In seasons past, Auburn softball coach Tina Deese went all-out to motivate her players on the eve of their annual series against archrival Alabama.

Deese would pull out all the stops. Extra meetings. Extended practices. Speeches by the team’s seniors. Special appearances by former players or other high-profile alums.

The results weren’t positive: Auburn is 1-5 against the Crimson Tide over the past two seasons, its worst mark against any Southeastern Conference opponent.

So Deese is changing tactics for this weekend’s series against the Crimson Tide, which begins today with a 1 p.m. doubleheader at Auburn’s Jane B. Moore Field.

“We’re just going to go into it like it’s another SEC matchup,” she said. “We’ll just try to go about it that way.

“We’ll do the best we can, play as well as we can and whatever happens, happens.”

Treating it like any other series should be a positive for the Tigers.

After all, AU (33-11, 9-7 SEC) has had success against the rest of the conference this season, including a series win against then-No. 10 Tennessee.

The youthful Tigers — the regular lineup includes at least four freshmen — have won four of their first six SEC series.

AU may lack experience, but Deese loves her team’s attitude.

“These kids are playing very, very well for as young as they are,” Deese said. “The group is probably the best group I’ve ever worked with.

“The kids have been sponges: They’ve been responsive to coaching, they’ve been responsive to discipline, they’ve been responsive to all that stuff.”

But this weekend’s series will pose one of the toughest challenges yet. Alabama (36-3, 15-2 SEC) is ranked No. 2 nationally and currently has a 15-game winning streak.

The Crimson Tide leads the SEC in hitting and runs scored. Auburn is last in the league in hitting and eighth in scoring.

With the preliminary theatrics now off the table, the Tigers are focused strictly on this weekend’s games. But as much as Deese tries to make this series just like any other, it’s not entirely possible.

“I can say, ‘It’s just another matchup,’ but they’re not going to sit there going, ‘It’s just another matchup,’” Deese said. “As much as I try to play it down, in their minds, I’m never going to convince them.

“But at the same time, I’m not going to go the extra mile and make this more than it is.”

Today’s doubleheader marks Military and Public Service Appreciation Day. The first 200 U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy or Marine Corps servicemen and women, police officers or firefighters to attend today’s games will receive free hot dogs.

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