A powerhouse opponent. A potential sellout crowd. A big weekend in Plainsman Park.
What more could Butch Thompson and his Tigers ask for?
Auburn takes on perennial power Vanderbilt this weekend, expecting a big crowd Saturday with fans in town for the football spring game — and expecting a big challenge from the Commodores all weekend long.
“We want to hook it up and we want to play some great baseball here at Plainsman Park, which we should,” Thompson said.
Thompson is hopeful that the series will have fans “hanging from the rafters on an SEC weekend” as many will be in Auburn for A-Day.
“I fully expect and I’m excited to see something amazing with our crowd with that connection with A-Day.”
The three-game series will run Friday through Sunday. Friday’s first pitch is set for 6 p.m.
Saturday’s game will begin at 4 p.m., three hours after the start of A-Day.
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Thompson is no stranger to the baseball program the Commodores have built.
“Where I tip my hat the most to the Vanderbilt program is as far back the last five, six seven years, I think it’s been one of the most difficult teams to prepare for in SEC play,” Thompson said.
“They’ve just have been so good in every category,” Thompson added.
The Tigers (20-9) are coming off back-to-back road series wins at Texas A&M and LSU, which marks the first time Auburn has won four straight SEC road series since 1997-98.
Thompson and company are eager to be back home after playing one game at Plainsman Park in the last 20 days.
“We’ve just been fighting and it’s good to be home,” Thompson said.
Auburn also entered the polls this week at No. 25, the first time it’s been ranked since week two of the 2021 season.
The Commodores (21-7) are coming off back-to-back series losses at South Carolina and against No. 1 Tennessee.
Vanderbilt, though, is a program that has made the College World Series final four times since 2014. Vanderbilt was the national runner-up last year, losing to Mississippi State in the CWS final. This year, Vanderbilt ranks second in the SEC in pitching with a 2.68 staff ERA.
“It’s probably arguably the best pitching staff we’ve seen top to bottom,” Thompson said.
Auburn looks to start junior Hayden Mullins on the mound Friday. Junior Trace Bright will get the call for Saturday’s game and sophomore Joseph Gonzalez will start in Sunday’s finale.
Auburn has been tested early in SEC play with Vanderbilt being the Tiger’s third top-12 opponent in the first four weeks of league play.
“It’s really about getting this team prepared to play great baseball,” Thompson said.
Sunday’s series finale will be at 1 p.m. All games can be streamed on SEC Network+.
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Big crowd, big test: Auburn baseball hosts powerhouse Vanderbilt - Opelika Auburn News
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