Auburn baseball’s postseason outlook, RPI ranking ahead of Missouri series
The final SEC weekend series of the season is on deck, and the Auburn Tigers want to prove to the college baseball world that they are worthy of an NCAA Tournament hosting berth.
After beginning the SEC slate by winning just one of its first five series, the Tigers have turned it up a notch by winning four straight series. Two of which were against top-five teams in South Carolina and LSU.
Those series wins caught the attention of the college baseball selection committee, but last weekend’s series sweep of the defending College World Series champions, Ole Miss, has put Auburn on a great track to get a favorable postseason seed. A series win over Missouri and a few day’s stay in Hoover next week could lead Auburn to a hosting gig, something that was unthought of this time last month.
What does Auburn’s resume look like ahead of the Missouri series? Here’s a brief rundown of Auburn’s RPI ranking, as well as a postseason outlook before the final regular season series of the season.
Overall record: 30-19-1
The Tigers are hot heading into the final regular season series with Missouri. Auburn has won five straight games, and has won seven of their last ten.
SEC record: 14-13
After sweeping Ole Miss last weekend, Auburn is now over .500 in SEC play. The Tigers are in third place in the SEC standings, trailing just Arkansas and LSU.
RPI Ranking: No. 20
After spending several weeks outside of the top 25, Auburn will enter the weekend at No. 20, a nine-spot increase from a week ago. Auburn is the eighth team from the SEC to make the RPI top 20 this week. Kentucky sits atop the ranking while South Carolina, Arkansas, and LSU join Wake Forest in the top five.
Strength of Schedule: No. 7
Auburn, like most of the SEC, plays a challenging schedule. The Tigers have played a total of 30 games against the RPI top 50, and will up that number this weekend by playing No. 38 Missouri.
Record at home: 20-9-1
There’s no place like home. What better way to end the regular season than by playing the final series at Plainsman Park? Auburn gets to do just that this weekend by hosting the Missouri Tigers. A strong home finish may do wonders for their NCAA Tournament resume.
Round of 64 projection: No. 2 seed
Auburn has made great strides over the last four weeks, but there is still work to do as far as securing a regional host bid. According to the latest D1Baseball Field of 64 projection, Auburn will be traveling to Conway, South Carolina to compete in the Conway Regional, hosted by Coastal Carolina.
The current projection:
Missouri outlook
Here’s a look at where Missouri stands in several categories ahead of this weekend.
Overall record: 30-20
SEC record: 10-17 (sixth in SEC East)
RPI ranking: 38
Strength of Schedule: No. 26
Record vs. RPI top 25: 4-15
Record away from home: 11-13
Postseason outlook: Missing postseason
