Texas A&M, Auburn pitching rotations announced ahead of Game 1

No. 7 Texas A&M (34-8, 14-6 SEC) will host No. 8 Auburn after defeating Tarleton State 9-7 Tuesday night, coming back after trailing early, thanks to star junior Caden Sorrell's two home runs, combined with freshman third baseman Nico Partida's clutch hitting in the 6th and 8th innings. After securing their fifth consecutive SEC series, the Aggies are by far one of the hottest teams in the country.

Still, to earn a top 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament, defeating Auburn and either Ole Miss on the road or Mississippi State is critical, but compared to this time last season, Aggie fans should be relieved to know that, even if Texas A&M struggles down the stretch, second-year coach Michael Earley's squad is a virtual lock for the postseason based on the program's highly impresive reśume.

However, Texas A&M's pitching rotation, despite improvement from the starting rotation, has been a mixed bag for most of the season after losing potential sophomore Caden McCoy and veteran closer Josh Stewart for the year. Earley and pitching coach Jason Kelley will continue to rely on starters Shane Sdao, Aiden Sims, and Weston Moss to last five or six innings.

Still, the bullpen, especially sophomore Clayton Freshcorn, has come through, and facing an Auburn lineup that is averaging .300 at the plate, led by Eric Guevara (.380, 60 hits, 10 HR), the pitching strategy and lineup remain the same heading into Friday's Game 1 matchup. For Auburn, the Tigers will go with Andreas Alvarez, Jake Marciano, and Alex Petrovic, who are a combined 17-6 on the year, and all allow less than 3 earned runs per game.

Texas A&M vs. Auburn in Game 1 will begin on Friday, May 1, at 7:00 p.m. The game will air on the SEC Network.

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