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Takeaways from Auburn's midweek victory over South Alabama

Auburn defeats the Jaguars in Montgomery's Riverwalk Stadium to preserve their flawless midweek record

Auburn baseball defeated the South Alabama Jaguars 6-5 on Tuesday night in Montgomery. What can we learn from the midweek victory? 

Don't trust the box score

Auburn true freshman Drew Nelson got the start. And from the box score, he had a pretty smooth night: 4IP, 1H, 1BB, 2Ks on 65 pitches (36 strikes).

In reality, that was a VERY stressful outing for the youngster, but he handled it with aplomb. 

A defensive error on the first play of the game for Auburn set the tone for the night. South Alabama got the bases loaded in the 1st (error, walk, HBP) but couldn't score. In the 3rd inning, they got a runner to 3rd, courtesy of a single and two wild pitches, and again couldn't bring him in. 

Nelson twice had 1-2-3 innings, in the 2nd and 4th, but had to work harder than he may have initially expected in the 1st and 3rd thanks to three defensive errors, a hit by pitch, and two wild pitches.

In the end, he came through when it mattered on "Nelly Shove Day" and earned a win, the first of his college career.

The "freebies" continue to come back to bite you

South Alabama's Colson Lawrence hit two first-pitch, no doubt SHOTS to left field, and both of them scored two runs for the Jaguars because the hitter in front of him was walked on base. 

Auburn only walked three runners in the contest, but Butch Thompson's "freebies" metric counts runners on via HBP or defensive error as well - Auburn had four errors and a HBP on Tuesday night. Two of the three walks came around to score, and several of the seven "freebies" created higher-leverage situations for Auburn's pitchers to navigate.     

Have a night, Kason Howell!

The grad student, the NCAA's career active doubles leader, went 3-5 with a double, a homerun, and four RBIs, working from the leadoff spot in lieu of the rehabbing Bobby Pierce.

He also brought his horse with him to Montgomery, saddling up to make a running catch DEEP in the gap in the 2nd inning. His three putouts were all on running catches, all with above-average degrees of difficulty that he made look simple. 

Auburn's outfield defense could be the best in the conference

All three outfielders flashed the leather tonight - Stanfield made a leaping catch in the left field corner of a ball that was technically foul but still accessible, while Kirby made both a diving catch in the 1st to end the inning and a fantastic charging catch and throw home that saved a run when John Armstrong inherited runners on 2nd and 3rd and only one out in the 7th. 

Stanfield's had moments while Bobby Pierce has been out where it's evident that he's a natural centerfielder that's making it work in left field - in Arkansas last weekend, in a more conventional left field without the "Green Monster", Stanfield had a ball carry over his head, aided by a sudden shift in wind and larger dimensions than Stanfield normally plays in at Plainsman Park, but the freshman's impressive athleticism has been evident in the efficient routes and quick reactions.  

Once Bobby Pierce returns from his lingering hamstring issue, Auburn will have an interesting positioning problem on their hands - you have four above-average to plus defenders, and only three places to put them. 

With Ike Irish currently playing 1st in lieu of Kansas transfer Cooper McMurray, still out with a high-ankle strain, the most logical approach is to keep your rangiest outfielders - Stanfield, Howell, and Pierce - in the outfield and move Justin Kirby to DH. If Pierce is able to return offensively before he's ready to play the field, however, Auburn won't hesitate to put him in the DH role. 

Once McMurray's back in a few weeks, you might see Irish taking over more of the catching duties to provide maximum lineup flexibility.

What's next?  

Auburn's back in action on Thursday as they welcome the Georgia Bulldogs, who were swept by South Carolina last weekend, to Plainsman Park for a three game set. Game times are 6PM (Thursday and Friday) and 2PM (Saturday). All three games are available for streaming on SEC Network+, and Thursday's game one is scheduled to be televised on SEC Network. The radio call, with Brad Law and Andy Burcham, will be available on 93.9 locally in the Auburn area, as well as AuburnTigers.com and the Auburn Athletics App. 


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