Auburn Tigers Dominate Texas A&M, Advance to SEC Tournament Semifinals

Coming into the SEC Tournament, the Auburn Tigers’ opponent, Texas A&M and their high powered offense hadn't been shut out all season.

After Friday night, the Auburn pitching staff put that to an end, defeating the No. 3-seeded Aggies 7-0 in Hoover, Alabama, to move on to the semifinals of the tournament.

“It’s one of the top three or four offenses we’ve played over 60 games,” Auburn coach Butch Thompson said of the high-powered Aggies. “The (Auburn) offense was great tonight. We were ready to go. The crowd was phenomenal with the Auburn people, and I thought that was pretty neat.”

The Tigers’ pitching staff used only two pitchers and got the job done against one of the best teams in the country, only allowing two hits and doing something that opposing defenses could not do to Texas A&M all season long.

Sophomore righty Andreas Alvarez got the ball for the Tigers on Friday night and delivered one of his best outings of the season. He struck out nine of his 19 batters faced, not allowing a run, and allowed only one Aggie hit.

“That’s one of the best lineups in the SEC,” Alvarez said. “I was able to throw my off-speed for strikes, especially in hitters’ counts. That was probably a difference maker.”

Alvarez now has a four-game streak of striking out six batters or more against SEC opponents with his performance in the SEC Tournament.

In relief, Auburn only needed LJ Cormier to finish the job. He threw four innings and only allowed a hit as well, striking out four batters.

“I felt good in the bullpen,” said Cormier, who allowed one hit in 4.0 scoreless innings while striking out four. “I knew I could compete with all three pitches. I’m glad I could get an opportunity and I’m glad BT (Thompson) trusts me to go out there.”

The Tigers took advantage of A&M pitcher Ethan Darden early, scoring five runs in the first two innings to put him out of the game before he could record more than three outs. Auburn hung five hits on the lefty to get to an early lead, then used its stellar defense to take away any hope of a late Aggie comeback.

Bub Terrell put the team on the board with a double in the first inning while at bat with two outs. An inning later, Mason McCraine used the long ball to double the lead. A double by catcher Chase Fralick and an Eric Guevara single put the Tigers up 5-0 by the end of the second inning.

Swing and a drive! @mccraine_mason flexes his muscle! 💪 pic.twitter.com/lKG0ycKUB9
— Auburn Baseball (@AuburnBaseball) May 23, 2026

To add some insurance, Chris Rembert crushed a double in the sixth inning to bring in a runner, while standout freshman Ethin Bingaman continues his strong debut season with his 11th home run of the season an inning later.

Over 18 innings of play, head coach Butch Thompson has only seen his group allow one run, coming back on Wednesday when Auburn took down LSU.

Auburn moves on to the semifinals of the conference tournament, facing No. 7-seeded Arkansas on Saturday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. Central time, although that could change based on when the first semifinal matchup ends. No. 1 Georgia faces off against No. 5 Florida. at Noon.

The Tigers took two of three against Arkansas in early June. They split the first two games before Auburn prevailed 8-3 in the finale.

It's the first time the Tigers have advanced to the semi-finals since 2003.

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