All but officially eliminated from a spot in the post-season, Auburn (23-24, 4-20) will head to Columbia to take on Missouri (21-28, 7-17) in the second to last series of the season. The season has failed to go the way anyone would have hoped and there are various reasons why, but diving into that can be saved for another time. Auburn's focus is on finishing the season with pride.
The good news for Auburn heading into the weekend, Missouri holds just three more SEC wins than Auburn and a worse overall record. Stats do not always tell the story, but on paper, the matchup seems favorable for Auburn. Missouri similar to Auburn dropped two out of three last weekend at home. Missouri, similar to Auburn is also on the outside looking in of the SEC Tournament.
Auburn enters the series against Missouri on a two-game winning streak, having won a crazy game three against Ole Miss last Sunday and then a mid-week win over Georgia Tech in Atlanta.
"We've won two games in a row and are just trying to make sure we can continue to grow," Auburn head coach Butch Thompson said. "Our young players have continued to contribute and getting some guys back in the lineup has been good for us. These last two games hopefully will pave a way for us to be competitive this weekend. Hopefully, we'll find a way to win early in the weekend and win a series against a good, up-and-coming Missouri club."
While still not fully healthy, Ike Irish returned to the lineup for Auburn last weekend and has provided a spark back to the lineup. Irish provided a spark with his return, but others have performed well too. Freshman outfielder Cade Belyeu has had a strong freshman year hitting near .300 while showing some power at the plate. First basemen Cooper McMurray has also had a strong year hitting over .300 with 12 home runs. Auburn hit three home runs in the win over Georgia Tech in the mid-week game. The Tigers will look to keep the power streak going into the weekend.
As for the rotation, Butch Thompson has not changed it much over the last few weekends. Thompson continues to throw many different guys looking to hold opposing teams in check at the plate. Missouri struggled at the plate last weekend. The highest number of runs scored in a game last weekend was four for Mizzou. Auburn's pitching has been inconsistent, to say the least, but the rotation should have the opportunity to hold Missouri in check at the plate.
Playing for pride, Auburn will begin the series at Missouri on Friday at 6:00 p.m. on the SEC Network+ and the Auburn Sports Network. If the last few games have shown anything, they have shown Butch Thompson's team will fight until the bitter end. Will it result in wins this weekend?
