AUBURN - When Auburn and Florida get together Tuesday for Round 4 on Tuesday in the Southeastern Conference Tournament, the big question is who the Tigers will put on the field.
MItchell Self played shortstop in the absence of Dan Glevenyak on Sunday
The Tigers, seed No. 10 and making their third consecutive SEC Tournament appearance, will play the Gators, the No. 3 seed, at 4:30 p.m. at Regions Park in Hoover.
When Auburn rallied from a 4-2 deficit to beat the Gators 5-4 on Senior Day at Plainsman Park on Sunday, no fewer than four would-be starters were sidelined.
* Left fielder Cullen Wacker, the team's second-leading hitter, has missed the last two series after suffering a knee injury in a collision with centerfielder Ryan Tella on Friday night at Georgia.
* First baseman Garrett Cooper, the team's third-leading hitter, has missed the last five games after suffering a strained oblique at Arkansas last weekend.
* Shortstop Dan Glevenyak was unable to play in Sunday's game because of a sore back.
* Right fielder Jay Gonzalez suffered a jammed thumb and had to leave Sunday's game.
After losing to the Gators on Friday and Saturday, the Tigers persevered and won in dramatic fashion Sunday when Creede Simpson, playing in the outfield for the first time this season, cut down the potential tying run at the plate for the final out.
“I think it will certainly help us,” Auburn coach John Pawlowski said. “We needed something good to happen to us. Florida certainly played well the first two games. We needed to come back. Now we just need to check on the status of some of our bodies and hopefully try to get healthy by Tuesday.”
Auburn finished the regular season 30-26 overall and 13-17 in the SEC. Florida, which lost a chance to share the regular-season championship, finished 40-16 and 18-12.
The No. 10 seed in the SEC Tournament, Auburn has an uphill climb to earn an NCAA regional bid, but Sunday's victory kept their hopes alive.
"We needed that win," said Simpson, who scored the winning run from second base on Justin Bryant's infield hit. "Maybe we can take that momentum, win a couple of games in Hoover and get into a regional."
Also on Auburn's side of the bracket are South Carolina, Vanderbilt and Georgia. Auburn was swept by South Carolina and Georgia during the regular season and lost two of three at Vanderbilt.
- Phillip Marshall
- Auburn Insider - AuburnUndercover