Mickey Dean and the No. 20 Auburn Tigers will open the 2024 season at Jane B. Moore Field in a three-day Tiger Invite versus the No. 23 Virginia Tech Hokies, the program’s second consecutive 40-win season. The game is slated to take place on the top 25.
Maddie Penta, the All-American and 2023 SEC Pitcher of the Year, is leading the Tigers. She struck out 303 batters in the previous season, making her just the second Tiger in program history to record 300 or more in a single season.
With 27 wins in the 2023 season, the team’s ace dominated the conference and is currently just eight wins away from becoming Auburn’s all-time winningest pitcher. The Tiger pitching staff welcomes back Chalea Clemmons and Malayna Tamborra as true freshmen, bringing the total back to five from 2023 in addition to Penta.
All teams headed by Dean have strong pitchers, and Auburn is one of just 15 teams in the nation to record 2,000 or more strikeouts; the Tigers’ 2089 total strikeouts rank 10th in the nation and fourth against league opponents.
Over 32% of Auburn’s strikeout totals since 2018 have come from Penta’s 677 career strikeouts over the course of her last four seasons.
Outside of the circle, meanwhile, the Tigers’ prowess with their bats last season helped them record their highest number of victories in a season under Dean.
Always a mainstay at the top of the lineup, Nelia Peralta led the team last season with 54 hits, 39 runs scored, 43 walks, and a.429 on-base percentage, earning her a spot on the 2024 Preseason All-SEC Team after an All-SEC 2023 campaign.
Peralta became the first player to reach 50 hits in a season since four Tigers did so in 2019, and her 2024 season’s first hit will be her 100th hit in her college career.
In order to strengthen his offensive line, Dean used the transfer portal during the offseason to add Anna Wohlers from DePaul and Amelia Lech from Maryland. Between them in their 2023 campaigns, the potent pair scored 62 runs, 96 hits, 56 extra-base hits (including 28 home runs) and 85 RBIs.
Last season, Lech had her greatest season yet and was recognized as a member of the NFCA Midwest All-Region Team. In her two seasons at DePelop, Wohlers was selected twice for the All-Big East team.
