AU softball hosts Troy today

Special to the News

The Auburn softball team returns to action when it hosts Troy at 6 p.m. today at Jane B. Moore Field in Beach Bash Night.

The first 250 fans entering the stadium will receive free Hawaiian leis and the first 250 Auburn students will receive Auburn croakies.

Immediately following the game, all female fans in attendance can participate in the Diamond Dig for the chance to win a $200 pair of diamond earrings from Ware Jewelers. A ball marker will be hidden in the infield diamond dirt and contestants will sift through infield searching for the winning marker.

Auburn enters today’s game with a 34-15 overall record, 10-11 in the Southeastern Conference, and is coming off a doubleheader split at then 21st-ranked Georgia last week. Troy enters with a 29-18 overall record, 12-6 in the Sun Belt, and is on a five-game winning streak.

“Troy is good team. They have strong pitching and have been playing well,” Auburn head coach Tina Deese said. “We have developed a pretty good rivalry with them and we know we are going to have to bring our best effort to the table when we play them.”

The Tigers are 24-4 against non-SEC teams this season, with the pitching staff posting a 0.94 ERA in those 28 games. Auburn pitchers have allowed only 26 earned runs in 189 innings against non-conference foes this season and have 259 strikeouts with only 44 walks in those games.

Auburn leads the overall series against Troy with an 8-5 record. Troy won the last meeting, 3-1 in Troy, in 2007, but the Tigers are 4-2 against the Trojans in Auburn. The Tigers have not lost at home to Troy since the first two games of the series in 1998.