Lions, Tigers and War Eagles, Oh My!: Auburn preview

LSU will take on another dangerous SEC foe in Auburn

DATES/TIMES

• Friday, May 5 @ 6 p.m. CT (SEC Network +)
• Saturday, May 6 @ 8 p.m. CT (SEC Network)
• Sunday, May 7 @ 1 p.m. CT (SEC Network +)

STADIUM

• Plainsman Park in Auburn, Ala. (4,096)

RANKINGS

• LSU – No. 1 in all polls; No. 3 in NCAA RPI
• Auburn – unranked in polls; No. 35 in NCAA RPI

RADIO

• LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates, including 98.1 FM in Baton Rouge
• Live audio at www.LSUsports.net/live; Live stats at www.LSUstats.com

TV/ONLINE

• Saturday’s game will be televised on the SEC Network
• All three games will be streamed on SEC Network +

Pitching Matchups

Friday

LSU – Jr. RHP Paul Skenes (8-1, 1.93 ERA, 65.1 IP, 12 walks, 124 K)

Auburn – So. RHP Chase Allsup (0-0, 7.62 ERA, 26.0 IP, 23 walks, 31 K)

Saturday

LSU – Jr. RHP Ty Floyd (6-0, 4.68 ERA, 50 IP, 22 walks, 50 K)

Auburn- Gr. LHP Tommy Vail (4-1, 3.80 ERA, 47.1 IP, 34 walks, 58 K)

Sunday

LSU – Jr. RHP Christian Little (2-1, 4.50 ERA, 32 IP, 19 walks, 40 K)

Auburn- R-Jr. RHP Christian Herberholz (0-3, 4.69 ERA, 40.1 IP, 20 BB, 37 K)

LSU (36-8, 15-5 SEC) comes into the game fresh off of a sweep over Alabama, who is one of the most underrated teams not only in the conference but in the nation as well. Auburn (25-18-1, 9-12 SEC) comes into the game with an upset series victory over then No.2 South Carolina, winning two out of three games.

Since 1907, LSU has had a 109-78 advantage over Auburn. In its last 29 meetings with Auburn, LSU has won 21 of 29 games, including six of the past 10. Auburn, however, posted a 2-1 series victory at LSU last season. LSU has been victorious in the last seven of the last nine times and 15 of the last 23 times since 1999. The two Auburn series wins in the past nine series came in 2018 and 2022.

Although the Tigers are having a down year, they still return some members of last year’s team that advanced to the College World Series in Omaha last season. Led by one of the best coaches in the SEC Butch Thompson, Auburn looks to be another tough team on the Tigers’ chase to win the SEC.

Who to Look out for from Auburn’s pitching staff

Auburn’s pitching staff has been putrid. Auburn’s pitching staff is No. 13 in the SEC with a 6.38 cumulative ERA, and the Tigers have recorded 392 strikeouts in 385.0 innings. Auburn as a pitching has allowed opponents to bat .281 from the plate, which is one of the worst in the SEC.

Auburn’s best pitcher is left-hander Tommy Vail. Vail has a 4-1 record with a 3.80 ERA, 34 walks and a team-high 58 strikeouts through 47.1 innings pitched.

Auburn has two relievers that they have relied on the most: John Armstrong and Will Cannon.

Armstrong leads the pitching staff in appearances with 19, with 18 from out of the bullpen. He is 6-2 on the year with a 5.40 ERA, 32 strikeouts and two saves. Cannon is 2-1 on the season 4.66 ERA with 35 strikeouts and a team-high four saves.

Although Armstrong and Cannon are Auburn’s two most reliable relievers, they have both allowed more hits than innings pitched. Armstrong has allowed 35 hits through 33.1 innings and Cannon has allowed 43 hits through 36.2 innings pitched.

Who to look out for Auburn’s batting lineup

Auburn has a very good and experienced batting lineup with a team batting average of .289 and 64 home runs. They are dangerous in the aspect that they have been one of the hottest batting lineups in the country and also need some big victories in the next few weeks to secure a spot in postseason play.

However, Auburn’s batting lineup has 392 strikeouts combined, which is 10th in the SEC. They have only drawn 212 walks, which is the third worst in the SEC.

Veteran outfielder Bobby Peirce is batting a team-high .373 with seven doubles, two triples, five home runs and 22 RBIs. Catcher Ike Irish is hitting .370 with 19 doubles, one triple, three homers and 52 RBI.

Peirce and Irish rank No. 8 and No. 10, respectively, among the SEC’s batting average leaders.

Outfielder Kason Howell is tied with Irish for the SEC lead in doubles with 19. Howell is batting .263 with one triple, four home runs and 27 RBIs.

First baseman Cooper McMurray is another dangerous hitter. McMurray is batting .306 from the plate with four doubles, 12 homers and 36 RBI. McMurray has a team-high .776 slugging percentage. In his last eight games, has batted .426 with seven home runs and driven in 16 runners.

Outfielder Bryson Ware is batting .347 on the year with 18 homers and 52 RBI, which are both team highs.