Auburn will open regional play against Milwaukee at Plainsman Park. This marks the fourth time in the last five seasons that Auburn has hosted and the second straight year as the No. 4 national seed. The game is scheduled for Friday at noon CT.
Thompson Confident in Auburn’s Chances
Coach Butch Thompson believes in his team’s potential. He highlighted the team’s resilience through adversity. Thompson acknowledged that every team in the competition has aspirations of advancing.
Thompson stated that the best teams on paper do not always win. He expressed confidence in his team’s pitching and defence. He also added that when the team is having offensive days, they are as good as any team in the country.
Milwaukee’s Road to the Regional
Milwaukee enters the postseason on a seven-game win streak. They have an overall record of 25-31 and went 14-10 in the Horizon League. Milwaukee secured their spot by winning their conference tournament, outscoring opponents 23-7.
Milwaukee’s offense has produced a .275 average, scoring 369 runs on 511 hits across 56 games. Dylan O’Connell leads the team with a .338 average and 67 hits. O’Connell also ranks sixth in the country with 40 stolen bases, the most in the Horizon League.
On the pitching side, Milwaukee has a 7.01 staff ERA with 388 strikeouts and 264 walks in 466.0 innings. Gavin Theis is slated to start the opening game against Auburn. Theis has a 2-3 record with a 4.91 ERA in 13 starts this season.
Starting Lineups and Pitching Matchup
The projected starters for Milwaukee include:
- C Joey Spence .229, 4 HR, 33 RBI
- 1b John Hadley VI .264, 7 HR, 22 RBI
- 2b Tate Schmidt .255, 1 HR, 13 RBI
- 3b Grant Ross .284, 5 HR, 22 RBI
- SS Christian Holmes .191, 2 HR, 17 RBI
- LF Bradyn Horn .318, 4 HR, 32 RBI
- CF Dylan O’Connell .338, 8 HR, 42 RBI, 40 stolen bases
- RF Charlie Marion .310, 12 HR, 54 RBI
- DH Dominic Kibler .317, 11 HR, 59 RBI
- P Gavin Theis 2-3, 4.91 ERA, 69.2 IP, .264 BA against
Auburn’s Jake Marciano (5-5, 2.64) will face Milwaukee’s Gavin Theis (2-3, 4.91) on the mound.
Regional Schedule
The regional schedule is as follows (all times central):
- (Game 1) 1 Auburn vs. 4 Milwaukee, noon, ESPN+
- (Game 2) 2 UCF vs. 3 NC State, 5 p.m. CT, ESPNU
- (Game 3) Loser G1 vs. Loser G1, 2 p.m., TBA
- (Game 4) Winner G1 vs. Winner G2, 7 p.m. TBA
Auburn has 13 wins against teams that are hosting regionals.