Auburn softball fans were anxious to see how suspended starters Haley Fagan and Makayla Martin would be replaced when the Tigers traveled to Columbia, SC to play the Gamecocks over the weekend. Some dropoff in production in both the field and at the plate were expected, especially with Fagan’s replacement.
We thought an infield shift might occur moving Kasey Cooper to shortstop and Kendall Veach to third, freeing up first for occasional starter, Jenna Abbott. However, that didn’t happen. Instead, coach Clint Myers rolled with last year’s starting shortstop, Whitney Jordan.
Jordan was excellent for the Tigers last year in the field despite not being one of Auburn’s top producers at the plate. In addition she was a key player in the Women’s College World Series Finals. However, when Haley Fagan returned from injury this year, Jordan was moved to the outfield.
Since that move her batting has been nothing short of dismal. She entered the weekend series in Columbia hitting .127, and for that reason alone, there was expectation for Coach Myers to go another direction in the infield.
The Athens, Alabama native didn’t record a hit in the series and reached base only once, courtesy of a walk. She is now hitting .103 with 4 RBIs on her 39 at-bats. In her first start at shortstop this year, she was perfect in the field, but committed two errors, one of which contributed to the loss in game three.
However, it wasn’t all on Jordan …
Fans of the sport commented on Twitter that the series against the 28-20 Gamecocks was one of the most “uninspiring” performances of the Myers era. Indeed, the Tigers committed five errors on the series and could score only a measly four runs the entire weekend – a real departure for Auburn.
The usual suspects did the most damage for the Tigers. Victoria Draper reached base for the fifth consecutive game while Cooper, Veach, and freshman phenom Alyssa Rivera added critical hits to win the series.
The saving grace was the pitching by another freshman who untill Saturday has struggled in her young career. Despite having been dismantled at the plate in limited action, Ashlee Swindle took a start in game two and did her best to fill the vacancy left by Makayla Martin – Auburn’s regular Saturday starter. The frosh pitched a shutout while allowing just two hits on no walks and two strikeouts. It was an outstanding performance but the question remains, can she keep up the progress? Even in her win, Auburn ace Kaylee Carlson had to spell her for a little over an inning in relief before Carlson was back in the circle for game three.
The expectations for this Auburn club were sky high before the suspensions and the Tigers were right on track to repeat the previous two year’s run into the SEC Championship. And the Tigers have always played their best ball just before the SEC Tournament.
However, this year the Tigers will be searching for an identity with the continued loss of the two critical starters. Senior Haley Fagan has been big in the field and at the plate, but not nearly as big as she is as Auburn’s emotional spark plug. Additionally, in the tournament, Auburn will have to go somewhere other than Carlson at some point against elite teams.
Was the loss in Columbia against one of the bottom dwellers in the SEC meaningful? We won’t know the answer to that question until Auburn travels to Alabama May 5th, or more likely, May 6th for game two when Martin’s pitching will be needed.
Most importantly, Auburn cannot afford to slip any further in the SEC rankings as the top four seeds receive byes in the league tournament. With Auburn sitting in fourth place and Alabama in fifth and just two games back, the series in Tuscaloosa looms large.
The post Tigers Take Series from Gamecocks Despite Uninspiring Offense (An Auburn Softball Review) appeared first on Track 'Em Tigers, Auburn's oldest and most read independent blog.
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