Junior right-hander [autotag]Trace Bright[/autotag] felt untouchable in his last start on the mound.
He got the nod to start game one of the Auburn Regional against Southeastern Louisiana where, after one inning, he had an 11-run cushion. Through his five total innings of work, he would strike out ten batters while issuing just two walks and allowing four earned runs in Auburn’s 19-7 win over the Lions.
Auburn head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] has preached “trust” and “confidence” in the past week, and it appears to be bleeding over to pitching strategy, as Bright has gotten the call to start on the mound against Oregon State in game one of the Corvallis Super Regional beginning Saturday night.
It’s a role that Bright has embraced, and he will enter the game with plenty of faith in his teammates.
“It’s a huge honor. We want to go out and set the tone early like we did this past weekend and try to get a win in that first game,” Bright said prior to Auburn’s departure to Corvallis, Ore. on Thursday. “Knowing that ([autotag]Joseph Gonzalez[/autotag]) is right behind me for game two, we will have obviously a full bullpen. Scoring 51 runs in three games this past weekend, hopefully we continue that because it takes the pressure off the pitcher.”
However, every aspect of his last start will be completely different as he prepares for his next outing, from the environment to the caliber of opponent. Bright feels that he has a great approach to attacking Oregon State, a team that relies heavily on finding ways to get on base.
“Trying to throw strikes. It’ll be a different environment, but getting ahead and being able to control the running game, and try to keep them off the bases as much as possible,” says Bright. “Just try to keep them from playing their game.”
Auburn battles Oregon State in game one of the Corvallis Super Regional Saurday night. First pitch is set for 9 p.m. CDT.
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