HOOVER, Ala. — The SEC Tournament is well underway.
As Friday grows closer, LSU, the tournament’s No. 3-seeded team, is one step closer to taking the field in the quarterfinals after the bye it received as a result of earning a top-four seed.
Two teams are fighting to clutch the spot in the opposite dugout in the Friday evening quarterfinal.
On Thursday at 11 a.m., Auburn and Texas A&M will face off to fight for the open spot against the LSU Tigers in the quarterfinal. The winner will be one step closer to the Sunday afternoon finals, where the SEC Tournament champion will be crowned.
Here’s what there is to know for the No. 14-seeded Texas A&M Aggies and 6-seeded Auburn Tigers.
Texas A&M
Texas A&M has seen its fair share of ups and downs as the regular season has gone on. It ended with an 11-19 conference record and was swept by Missouri, which came into the series 0-24 in the SEC, so it’s safe to say the Aggies’ bats went cold for a while.
But Texas A&M is very familiar with LSU. They have a long-standing school rivalry that often results in a heated matchup during the regular season and in the postseason. This season, the Aggies took the series win against LSU, so if they were to beat out Auburn, LSU will want to reclaim the victory it let slip away.
The Aggie bats in this tournament have looked hot, with the lineup featuring hitters like Jace LaViolette, Caden Sorrell and Wyatt Hensler. The Tigers have struggled against the Aggies in the past, who are patient enough to find the ball, swing for it and send it way out of the ballpark.
If LSU’s starting and relief pitchers can shut down this team, there’s a strong chance of walking away with a win to kick them out of the postseason.
On the mound, Aggies starting pitcher Justin Lamkin, who may be the starter should A&M face LSU, has had a pretty impressive season. He is a formidable pitcher when he finds the zone, with over 79 innings pitched and 93 strikeouts. LSU’s offense has a little to be worried about and must ensure the bats are hot.
Auburn
The last time Auburn and LSU faced off was earlier in the season, when LSU was swept back to Baton Rouge after a poor performance from all sides of the Tigers’ staff.
Auburn’s team batting average of .304 is top-40 nationally and just .002 worse than LSU’s. However, Auburn doesn’t have as many big-time swingers as LSU; that’s not to say Auburn’s bats can’t get hot, as they certainly did in that regular season sweep.
The question is was that due to Auburn’s offense being better, or was it the lackluster performance and cold bats from the Tigers?
The Auburn pitching staff as a whole has a WHIP of 1.31, which is No. 20 in the nation.
One of starting pitchers Samuel Dutton or Cam Tilly could be in the zone, which would contribute to the Tigers’ strikeouts. Dutton has 89 strikeouts and a 6-3 record. Tilly comes on the mound with a 3-2 record and 52 strikeouts.
LSU certainly has the stronger arms on the mound in this matchup, but its bats will need to get hot fast.
Will the Aggies’ hot streak continue on Thursday when they face off against the Tigers again, or will Auburn shut them down?
