After winning four straight SEC series, the Auburn Tigers needed just one more in order to heighten their regional host chances.
Boy, they did just that.
Auburn welcomed Missouri to Plainsman Park last weekend for the final weekend series of the regular season. Auburn was not kind to its’ host, as they swept Missouri by outscoring them, 20-9. The sweep was Auburn’s second in a row, and the Tigers closed the SEC slate with the conference’s best second-half record (12-3).
More importantly, Auburn has all but sealed a postseason hosting berth.
Following last weekend’s action, D1Baseball’s Mark Etheridge and Kendall Rogers each examined Auburn’s postseason fate, with each giving a favorable report.
In the weekly “SEC Weekend Dish” report, Etheridge stated that Auburn’s second-half streak has boosted their chances for a national seed.
In the past four weekends, Auburn won a road series at South Carolina, won a series with LSU, and swept both Ole Miss and Missouri to move to 17 conference wins. Auburn finished the back half of SEC play a conference-best 12-3. Add in a 16 RPI, and there’s a great chance Auburn will host a regional for the second straight season.
Rogers also mentioned Auburn as having a chance to earn the No. 8 seed if the Tigers have a strong showing in Hoover this week.
Some teams we will be watching this week from a top eight seed standpoint include Oklahoma State, Kentucky, Coastal Carolina, and Miami. There’s also a chance that some teams like Kentucky, Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee, Duke, West Virginia, Texas, and East Carolina hop into the mix with strong showings at their respective conference tournaments. In essence, that No. 8 spot is wide open if the Cavaliers don’t play well in the ACC tournament.
Here’s a look at Auburn’s resume ahead of a busy week at the Hoover Met.