JACKSONVILLE – Jax State softball travels to Auburn Wednesday afternoon for a 6 p.m. contest with the Southeastern Conference Tigers.
The Gamecocks (26-13) put their 12-3 ASUN Conference mark on the shelf for a night with their second visit to The Plains in as many years. The midweek clash features a pair of squads deep in their respectively league races. JSU sits tied for second in the ASUN, while the No. 21 nationally-ranked Tigers (32-13) are tied for third in the SEC standings.
JSU is coming off a series win over ASUN newcomer Queens last weekend, where freshman pitcher
Jaliyah Holmes tosses a pair of shutouts to sink her season ERA to 1.76. The Gamecock staff overall owns a 2.84 combined ERA, which has dropped to 1.85 in league play. In a home-and-home series last season, sophomores
Kat Carter and
Sarah Currie alternated starts against the Tigers.
Wednesday's game, a sellout at AU's Jane B. Moore Field, will stream on SEC Network+ available on the ESPN app. Live stats will also be available at JSUGamecockSports.com.
The Tigers leads the all-time series dating back to 1997. The Gamecocks' most recent win versus Auburn came in an elimination game during the 2018 NCAA Tallahassee Regional. That marked the second postseason matchup after the two met previously in the 2010 Atlanta Regional.
Leading the Gamecocks at the plate, junior
Lindsey Richardson touts seven home runs and 34 RBI to go along with her team-high .507 on-base mark. Senior
Lauren Hunt (.339) and junior
Emma Jones (.308) own plus-300 hitting clips at the top of the Gamecock order. Jones, currently 12th in Division I with 28 stolen bases, is riding a 15-game on-base streak.
