Auburn, Ole Miss name starting pitchers for Game 2 of Super Regional
By David Wasson
Published:
The fifth-ranked Auburn Tigers will send a 10-game winner to the mound Saturday night in an attempt to stave off elimination against the Ole Miss Rebels in the NCAA Tournament’s Auburn Super Regional.
Auburn (42-20) will tap right-hander Alex Petrovic, who is 10-2 this season with a 3.19 ERA, against Ole Miss (5 pm ET, ESPN). The Tigers will need to win both Saturday and Sunday against Ole Miss to advance to their seventh College World Series.
The Rebels will counter with right-hander Taylor Rabe, who is 5-3 with a 3.84 ERA. Ole Miss is also looking to earn its seventh College World Series berth. Both Ole Miss and Auburn last made it to the CWS in 2022.
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Petrovic has been stellar for Auburn all season, striking out 87 against just 22 walks over 87 1/3 innings. Auburn coach Butch Thompson indicated after Friday night’s 6-4 Ole Miss victory that the Tigers will likely turn to Jackson Sanders out of the bullpen at some point Saturday.
Rabe has been even stingier, striking out 90 opposing batters and allowing just 10 walks over 63 1/3 innings. In fact, Rabe has allowed more home runs – 11 – than walks in 2026.
First pitch is at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
