Auburn baseball head coach Butch Thompson has submitted the first weekend pitching rotation of the 2026 season.
The Tigers will turn to mostly new faces this weekend when they host Youngstown State for a three-game series beginning Friday evening at Plainsman Park in Auburn. Thompson and his staff will need to fill several holes left behind by notable pitchers from last season's Super Regional squad, including ace Samuel Dutton and Cade Fisher. Christian Chatterton and Andreas Alvarez return to the unit after making at least nine starts last season, while Ryan Hetzler looks to capitalize on his eight saves from last season.
Which three players will get the first chance to lock down a spot in Auburn baseball's weekend rotation? Here is a look at Auburn baseball's rotation for this weekend's season-opening series against Youngstown State.
Game one: Jake Marciano
Marciano played a major role in Virginia Tech's rotation last season by making 14 starts and 15 appearances overall. He was third in strikeouts with 71 last season, and was second in innings with 60 2/3. Last season's ace, Samuel Dutton, was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 10th round of the MLB Draft, and Marciano will get the first shot at locking up the Friday night role in Auburn's weekend rotation.
Friday: Auburn vs. Youngstown State, 5:30 p.m. CT
Game two: Jackson Sanders
The left-hander from Valley High School appeared in 15 games as a true freshman last season, and Saturday will mark his first start for the Tigers. In 17 innings of work last season, Sanders struck out 10 batters and walked 13 while allowing 17 earned runs.
Saturday: Auburn vs Youngstown State, 6 p.m. CT
Game three: Alex Petrovic
Petrovic has made 14 appearances on the mound for Auburn over the last two seasons, but took a step forward last season by starting five games, mostly in a midweek capacity. Sunday will mark the second weekend start of Petrovic's career, his first since striking out five batters and allowing two hits in 2 2/3 innings of Auburn's 11-1 run-rule win in game two of the series with Wright State last February.
Sunday: Auburn vs Youngstown State, 2 p.m. CT
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This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Auburn baseball: Opening weekend pitching rotation revealed