AUBURN, Ala. – After coming off a thrilling end to the weekend against LSU, which saw the No. 19 Auburn softball (32-13) secure the series victory in walk off fashion, the Tigers are back in action Wednesday night against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks (26-13).
"Jacksonville State swings the bat well," Auburn head coach Mickey Dean said. "They play fundamental defense. Their pitchers do a nice job of not putting themselves in trouble. They are going to work you in and out. It's a great midweek challenge. It may be a 'Bark in the Park' but it won't be a walk in the park."
The Gamecocks come into the game after winning the weekend series against Queens, taking two out of three games when all said and done. Jacksonville State has impressed throughout the year, most notably with a 13-game winning streak, despite recently being snapped at the hands of Stetson.
Despite the hot streak from Jacksonville State, Auburn will face no challenge from the Gamecocks if history repeats itself. The Tigers hold the series record 19-2 while being a perfect 12-0 at Jane B. Moore Field. If that was not enough, Auburn has been able to dominate the past two meetings by a combined score of 19-1.
If Auburn wants to keep the perfect record at home, the focus will be shutting down Gamecocks star player Lindsey Richardson. The junior has been the cornerstone of the offense thus far, averaging .413 to go along with a team high 34 RBIs. Richardson possesses a power element and very straight forward approach, much like Auburn’s Bri Ellis, and, which has led to seeing seven balls hit over the outfield wall this season.
Maddie Penta will look to shut down Richardson and Jacksonville State to continue the dominance of the Auburn pitching staff. Penta only needs two more strikeouts to become the fourth player in program history to reach 600 career strikeouts. The junior will also look to build on the dominance of Auburn and lead the team in securing shoutout number 19 of the season.
There is no doubt the bats will have to be swinging for the Tigers to come out on top. Jaliyah Holmes will pose the biggest threat in Auburn accomplishing that. The freshman pitcher has been on a tear this season, posting a 1.76 ERA in 115.2 innings pitched.
Nelia Peralta has been a crucial piece the offense of Auburn this year, and that will not change one bit in this game. The infielder has started all 45 games for the Tigers while putting up a .328 average and team high 38 hits, eight of which were homeruns. Despite being in a slump, only recording two hits in the last 14 plate appearances, Peralta will still be a named circled on the lineup card for opposing coaches.
First pitch is set for 6 p.m. CT at Jane B. Moore Field with broadcasting on SEC Network+.
