AUBURN at MISSISSIPPI (Interstat) — NCAA baseball preview

OXFORD, Miss. (Interstat) — The Auburn Tigers (42-21) visit the Mississippi Rebels (40-21) on Saturday in the second game of a three-game Southeastern Conference series at Swayze Field, with first pitch set for 2 p.m. CT.

Mississippi took the opener Friday, 6-4, behind a combined shutout effort from its bullpen. Reliever Hunter Elliott worked 4 1/3 innings of hitless ball, allowing two earned runs while striking out two. The Rebels’ pitching staff held Auburn to four runs despite a solo home run from Tigers designated hitter Mason McCraine.

McCraine has been Auburn’s most consistent bat in the series opener, going 3 for 4 with a homer and two RBIs. Over his last 10 games, McCraine is hitting .375 with three home runs and 10 RBIs, including a two-hit, two-RBI performance against UCF on May 31.

For Mississippi, Elliott has been a key arm out of the bullpen. In his last three appearances, he has posted a 4.91 ERA over 15 1/3 innings, striking out 14 while allowing 10 hits. His most recent start came May 14 at Alabama, where he tossed six scoreless innings with eight strikeouts but took a no-decision in a 5-4 loss.

The Rebels enter Saturday having won four of their last five games, including a 10-inning walk-off victory over Arizona State on May 31. Mississippi’s offense has been bolstered by timely hitting, but the bullpen has been shaky at times (Interstat) — the Rebels allowed 10 runs to Missouri on May 19.

Auburn, meanwhile, has lost two of its last three games after winning five straight. The Tigers are 7-3 in their last 10, with wins over Milwaukee (8-3 on June 1) and North Carolina State (17-13 on May 30). Auburn’s pitching staff has been erratic, allowing 13 runs in a loss to Milwaukee on May 29.

Saturday’s pitching matchup features a pair of starters yet to be announced. Auburn’s game-one starter, LJ Cormier, allowed three hits and one earned run over 3 1/3 innings in the loss Friday.

According to Interstat’s ELO system, Mississippi holds a 50.7 percent probability of winning. Auburn has been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of plus-1.5, suggesting a close contest.

The Tigers will look to even the series behind McCraine, who is 5 for 11 with two homers and five RBIs in his last three games against the Rebels. Mississippi will counter with Elliott and a bullpen that held Auburn to four runs on six hits in the opener.

First pitch is set for 2 p.m. CT. The series concludes Sunday.