AUBURN, Ala. — No. 9 Auburn (23-10, 6-6) will host No. 3 LSU (31-3, 10-2) in a three-game series this weekend at Plainsman Park. Auburn has won all three home SEC series so far this season, but LSU will present a more significant challenge than possibly any Auburn has faced. The Bayou Bengals are coming off a road sweep against top-10 Oklahoma last weekend and have lost just one series in SEC play.
“I just keep trying to sell the opportunities that we have to our team,” Auburn head coach Butch Thompson said. “We’re not far out of that. We’re trying to reach and catch and keep continually proving to ourselves that we belong in the middle of this SEC race, and we get a chance. These guys have done an amazing job and gotten off to a great start.”
The matchup between Auburn and LSU will pit good on good all weekend. Starting on Friday night, two of the best pitchers in the SEC will face off. Sam Dutton will start for Auburn. Dutton is 4-2 this season with a 2.66 ERA. For LSU, lefty Kade Anderson will get the nod. Anderson is 6-0 and has a 2.85 ERA.
Saturday’s probable matchup pits Auburn lefty Cade Fisher against LSU’s Anthony Eyanson. Fisher is winless so far this season but has been pitching better as of late. Eyanson is 5-0 with a 3.38 ERA. As for Sunday, Auburn’s starter is TBD. LSU’s probable starter is Chase Shores who is 5-1 this season with a 4.66 ERA.
Auburn’s pitchers will have their hands full this weekend with a talented LSU lineup. The Bayou Bengals have a team batting average of .328 and are top ten in both hits and runs scored. The good news for Auburn on Friday, at least, is starter Sam Dutton is holding opponents to just a .173 average in SEC play.
Auburn’s hitters will also face a major challenge. LSU has a team ERA of 3.40 and is second in the nation in strikeouts. Auburn’s team batting average is .304. A key player to watch this weekend for Auburn is Ike Irish. Irish is hot right now hitting .421 in SEC play. Auburn will need Irish and more to deliver a series win.
LSU enters the series having won nine straight games. Auburn, meanwhile, enters coming off of a top-15 road win at Georgia Tech in the mid-week and a series win over then top-ten Alabama last weekend. Auburn is 9-6 against ranked opponents this season.
It will be a big weekend on the plains. Auburn football has its A-Day practice on Saturday and Auburn softball also hosts Georgia in a series. Auburn baseball will look to take advantage of the big crowds and deliver a series win over a top-5 LSU team.
The first pitch on Friday and Saturday is set for 6:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. on Sunday. All three games will air on the Auburn Sports Network and the SECN+.
