Starting the SEC campaign with a 2-13 record is not what Auburn baseball and head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] had in mind. The Tigers were swept for the third time in conference play last week to No. 5 Kentucky, a series where the Wildcats outscored the Tigers by seven runs.
Although Kentucky completed the sweep, it was a series that could have gone the other way. Auburn had two runners on base with zero outs in game one on Thursday, but a strikeout and a double play ended the Tigers’ comeback efforts in a 6-5 loss. In Saturday’s finale, Auburn held a 7-0 lead before the Wildcats stormed back to win 13-8.
The sweep added to Auburn’s long losing streak, which currently stands at six games. Their recent string of bad luck appeared in this week’s SEC Baseball Vibes rankings by Joe Healy of D1Baseball. The “snake-bitten” Tigers check in at No. 14 this week.
There’s always at least one team in the SEC that goes through the season as a snakebitten team where very little seems to go right, and it’s looking increasingly like Auburn is that team in 2024. Its lineup has been good enough more often than not, but it has the highest ERA in the conference in league play and those struggles on the mound were on display Sunday when the Tigers led 7-0 over Kentucky in the third inning and went on to lose the game. Auburn will continue to be a tough out the rest of the way, but it might have just taken on too much water at this point.
The Tigers will look to change its luck as the stretch turns to the final 15 games. Auburn will face the likes of struggling teams such as Missouri and LSU over the final five weekends and will look to increase their seeding before next month’s SEC Tournament in Hoover.
The first series of the second half will be against Mississippi State this weekend at Dudy Noble Field in Starkville. The Bulldogs check in at No. 8 in this week’s vibes rankings after losing a tough series to rival Ole Miss.
Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__