vs. Auburn (27-19, 9-12 SEC)
Troy, Ala. • Riddle-Pace Field (2,000)
While the 2005 baseball season at Troy has been very exciting, it has also been filled with ups and downs. One of the biggest downs of the year came last weekend when the Trojans dropped two non-conference games at Winthrop.
The two losses give Troy its first three-game losing streak of the year and extended the Trojans' non-conference losing streak to five games. Troy went 12-5 during the month of April, but 0-4 in non Atlantic Sun games.
With only three non-conference games left on the schedule, the Trojans have little time to turn things around and, with a bid to the NCAA Tournament possibly hanging in the balance, all three will be of critical importance.
To that end, the Trojans will open an eight-game homestand against Auburn in a game that was originally scheduled for March 15 but was postponed by rain. The Tigers enter play this week also in a fight to build their credentials for a potential at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. It will be the final non-conference game for the Tigers, who have to finish the season strong to make the SEC Tournament.
The Trojans will send freshman left-hander Steven Morelock (4-3, 4.85) to the mound to face Auburn. The Abbeville, Ala., native has struggled in his last several outings, having allowed 16 earned runs on 29 hits in his last 19.1 innings.
Auburn is expected to counter with sophomore LHP Mike Felix (0-1, 13.50).
Troy comes into the game as one of the top teams in the nation in both home runs and stolen bases. Senior catcher Henry Gutierrez leads the Trojans in most offensive categories, including average (.382), home runs (14) and RBI (51).
Senior outfielder Adam Godwin continues to lead all of collegiate baseball in stolen bases. His 69 steals this year leads the nation by a wide margin and he needs four more steals to set a new A-Sun Conference career record.
