Auburn Softball Plays At Alabama State Wednesday

Auburn, Ala. - The Auburn softball team will play Alabama State at 3 p.m. Wednesday in a single game instead of the originally scheduled doubleheader.

The Tigers (16-5) and Hornets (1-14) were slated to play at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Wednesday, but temperatures forecast to dip below freezing along with winds in excess of 15 mph forced an alteration to the schedule.

"We decided to just play one game because of the weather," Auburn head coach Tina Deese said. "Alabama State is opening a new facility and they are looking forward to the game. Hopefully we will go there and be at our best."

Auburn is coming off a 4-1 showing at the War Eagle Classic this past weekend. The Tigers picked up wins over Middle Tennessee, Gardner-Webb, Charlotte and Southern while losing a 4-3 game to Minnesota in eight innings.

"We played well throughout the tournament," Deese said. "I think we had some lapses against Minnesota, but I think we learned from that. Our pitching staff is getting better. Marcy (Harper) had a good game against Charlotte with nine strikeouts and Hilary (Mavromat) did a good job against a pretty-good hitting Minnesota team."

Following Wednesday's road game at Alabama State, the Tigers open Southeastern Conference play at home with a three-game series against the No. 4 Florida Gators.

"When you are talking about the Southeastern Conference, there's really no team that isn't a powerhouse," Deese noted. "Florida is very strong in the circle and solid one through nine in the lineup. It's going to be a big test for us. I think our freshmen are eager for the challenge and they are looking forward to seeing what we mean when we talk about the SEC."