AUBURN, Ala. - After getting swept by Texas, Auburn looks to rebound with a ranked midweek matchup between former SEC foe and longtime opponent Georgia Tech, who they had a comeback win over just two weeks ago.
No. 11 Auburn hosts the No. 21 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Tuesday night and look to continue their strong play at Plainsman Park this year, with a record of 18-5 overall and 8-2 against ranked teams when at home, the renovations and record-breaking crowds seem to be working for the Tigers.
Starting on the mound for Butch Thompson will be Christian Chatterton. The freshman from Killen, Alabama has carved out a role as a midweek starter for Auburn. Going into this game, he has two wins, one loss and is sitting with a 5.13 ERA. He’ll have his work cut out for him, as Georgia Tech is top ten in the country in terms of batting average. However, the Yellow Jackets are coming off a week where they lost all four games they played in.
Looking to shake things up, Tech will give senior righthander Jaylen Paden his first start this year. Paden has been dominant in relief for the Yellow Jackets this year, posting a 4-0 record and a 1.77 ERA. Paden does have 21 previous starts over three years with Georgia Southern but was never as efficient as he has been out of the pen this year.
Offensively, the biggest story for Auburn the past couple of weeks as been the resurgence of highly touted junior Ike Irish. The de facto leader of this Auburn team has been a mainstay in the lineup ever since he arrived as Auburns highest rated signee of the 2023 class. His excellent play over the first two years led to him being a projected first round pick in this year's draft heading into the season.
However, while Irish was certainly not bad over the first couple of weeks, he wasn’t the usual All-SEC caliber player that he has been over the past couple of years. Then, he missed 6 games with a fractured scapula. However, he then went on one the best stretches of his illustrious career. Since returning, he has hit .408 with 10 home runs and has had three multi-homer games. His conference numbers also stand out as his .417 average and .950 slugging against SEC opponents lead the conference.
For Georgia Tech, their bats start and end with star centerfielder Drew Burress. Last year, he was the third Yellow Jacket to be named the consensus freshman of the year in program history. He is fourth in the country with 19 doubles on the year and his OPS is well over 1.100. Other players to watch for Tech include infielders Kyle Lodise and Alex Hernandez.
No. 11 Auburn will look to sweep No. 21 Georgia Tech for the season as first pitch is scheduled for Tuesday, April 21 at 7 p.m. CDT on SEC Network+ and the Auburn Sports Network.
