AUBURN, Ala. – No. 25 Auburn (4-1) welcomes Wright State (2-0) to Plainsman Park for three games from Friday through Sunday, continuing a stretch of nine home games in the first 12 days of the season.
First pitches are set for Friday at 2:30 p.m. CT, Saturday at 12 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.
“The cream of the crop from the Horizon League, all of college baseball knows what Wright State has done in the postseason,” head coach Butch Thompson said. “They’re a team that is perennially involved in the postseason, so it’ll be a great, great test for us this second week of the early season.”
All three games will be broadcast on the Auburn Sports Network and can be heard locally on Wings 94.3 FM Friday and Sunday and ESPN 106.7 Saturday. The games will also be streamed digitally on SEC Network+.
PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday – Sr. RHP Samuel Dutton (0-1, 2.08) vs. So. LHP Griffen Paige (0-0, 0.00)
Saturday – TBA vs. Sr. RHP Jarrett Heilman (0-0, 0.00)
Sunday – Fr. RHP Christian Chatterton (0-0, 6.75) vs. So. LHP Chet Lax (0-0, 0.00)
QUICK HITTERS
Auburn is 23-5 in non-conference games dating back to the beginning of last season and 161-60-1 in non-conference play under head coach Butch Thompson.
After this weekend, the Tigers will have played eight games in the first 10 days of the season.
Auburn’s pitching staff has struck out 29 batters over 18.0 innings the last two games.
The team’s 15 strikeouts in Wednesday’s win were the most in a game since the 2022 CWS.
Andreas Alvarez’s nine strikeouts in his Auburn debut Wednesday were the most by an Auburn freshman since Keegan Thompson in 2014.
Relief pitchers are 4-0 with a 1.42 ERA and .091 average against through five games, including a 0.79 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 11.1 innings this week.
Wednesday’s game marked Cooper McMurray’s 100th on the Plains. He has hit 29 home runs with 110 RBI and reached base at a .456 clip in his Auburn career.
Auburn is 3-0 all-time against Wright State, having swept the Raiders by a combined score of 33-8 prior to the season ending in 2020.
SCOUTING THE RAIDERS
Wright State enters the weekend with a 2-0 record after outscoring Longwood 26-9 in two games last weekend.
The Raiders have won five regular season titles and advanced to three NCAA Regionals under seventh-year head coach Alex Sogard.
Offensively, the team hit .366 with 30 hits, five home runs and 24 RBI in two games. Senior catcher Boston Smith was named the Horizon League Player of the Week after going 4-for-8 with two homers, six RBI, three walks and a hit-by-pitch on Opening Weekend.
On the mound, Wright State turned in a 4.00 ERA with 27 strikeouts and 11 walks in 18.0 innings. Friday starter Griffen Paige struck out seven in 4.0 scoreless and Garrett Peters was named the Horizon League Pitcher of the Week and striking out five and earning a 3.0-inning save.
PROMOTIONS
Saturday – the coolest beach bash lunchbox giveaway
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Plainsman Park now features two new premium club areas in the Broadway Club at Plainsman Park and 984 Club along with the return of the Hall of Fame Club, which opened in 2024. Additionally, the ballpark now has expanded general admission areas in the War Eagle Wall, Tiger Terrance and Plainsman Patio.
Parking info for Saturday: The Neville Arena lot and levels three and four of the stadium deck require a men’s basketball parking pass to gain access. Free and available lots for both baseball and men’s basketball include the Coliseum lot, the Campus Safety lot, and the Wire Road ADA lot.
Pregame road closures: Event staff will assist fans using crosswalks up until 15 minutes prior to first pitch, at which time there will be a full closure of Donahue Drive between the right field gate and intersection of Heisman Drive for fans to enter Plainsman Park. Donahue will re-open shortly after first pitch.
Postgame egress road closures: Donahue Drive will again be fully closed from right field to Heisman Drive starting between the 7th and 8th innings. It will remain closed until the stadium has cleared of fans, roughly 30 minutes after the final out of the game.
New entrances: In an effort to expedite fan entry to Plainsman Park, two new entrances have now been introduced on the lower First Base Concourse, along Donahue Drive. The traditional Home Plate Concourse and Tiger Terrace gates will continue to provide stadium admission, as well as the premium entrance outside of the Hall of Fame Club for those with reserved seats inside the Hall of Fame Club.
Metal detecting: Consistent with other Auburn Athletics venues, fans entering any gate at Plainsman Park this season will be asked to walk through a metal detector upon entry.
For a complete overview of the enhancements at Plainsman Park for 2025, click here.