AUBURN, Ala. – In Tuesday’s opening round of the SEC Softball Tournament, (14) Auburn softball (25-27) has a rematch with (11) Missouri (28-28) at John Cropp Stadium.
“Missouri is going to be a very hard-nosed team,” said co-head coach Chris Malveaux. “They are going to play hard. They are very gritty. When you let up, they are going to find a way to score. We’ve got to make pitches, and we’ve got to be locked in offensively.”
Auburn and Missouri kick off the tournament Tuesday with a 12 p.m. CT first pitch on SEC Network. Kevin Brown, Amanda Scarborough and Alyssa Lang will be on the call.
Brit Bowen and JJ Jackson will have radio coverage on WEGL 91.1 FM. Fans can also listen via the Auburn Tigers website and mobile app or stream the booth cam on the Auburn Softball Facebook page.
The winner of Tuesday’s contest advances to face (6) Texas A&M in a second-round game Wednesday at 10 a.m. CT.
Both teams enter the tournament after suffering series losses to end the regular season. Auburn concluded its season in Baton Rouge with a series sweep at the hands of No. 19 LSU. Missouri hosted No. 8 Tennessee to close the regular season, salvaging a win in the finale.
The two teams met during the regular season at Jane B. Moore Field with Missouri sweeping the series. All three games were decided by three runs or fewer.
Slugging has been a major part of Auburn’s offensive success this season with 40 percent of its hits going for extra bases. Auburn concluded the regular season with top-10 team season marks in batting average (.281), slugging percentage (.483), on-base percentage (.393), home runs (58), RBI (269), walks (218) and sacrifice flies (25).
Junior Ma’Nia Womack is coming off a career performance at LSU. She recorded three hits, all for extra bases, including the first multi-home run game of her career in Saturday’s finale. Womack leads the team in home runs (13) and multi-RBI games (11).
In the circle, junior Ella Harrison leads Auburn’s pitching staff with a 3.85 ERA and 11 wins. She ranks 10th in the SEC with 140 strikeouts and is averaging 6.5 strikeouts per seven innings.
Missouri is led by utility player Abby Carr, one of the team’s top offensive threats and a reliable option in the circle. She leads Missouri with 12 home runs and 43 RBI. In the circle, Carr holds a team-best 2.48 ERA with six wins, five saves and 67 strikeouts.
Auburn is making its 25th overall appearance at the SEC Tournament and holds a 22-29 all-time record in the event.