Auburn Starting Pitchers and Lineup for Regional Game Against Milwaukee

The Auburn Tigers begin their road to Omaha on Friday afternoon, playing a Milwaukee team that won its conference championship last week.

Auburn will look for similar success to that of the SEC Tournament, with dominant pitching and the long ball playing a factor. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Auburn Tigers will look to defend their home field this weekend, beginning with the Milwaukee Panthers on Friday afternoon to open their regional in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. 

Auburn is looking to get to the super regional for the second consecutive season, having the privilege of hosting games at Plainsman Park until the College World Series, if the Tigers keep winning. However, they are in good shape to open their postseason run with a win to open the weekend. 

Milwaukee (25-31) used a late-season run to get into the field of 64, winning the Horizon League to earn an automatic qualifying berth. However, the Panthers are vulnerable with one of the highest pitching ERAs (6.99) in the country, and Auburn will look to take advantage. 

Below is the starting lineup for Friday’s game as well as the starting pitcher for the Tigers. 

Batting Lineup

1. Mason McCraine, right field, .309

2. Eric Guevara, third base, .335

3. Chase Fralick, catcher, .311

4. Chris Rembert, second base, .345

5. Bub Terrell, left field, .303

6. Ethin Bingaman, first base, .323

7. Cade Belyeu, center field, .221

8. Brandon McCraine, shortstop, .347

9. Taylor Belza, designated hitter, .143

Starting Pitcher

Jake Marciano, LHP

Marciano has been Auburn’s ace all season long, and he will look to pull together another quality start to open his postseason. 

The sophomore holds a 2.64 ERA, which is the lowest on the team and second in the SEC as a whole. Seven of his 15 starts have allowed only one run or less, and he’s looking to do that again on Friday afternoon to put the Tigers in the winner’s bracket of the regional heading into Saturday. 

In his last outing, he dominated LSU in the SEC Tournament to pick up a 3-1 win last week. He threw six innings, allowed only four hits and an earned run while striking out four Tiger batters in Hoover, Alabama. 

As for Milwaukee, the Panthers strike out at a 25.3% rate, which is outside the top 200 in the country in doing so. If the Virginia Tech transfer can get into a rhythm early, that could help the Tigers grow a lead to put the game out of reach before their opponent gets comfortable. 

First pitch is scheduled for noon CST from Plainsman Park, and the game can be broadcast on ESPN+ for those not in attendance. 

All information regarding the Auburn Regional can be found here as well.