RPI update: Has Auburn baseball finally cemented a national seed?
After winning four straight SEC series, the Auburn Tigers needed just one more in order to heighten their regional host chances.
Boy, they did just that.
Auburn welcomed Missouri to Plainsman Park last weekend for the final weekend series of the regular season. Auburn was not kind to its’ host, as they swept Missouri by outscoring them, 20-9. The sweep was Auburn’s second in a row, and the Tigers closed the SEC slate with the conference’s best second-half record (12-3).
More importantly, Auburn has all but sealed a postseason hosting berth.
Following last weekend’s action, D1Baseball’s Mark Etheridge and Kendall Rogers each examined Auburn’s postseason fate, with each giving a favorable report.
In the weekly “SEC Weekend Dish” report, Etheridge stated that Auburn’s second-half streak has boosted their chances for a national seed.
In the past four weekends, Auburn won a road series at South Carolina, won a series with LSU, and swept both Ole Miss and Missouri to move to 17 conference wins. Auburn finished the back half of SEC play a conference-best 12-3. Add in a 16 RPI, and there’s a great chance Auburn will host a regional for the second straight season.
Rogers also mentioned Auburn as having a chance to earn the No. 8 seed if the Tigers have a strong showing in Hoover this week.
Some teams we will be watching this week from a top eight seed standpoint include Oklahoma State, Kentucky, Coastal Carolina, and Miami. There’s also a chance that some teams like Kentucky, Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee, Duke, West Virginia, Texas, and East Carolina hop into the mix with strong showings at their respective conference tournaments. In essence, that No. 8 spot is wide open if the Cavaliers don’t play well in the ACC tournament.
Here’s a look at Auburn’s resume ahead of a busy week at the Hoover Met.
Overall record: 33-19-1
The Auburn Tigers turned around their season at the right time. After dropping their four of their first five SEC series, Auburn would close the season with five straight series wins. Of those series, Auburn was able to win two at South Carolina, and win a crucial series against LSU. The Tigers ended the regular season with six straight wins, earning series sweeps over Ole Miss and Missouri.
RPI ranking: No. 17
Auburn’s sweep of Missouri has bumped the Tigers into the top 20, at No. 17. If the Tigers can earn a couple of victories in Hoover this week, they should climb into the top 15, which will increase their hosting chances quickly.
Strength of Schedule: No. 9
Auburn’s schedule continues to be one of the strongest in the nation, checking in at No. 9. Only Kentucky, Arkansas, South Carolina, and Vanderbilt have stronger schedules than Auburn within the SEC.
Record away from home: 10-10
Auburn heads to the Hoover Met for what hopes to be a long stay at the SEC Tournament. In games played away from Plainsman Park, Auburn is .500, eight of those ten wins have been in true road games, while they are 2-0 in neutral site action.
Record against RPI Top 50: 18-15-1
A bulk of the teams on Auburn’s schedule rank in the top 50 of the RPI heading into this week. 13 of the SEC’s 14 teams will enter the SEC Tournament by residing in the top 50. The lone outlier is Ole Miss, who is No. 82. Mississippi State, who join the Rebels by not making the trip to Hoover this week is No. 47.
