Auburn softball notebook: Fall ball

Year two of Auburn softball under co-head coaches Chris and Kate Malveaux begins next spring.

Auburn took to Jane B. Moore Field for some fall ball over the weekend, as 13 newcomers highlight the Tigers’ roster. Between Friday and Sunday, the team played a combined 24 innings against Chipola College, Northwest Florida State and Georgia Southern.

“I think a big thing is, as we’re going through and starting the fall, seeing really what we have and how we react to things,” Chris Malveaux said. “We’re learning a lot, like this team’s emotional stability…They’re not freaking out when things aren’t doing what they should be or ‘What can I do to adjust to this?’ or ‘What do I need to do to fix this?’ And so that’s a big thing.”

RELATED: Baseball transfer crushes four home runs during third week of fall ball

Newcomers headline Auburn’s roster

Auburn graduated nearly every starter in the lineup from last season and had to replenish its roster. The Malveauxs signed a top-10 recruiting class from the high school level and brought in six additional transfers.

Headlining the freshman class is former 4-star catcher Ava Ratliff, who tied the team-high with 11 at-bats over the weekend. Ratliff, who’s originally from Indiana, recorded five hits, two home runs and five RBIs.

She was one of four Auburn players that took 10 at-bats or more in the exhibition games.

Tennessee transfer Destiny Rodriguez went 5-for-10 with a double, a triple and had 5 RBIs. AnnaLea Adams, who’s the lone returning everyday starter from a season ago, went 3-for-10 with one RBI. Meanwhile, Ma’Nia Womack looked like she took another step in her development with an impressive weekend at the plate.

Womack and Hastings lead the way at the plate

Womack went 5-for-11 in her at-bats, hitting three home runs and recording seven RBIs. One of her home runs deflected off of the top of the scoreboard in left center field — which takes some serious power.

“It’s good to see her kind of starting to feel it and settle in,” Chris Malveaux said of Womack. “She’s a highly competitive athlete. I mean, got a lot of tools. Just kind of putting it together. I think just mentally, if she could continue to stay in that process and stay in that kind of a mindset, she could be a big time force.”

Lipscomb transfer Alyssa Hastings looked like the complete hitter that the Malveaux’s thought she was when they got her from the portal. She batted .413 last season with eight home runs and 40 RBIs, while striking out only eight times in 172 at-bats.

Her combination of power and patience showed in her weekend at-bats. Hastings went 6-for-9 with three home runs and a team-high nine RBIs, while also drawing three walks.

“It’s huge to see her settling in and really starting to kind of feel herself,” Chris said of Hastings. “She can do some big time things. And she’s an Auburn legacy. She’s just an Auburn kid. So great family. We’re just excited that she came. We’re looking for her to do some things.”

Tigers have high hopes for Rutgers transfer

Five Auburn pitchers threw from the circle over the weekend, but none more than Rutgers transfer Ella Harrison. Auburn envisions Harrison as the rotation’s potential No. 1 pitcher. She transferred following her freshman season, where she pitched to a 2.61 ERA in 177 innings of work.

Over the weekend, Harrison pitched 7.1 innings, allowed one earned run, struck out 12 and walked three.

“Ella’s got a lot of stuff, a lot of options,” Chris Malveaux said. “If she gets to where her command is consistent, then she’ll probably end up being the number one. There’s different things that she can do.”

Returner SJ Geurin is set to be another key piece of Auburn’s pitching staff, although she didn’t pitch this weekend. Geurin is dealing with muscle tightness and the Tigers know what they have with Geurin, so no need to risk it.

“She’ll be throwing here in the next couple of weeks,” Chris said. “Just keeping her on track for what she needs to be, but really need to see what the others can do.”

Complete stats from this weekend

Here are the complete and combined stats from all three exhibition games this weekend:

BATTING

Thalia Martin (5-for-6, 2 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, BB, K, 3 SB)
Alyssa Hastings (6-for-9, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 3 BB, SB)
Kylie Shaw (4-for-7, 2B, BB, 2 SB)
Destiny Rodridguez (5-for-10, 2B, 3B, 5 RBI, BB, K)
Ma’Nia Womack (5-for-11, 2B, 3 HR, 7 RBI, K, 2 SB)
Ava Ratliff (5-for-11, 2 HR, 5 RBI, K)
Haven Roebuck (4-for-9, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, BB)
AnnaLea Adams (3-for-10, RBI, BB, SB)
Georgia Lessmann (2-for-7, 2 RBI, BB, 4 SB)
Kylie Brockman (2-for-7, HR, 2 RBI, 2 K)
Delany Aumua (1-for-7, 2B, RBI, SB)
McKaela Walker (3-for-4, HR, RBI, 4 BB, 2 SB)
Kyla Stroud (3-for-5, HR, 8 RBI, BB)
Melania Luostari (0-for-5, BB, 2 K)
Daigle Wilson (0-for-4, BB, K)

PITCHING

Ella Harrison (7.1 IP, 4 H, ER, 3 BB, 12 K)
Abby Herndon (5.1 IP, 2 H, ER, BB, 3 K)
Malayna Tamborra (4.1 IP, 2 H, BB, 2 K)
Blayne Godfrey (3.2 IP, H, 3 BB, 5 K)
Charley Butler (3.1 IP, 3 H, 4 K)