Auburn baseball: Tigers 3B Damek Tomscha named SEC player of the week

Auburn third baseman Damek Tomscha played a key role in the Tigers' series win over No. 21 Ole Miss over the weekend, and for his efforts, he was named SEC player of the week Monday morning.

Tomscha had a rough 0-for-4 night in the series opener, a 6-1 loss for Auburn. But on Saturday and Sunday, he broke out. Tomscha hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth Saturday, tying the game at 5-5, as Auburn went on to take an 8-5 win. With two outs in the bottom of the eighth and a 4-4 deadlock on Sunday, he hit a solo home run to put the Tigers on top for good. In all, Tomscha was 4-for-12 with four runs scored, three RBIs, two home runs and a double during the three-game set. Plus, he played solid defense, going all weekend without an error.

The series win was huge for Auburn; it was the Tigers' first against a ranked team this year and kept whatever slim postseason hopes the team has alive. Without Tomscha's clutch hitting, Auburn may have lost the series, perhaps even in a sweep. That would have not only all but killed the Tigers regional chances, but it would have put an SEC Tournament appearance in serious jeopardy.

This season, Tomscha is hitting .268/.392/.433 with five home runs and 23 RBIs. He's added 28 runs scored, 11 doubles and has only grounded into one double play.