TicketsCINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati baseball team gets its first crack at a ranked opponent this season on Tuesday when it faces No. 9 Auburn.
The Bearcats and Tigers will do battle at Plainsman Park at 7:00 p.m. ET on SEC Network+.
SEC Network+ is accessible with TV provider credentials and is available via the ESPN APP on smartphones, tablets, connected streaming devices or espn.com/watch.
Both teams are coming off series wins to open the year. UC took two out of three at Jacksonville State while Auburn swept Youngstown State at home.
The Bearcats beat the Gamecocks 11-5 on Opening Day and won a 6-5 contest on Saturday before falling, 1-0, on Sunday. Cincinnati’s brand of baseball was on full display in the season opener. Fifteen combined walks and HBP, seven stolen bases, and two bunt hits helped propel UC to a big win in its first game of the year. In game two, Quinton Coats and Jackson Smith homered in the win, and Adam Buczkowski escaped a precarious situation in the bottom of the ninth to seal the win. Jax State had runners on second and third with two outs in the final frame, but Buczkowski struck out the Gamecocks’ cleanup hitter to end the ballgame.
Both teams had plenty of opportunities on offense in the finale on Sunday, as they combined to leave 21 runners on base, but the Gamecocks were the only team able to push a run across on a solo homer in the second inning.
Five true freshmen saw significant time during opening weekend. Enzo Infelise started games one and three at designated hitter, and Joe DuSell and Jackson Reardon made starts in left field and at third base, respectively. Pitchers Connor Blue and Chad Brown both pitched out of the bullpen on Sunday and posted multi-inning scoreless performances in their collegiate debuts. In addition, redshirt freshman Ryan Tyranski saw his first action as a Bearcat and started in left field on Friday and Sunday.
ABOUT AUBURN
Auburn entered the season ranked No. 9 nationally by D1Baseball and still sits in that spot as of the most recent rankings that were released on Monday. The Tigers posted a 41-20 record last year and hosted a Super Regional, eventually falling to national runner-up Coastal Carolina. Second baseman Chris Rembert is one of the top players in the country and was a First Team Preseason All-American. Auburn won its first two games against Youngstown State by identical 2-1 scores before thumping the Penguins 17-2 in game three.
NEXT UP
The Bearcats conclude their season-opening road trip at UAB for four games (Feb. 19-22).
UC’s home opener is set for Tuesday, Feb. 24 vs. Bowling Green at 4:00 p.m. That will kick off a 10-game homestand that will feature games vs. Austin Peay (Feb. 27-March 1), Western Kentucky (March 3), UC San Diego (March 5-8), and Evansville (March 10).
FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all the latest news and updates, follow @GoBearcatsBASE on X/Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.