What We Learned from Auburn Series vs Old Dominion

The Auburn Tigers took their weekend series against Old Dominion; here's what we learned over the weekend

Auburn overcame struggles on the mound with a strong offensive showing / Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

The Auburn Tigers have won another series, this time against the Old Dominion Monarchs. They took two games out of three. The Tigers won 10-4 on Friday, lost 11-9 on Saturday before winning the rubber match on Sunday 7-3. The Tigers walked away with a 13-3 record, while the Monarchs stole one before heading to Mississippi State. 

The Tigers were put to the test in their final weekend series before conference play. Head coach Butch Thompson talked about how the Monarchs’ pitchers were the most similar to an SEC pitching staff. That’s why they will use this experience and learn from it moving forward.

Auburn Bullpen Finally Appeared Human (and That’s Fine)

The Tigers’ bullpen, 15 games in, finally looked human on Saturday. The Tigers pulled starter Cade Fisher after just two innings so that he could continue his rehab after his injury that he picked up in the first start against Holy Cross. As Fisher becomes stronger, the Tigers' pitching could be the best it’s been all season. The Tigers then used five other pitchers, all of whom have played well in other games this season. However, the bullpen struggled the whole day. Despite 16 strikeouts throughout the game, every pitcher had at least one earned run en route to the Tigers giving up a massive comeback. They led 9-2 entering the seventh inning. However, the Monarchs scored nine unanswered runs to win the game 11-9. 

While it only happened in one game, it’s something to be wary of in the future. But in the end, it’s only one game, it can also be argued that it was bound to happen.

The Tigers’ Offense Remains Strong

Auburn’s offense continued its strong form in the entire series. In all three games, the Tigers put up great numbers in several categories. Across all three games, the Tigers had 26 runs on 35 hits and 20 total walks. 

The offense this weekend was led by first baseman Cooper McMurray and shortstop Deric Fabian. While Coach Thompson still has many decisions to make regarding his main starters, these two might be the easiest decisions for him. Both McMurray and Fabian have been on fire at the plate. McMurray leads the team with six home runs while Fabian is second with four. Both players had multiple runs in the series. 

With another series down, the Tigers head to Madison, Ala. for a neutral site game against UT-Martin on Tuesday, March 11 at 6 p.m. CST.

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