AUBURN, Ala. – Looking to bounce back from its first home series loss in nearly two years, No. 5 Auburn (20-4, 4-2 SEC) travels to Tuscaloosa to take on archrival No. 22 Alabama (19-7, 3-3 SEC) this weekend.
First pitches at Sewell-Thomas Stadium are set for Friday at 6 p.m. CT, Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.
“Hard is great. When you get to do it against your rival, that’s living,” head coach Butch Thompson said. “This will wind up being some of the best days of their life is how I’m trying to build up. To go play against your rival and to do it when all you have is your team on the road. We have so much to play for, and we have so much more potential to reach. We’re chasing growth, competing against our rival on the road, trying to stay in the moment, and we’re trying to keep our best spirit because we’re all we’ve got this weekend. It’ll be a blast.”
The games will be broadcast on the Auburn Sports Network and can be heard locally on Wings 94.3 FM. Saturday’s game will air nationally on SEC Network, while games one and three will be broadcast digitally on SEC Network+.
PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday – So. LHP Jake Marciano (3-0, 1.00) vs. R-Jr. RHP Tyler Fay (4-2, 4.06)
Saturday – So. LHP Jackson Sanders (2-1, 3.66) vs. Jr. LHP Zane Adams (4-1, 4.11)
Sunday – R-So. RHP Alex Petrovic (4-1, 2.97) vs. Fr. RHP Myles Upchurch (3-2, 3.97)
QUICK HITTERS
This weekend is the second of nine straight series to finish the season against teams currently ranked in at least one of the five major national polls.
Auburn is off to a 20-4 or better start for the eighth time in program history, including the third time under head coach Butch Thompson.
The Tigers have won 18 of the last 22 regular season weekends dating back to the final two weeks of the 2024 season, good for the second most in the league during the span.
The team’s starting pitchers have posted a 13-3 record and 2.08 ERA with 176 strikeouts and 29 walks in 130.0 innings pitched this season.
Starters have turned in at least 5.0 innings in 19 of 24 games this season with one occasion of not doing so occurring because of a rain delay.
Auburn trails Alabama 144-169 in the all-time series but is 17-14 against the Crimson Tide under Thompson.
The Tigers are looking to win back-to-back SEC road series for the first time since 2023.
SCOUTING THE CRIMSON TIDE
Alabama enters the weekend with a 19-7 overall record and 3-3 mark in SEC play after sweep Florida for the first time since 2002 last weekend.
Offensively, the Crimson Tide are hitting .269 as a team with 198 runs on 221 hits, including 45 doubles, three triples and 34 home runs. Senior utility player Brady Neal leads the team with a .366 average and 31 RBI and was named the SEC Player of the Week for his efforts vs. Florida. Junior shortstop Justin Lebron leads the team with 11 home runs and 22 stolen bases.
On the mound, Alabama has turned in a 3.86 staff ERA with 233 strikeouts and 84 walks in 221.2 innings pitched. Friday starter Tyler Fay was named the SEC Pitcher of the Week after turning in the first individual no-hitter since 1942.