Get to know Auburn’s opponents in Tallahassee Regional
The Auburn Tigers are preparing to make their 19th appearance in the postseason in program history. The Tigers are heading to the Tallahassee Regional in this year’s NCAA Softball Tournament, hosted by the No. 15 seed Florida State Seminoles.
On top of Florida State, the regional also features the UCF Knights and the Chattanooga Mocs. These four teams make up the field for the fourth time that Auburn is making the trip to this part of the Sunshine State for its starting point in the postseason.
Here is what’s to know about each of the Tigers’ potential opponents in the field:
The Seminoles come in with a 43-14 record on the year after having lost to Duke in the ACC title game. They have a dominating 26-6 record on their home field this year, with their last loss coming to the Florida Gators in the final home game of the year.
Florida State holds the eighth-highest batting average in the nation at .339 and the fifth-most home runs at 85. Jaysoni Beachum is its best batter, posting a .436 batting average, which is good enough to be No. 11 in the country.
UCF enters with a 30-23 record after losing in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament. Between the away and neutral site games, it is a combined 10-14.
The Knights are making their 11th postseason appearance all-time this weekend. Out of the players who have played in over 45 games on their team, Johneisha Rowe holds the team’s top batting average at .372. Jada Cody and Chloe Evans hold the top hit numbers at 57 and 53, respectively.
Sarah Willis is the team’s number one pitcher, holding a 2.44 earned run average. The staff overall holds a 3.16 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP.
Chattanooga enters the postseason for the 13th time holding a 42-14 record after being champions of the SOCON. It holds a 24-7 record between its away and neutral site contests. Despite that, though, it is 7-24 in the tournament over the course of the program’s history.
The Mocs hold a .304 team batting average. Camryn Cernuto, Kaili Phillips and Olivia Lipari are their stars at the plate. Each player holds a .344 average and above, making the trio a big threat for opponents.
Peja Goold and Alyssa Lavdis are the team’s main starters in the circle, each having had at least 15 starts on the season. Goold leads the team in strikeouts at 121 and holds a 2.74 ERA.
The Tallahassee Regional is set to start on Friday. Auburn takes on UCF in game one at 1 p.m. CST on ESPNU, while Florida State will face off with Chattanooga 3:30 p.m. CST on the ACC Network.
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