Florida Gators vs. Auburn Tigers Series Preview

The No.15 Florida Gators hit the road this weekend to take on the Auburn Tigers in a three-game weekend series. The Gators are one of the hottest teams in the SEC as they have won six straight games with four of those wins coming against SEC opponents.

The Auburn Tigers are also on a two-game winning streak after picking up two midweek wins over the Samford and Jacksonville earlier this week. However, Auburn has a 16-18 record and has really struggled in the SEC.

Auburn’s SEC record is 2-13 with wins against the Alabama Crimson Tide and Arkansas Razorbacks. The Tigers have also been in a lot of close games but have lost nine one-run games while winning five one-run games.

The Auburn Tigers stay home after hosting two home midweek games. Their last SEC matchup was on the road against the Alabama Crimson Tide. The Tigers will be led by their head coach, Butch Thompson, who is the middle of his sixth season at the University of Auburn.

The Tigers' pitching staff has struggled this season as they have a 5.35 team ERA, which ranks second to last in the SEC behind only Missouri. Auburn does have some talent in the weekend rotation with hard-throwing RHP Cody Greenhill.

The former closer has pitched well this season for the Tigers. Greenhill has a 3-0 record in nine appearances including eight starts. Greenhill also a 2.45 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and .197 opponent batting average.

Senior left-hander Jack Owen is projected to be the Saturday starter for the Tigers. Owen has a 1-2 record in five appearances and three starts. He also has a 7.36 ERA and 1.69 WHIP in 18.1 innings pitched.

In the series finale, true freshman right-handed pitcher Joseph Gonzalez is expected to get the start for Auburn. The Puerto Rico native has made twelve appearances and started in five. Gonzalez also an 8.06 ERA and 1.68 WHIP in 25.2 innings pitched.

As for the Tigers' offense, they have one of the top hitting teams in the country and SEC. Auburn is batting .289 as a team which is tied for 40th in the country and third in the SEC. Auburn’s offense is led by their shortstop Ryan Bliss.

The junior middle infielder is one of the top hitters in the conference as he’s tied for eighth in the SEC in batting average with a .348 batting average. Bliss is also tied for ninth in hit and fifteenth in total bases.

Another Auburn hitter that has had a big season for the Tigers is first baseman, Tyler Miller. The Alabama native has the same batting average as Bliss but has more power in his games. Miller is tied for fourth in the SEC in home runs with eleven and Miller is also tied for first in RBIs with 45. Two other Auburn hitters to watch for this series are third baseman Rankin Wooley and right fielder Bryson Ware.

The Florida Gators are feeling pretty good after sweeping the Missouri Tigers and knocking off the Jacksonville Dolphins on the road. Florida is back on the road for this weekend’s matchup against the Auburn Tigers.

Florida’s head coach, Kevin O’Sullivan, will keep the same rotation they had last weekend. Right-handed pitcher Franco Aleman will get the start for the series opener. Aleman struggled a bit in his last outing but has been pretty reliable lately. Aleman has 1-1 record with a 4.06 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 9.6 K/9, and a .204 opponent batting average.

Right-handed pitcher Tommy Mace will get the start on Saturday. Mace has looked good this season with a 4-0 record in nine appearances and eight starts. He also has a 3.78 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and an 11.9 K/9.

Left-handed pitcher Hunter Barco will get the start for Florida in the series finale. Barco has had an up and down season but pitched well against Missouri in the series finale. Barco has a 4-2 record in nine starts. He also has a 4.70 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 2.9 BB/9, and an 11 K/9.

The Florida Gators' offense has been pretty good during the 2021 season. The Gators have a .284 team batting average which ranks tied for seventh in the SEC. Florida is also tied for seventh with Tennessee in the conference for home runs with 45.

The lead hitter for the Gators is freshman catcher Nathan Hickey. The second-year freshman is slashing .358/.483/.619 with some of the best hitting numbers in the SEC. Hickey is fifth in batting average, eighth in slugging percentage, and tied for fifth in runs batted in.

Freshman second baseman Colby Halter has also been tearing the cover off the ball all season. Halter is slashing .322/.396/.479 with 34 hits, eight doubles, three home runs, 28 RBIs, and a .875 OPS. Two other Gators to watch this weekend are left fielder Jacob Young and shortstop Jordan Carrion.

Florida is also expected to make a change at first base due to an injury. Starting first baseman Jordan Butler is not expected to travel with the team this weekend due to a concussion he suffered in the series opener versus Missouri. Kris Armstrong and Kendrick Calilao are expected to get some playing time this weekend if Butler is out for this weekend.