B, 6 RBI, 4 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SB
- Matched a career best with four hits and three doubles while driving in four runs in the series-opening win in Oxford.
- The performance marked his fourth game since Apr. 18 with four or more RBI, total 23 RBI during the 14-game span.
- His three doubles in the series opener were the 68th, 69th and 70th of his Auburn career, surpassing Gabe Gross for second in program history and leaving him one shy of tying Todd Faulkner's program record (71).
- Drove in a run in each of the last two games of the series and reached base five times in the two contests, totaling 10 times on base for the series.
Ike Irish – Fr. – DH – Hudsonville, Mich.
3 GP/GS, .462/.533/.923, 6-for-13, 5 R, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 1 BB, 1 HBP
- Turned in his team-best 24th and 25th multi-hit games of the season in the final two games of Auburn's sweep at Ole Miss.
- Homered in each of the last two contests – a pair of solo homers in the seventh inning of the series-clinching win and series finale.
- It marked Irish's first home runs since Mar. 31 and the second time this season he has homered in back-to-back games.
- Drove in three runs in the series-clinching win, his second highest total in a SEC game this season.
- Collected three hits in the finale, tied for his most in a league game this season, and started the scoring with a RBI single in the second inning.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Tommy Vail – Gr. – LHP – Seattle, Wash.
1-0, 1.12 ERA, 8.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R/ER, 1 BB, 6 K
- Pitched a career-high 8.0 innings in Auburn's series-clinching win at Ole Miss, marking the Tigers first series win in Oxford since 2012 and eventually first sweep at Swayze Field since 2010.
- His 8.0 innings were the most by an Auburn pitcher this year and the most since Joseph Gonzalez logged the same amount at Mississippi State on Apr. 16, 2022.
- Retired the first six batters he faced and 18 of his first 21 pitches were for strikes. Ultimately threw 76 of his career-high 107 pitches for strikes.
- Didn't allow a hit until the fourth inning and allowed just three baserunners in his outing, retiring the last 14 batters he faced.
- He is now 3-0 with a league-best 1.26 ERA and 35 strikeouts (second in the league) in 28.2 innings in his last five starts.
TEAM NOTES
Auburn scored 37 runs on 50 hits in the three games in Oxford and swept Ole Miss at home for the first time since 2010 and third time in program history (1976) … the 37 runs were the most in a SEC series since scoring 44 runs at Alabama in 2018 … the 50 hits were the most in a SEC series since also collecting 50 hits in a series at Kentucky in 1997 … the Tigers 26-run combined margin of victory in the series was the largest since defeating Alabama by a combined 34 runs in 2018 … Auburn's win in the series opener marked the team's first win in Oxford since 2012 … it also marked head coach Butch Thompson's 250th win in an Auburn uniform and the team's second straight run-rule victory dating back to the final game of the LSU series … the team nearly had another run-rule victory in the finale at Ole Miss, leading 12-0 going into the bottom of the seventh … the Tigers have outscored the opponent 49-13 in the last four games … Friday's doubleheader sweep was Auburn's first in SEC play since the series in Tuscaloosa in 2018 … the team scored in 12 of 17 innings in the doubleheader and in 17 of 26 innings on the weekend … the 20 hits in the series finale were the most in a SEC game since collecting 21 hits at Mississippi State on Mar. 24, 2019 … Auburn has now won five straight SEC games dating back to the final two games of the LSU series … it marks the first time an Auburn team has won five straight SEC games since 2011 … Auburn is 9-3 and has won four straight SEC series in the second half of league play … the Tigers are the only team in the league to win four straight series and their last two road series … the 9-3 record is the program's best 12-game stretch in SEC play since also going 9-3 in 12 games from Apr. 13-May 6, 2018 … Auburn held the opponent to 11 runs for the second straight weekend … Auburn pitchers have turned in a 3.29 ERA the last two weekends … starting pitchers have turned in a 2.92 ERA in the last nine SEC games and 37.0 innings pitched … the Tigers rank 3rd in the SEC with a 4.71 ERA the last five weeks of league play … Bobby Peirce collected his 100th hit in an Auburn uniform with a double in the sixth inning of the series opener … Peirce became the fourth active Auburn player with 100 hits in the orange and blue, joining Kason Howell (244), Bryson Ware (125) and Cole Foster (117) … all nine Auburn position players collected at least three hits and scored at least two runs in the series … the Tigers led the league in average (.400) and hits (50) and ranks second in runs (37) for the week … the team also ranked third in ERA (3.46) and issued a league-low four walks, marking the fewest walks in a three-game span since walking just two batters in three games on a pair of occasions at the beginning of the 2019 season.