Auburn Tigers
Overall Rank: #26
Conference Rank: #9 SEC
Auburn was 33-8 after a 5-4 win over South Carolina on April 12, 2019. After that point they finished the season on a 6-13 slide to end the year with a 39-21 record. The Tigers were sent out west to the Tucson Regional where they went 2-2 as they beat a good Colorado State team twice and lost to Arizona twice, including a 12-3 loss in the Regional Final. Auburn will have some retooling to do as they have lost a half dozen key players to graduation and transfers following the 2019 campaign and a few more after the shortened 2020 season. Thus, it will be a critical season for head coach Mickey Dean and his staff as they try and get back to Oklahoma City.
2019: 39-21, 10-14
2019 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Mickey Dean
Key Departed Players:
Casey McCrackin, INF, .342 BA, 7 HR, 35 RBI, 14 SB
Taylon Snow, INF, .324 BA, 1 HR, 27 RBI, 5 SB
Kendall Veatch, INF/C, .289 BA, 20 HR, 48 RBI, 6 SB
Morgan Podany, OF, .242 BA, 2 HR, 18 RBI, 6 SB
Makayla Martin, P, 1.31 ERA, 11-2 W-L, 80.0 IP, 16 BB, 86 SO
Chardonnay Harris, P, 2.91 ERA, 11-7 W-L, 106.0 IP, 30 BB, 121 SO
Brittany Maresette, OF, .267 BA, 1 HR, 15 RBI, 8 SB
Ashlee Swindle, P, 2.96 ERA, 11-8 W-L, 132.1 IP, 50 BB, 76 SO
Key Returning Players:
Alyssa Rivera, OF, .333 BA, 10 HR, 35 RBI, 18 SB
Tannon Snow, INF, .320 BA, 15 HR, 48 RBI
Justus Perry, INF, .236 BA, 5 HR, 30 RBI, 3 SB
Lexie Handley, P, 3.42 ERA, 6-4 W-L, 69.2 IP, 48 BB, 66 SO
Projection:
Alyssa Rivera and Tannon Snow will be a pair of seniors that will have to carry the offense in 2020. Rivera is a highly skilled all-around player as she hit .333, with ten homeruns, 35 runs batted in and 18 stolen bases. Snow hit .320 in 2019 with 16 homeruns and 48 runs batted in. She will be the primary power source that will keep opposing teams on edge all season long. Justus Perry brings a mix of speed and timely power to help lengthen the lineup a little bit. It will give this lineup a nice boost if Perry can add about 15-25 points to their batting averages in 2021. The pitching staff lost Makayla Martin to graduation and Chardonnay Harris via transfer to Troy in the offseason, which definitely hurts the Tigers. They also lost Ashlee Swindle after the 2020 season. Lexie Handley does return, and she will have the opportunity to lock down the number one slot in the rotation. Handley was 6-4 in 2019 with a 3.42 earned run average, while walking 48 batters and striking out 66 batters in 69.2 innings. South Alabama transfer Samantha Yarbrough showed a lot of promise last season, tallying a 1.15 ERA in 13 appearances. Auburn may need some more time to gel but should find their way back to the NCAA Tournament.
Projected Postseason: NCAA Softball Tournament
