How Auburn baseball's loss to Jax State affects its RPI standing

The latest trend for college baseball teams is to cancel midweek games in the name of saving their RPI standing. Auburn, however, went off the beaten path this week and played its road contest at Jax State as scheduled. Although the Tigers dropped the game to the Gamecocks, playing the game ended up benefiting Auburn's postseason picture.

The latest RPI update from D1Baseball lists Auburn as the No. 2 team in the nation, up one spot from its post-Mississippi State series despite its 4-1 loss to the Gamecocks. The Tigers trail only UCLA in the RPI update, and lead other notable national seed hopefuls Georgia Tech, Texas, and North Carolina.

One of the reasons for Auburn's RPI bump is Jax State's place in the category. The Gamecocks were No. 31 entering Tuesday's contest, which gives Auburn another Quad 1 game. The win bumped Jax State to No. 28, which adds another tough game to Auburn's No. 1 strength of schedule. Georgia Tech's loss to Mercer also contributed to Auburn's jump. The Yellow Jackets 12-9 loss to the Bears at home is considered a Quad 2 loss for Georgia Tech, which forced Auburn and Georgia Tech to swap places in the latest RPI update.

Auburn will get one more shot to enhance its RPI standing this weekend when it hosts Georgia for a three-game series at Plainsman Park beginning Thursday. Auburn is 13-13 against Quad 1 competition, and the Bulldogs will enter the series ranked No. 16 in the RPI.