After dropping the final two games of last weekend’s three-game series with Vanderbilt in Nashville, the Florida Gators (21-11, 7-5 SEC East) will hit the road again, this time hoping to make amends against an Auburn (22-10, 6-6 SEC West) team that leads the Southeastern Conference in home runs with 69.
The Gators bounced back from that disappointing SEC series in Nashville with two midweek wins, both of them powered by freshman Preston Tucker. Auburn might have the most power in the league top to bottom of the lineup, but no one in the SEC is hotter right now than Tucker, who has hit six home runs and driven in 23 runs in his last four games.
Tucker had the kind of night hitters dream of Wednesday against UCF, going yard three times against the Knights including two grand slams. Tucker drove in 11 runs while lifting his team leading batting average to .363. For the season he has seven home runs and 39 runs batted in.
The key for Florida’s young pitching staff will be to keep the Tigers in the ball part and locating their pitches. Auburn is a free-swinging ball club. The Tigers have struck out 257 times in their 32 games so staying ahead in the count will be imperative for the Gators.
Center fielder Trent Mummey hits leadoff in Auburn’s high-scoring offense. He’s produced a .352 batting average and 12 home runs. Third baseman Joseph Saunders hits second in the lineup but produces middle of the order numbers. He’s hitting .316 and leads the team with 14 home runs and 44 RBI.
First baseman Hunter Morris hits third. A former second round draft choice of the Boston Red Sox, he has eight homers and 21 RBI. Catcher Tony Caldwell, who has eight homers and 19 RBI, bats cleanup.
While Auburn might be one of the league’s most dangerous teams when it comes to scoring runs and hitting the ball out of the park, the Tigers have had their share of problems with the pitching staff. Auburn is second to last in the SEC with a team ERA of 5.63. Opponents are hitting .320 against Auburn pitching, which is the worst in the SEC by a wide margin. The second highest batting average against is Kentucky at .287.
The Gators figure to get their licks in against the Auburn staff, which has allowed 374 hits this season. That’s a whopping 11.6 hits per game.
Grant Dayton, Auburn’s most consistent pitcher, projects to be the Friday night starter. He is only 2-3 on the season, but has posted a respectable 3.66 ERA. He also leads the team with 46 strikeouts in 46-2/3 innings pitched.
Florida will counter Dayton with Jeff Barfield (2-0, 2.84), who has proven to be Florida’s steadiest pitcher this season.
Saturday, Jon Luke Jacobs will get the start for the Tigers. He is 3-1 on the season but his ERA is a sky-high 5.59. Jacobs has allowed 47 hits in 37 innings pitched this season. Opponents are hitting .320 off Jacobs.
Florida’s will start either Nick Maronde (1-1, 3.44) or Stephen Locke (0-0, 2.89) on Saturday and whoever doesn’t start Saturday will probably take the mound for the Gators on Sunday.