Get to know the Southern Conference champions ahead of this weekend’s Auburn Regional.
The Auburn Tigers have learned their seeding, as well as their opponents, ahead of this weekend’s NCAA Regionals.
The No. 13 seed Auburn Tigers will host its second-straight NCAA Regional for the first time in school history and are matched up with the Clemson Regional, hosted by No. 4 Clemson.
After previewing the No. 2 seed in the Auburn Regional, Southern Miss, it is time to get to know the No. 3 seed of the regional, Samford.
The Bulldogs earned a place in the NCAA Tournament by defeating Wofford in the Southern Conference Championship last weekend at Flour Field in Greenville, South Carolina. Samford won 36 games in 2023, and return to the postseason for the first time since 2021.
Samford is familiar with this weekend’s venue, Plainsman Park, as they have played 29 games there in its’ program history. Since its first game at Auburn’s home park in 1994, the Bulldogs are 8-21.
Here’s a look at what Samford brings to the Auburn Regional.
Here is how you can watch the Tigers kick off their NCAA campaign on Friday:
Postseason baseball is here, and the Auburn Tigers will be playing ball on their home diamond.
Auburn was awarded an NCAA regional, and as such, it will host three teams in a double-elimination format at Plainsman Park. The Tigers’ first opponent will be Southeastern Louisiana, representing the Southland Conference.
It’s very possible the Lions won’t drop the game to Auburn without a fight. Southeastern Louisiana was crowned the Southland champions after defeating McNeese and have posted a 21-12 record so far in 2022. The Lions were also known for taking down the at-the-time No. 1 team in the nation, the Ole Miss Rebels, 5-1 at home in late March. The Tigers will have to be sure not to let Southeastern Louisiana catch them by surprise in the first game of the regional.
Auburn, meanwhile, have been properly preparing for this initial matchup. The Tigers announced that pitcher Trace Bright will start on the mound this Friday and will surely be benefitting from being able to practice and prepare at home in Auburn. The Tigers are so far 22-9 on the season and will be seeking redemption after a one-and-done appearance in the SEC Tournament.
Here is the full format for the Auburn Regional this weekend:
Full schedule for the Auburn Regional
Friday, June 3
Game 1: No. 2 UCLA vs. No. 3 Florida State at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN2
Game 2: No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 4 Southeastern Louisiana at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN+
Saturday, June 4
Game 3: Loser of UCLA/Florida State vs. loser of Auburn/Southeastern Louisiana, Time/Program TBD
Game 4: Winner of UCLA/Florida State vs. winner of Auburn/Southeastern Louisiana, Time/Program TBD
Sunday, June 5
Game 5: Winner of Game 3 vs loser of Game 4, Time/Program TBD
Game 6: Winner of Game 4 vs winner of Game 5, Time/Program TBD
