AUBURN, Ala. (Interstat) — North Carolina State and Auburn will play a doubleheader Saturday, with the first game in the afternoon and the second in the evening, as both teams look to bounce back from losses Friday.

The Wolfpack (32-23) dropped a 9-3 decision at UCF, while the Tigers (38-20) fell 13-8 to Milwaukee at home.

Auburn (38-20) enters the twinbill with a higher win total but has lost two of its last three. North Carolina State has lost three of its last four.

Players to watch

For the Wolfpack, right-hander Anderson Nance has been a key arm, albeit with uneven results. In his most recent outing Friday against UCF, Nance pitched 6 innings, allowing no hits but eight earned runs on five walks and a hit batter, striking out five. In his previous start May 16 vs. North Carolina, he earned a win with 6 innings, three hits, one earned run and four strikeouts. On May 10 at Stanford, he took a loss after 4⅓ innings, giving up no hits and five earned runs.

Nance’s command has been erratic: he has issued 12 walks over his last 11⅓ innings.

For Auburn, third baseman Eric Guevara provides a potent bat in the middle of the order. In Friday’s loss to Milwaukee, he went 1-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs. On May 23 vs. Arkansas, he was 0-for-4. He bounced back May 22 at Texas A&M with a 2-for-5, one-RBI performance. Over his last 10 games, Guevara is batting .256 with two home runs and 10 RBIs.

Recent trends

North Carolina State’s offense has struggled recently, scoring three runs or fewer in four of its last five games. The Wolfpack are 2-7 in their last nine contests. First baseman Chris McHugh went 2-for-5 in Friday’s loss.

Auburn’s pitching staff allowed 13 runs Friday, the most since a 14-4 loss to Georgia on May 16. The Tigers had won four of five before Friday. Reliever Jett Johnston threw 1⅔ scoreless innings with three strikeouts in the loss.

Pitching matchups

Probable starters for both games have not been announced. Nance, who threw 93 pitches Friday, would not be available Saturday under normal rest, but could factor into the second game if the Wolfpack use him on short rest.

Auburn’s staff is well-rested after using only three relievers Friday.

Series history

The teams have met sparingly. Saturday’s doubleheader marks the first games between the programs since 2023, when Auburn won two of three.

First pitch of the afternoon game is scheduled for 2 p.m. CDT. The evening game will follow approximately 45 minutes after the conclusion of the opener.