Ike Irish could be back for Auburn baseball this weekend against Ole Miss

Auburn, AL - 20240323 - #17Auburn Tigers Baseball vs. #1 Arkansas Razorbacks

AUBURN, AL - MARCH 23 - Auburn Catcher Ike Irish (18) during the game between the #17 Auburn Tigers and the #1 Arkansas Razorbacks at Plainsman Park in Auburn, AL on Saturday, March 23, 2024. Photo by Noelle Iglesias/Auburn TigersNoelle Iglesias/Auburn Tigers

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Maybe a bit earlier than expected, Auburn (21-22, 3-18) head coach Butch Thompson said in a Thursday press conference that he is planning for star catcher Ike Irish to be back in the lineup this weekend against Ole Miss.

Irish has been out since April 21 — Auburn’s series finale against Mississippi State — with an ankle injury that had him in a boot for precautionary reasons. He injured his ankle sliding awkwardly while running to first base.

After his injury, Thompson said Irish could be out for possibly three weeks. There wasn’t any need to rush him back with Auburn’s postseason hopes incredibly slim at this point after 10 consecutive SEC losses.

But Irish may be in line to only miss one weekend series, where Auburn lost two of three to LSU in Baton Rouge last weekend.

Thompson is not quite sure in what capacity Irish will be able to play. Most likely, it will be as a designated hitter. Auburn did not play a midweek game this week due to students’ final exams, but did host a five-inning intrasquad scrimmage on Tuesday.

Irish took at-bats in the scrimmage, but the bigger question is how well he’ll be able to run off his ankle injury.

As a team, Auburn hit .186 without Irish in the lineup against LSU, totaling 18 hits over three games.

Irish is second on the team so far this season in batting average, home runs and runs batted in.

Even when Irish was healthy, Auburn has been positioning him in different defensive spots or as a designated hitter and getting more time for freshman catcher Cale Stricklin behind the plate. Stricklin has had eight starts since the beginning of April.

Irish may also be joined back by outfielder Bobby Peirce, who is recovering from a wrist injury. But Peirce’s return appears more questionable.

Thompson said Peirce is able to hit but not able to play defense yet. Peirce also took at-bats during the team’s scrimmage this week.

Peirce has a chance to play this weekend against Ole Miss, Thompson said, but is unlikely to be available for the whole series. Thompson said Peirce is still on a day-to-day basis with his availability.

Auburn begins its three-game series against Ole Miss at 6 p.m. Friday at Plainsman Park.

Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com

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