After most of the country started their conference slates this past weekend, many were hoping for a chill Tuesday night of midweek baseball, but what we had was a top-five showdown between 3rd-ranked Georgia Tech heading to Plainsman Park to take on the 5th-ranked Auburn Tigers, in a midweek battle that could very well have major postseason implications riding on it. In a world where Georgia Tech seems to be getting more of the national love, but Auburn had the better resume coming into the midweek game with the Yellow Jackets, one got the feeling that Tuesday night might be the night where Coach Butch Thompson and the Auburn Tigers earn their respect with a win over Georgia Tech. 

Coming into the matchup on Tuesday night, Auburn and Georgia Tech had combined for five losses, with Auburn entering the tilt with a perfect conference record after sweeping Missouri over the weekend. Clemson took two out of three over the weekend at 8th-ranked Clemson, which in turn created this excitement around the Yellow Jackets. As we have seen this season, anything can happen, but the excitement surrounding this midweek matchup was certainly there.

With the win over Georgia Tech on Tuesday night, the Tigers now have victories over #9 Florida State, #15 Louisville, and #3 Georgia Tech, and have a chance to take down #2 Texas this weekend. Auburn continues to quietly build one of the best resumes in the country with a perfect 3-0 record over top-25 teams out of the ACC. 

With the home crowd behind them, Auburn jumped out on Clemson early, building a 4-1 lead over the visiting Tigers through two innings, before exploding for five runs in the bottom of the 5th, giving the Auburn pitching staff a 9-1 advantage to work with. Clemson would plate one run in the bottom of the 7th inning, but it was all Auburn on Tuesday night as the Tigers sent a shot across the bow and cruised to a 9-2 victory over the Yellow Jackets. Auburn’s offense was capped off by two home runs from Chris Rembert and Logan Gregorio. 

Having someone like Andres Alvarez provide you with five complete innings, while only giving up one run, with 10 strikeouts, and just two hits, was a huge bonus for Auburn. Then you had Christian Chatterton and LJ Cormier coming in for relief stints, both giving Auburn two complete innings each, combining to give up one run, with six combined strikeouts. Auburn provided itself with the cushion to take care of Georgia Tech. 

At the end of the day, the Auburn offense provided the insurance that allowed the Tigers’ pitching staff to get comfortable mixing and matching for a nearly perfect game. Some will try to discredit the win, saying it’s just a midweek game, but what dominating midweek wins like that showcase is the potential Auburn has to go deep into its pitching rotation in the postseason. Often, those midweek starters who put in the work during the midweek games are the ones who get the call to provide quality innings in the postseason. We see it every year, so yeah, midweeks matter, and Auburn has every right to feel optimistic about what they have in the arsenal to make a deep postseason run that could deliver not only a College World Series trip, but a National Championship trophy as well. 

Tuesday night was a good night for the Auburn Tigers; they exposed Georgia Tech while playing really good baseball and earning a massive midweek victory. Auburn is on the verge of quietly being the sleeper pick to win a National Championship this season. A series over Texas this weekend could very well move Auburn into the top three in the latest polls next Monday. Auburn is good; it’s about time for the Tiger faithful to start looking ahead to what could be a special season with all the ingredients to end in Omaha while competing for a National Championship. 

Auburn returns home this weekend as they welcome the Texas Longhorns to Plainsman Park for a massive Southeastern Conference series. A series win over the Longhorns would give Auburn an advantage heading into the final week of March, while carrying mometum into April. 

Photo Credits- Auburn Baseball on X