Tag: auburn softball

Auburn Softball: Bri Ellis named SEC Freshman of the Week

Bri Ellis has been named the SEC Freshman of the Week.

Auburn’s opponents had no answer for [autotag]Bri Ellis[/autotag] at the plate last week. The freshman led Auburn to a 3-0 week and was named the SEC Freshman of the Week on Tuesday, the conference announced.

Auburn’s first baseman went a ridiculous  6-of-7 at the plate for a .857 average. Three of those six hits were home runs to give her a 2.143 slugging percentage.

The Houston, Texan native totaled. five runs scored, seven RBI, two walks, and a stolen base. Her three hits against Mercer are a new career-high.

She now has 16 home runs on the season, two shy of Kasey Cooper for the program’s freshman record. Her 16 home runs also rank 10th all-time in a single season by a Tiger.

Auburn improved to 33-9 overall with a 9-1 win over  Jacksonville State Tuesday. Ellis stayed hot, driving in two RBI with a double and scoring one run.

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Maddie Penta earns SEC Pitcher of the Week for the first time

Penta earned six wins in just five games for Auburn.

Maddie Penta was dominant in the circle for Auburn softball last week and was selected as the SEC Pitcher of the Week, the league office announced Monday.

Penta earned six victories over a five-day span as the sophomore tossed 25 of Auburn’s 37 innings with starts in five of six games.

She surrendered just one run in her six games for a minuscule 0.28 ERA. She allowed seven hits for a .086 average at the plate. Penta issued four walks while striking out a staggering 48 batters. The sophomore recorded double-digit strikeouts in three of her six appearances and averages 1.9 strikeouts per inning.

She combined with KK Dismukes to toss the program’s 29th no-hitter in Auburn’s 5-0 victory against North Carolina A&T on March 4. Two of her other starts were shutouts.

The right-hander was named the MVP of the inaugural Jane B. Moore Memorial Tournament after earning the win in each of Auburn’s five games.

She leads the SEC with 121 strikeouts on the season and has a perfect 13-0 record.

Auburn softball to host Plainsman Invitational

Game detailes for the Plainsman Invitational this weekend.

No. 21 Auburn will look to build on their great start to the season against some solid competition in the Plainsman Invitational. Starting today, Auburn will play five games in three days at Jane B. Moore Field.

Auburn (10-1) is 5-0 at home this season and has outscored their opponents 50-4 in those games. The Tigers have scored at least 8 runs in every game and have thrown three shutouts.

The Tigers are coming of an impressive 4-1 performance at the St. Pete Clearwater Elite Invitational, where they upset No. 11 Texas. Their strong showing has them ranked in all four major softball polls.

Auburn will play Louisiana-Monroe (10-2), Delaware State (0-3), Bradley (1-3) and Syracuse (8-2) in the tournament.

Game Details:

Friday: Louisiana-Monroe (10-2), 2:30 p.m. CTSaturday: Delaware State (0-3), 2:30 p.m. CT

Saturday: Bradley (1-3), 5 p.m. CT

Sunday: Louisiana-Monroe, 2 p.m. CT

Sunday: Syracuse (8-2), 11:30 a.m. CT

Broadcast Details

  • Radio: All games are broadcast on the Auburn Sports Network.
  • TV: The games on Saturday and Sunday will be on SEC Network+.

Auburn softball wins four of five in St. Pete Clearwater Elite Invitational

Auburn softball is having a strong start to the season.

Auburn softball had a strong showing in the St. Pete Clearwater Elite Invitational. The Tigers won four of their five games and are now 9-1.

Auburn faced off against the Texas Tech Red Raiders, Wisconsin Badgers, No. 11 Texas Longhorns, No. 3 UCLA Bruins, and USF Bulls from the loaded field.

The Tigers faced off against Texas Tech on Thursday to start the event and started things off with a bang.

Game 1: Texas Tech Red Raiders

Winning Pitcher: Shelby Lowe (4-0)

Losing Pitcher: Kendall Fritz (2-1)

Auburn fell behind 1-0 in the second inning before retaking the lead in the bottom of the inning after a two-run rally. Auburn never looked back from that point, scoring one run in the fourth and five in the fifth to win 7-1. Bri Ellis led the offense, hitting a three-run home run to secure the win. Shelby Lowe settled in after allowing the early run, pitching 5.0 innings and allowing just the one run on two hits, and striking out three batters.

Game 2: Wisconsin Badgers

Winning Pitcher: Shelby Lowe (5-0)

Losing Pitcher: Maddie Schwartz (3-1)

The Tigers wasted no time jumping on the Badgers, scoring four runs in the first inning and another one in the second inning to take a commanding 5-0 lead. Auburn added three more runs in the sixth inning on their way to a 9-3 win. Makayla Packer, Denver Bryant, and Carlee McCondichie all hit home runs to lead Auburn’s offense. Lowe had another strong start for Auburn, allowing one run on two hits and two walks over five innings. She also struck out eight batters.

Game 3: No. 11 Texas Longhorns

Winning Pitcher: Maddie Penta (3-0)

Losing Pitcher: Hailey Dolcini (2-1)

Auburn picked up their biggest win of the tournament against Texas, beating them 6-2. Auburn once again came out hot, hitting two home runs in the first inning to take a 4-0 lead. That was all the support Maddie Penta needed as she shut down the Longhorns lineup. She allowed two runs on two hits and three walks in her complete-game performance. She struck out nine batters.

Game 4: No. 3 UCLA Bruins

Winning Pitcher: Holly Azevedo (2-0)

Losing Pitcher: Shelby Lowe (5-1)

Auburn suffered their first loss of the season against UCLA, falling to the Bruins 9-0. Neither team’s offense could get anything going until the fourth inning. UCLA had a three-run inning to chase Lowe from the game. Before exploding for six runs in the sixth inning to hand Auburn their first loss of the season. Auburn managed just two hits in the game. Lowe allowed three runs on four hits in 3.1 innings of work.

Game 5: USF Bulls

Winning Pitcher: Maddie Penta (4-0)

Losing Pitcher: Erin Poepping

Save: Shelby Lowe (1)

Auburn rebounded from their loss and made sure to end the weekend on a positive note, beating USF 5-1 for their fourth win of the event. Auburn’s offense came alive again, getting the leadoff batter on in each inning and scoring their five runs on seven hits and four walks. Sydney Cox had two of Auburn’s hits and Nelia Peralta hit a home run to lead the offense. Penta had another great outing, allowing one run and three hits in five innings while striking out five batters. Lowe struck out five batters in the final two innings to earn the save.

Auburn will return to action on Wednesday at Jacksonville State, first pitch is set for 5 p.m. CT.

Shelby Lowe throws no-hitter, Tigers have impressive start to season

Auburn softball off to a roaring start, Shelby Lowe close to perfect in game 2

Auburn softball had a nearly perfect first day of the season.

Sophomore Shelby Lowe (1-0) threw a no-hitter against St. John’s in the Tigers’ second game of the season. The left-hander struck out 11 batters and hit one batter in the five innings she pitched, as Auburn cruised to a 14-0 win.

Auburn’s bats started the game hot and never cooled off, the Tigers scored five runs in the first inning and scored at least two runs in every inning.

Makayla Packer started the game off with a walk and promptly showcased her speed. She stole second and third before scoring on an error. Sydney Cox hit a home run just a few pitches later to give Auburn a 2-0 lead and open the floodgates.

Aspyn Godwin hit a two-run home run to stretch Auburn’s lead to 4-0 before the Tigers recorded an out.

While 10 different batters got hits for Auburn, it was Cox who stole the show offensively.

Cox, who started at third base, went 4-for-4 with a home run, three doubles, four RBI, and three runs scored and was named the Offensive Player of the Game.

Packer also had a strong performance offensively. Auburn’s centerfielder went 2-for-2 with a triple, two RBI, two runs scored, and stole two bases.

The win was Auburn’s second of the season after they beat Seton Hall 10-3 earlier in the day to open the season.

Auburn jumped out to an immediate 1-0 lead when leadoff batter Parker sent the second pitch she saw over the fence.

The Tigers wasted no time adding on either, adding two more runs in the first inning and three more in the second inning to jump out to a commanding 6-0 lead. That was plenty of room for sophomore pitcher Maddie Penta.

She may have not thrown a no-hitter, but Penta (1-0) was also dominant in the circle for Auburn. The right-hander allowed just two earned runs and four hits in seven innings of work while striking out 16 batters.

Auburn will return to Jane B. Moore Field Saturday for rematches with both Seton Hall and St. John’s. They will face Seton Hall at 2:30 p.m. CT and St. John’s at 5 p.m. CT. Auburn will close play their final game of the Tiger Invitational Sunday at 12:30 p.m. CT against UMass Lowell.

Auburn Softball bests AUM in 10-inning contest

Always love an Auburn win.

The following is a release from Auburn Athletics.

AUBURN, Ala. – Utilizing a trio of clean outings in the circle and an evenly spread offensive attack, Auburn softball defeated Auburn University at Montgomery, 8-1, Sunday afternoon.

Tiger hurlers Shelby Lowe, Samantha Yarbrough, and KK Dismukes showed dominance from the circle, matching a solo unearned run with 10 strikeouts.

Lowe earned the starting nod, fanning six Warhawk batters in her six innings of work. Yarbrough tossed the seventh and eighth innings, giving up one bunt single while sitting down three via strikeout.

Dismukes closed out Sunday’s marathon. The right-hander walked two, struck out two, and gave up one hit in her two predetermined innings of work.

The Tiger offense was powered by 13 hits from nine different batters. Sophomore Kelsey Schmidt carried the torch, going 3-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI. Freshmen Aubrie Lisenby and Abbey Smith also tallied multi-hit performances with two singles apiece.

Schmidt kick-started the Auburn scoring in the bottom of the third, sending a laser over the wall in left center after freshman Rose Roach drew a full-count walk to put the Tigers up by two.

Déjà vu struck in the Tiger fifth as Schmidt led off the inning with another bomb, this time off the left field foul pole. Freshman Nelia Peralta followed suit with another homer to give the Tigers a four-run advantage.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Auburn lineup doubled its run total thanks to a pair of RBI base hits from Schmidt and freshman Jessie Blaine.

A single to center from freshman Bri Ellis, paired with an AUM fielding error, brought home the third run of the frame. Following the Ellis single, Peralta came up clutch once again, drawing a bases-loaded free pass to push across the final Auburn run of the game and expand the Tigers’ lead to eight.

The Warhawks were able to scratch across their lone run of the contest in the top of the tenth thanks to a two-out base hit following an Auburn error.

Up Next 

Auburn returns to Jane B. Moore Field on Friday, Oct. 15, with a game against Bevill State Community College before concluding its fall exhibition slate with a pair of doubleheader matches against Valdosta State and Chipola College on Sunday, Oct. 17.

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Auburn softball earns two seed in Tallahassee regional

Auburn earned the No. 2 seed in the Tallahassee regional for the 2021 NCAA Tournament.

Auburn’s softball season isn’t quite done yet.

On Sunday, the Tigers found out that they have made the NCAA Tournament and will be the No. 2 seed in the Tallahassee regional.

“It really speaks to our schedule and the strength of the SEC that we’re a number two seed,” said head coach Mickey Dean. “It’s going to be a tough regional. UCF is a tough team. I’ve played them in the past. They are well coached, and they have some great players. Florida State, Kennesaw State – we’ve split with both of them this year. We’re excited to be going and are looking forward to getting started.”

The Tigers (27-22) faces off against No. 3 UCF on Friday, May 21 at 1 p.m. CST. Host and top seed Florida State plays No. 4 Kennesaw State.

Auburn softball hoping to turn season around against Texas A&M

Now 1-8 in conference play and 19-11 overall, the Tigers look to turn things around against a 25-9 Texas A&M squad on the road.

Auburn softball entered the month of March on top of the world. Eleven straight wins improved the Tigers record to 16-1 and saw the ladies rise all the way to No. 7 in the NCAA RPI.

Since then the Tigers have lost 10 games. In those 10 games:

  • four of the losses were shutouts
  • the Tigers allowed more than five runs in four of the losses
  • the Tigers scored fewer than three runs in nine of the ten losses

Now 1-8 in conference play and 19-11 overall, the Tigers look to turn things around against a 25-9 Texas A&M squad on the road.

They’ll have to find a spark offensively to escape College Station with a series victory. As of right now Makenna Dowell (junior) and Tyler King (senior) are the only two Auburn starters with batting averages over .300, meanwhile Texas A&M has five. The Tigers will most likely face off against Makinzy Herzog, Grace Uribe, and Kayla Poynter on the mound all of which have produced a combined 165 strikeouts for the Aggies.

Despite getting swept, the Aggies put up 16 total runs against No. 4 Alabama last weekend. Head coach Mickey Dean acknowledged their hot bats and emphasized, “it’s important we pitch smart, play good defense and score early. I think if we score early, we will kind of relax a little bit.”

Defensively Auburn will likely start freshman Shelby Lowe (0.88 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 118 SO), freshman Maddie Penta (2.64 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 76 SO), and sophomore KK Dismukes (1.30 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 32 SO) on the mound.

Auburn head coach Mickey Dean recently detailed how he and this team are working together on making improvements:

“Before you can ever experience success, you are going to experience failure. You hope it doesn’t happen as a group, but sometimes it does. It’s not a physical battle. It’s a mental battle. As a coach, you can focus on the negative or focus on the positive. There has to be a mixture. If players are going to play well, they have to feel about what they are doing. If they don’t feel good about what they are doing, they’re not going to play well. A lot of that is what you say to them. You still want them to be positive going into a game even when they have things to work on.”

The Tigers’ series opener against Texas A&M begins at 6 p.m. CST Friday on SEC Network Plus.

Maddie Penta on second no-hitter: ‘I strive to be great every time’

Auburn freshman pitcher Maddie Penta threw her second no-hitter in less than two weeks on Saturday.

It isn’t even a month into Maddie Penta’s collegiate softball career and she has already thrown two no-hitters. The freshman from Chesapeake City, Maryland says it is just the beginning.

“I strive to be great every time I take the mound,” Penta said. “I expect that of myself, and I know Coach Dean expects that of me.”

Penta’s second no-no came on Saturday against IUPUI in which she carried a perfect game into the seventh inning before issuing a walk. She struck out the first 16 batters she faced.

“I always tell people how lucky I am because of the kids I’ve gotten to coach in my career,” said head coach Mickey Dean. “You can go your whole life and not see some of the things that I have.”

Penta was named the SEC Co-Freshman of the Week on Feb. 18 after throwing a no-hitter in her Auburn debut against Southeastern Missouri.

Auburn (10-1) swept the doubleheader from IUPUI with back-to-back 5-0 victories. Penta improved to 5-0 on the season.

Softball America names two Tigers as top 100 players

Softball America released their first ranking for the 2021 season and two Tigers made the list. 

Softball America released its first ranking for the 2021 season and two Tigers made the list.

Junior pitcher Samantha Yarbrough returns to the list, checking in at No. 68.  Ole Miss transfer, Kaylee Horton also earned a spot at No. 90.

In her debut season with the Tigers, Yarbrough was undefeated in the circle with six wins and a save. She allowed just eight runs over 48.2 innings. With help of a 16.1 consecutive scoreless innings streak, Yarbrough recorded a team-leading 1.15 ERA, the sixth lowest among SEC pitchers. The Fairhope, Ala., native allowed just 24 hits and held opponents to a .147 average at the plate.

Horton has not seen the field since the 2019 season but was named to the SEC All-Defensive team after committing just one error in right field. The Jasper, Ala., native started 61 games for Ole Miss and closed the 2019 season with a .290 average with 31 runs scored and 28 RBI.