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Posted: 6:29 p.m. Thursday, March 14, 2013
The Leadoff Hitter, Auburn vs. Vanderbilt preview: Game times, probable starters, weather forecast and more
By Chris Fuhrmeister
Auburn managed to put together a nice 13-3 record through early-season non-conference play, thanks in large part to a soft schedule. Now, it's time for the Tigers to get serious, as they open SEC action against one of the nation's best teams, the Vanderbilt Commodores. How Auburn handles itself this weekend will tel us what to expect from the rest of conference play.
Last weekend
Five Brown errors and a six-run seventh inning for Auburn allowed the Tigers to rally for a win in the series opener.
Michael O'Neal was brilliant, allowing just six hits and two walks in a complete-game shutout.
Daniel Koger struck out a career-high eight batters, and Auburn earned a sweep in its final non-conference series.
Midweek
Will Kendall made his season debut and struck out two in one inning, as the Tigers exacted their revenge for a loss to the Owls earlier in the season.
No. 2 Vanderbilt (16-1) at Auburn (13-3)
Probable starters
Friday, 6 p.m.
LHP Daniel Koger (0-0, 2.42 ERA) vs. LHP Kevin Ziomek (4-0, 0.87 ERA)
Saturday, 2:15 p.m., SPSO
LHP Michael O'Neal (4-0, 1.40 ERA) vs. RHP Tyler Beede (4-0, 1.07 ERA)
Sunday, 1 p.m.
RHP Rocky McCord (2-0, 3.44 ERA) vs. LHP Philip Pfeifer (2-0, 1.32 ERA)
Weather forecast
It may actually be time to break out the short pants at the ballpark. The entire weekend should be warm and dry, with temperatures reaching the upper 70s. It would appear that spring has finally sprung.
Individual stats
| Auburn | Vanderbilt | |
| Batting average | Jordan Ebert, .380 | Tony Kemp, .438 |
| On-base % | Garrett Cooper, .493 | Tony Kemp, .543 |
| Runs | Three players, 16 | Tony Kemp, 22 |
| RBIs | Ryan Tella, 20 | Conner Harrell, 27 |
| Doubles | Garrett Cooper and Damek Tomscha, 5 | Conner Harrell, 6 |
| Triples | Four players, 1 | Tony Kemp 3 |
| Home runs | Five players, 1 | Conner Harrell, 4 |
| Stolen bases | Dan Gelvenyak, 5-of-7 | Mike Yastrzemski and Jack Lupo, 10-of-11 |
| Starting ERA | Michael O'Neal, 1.40 | Kevin Ziomek, 0.87 |
| Relief ERA | Conner Kendrick, 0.00 | Brian Miller, 0.57 |
| Starting BA against | Daniel Koger, .203 | Kevin Ziomek, .118 |
| Relief BA against | Conner Kendrick, .077 | Brian Miller, .197 |
| Strikeouts | Conner Kendrick, 22 | Kevin Ziomek, 46 |
| Wins | Michael O'Neal, 4-0 | Kevin Ziomek and Tyler Beede, 4-0 |
| Saves | Conner Kendrick, 2 | Brian Miller, 4 |
Team stats
| Auburn | Vanderbilt | |
| Batting average | .278 | .309 |
| On-base % | .386 | .422 |
| Runs | 108 | 141 |
| RBIs | 95 | 127 |
| Home runs | 5 | 11 |
| Extra-base hits | 37 | 43 |
| Stolen bases | 12-of-21 | 48-of-61 |
| ERA | 2.75 | 1.96 |
| BA against | .234 | .191 |
| WHIP | 1.21 | 1.14 |
| Strikeouts | 105 | 172 |
| Walks | 47 | 76 |
| Saves | 6 | 4 |
Around the SEC
No. 5 South Carolina at Missouri
No. 6 Ole Miss at No. 15 Arkansas
No. 7 LSU at No. 13 Mississippi State
No. 10 Kentucky at Florida
Georgia at Texas A&M;
Tennessee at Alabama
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