The Auburn Tigers host the North Alabama Lions at Plainsman Park this Tuesday, March 28th. The Tigers won 13-1 against the Lions earlier this season in a neutral site game in Madison, Alabama.
The Tigers are looking to build off their first conference series victory against the Georgia Bulldogs. Meanwhile, the Lions are looking to snap their ten-game losing streak. Let’s take a look at this North Alabama Lions squad.
As a team, the Lions hit an average of .244 and have an on-base percentage of .370. The Lion’s lineup is led by sophomore Jonathan Lane. Lane is the Lion’s hit leader on the year with 21 base hits and in the game against Auburn earlier this season, Lane had two doubles in three at-bats. The Tigers will be looking to keep Lane off the base path.
Freshman outfielder Ethan Walker leads the Lions on average, hitting .340. However, Walker has only started 12 of the Lion’s 22 games, and has appeared in 17 games. Walker also leads the Lions in stolen bases, reaching safely in all four of his attempts.
The Lion’s source of power comes from infielder Kyle Machado. Machado has six home runs on the season, along with 19 RBIs. Machado had a slow night against Auburn earlier this season with only one hit and Auburn will look to do the same again.
The Lion’s pitching staff is the weakness of this squad and will be what Auburn needs to capitalize on, if they want to walk out with a victory.
North Alabama has a team ERA of 9.42 and have given up 210 runs in just 173 innings. The Lions have in total 164 walks over their 22 games, averaging just under seven and a half walks each game.
Junior Jacob James is the number one pitcher in the rotation for the Lions with a 4.92 ERA and one win and one loss on the season. James’ biggest strength is limiting hits to opposing teams, coming in with an .221 opponents batting average. However, he has given up 23 walks and hit seven batters.
The number two in the rotation for the Lions is redshirt freshman Justus Agosto. Agosto has struggled tremendously this season, holding a 9.69 ERA and giving up 28 earned runs in his 26 innings pitched. Agosto has also struggled with free bases, giving up 33 walks.
Carson Howard has come in relief in seven different games for North Alabama this season. Howard has struck out eleven batters this season in just 11.66 innings of work. However, Howard has struggled with limiting the long-ball, giving up five home runs this season.
The Tigers will look to take advantage of this struggling pitching staff in hopes to win their 17th game of the season. Although taking two out of three games from Georgia, Auburn is coming off a brutal beat down from the Bulldogs by a score of 24-7. The Tigers allowed 16 runs in the eighth inning and have given up 59 runs in their last seven games.
What the Tigers have missed on the mound, they have made up for at the plate. As a team, Auburn is hitting for a .295 average and have scored 169 runs in their 24 games.
Bryson Ware has led the Tigers this season with a remarkable .407 average and a team high eleven home runs. Ware has started in all 24 games for the Tigers. Ware was perfect last time against North Alabama with three hits in his three at bats, driving in three runs and hitting one out of the park.
Freshman Ike Irish has also been stellar for the Tigers this season, hitting for a .396 average along with 13 doubles. Auburn is second in the SEC for doubles with 55 as a team, which Irish has contributed more to than any other Tiger.
With two recently struggling pitching staffs and two offensive-minded teams, this game is sure to be filled with plenty of fireworks. First pitch at Plainsman Park is set for 6 P.M. CT.
