Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application lovingly known as Ray to family and friends He was baptized and confirmed in the First Baptist Church in Storm Lake and later became a member of the First United Methodist Church in Auburn Ray attended North Elementary School and graduated from Storm Lake High School in 1951 Ray entered the Air Force and served his country with pride until his honorable discharge in February of 1957 After his discharge from the Air Force he moved to Auburn Ray and Marlene were united in marriage on May 17 They made their home in Auburn and were blessed with two children Ray and Marlene bought Davis Cleaners later to be known as the North Cleaners Ray was an entrepreneur and expanded his dry-cleaning business to include rug distribution and cleaning to local businesses and carpet cleaning He was proud of the business he built and worked hard until it was sold in 1994 Ray was active in his community and church He was a member of the Jaycees and served on the Jacee board as well as on the boards of the Auburn Country Club He was also a member of the American Legion Post 23 Ray belonged to a men’s card club known as “The Board Meeting” for many years Ray was an avid fisherman and spent many hours sharing and enjoying his hobby with family and friends His greatest pleasure was being with his children Ray is survived by his loving wife of 67 years Marlene their two children Suzanne (Jerald) Whisler and James (Julie) North cherished grandchildren Dan (LaNett) Whisler and generosity will live on in the hearts of all who knew him at the First United Methodist Church in Auburn Burial will follow in Bedford Cemetery at Howe Visitation will be at the funeral home on Wednesday 9:00 a.m Memorials are suggested to Auburn First United Methodist Church Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors Thanks for visiting Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 11/18/2024 11:00:00 PM Thanks for visiting Game Recap: Baseball | 2/19/2025 7:30:00 PM 2025) – The University of North Alabama baseball team fell to the No 25 ranked Auburn Tigers 6-2 in Plainsman Park on Wednesday The Lions kept it close through seven innings before the Tigers posted a three-run inning in the bottom of the eighth For the fourth straight game, North Alabama struck first in the game. Senior second baseman Jonathan Lane led off the top of the first with a single to right field. Junior left fielder Nash Rippen followed him up with a 1-1 count where he took the third pitch over the right-center wall to open the lead up 2-0 Freshman left-handed pitcher Reese Young got the nod to start on the mound The defense helped Young out early with two straight outs Auburn shortstop Deric Fabian singled down the right side to score Ike Irish to make it 2-1 at the end of the first As the first inning saw the three scores from both teams Auburn starting pitcher Andreas Alvarez went to work as he struck out seven batters in the next 10 faced Young leaned on the seven players behind him with two fly outs and a ground out in the bottom of the second. In the bottom of the third, two straight ground outs before a dribbler from the end of Irish's bat gets him a single. Right fielder RJ Sherwood finalized the inning after being backed up to the warning track to catch the fly ball from Fabian Young finished the day after 4.0 innings and junior right handed pitcher Landon Scruggs entered in the bottom of the fifth On the second pitch of the Tiger's second baseman Chris Rembert's at-bat he crushed it dead center to tie up the game 2-2 for a solo home run ground out and fly out the Lions left a Tiger stranded in the bottom of the fifth The bottom of the sixth started well for Scruggs as he tossed two straight strikeouts As third baseman Eric Snow dug into the batters box he singled to left field and advanced to second on an error from Rippen Freshman designated hitter Bub Terrell crushed one to the Auburn green monster that bounced back into play which scored Snow to make it 3-2 Into the bottom of the seventh inning, senior right-handed pitcher John Allen Stogner stepped to the mound with the top of the Tigers lineup up to bat He received help on the opening out as Craska chased down a pop out near the visiting dugout After a battle with center fielder Cade Belie in a 3-2 count Lane finished the inning after Irish popped up near the pitcher's mound The Tiger added two more runs to add cushion to their lead After 14 pitches, junior right-handed pitcher Josh Bowerman took over for Agosto in the eighth A 2-2 count for Rembert saw the fifth pitch scorched right to Jenkins that hit and bounced over him which scored Snow for a third run of the inning Bowerman retired the next batter with three strikes L –  Landon Scruggs (0-1) The Lions are scheduled to play the Saint Louis Billikens in Pearl for a neutral site matchup with a double header on Saturday and a single game on Sunday For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Thanks for visiting Thanks for visiting Thanks for visiting ! The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. 5 Auburn is playing a top 5 team on the road or a mid-major at home “We’ve got to be just excited to play UNA Monday as we were to play Houston,” said senior guard Denver Jones “That’s going to be the biggest key as far as being the more excited team Come out ready to play like we would come out in any other game.” Auburn’s workmanlike approach to preparation, says Bruce Pearl based on the number of days we had prior to Vermont harder and longer than we prepared for Houston.” The Tigers’ mix of fresh faces and veterans works in Auburn’s favor “There are enough new players in that locker room who are having their first experience that they’re still excited about playing because this is just their fourth game “I’ve got some seniors who are counting the games down it’s one less than they’re ever going to play in Neville Arena.” the Tigers’ last home game before heading to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational we’re not doing anything for Maui a week from now,” Pearl said “We’re preparing for North Alabama all weekend.” Pearl referenced the Lions’ most recent visit to Neville Arena three seasons ago when Auburn led by five points at the half before taking control in the second half “They shoot the 3 really well as a team,” he said They average 12 and a half or 13 steals a game so they get after you defensively and they don’t turn the ball over “We’d like to try to play a little faster but the stuff they run Looking to improve to 4-0 while playing in front of The Jungle for the last time until Dec Auburn tips off against UNA Monday at 8 p.m Dave Neal and Jon Sundvold form the SEC Network broadcast crew while Andy Burcham and Randall Dickey have the call on the Auburn Sports Network Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer Holiday season is just around the corner! Get in the spirit by bringing toys and books to Monday night's game to donate to Toys for Tots and support kids of Lee County as well as the AU Veterans Resource Center! – Continuing its busy season-opening stretch 25 Auburn (2-1) hosts a pair of midweek games against No 24 Troy (3-0) and North Alabama (2-1) Tuesday and Wednesday at Plainsman Park Both games will be broadcast on the Auburn Sports Network and can be heard locally on Wings 94.3 FM Tuesday and ESPN 106.7 Wednesday The games will also be streamed digitally on SEC Network+ Tuesday – Sr. LHP Carson Myers (0-0 Wednesday – Fr. RHP Andreas Alvarez (0-0 Auburn won its season-opening series for the ninth straight year under Butch Thompson Twelve position players made a start and 13 saw action Opening Weekend vs Twelve pitchers took the mound over the weekend including a starting rotation made up completely of newcomers along with one relief who also had his Auburn debut Playing for the first time in a newly-renovated Plainsman Park Auburn set both single game (5,718) and series (15,300) attendance records Opening Weekend Troy enters Tuesday’s matchup led by fourth-year head coach Skylar Meade who helped lead the Trojans to a sweep of Bellarmine over the weekend to begin the season 3-0 slugging six home runs and scoring 37 runs in the three games Senior outfielder Shane Lewis accounted for three of the six home runs to go along with a double in seven at bats and transfer Sean Darnell went 5-for-9 with two long balls of his own Troy turned in a 2.88 ERA after allowing eight earned runs in 25.0 innings pitched The staff struck out 32 batters and issued eight walks Transfer pitcher Adam Falinksi pitched in relief on Opening Day and will make his first start since 2023 after undergoing Tommy John Surgery and missing the entire 2024 season North Alabama and third-year head coach Jad Prachniak overcame a season-opening loss by winning the final two games in a series against Army to open their year 2-1 the Lions hit .216 in the series and were led by senior catcher Matthew Delgado who went 4-for-8 with a home run and four RBI Outfielder Nash Rippen led the team with three doubles and reached base at a .462 clip North Alabama turned in a 2.67 ERA against Army and allowed just 13 hits in 27.0 innings pitched – good for a .146 average against The Lions will send true freshman Reese Young to the mound for his collegiate debut Wednesday he broke the career strikeout and wins records at Mechanicsburg Area Senior High School Tuesday – Ladies Night and tumbler giveaway Wednesday – Hump Day at Plainsman Park – live camel photo opportunity Plainsman Park now features two new premium club areas in the Broadway Club at Plainsman Park and 984 Club along with the return of the Hall of Fame Club the ballpark now has expanded general admission areas in the War Eagle Wall Parking info for Wednesday: The Neville Arena lot and levels three and four of the stadium deck require a men’s basketball parking pass to gain access Free and available lots for both baseball and men’s basketball include the Coliseum lot Pregame road closures: Event staff will assist fans using crosswalks up until 15 minutes prior to first pitch at which time there will be a full closure of Donahue Drive between the right field gate and intersection of Heisman Drive for fans to enter Plainsman Park Donahue will re-open shortly after first pitch Postgame egress road closures: Donahue Drive will again be fully closed from right field to Heisman Drive starting between the 7th and 8th innings It will remain closed until the stadium has cleared of fans roughly 30 minutes after the final out of the game New entrances: In an effort to expedite fan entry to Plainsman Park two new entrances have now been introduced on the lower First Base Concourse The traditional Home Plate Concourse and Tiger Terrace gates will continue to provide stadium admission as well as the premium entrance outside of the Hall of Fame Club for those with reserved seats inside the Hall of Fame Club Metal detecting: Consistent with other Auburn Athletics venues fans entering any gate at Plainsman Park this season will be asked to walk through a metal detector upon entry For a complete overview of the enhancements at Plainsman Park for 2025, click here. 25 Auburn to a 6-2 win over North Alabama Wednesday night at Plainsman Park “I’m just excited that they help us win,” head coach Butch Thompson said of the freshman class After giving up two runs in the first four pitches of his Auburn debut Alvarez settled in quickly as he struck out eight of the next 11 batters he faced and didn’t allow a hit during the span native ended his first career start with nine strikeouts the most by an Auburn freshman since Keegan Thompson in 2014 and I feel like that was my mindset right there,” Alvarez said “For the freshmen to get into the game and to have our coaches’ trust and have our team’s trust we have to produce to stay in the game and continue to do it but it’s definitely a great feeling to know that your coaches and your teammates are behind you,” Alvarez added Trailing 2-1 going into the fifth inning, Chris Rembert sent the second pitch he saw off the batter’s eye in centerfield to tie the game. An inning later, Bub Terrell smacked a RBI double off the wall in left center to give Auburn the lead for good “It was awesome,” Rembert said of his first career home run “Going up to bat I wanted to be as aggressive as possible It was awesome that my first college hit was a home run I’m just glad we are here to help win some games.” Along with Rembert and Terrell, Chase Fralick made his second start behind the plate to form an all-freshman battery with Alvarez and collected his fourth hit of the season but soon they will just be guys that help us win instead of freshmen if they continue to go about their business the way that they are,” Thompson said North Alabama (2-2) jumped out to a quick lead with a leadoff single followed by a two-run home run in the top of the first Alvarez responded by striking out the next two batters and racked up seven strikeouts in his first 3.0 innings including striking out the side on just 11 pitches in the second After the first two batters of the game, Auburn’s pitching staff of Alvarez, Griffin Graves (1-0) and Parker Carlson held North Alabama to just two more hits the rest of the game Graves entered in relief to start the sixth inning and faced the minimum as he was aided by Fralick throwing out a runner from behind the plate Carlson came in to start the seventh and retired all nine batters he faced The senior struck out a career-high five batters and needed just 27 pitches to finish the game and earn his third career save Leading 3-2 through six innings thanks to the previously mentioned contributions of Rembert and Terrell, Auburn added to its advantage with three runs in the eighth. Eric Snow’s second hit of the game was a RBI single to centerfield before Terrell and Rembert came back to the plate to drive in two more runs on ground balls The Tigers remain at home to host Wright State (2-0) Friday through Sunday at Plainsman Park 1vs4Auburn Thanks for visiting Brandie Harrod had to accept the idea she wasn’t going to have a senior high school basketball season Harrod left Millwood following her junior season and landed at Putnam North Although Harrod was looking forward to playing at a new school, she was denied eligibility by the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association due to transfer rules She had the choice to appeal the OSSAA’s decision It all worked out for Harrod in the long run as she won the appeal More: A look at Oklahoma City's girls high school basketball Fab 10 rankings for Jan. 30 the Auburn signee is leading one of the top teams in the state and looking to help Putnam North claim its first-ever girls basketball state title Less than one month remains in the 2024-25 Oklahoma high school basketball regular season and certain teams have separated themselves Putnam North is among that group as the Panthers are 17-1 and atop the District 6A-2 standings It’s hard to fathom she was close to not being allowed to play this season but that’s behind her at this point and she’s enjoying every second of her final high school season “I’ve been playing with them for a long time … I wanted to come to a winning program and be able to go far in the playoffs and maybe even win a championship.”  The 6-foot-1 four-star recruit is averaging 12.6 points 7.0 rebounds and 2.7 steals per game as Putnam North is coasting past teams and has beaten its last five opponents by an average of 28.2 points per game but she’s made a huge difference for us on the defensive end and her ability to help us guard one through five,” Putnam North coach Logan Martin said so she brings kind of a maturity and she’s experienced and has really kind of helped elevate everybody’s game around her.”  Harrod has done that sort of thing throughout her playing career and it’s part of the reason she’s a top-tier recruit Martin initially wasn’t sure how good of a fit Harrod would be on the team But Harrod quickly squashed any questions the coach had More: Oklahoma high school fall sports: 2024 All-State, All-City teams in football, softball and she’s a character on and off the court she’s very coachable and she doesn’t have the mindset of she knows it all.”  That’s not a big surprise considering Harrod’s background Her mom is a retired member of the Air Force That’s helped mold Harrod into who she is and what she wants to do with her life “I didn’t want to have to go in the military to get where I wanted to,” said Harrod who was born in Delaware but has lived in Oklahoma for the majority of her life “I’d rather go be like a coach or be in the league so her pushing me every day would get me to where I need to be.”  Harrod received her first Division-I offer from McNeese State when she was a freshman More: A look at Oklahoma City's boys high school basketball Fab 10 rankings for Jan. 30 Others followed throughout her high school career Oklahoma State and Utah were among the long list of schools to offer scholarships Harrod announced her commitment to Auburn in September “Just the culture,” Harrod said of why she chose the Tigers but Putnam North is Harrod’s main focus right now who made it to the state quarterfinals last season They’ll host Norman (15-1), which has five-star recruit and Kansas signee Keeley Parks Putnam North lost the first matchup 65-62 before beating the Tigers 57-49 a few days later “I know what we’re capable of and I hope they do “We’ve really talked about not being complacent and continuing to get better every day you may never get this opportunity to play on a team this talented.” More: A look at The Oklahoman's 2025 Super 30 high school football recruiting series 72vs85Auburn  Auburn baseball defeated North Alabama 6-2 after a slow start moving the Tigers to 5-1 on the season.  Auburn gave up a two-run home run off the bat of Lion’s hitter Nash Rippen but the Tigers and their starting pitcher kept their composure and did not allow another run for the rest of the game.  Auburn's pitching staff combined for 15 total strikeouts allowing only the two runs in the first inning freshman Andreas Alvarez stayed focused and put together an impressive start going five innings while allowing just two runs off two hits and three walks Griffin Graves and Parker Carlson also pitched a solid game Graves threw a scoreless inning followed a shut down three inning stretch pitched by Carlson who threw an astounding 23 strikes in 27 pitches “For those three guys to really get us through nine innings probably helps us going into another series against another really tough team coming to town I didn’t know he finish when he dropped in there and he was phenomenal,” said Auburn head coach Butch Thompson regarding the pitching staff the freshman totaled strikeouts which — the most by an Auburn freshman since Keegan Thompson in 2014 After opening with a two-run home run in the first inning Alvarez did not allow one more blemish to the scoreboard thanks to help from an array of strikeouts and some timely double plays by the defense behind him “Getting to go out there and throw five as your first start That’s a pretty special feeling as far as being able to have the guys behind you obviously didn’t start the way we wanted it to but to be able to bounce back and come back like that felt really good.” Auburn trailed most of the game following Rippen’s early homer with only a Deric Fabian single contributing to the run total for the first four innings The Tigers' offense tied the game in the bottom of the fifth with freshman Chris Rembert hitting a 405-foot home run Auburn took the lead thanks to  freshman designated hitter Bub Thompson knocking a double off the wall in the sixth inning but the Tigers wouldn’t break it open until the eighth — where they added three runs to extend the lead but soon I think they’ll just be guys that help us win,” Thompson said “If they continue to go about business the way they are.” The Tiger’s pitching and late offense helped them surge to their fifth win of the season and will look to forward to a weekend series where they will host Wright State at Plainsman Park The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees But you can donate to support The Plainsman He joined the Plainsman in the fall of 2024 You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @ReidFarris2 Auburn Softball (5-0) ended a dominant run at the Tiger Invite Tournament with a 11-1 victory over North Carolina (3-2) in five innings Sunday at Jane B Moore Field with new head coaches Chris Malveaux and Kate Malveaux.  Auburn claimed the Tiger Invite having secured two victories over North Carolina while outscoring their opponents this weekend 44-19.  The Tigers took control early in the second inning when Amelia Lech launched a massive two-run homer high off the scoreboard in left center to get the Tiger’s offense rolling on two walks and a single from Icess Trasvik but they were unable to push any runs across UNC’s offense held quiet in the first four innings mustering only one hit off starting pitcher Chalea Clemmons (2-0) Ma’Nia Womack led off the inning with a triple Freshman AnnaLea Adam then made an impressive debut hitting a three-run homer in her first collegiate at-bat to cap off a big nine-run fourth inning for the Tigers.  UNC responded in the fifth with a triple from Lexie Roberts who eventually crossed the plate for their first run the Tar Heels could not overcome Auburn’s offense and the game ended with the Tigers securing an 11-1 victory The Tar Heels' pitching staff struggled on the mound today The trio combined to allow a total of eleven runs off eleven hits While Auburn’s pitching staff threw a great game in the circle combined for 5 strikeouts Clemmons started the game and threw four solid innings allowing one run on two hits before giving way to Haley Rainey who came in on the fifth to close the game Auburn’s offense was on red hot throughout the tournament finishing with a .407 team batting average hitting .632 with twelve hits which included three home runs hitting .579 with three home runs and eleven RBIs over the weekend The pitching staff also finished the tournament strong with a 1.96 ERA and twenty strikeouts With the dominant performance at the tournament the Tigers are off to a promising start to the season Auburn will head out on the road for the first time this season to Clearwater FL to play six games in the Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational with their first game against Clemson (3-2) this Thursday Sarah is a freshman majoring in public relations She started with The Plainsman in the spring of 2025 You can follow her on X (Twitter) at @sarahsewall12 Photo by: Maggie HobsonLucas: Auburn Rapid ReactionsNovember 27, 2024 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas Quick takeaways from the Maui Invitational semifinal. A man was arrested in Placer County earlier this month with a loaded ghost gun in his possession. A man was arrested in Placer County earlier this month with a loaded ghost gun in his possession. It happened on March 8 according to a post on Facebook from the Placer County Sheriff's Office. Deputies were asked by a coffee shop in North Auburn to trespass 27-year-old William Edminister from the shop. Deputies escorted him out, but he immediately returned. When deputies approached him again, he resisted and said he had a gun. Deputies detained him and found a loaded ghost gun tucked into his waistband. Edminister was booked into the Placer County Jail on seven charges, including three weapons-related felony charges. Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. AUBURN, Ala. (EETV) – Auburn softball earned a win against North Alabama in the Rocket City Showcase in Madison, Alabama. With a low score of 2-1, the Tigers secured a victory after a tough loss to Louisiana Tech. Left-handed pitcher SJ Geurin started the game with a quick strikeout against her first batter. North Alabama got on the board early with Hailey Jones hitting an RBI to allow Briley Dover to score. At the bottom of the first, Alivia Wilken, pitching for North Alabama, started strong with two strikeouts against Auburn. However, Auburn’s offense heated up quickly with Nelia Peralta hitting a double. Peralta was then able to score, making the score 1-1 courtesy of KK McCrary’s single to center field. Auburn pitcher SJ Geurin again struck out the first batter she saw in the top of the second inning. Ryleigh Boyett for UNA followed with a chippy single, but strikeout No. 3 for Geurin shut down UNA’s offense. Auburn’s Amelia Lech got a free base when she was hit by a pitch. Wilken for North Alabama struck out two more Auburn batters in the second to keep the score 1-1. The third inning began with two groundouts for Auburn’s defense. Following that, a quick pop-up put North Alabama back in the infield. Wilken secured her fourth and fifth strikeouts of the game against Auburn’s hitters at the bottom of the third.  The top of the fourth inning started fast with a flyout and strikeout. Roberson singled for North Alabama, however, a groundout to second base put Auburn back at bat. A home run by KK McCrary gave Auburn a 2-1 lead at the bottom of the inning. Amelia Lech was hit again by a pitch, giving her another free base. Lech attempted to steal second but missed the base, giving North Alabama their third out of the inning. The start of the fifth inning started with a free base for North Alabama’s Kylei Russell when she was hit by a pitch. Caroline Cartron lined out, giving Auburn an out. A new pitcher, Chalea Clemmons, came into the game for Auburn. Clemmons was able to shut down North Alabama’s offense. Wilken got another strikeout on the mound. Peralta almost hit a home run but was robbed by North Alabama’s center fielder, Gyvan Hammon, with an outstanding catch at the fence. Three fly-outs got Auburn all of their outs in the sixth inning. With a quick turnaround, North Alabama changed pitchers from Alivia Wilken to right-handed pitcher Emily Simon. Wilken had a very impressive game for North Alabama. She pitched five innings, allowing only three hits and striking out six Auburn players. Simon started by walking Auburn’s Icess Tresvik. Tresvik stole second base but sustained a hand injury during the steal. Thankfully, she was able to stay in the game. Emily Simon came in hot and struck out three Auburn batters back-to-back after to end the sixth.   In the top of the seventh inning, North Alabama had its last chance to tie or win the game. Clemmons walked the first North Alabama batter, Jorja Roberson. Boyett hit a single, allowing Davis (pinch-running for Roberson) to advance to third base. However, Kylei Russell lined out to shortstop, giving Auburn their second out. A huge strikeout pitch by Clemmons ended the game giving the Auburn Tigers a win. Auburn will play Miami (Ohio) at 12:30 p.m. CT Saturday. The Rocket City Showcase will conclude Sunday for Auburn, where they will play Jacksonville State at 3 p.m. CT. Both games can be streamed on FloCollege, as well as available for listening on WEGL 91.1 FM. 10 Women’s tennis ended its time at the ITA National Team Indoor Championship on a high note on Sunday 8 North Carolina by a 4-1 score at the Combre Tennis Center in Evanston the Tigers won four singles matches to clinch the win over the historical program The win marks Auburn’s third victory over the Tar Heels all-time and the first since 1996 “We really came out and did a good job on the singles,” Auburn head coach Jordan Szabo said after the win But I told the girls we have to lift our game and raise the roof then we really got after it and played good tennis We won five first sets and in the one set that we lost we were able to switch things around there so potentially could have been a 6-1 match They’ve won this National Indoor title seven times That win will help us all year long in the rankings and we can leave a solid weekend feeling good about ourselves.” North Carolina got the upper hand early in the match by winning the doubles point. The Tar Heels won at the No. 2 position 6-3 before No. 29 Reese Brantmeier and Alanis Hamilton overcame an early 3-1 deficit to Ava Hrastar and DJ Bennett to win 7-5 and clinch the doubles point The Tigers came back strong to start singles, beginning with opening set wins on five courts. Sophomore Merna Refaat got back in the singles win column on Sunday Refaat broke to love at a critical point in the match before winning the match on the next serve game Minutes later, Angella Okutoyi won her ninth consecutive singles match to begin the spring over Alanis Hamilton Okutoyi dominated both sets and finished the match by winning each of the final three games in deciding points 6-2 victory improved her overall singles record to 14-2 this season Angella Okutoyi and Merna Refaat each win in straight setsTigers take the lead 2-1 🐅#WarEagle pic.twitter.com/9F2UbjXzxH sophomore Ava Epsosito dropped each of the first three games to No Esposito bounced back by winning four of the next six to close the deficit to 5-4 She then won a break to draw even at five before eventually heading into a tiebreaker the Auburn sophomore won each of the next three points to claim the win and draw the Tigers to within one point of the team victory The win marked the highest ranked win of Esposito’s college career and improved her overall singles record to 16-9 this season Auburn is now within one point of victory after the straight set win by Ava Esposito 👊Tigers lead 3️⃣-1️⃣#WarEagle pic.twitter.com/q6S7SOymCO At the time of Battesti’s victory, Bennett was one tiebreaker point away from defeating No. 24 Brantmeier on the top singles court, while Hrastar was leading in her third set against No. 10 Theadora Rabman. The win improved the Tigers’ record to 10-1 this season. The team has faced a top-10 opponent in each of its last four matches and won three over No. 3 Oklahoma State, No. 4 Stanford and No. 8 North Carolina. The loss dropped North Carolina’s record to 7-3 this season. Up next, Auburn will return home to face Kansas State at the Yarbrough Tennis Center at noon CT. Admission to the match will be free while live video and live scoring will be available online at AuburnTigers.com. Order of finish: Doubles: 2,1; Singles: 4,3,5,6 CT while the swimming is slated for Noon CT Live results will be available on Meet Mobile The last time fans of the Orange and Blue saw the Tigers in action the squad was busy putting up stellar performances at the SMU Classic and UNC-Wilmington Invite both the men’s and women’s teams hold strong positions in the CSCAA Top 25 Coaches Poll have made a living out of developing strong relay groups The beginning of 2024 has been no different The Auburn men boast four relays inside the top eight in the country entering Friday The Tigers’ 200 free relay ranks third (1:17.98) both the 800 free (6:27.36) and 200 medley relays rank fourth (1:24.45) and the 400 medley relay sits seventh (3:09.91) Individually, Kalle Makinen is off to a hot start in the sprints His 19.46 in the 50 free sits sixth in the nation at the moment and the Finnish international ranks 15th in the 100 (43.24) Veteran Nate Stoffle is also making waves in the backstroke His 100 back time of 45.76 ranks seventh in the country and his 1:43.60 in the 200 back is 13th German native Danny Schmidt also holds a top 10 time in the 400 IM His 3.49.53 has earned the junior eighth in the nation the Auburn women have an arguably more impressive resume when it comes to the relays the Orange and Blue own the top time in the country entering Friday Both the 200 free (1:29.50) and 200 medley (1:37.25) rank third and the 800 free (7:19.72) sits fifth Auburn’s freshmen have shown brightly in the early parts of the season. Audrey Crawford and Lora Komoroczy each displayed some impressive speed two weeks ago Crawford has three top 15 times in the country to her name with a 2:11.01 in the 200 breast (6th) a 4:17.30 in the 400 IM (9th) and a 1:59.55 in the 200 IM (13th) owns the ninth-fastest time in the country in the 100 back (52.45) and is 14th in the 50 free (22.47) Nevmovenko’s 48.71 in 100 free and Waldrep’s 52.26 in the 100 back each sit eighth Waldrep also owns the 16th-best time in the 200 back at 1:55.58 Anastasia Makarova opened her campaign with an impressive 1:00.58 in the 100 breast, the 10th-fastest time in the country. Abby Gibbons also secured the 11th-best time in the 100 fly at 52.94 John Fox’s diving crew wasn’t left out of the accolades Every diver who competed two weeks ago earned a cut to the NCAA Zones Championships later next spring Auburn will host the 2024-25 Zones Championships at James E Both Ethan Swart and Kyleigh Kidd earned top-three finishes in an impressive field at the SMU Classic.  Ala.— The Auburn Board of Trustees Friday approved the architect and construction manager for the Jordan-Hare Stadium north end zone multi-use facility project as proposed by the athletics department and university administration Selected for the project were HOK Architects of Kansas City as architects and Robins & Morton of Birmingham CDFL Architects + Engineers and Workshop Architects will serve as associate architects. “We are appreciative of the Board of Trustees’ approval of HOK Group CDFL and Workshop as project architects and Robins & Morton as construction manager for the north end zone multi-use facility at Jordan-Hare Stadium,” Auburn Athletics Director John Cohen said “This is another step in ensuring Jordan-Hare Stadium remains one of the preeminent facilities in college football.” The Auburn Athletics Department and Auburn University Administration proposed the construction of the Jordan-Hare Stadium north end zone multi-use facility to enhance the overall Auburn fan experience by providing modernized amenities along with versatile conference event spaces “The biggest supporters of Auburn Athletics are Auburn students and this project reimagines an iconic venue to include spaces that will benefit students year-round,” said Bobby Woodard Auburn Senior Vice President for Student Affairs “The facility gives us a tremendous opportunity to advance the programming services and resources that make the Auburn student experience exceptional.” the Board of Trustees awarded initial approval of the Jordan-Hare Stadium north end zone multi-use facility project.  Robin and Reid Dove (‘94) donated a leadership gift in support of the project’s commencement which is the largest single capital donation in Auburn Athletics history The Doves’ children Anna Reid (’21/’22) and Hal (’23/’24) are both graduates with bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Auburn.  "I am deeply grateful to the Dove family for their generous contribution," President Christopher B "The Doves' support plays a vital role in bringing this project to life I look forward to seeing the new spaces in Jordan-Hare Stadium coming to life — buzzing with student activity thriving retail spaces and dynamic events that will energize our campus year-round."  As design work begins in earnest the Tigers Unlimited Foundation will simultaneously launch fundraising efforts to support this transformative project to modernize Jordan-Hare Stadium and enhance the fan experience for the next generation of Auburn fans replacing a scoreboard that stood since 1987 But that’s not all Auburn is planning to put in Jordan-Hare’s north end zone the university’s board of trustees granted initial approval to the athletic department for a multi-use facility which authorized the commencement of architect selection to move the project forward into formal design “Everything's still on the table,” Cohen told the Advertiser “There are budgeting matters that have to be dealt with You have to create pro formas that allow you to compare what this is going to cost to how much revenue is going to be brought in “I like where we are with the north end zone project because it's important to the future not only of our football program but it's important to the future of our athletic department This isn’t the first time Auburn has explored overhauls to the north end of Jordan-Hare Stadium the department looked into a renovation that would’ve completely reworked that end of the stadium and a recruiting lounge among other pieces Those plans were halted after a fan base survey though additions were made on the stadium’s other end with the building of a $28 million game day and recruiting facility in Jordan-Hare’s southwest corner What makes Jordan-Hare Stadium’s new video board ‘state of the art’?Cohen said more than once that Jordan-Hare’s new video board would be “state of the art.” “I'm not an expert on jumbotrons,” Cohen said “but I do know this: When we go on the road all of those components are of the highest level.” When the video board on the south end of Jordan-Hare was completed in 2018 it became the largest in the SEC and college football at the time by square footage it’s technically the second-largest in the sport which is home to both the Las Vegas Raiders and UNLV football But it's still the biggest in the sport among stadiums built for solely college football Jordan-Hare’s newest video board won’t overtake its counterpart size-wise The north end zone addition will be 7,238 square feet — 3,592 square feet fewer than what it’ll face in the south end zone The north end zone additions will be the 10th-largest video board in college football upon its completion That makes Auburn one of two college football programs to boast two of the 10 largest video boards in the sport Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at acole@gannett.com or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @colereporter the App State Softball team (1-3) dropped two one-run contests to the Auburn Tigers (4-0) and the North Carolina Tar Heels (2-1) App State and Auburn opened up Saturday with a nine-inning affair that saw 19 runs scored between the two teams but a late rally by the Tigers forced extras where they eventually pulled out a 10-9 win in walk-off fashion The Mountaineers went ahead 8-2 after the fourth inning thanks to a pair of homers by Grace Barrett and Julia Girk App State faced an early four-run deficit and fought back to tie the score at five apiece in the fifth inning but a seventh-inning run by the Tar Heels helped them pull off a 6-5 win Through the first four games of the season Eight different players recorded a least one RBI which included a four-RBI game from Barrett against Auburn Girk and Olivia Cook each tallied a multi-RBI Saturday both driving home two Mountaineer baserunners The Mountaineers also saw four hitters tally multi-hit games across the doubleheader in Summer Simpson Barrett and McClain posted a three-hit day against Auburn helping spark several rallies against the Tigers The Mountaineers started the game fast as McClain took the first pitch she saw and smacked it into center field for a lead-off double the sophomore smoked the first App State homer of the season over the left-field fence Auburn retired the next three hitters in order Auburn answered in the bottom half of the first inning App State’s game 1 starter Sophie Moshos struck out the next hitter to maintain the Mountaineers’ one-run advantage after the first full inning of play A scoreless third inning kept the score in favor of App State as play moved to the fourth inning which saw the Mountaineer offense explode for three more runs The inning started with a Girk walk and a Barrett double to put runners on second and third with nobody out Hannah Forbes put the ball in play and a misplay by the Tiger shortstop scored Girk to make it 4-2 App State who came into the game in the first inning deposited a single up the middle to score Barrett Pinch-hitting with two outs and two runners on Taylor Chumbley made the score 6-2 with an RBI single the Mountaineers’ second three-run inning of the contest Moshos used the four-run lead her offense gave her in the top half of the fourth and delivered a scoreless bottom half to bring App State’s offense right back up to bat App State wasted no time to score again as McClain walked and Girk swatted a long home run to right field The homer by Girk was her first in an App State uniform the Tigers got to work to trim the deficit scoring three runs in the fourth inning to close the gap to three The first of two homers by Peralta was the biggest blow of the frame Auburn’s move to SJ Guerin in the circle proved vital in the Tigers’ comeback effort as she mowed down the Mountaineers in the fifth and sixth innings which gave them a chance to score in the sixth who entered the game to pitch in the fourth inning walked three straight Auburn hitters to load the bases with nobody out but was able to escape the jam with little damage as the Tigers scored just once making the score 8-6 App State as play moved to the final frame Nothing came from the App State offense in the seventh The Tigers used two hits and a walk to tie the game at eight apiece It was App State’s first extra-inning game since March 17 A scoreless eighth quickly moved action to the ninth inning with the top of the Mountaineer order due up Auburn recorded the first out of the frame but both McClain and Girk reached to put two runners on for Barrett McClain’s single was App State’s first baserunner since Girk’s home run in the fourth inning scorching a single into center field to score McClain and putting App State up 9-8 in the ninth inning who entered the game as a pinch runner for Barrett but the Tigers escaped the jam allowing just the one run the Tigers sent just two batters to the plate in the bottom of the ninth The first batter reached via a four-pitch walk and then Peralta’s second homer of the game won it for Auburn in walk-off fashion North Carolina struck first in Saturday’s nightcap who made her first career start against the Tar Heels allowing the Mountaineer bats to take a turn three of the first four App State hitters reached to load the bases with only one out for Hannah Forbes Patience paid off for the junior as she worked a bases-loaded walk to tie the score at one apiece The Tar Heels were able to gun a runner down at the plate on the next play and got out of the first with the game tied UNC quickly extended its lead in the top of the second an RBI groundout and a fielding error to score two more runs but the Mountaineers couldn’t mount an answer in their half of the second The Tar Heels struck for two more in the third inning to make the score 5-1 App State couldn’t seem to figure out Tar Heel starting pitcher Lilly Parrish through the first four innings as they were held hitless into the fourth inning and trailed by four as play moved to the fifth Jones turned to Bel Varadi to pitch in the fifth inning and the freshman retired all three hitters she saw to throw up a zero the Mountaineer offense found a spark in their half of the fifth inning to tie the game at five Simpson started the fray with the team’s first hit and then walks to McClain and Girk loaded the bases with nobody out for Cook Cook promptly singled to left-center field to score both Simpson and McClain to trim the gap to just two runs Macy Hamby shot a single back up the middle to plate Girk bringing the score to 5-4 with still no outs North Carolina recorded the first out of the inning but Gore kept the offense going with an RBI single to tie the game The Tar Heels stranded Gore and Hamby on base but the damage was done and play moved to the sixth inning knotted up at five Varadi continued to pitch well in her collegiate debut working around a one-out double to post another scoreless frame App State saw a single from Girk in the bottom of the sixth the game entered the final frame tied at five After Varadi’s first career strikeout tallied the first out UNC used two straight hits to take a 6-5 lead in the seventh Hamby reached base via a fielding error in the bottom of the seventh but App State couldn’t answer the late run and fell 6-5 in Saturday’s nightcap The Mountaineers will wrap up play at the Tiger Invitational on Sunday with a rematch from the tournament’s first game against the Southern Illinois Salukis {Information provided by Appalachian State Athletics} The North Carolina High School Athletic Association has finalized the brackets for the 2025 Baseball… The North Carolina High School Athletic Association has finalized the brackets for the 2025 Softball… The Lenoir-Rhyne Softball team is back in the NCAA Tournament for the 17th time in… Auburn guard Tahaad Pettiford shoots a corner three during the first half of Auburn vs Kent St Auburn men’s basketball (3-0) will return to Neville Arena one more time before its trip to the 2024 Maui Invitational on Monday night to face the North Alabama Lions (3-1) This marks only the fifth meeting all-time between these two teams the most recent being a 77-40 Auburn win in 2021 The Tigers were leading by just five at halftime but were able to pull away in the second half and claim the victory Auburn is seeking to remain undefeated after an impressive first three games on the season – dominating Vermont 94-43 achieving the top spot after last weekend’s win over the Cougars They are also ranked fifth in the most recent AP Poll but most likely subject to move up after Alabama’s loss to Purdue on Friday.  the strength of Bruce Pearl’s squad is its strong depth The Tigers are led by preseason All-American Johni Broome – who’s averaging 16.7 points 9.3 rebounds per game – and is supported by senior forward Chaney Johnson posting 14.0 PPG and 8.0 RPG while coming off the bench The powerful duo of Broome and Johnson have proved to be a difficult matchup in the front court and will look to continue that success this week.   Chaney Johnson with the flush during the first half of Auburn vs Kent St Auburn has been receiving outstanding guard play from many guys Seniors Jones and Kelly were expected to be sharp shooters this season Kelly drained seven three-pointers in Auburn’s win over Vermont but has since cooled down a bit with only one in both of the last two games.  Jones is shooting 33.3% from deep through three outings tallying 16 points against Vermont and 12 versus Kent State but has also shown to be an elite defender Pearl often refers to Jones as one of the best defensive guards in the entire country In just his second collegiate game in a hostile road-like environment scoring 21 points on 7-for-12 from the field including a couple of clutch shots in crunch time to help propel the Tigers to a huge win The New Jersey native didn’t shy away from the big moments in Houston showing great poise and the ability to handle pressure situations “It wasn’t the first time something big happened like that “So I just had to keep my head down and keep going.” He’s also catching the attention of his veteran teammates who frequently express how Pettiford plays well beyond his years “Just watching him play and looking at how poised he was he made it look like he’s been in college for a couple years – like he’s used to it,” Jones said of Pettiford's performance “I’m really not surprised what he’s been doing.” Auburn players know that in order to maintain their success this season energy is going to play a crucial part in every game – not just the big ones “We’ve just got to come out ready to play like we would come out any other game,’ Jones said “We’ve got to be just as excited as we were to play Houston to play UNA Monday I feel like that’s gonna be the biggest key as far as being the more excited team.” although this is only its seventh year as a Division 1 program – transitioning from D2 in 2018 – North Alabama is a familiar foe in the Southeastern Conference The Lions’ game against Auburn will be their sixth game against an SEC team in six seasons recently upsetting Ole Miss on December 20 2022 for their first SEC win in program history.  the Lions are coming off an overtime 97-96 loss to Samford where senior guard Jacari Lane posted a career-high 32 points in the contest assists (4.3) and steals (3.0) per game as well as a 48.6 field goal percentage He earned first-team All-ASUN honors last year and has broken the Division 1 school assist record in back-to-back seasons good for an average of nearly four assists per game “Jacari Lane is a terrific scoring guard,” Pearl said in Sunday’s presser he’s really slippery… probably their best player.” The Lions also present a solid frontcourt threat in sophomore forward Corneilous Williams who spent a redshirt year at LSU before transferring to Western Carolina for his official freshman campaign Williams is one of 66 players in DI to have multiple double-doubles this season (UL Martin and Samford) He recorded 17 points and 16 rebounds his last time out against Samford UNA has a stout defense that is extremely tough to score against the Lions held both Air Force and Point to below 60 points They accomplished this just twice all of last season against Bellarmine (69-53) and Jacksonville State (61-59) UNA is ranked ninth in all of Division 1 basketball in steals per game They take really good care of the basketball.” Auburn’s matchup with North Alabama on Monday night is set for an 8 p.m CST tipoff and will be televised on SEC Network Gunner is a freshman majoring in journalism He started with The Plainsman in the fall 2024 You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @norene_gunner10