LEXINGTON, Ky. - No. 16 Auburn (17-4, 2-1) is coming off a thrilling come from behind win to take the series against Vanderbilt the previous weekend which saw sophomore Cade Belyeu hit a grand slam while Auburn was down three in the eighth. Then, they were able to outlast in-state opponent Alabama State and avoid the midweek upset. This will be their first time going outside the state of Alabama since their tournament in Arlington, Texas. The Tigers will be looking for revenge against the Wildcats, who swept Auburn at Plainsman Park and outscored them 14-28 last season.
No. 24 Kentucky (14-5, 1-2) has struggled recently losing the opening series of conference play to No. 3 Georgia, in which their normally strong pitching staff was shelled by one of the better teams in the country. They then lost their midweek game to Murray State. However, this has been one of the more underrated baseball programs over the last several seasons. Led by ninth year man Nick Mingione, the Wildcats are coming off a year where they made their 11th college world series as a program and were ranked as high as No. 2 in the country.
When things kick off Friday, it will be a battle between two of some of the best pitchers in the SEC. For Auburn, the LSU transfer Samuel Dutton is rocking a 1.61 ERA and has a tremendous walk to strikeout ratio of 6/34. His play so far this year has led to a turnaround for an Auburn pitching staff that struggled the previous year. For Kentucky, Senior righthander Nic McCay will take the mound for the wildcats. McCay, a transfer from South Dakota State, is 3-0 in five starts and also has an ERA in the ones with a 1.52.
Game two will feature two southpaws taking the mound as Auburn will send out Junior Cade Fisher (0-0, 6.75) to face Kentucky’s Ethan Walker (0-0, 6.43). For game three, freshman Christian Chatterton (2-0, 4.18) will look to continue his strong season as Kentucky will send out another lefty in Ben Cleaver (2-1, 2.77). Overall, both teams' staffs are fairly even, though Kentucky has a slight advantage in most statistics, including ERA (3.59 to 4.59).
Players to watch at the plate for Auburn include Cooper McMurray, who leads Auburn with 7 home runs and a .705 slugging percentage. Meanwhile, top MLB draft prospect Ike Irish hasn’t had the ball bounce his way this year and has struggled with injury, but his body of work is unmatched, and he is still a major threat at the plate. For Kentucky, Columbia transfer Cole Hage has torn the cover off the ball so far this year and leads the Wildcats in most offensive categories.
The first pitch for game one is set for Friday, 6:30 pm CDT. Games two will take place Saturday and Game three Sunday, with both first pitches scheduled for 1:00 pm CDT. All games will be available on SEC+ and the Auburn Sports Network.
