Grayson Belanger, Auburn Athletics
Much like their baseball counterparts, the Auburn Softball team has some new additions to the wardrobe for 2023.
The first set was shown off previously for the team’s media day photoshoots. The white uniforms are more of a tweak for the previous design than anything else.
Northwestern stripes now don the jersey sleeve and the pants stripe. The whites worn since 2018 had a simpler look with a single navy stripe along a single orange stripe.
The biggest change with the new white threads is the chestmark. The team’s nickname “Tigers” will replace the school name, marking the nickname’s return to a uniform. Softball had worn a jersey with the “Tigers” moniker since 2006 until the 2018 set was introduced.
The Tigers showing off the new navy threads in Clearwater, FL (image via Auburn Softball Twitter)
One detail that was missed in the initial baseball uniform article is that the new jersey template doesn’t utilize buttons. The placket, the centerpiece of the jersey that is usually buttoned together, is simply for aesthetic decoration at this point.
In fact, for years now, the buttons on baseball and softball jerseys weren’t functional beyond the top two buttons. The placket was often sewn shut just below the second button, effectively making every jersey a pullover.
Speaking of pullovers, Softball’s new navy uniforms remove buttons and plackets altogether! The new jerseys are the first true pullover-style jerseys since 2001 for the Softball program.
Both the jerseys and pants feature a very large set of Northwestern stripes. The stripes wrap around the sleeve cuffs much like on the football jerseys. The stripes also circle the collar but truncate oddly on the front. A horizontal seam connecting the sleeves to the torso runs right across the collar, creating a unique “apron collar” look. A traditional collar design would do wonders for this look.
For the first time in program history, Softball is wearing the script Auburn logo on the front of these jerseys. The logo has been used most by the Baseball team – it is a baseball-inspired logo after all – over the years. But this is the first time we’ve seen it appear on a non-baseball uniform.
The new blue jerseys debuted in Clearwater, FL with matching blue pants. The football-style triple-stripe design is used as the pants stripe down each leg. As has been tradition for the Softball program, the blue jersey and blue pants combination is often worn with white belts and socks, though it has been paired with blue accessories already this year. Expect orange belts and socks with the blues at some point as well.
Auburn’s home opener against Austin Peay saw the new “Tigers” white jerseys with the wide-striped blue pants. The following day saw the script-logo blue jerseys with the new white pants. Fully expect to see the Tigers continue to create new combinations throughout the rest of the season.
To complement the navy uniforms, the Tigers have a similarly-designed grey colorway. The Northwestern stripes again are featured on the collar, sleeves, and pants stripe, but in a blue/white/orange/white/blue fashion. The new greys don’t have the same script logo as the navy tops, instead, they use the arched Auburn Copperplate wordmark.
We’ve already seen two different combinations with the greys. They debuted with navy belts and socks and then saw orange accessories for the road trip to Troy.
Auburn has held over a few uniform pieces from the last set. The pinstripe jerseys and pants, along with the orange tops, have each seen action so far this season.
As has been common with this team for much of the last decade, every uniform element is eligible to be mixed and matched as the team pleases. The Tigers have already done just that with these new uniforms. At the time of publication, the Tigers have sported 13 different combinations, only repeating one combination: the pinstripes. Softball often plays double headers in early-season tournaments, hence why some combinations have been worn for multiple games.
The current uniform combinations and records through 22 games this season are as follows:
Along with the three new uniform colorways, Auburn has been sporting new batting helmets as well. After wearing Under Armour helmets since 2019, the Tigers have moved to Mizuno shells. The team previously wore Wilson and DeMarini helmets, so it truly doesn’t have any impact on the status of the Under Armour contract.
Good look at the new Mizuno batting helmets for 2023. (Adam Sparks, OA News)
As the old saying goes: “show, don’t tell.”
If that’s how you prefer to gauge all the differences, here’s the ever-useful, handy-dandy graphic for each colorway:
Enjoy learning about Auburn uniforms and history? Want to see more like this? Be sure to follow the Auburn Uniform Database on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for even more uniform news. You can also purchase your favorite team’s merchandise through Fanatics or Dick’s Sporting Goods, with a portion of your sale going to support this website.
