Tag: Bryson ware

Cole Foster taken in 3rd round of MLB draft

The first member of Auburn’s 2023 roster has officially been drafted.

One day after two of Auburn’s top signees from the 2023 class were selected in the MLB draft, one of the Tigers’ top infielders joins the party.

[autotag]Cole Foster[/autotag] became the first member of Auburn’s roster to be selected in the MLB draft, going No. 85 overall to the San Francisco Giants.

Last week, D1Baseball named Foster the No. 43 college prospect ahead of the upcoming MLB draft after he finished within the team’s top five in average, hits, RBI, and home runs.

Giants Baseball Insider’s Mark Delluchi shares his initial thoughts on the Giants’ third-round choice:

Foster is coming off a breakout junior season at Auburn, hitting .336/.429/.570 with 13 home runs in 55 games. A switch-hitter, Foster does not have any tools that jump off the page but also has no clear weaknesses either. Defensively, Foster has played primarily shortstop and second base, although most evaluators are skeptical that he will be able to stick at short.

Foster does have intriguing power potential from both sides of the plate but has struggled to tap into it consistently because of a hit tool that lags behind the rest of his game. If Foster can refine his approach and more consistently square up opposing pitching, he could hit for enough power to be a viable everyday player, even if he’s limited to second base.

Several other players to watch for as the MLB draft continues is 3B [autotag]Bryson Ware[/autotag], P [autotag]Joseph Gonzalez[/autotag], and OF [autotag]Bobby Peirce[/autotag].

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Two 2023 Auburn signees taken on day one of MLB draft

Auburn’s top signees, Colt Emerson and Kevin McGonigal, are now off of the draft board.

Several members of Auburn baseball’s 2023 roster will have the chance to continue their baseball careers at the next level. However, two members of Auburn’s 2023 signing class will get that chance much sooner.

The 2023 Major League Baseball draft began Sunday night and two of Auburn’s top signees were quickly taken off the board. First up, infielder [autotag]Colt Emerson[/autotag] was drafted 22nd overall by the Seattle Mariners. Emerson is considered to be a four-star prospect by 14powers.com, and MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo can see him being a versatile member of Seattle’s infield in the future.

A year ago, the Mariners took a left-handed-hitting middle infielder out of the high school ranks in Cole Young, and they did it again here. Emerson has a similar profile to Young as a prep player with the chance to be a plus hitter with a very advanced approach at the plate. There is power for him to grow into as well, and while he’s a solid defender, he may not play shortstop forever, but third or second could work just fine.

The next Auburn signee to hear his name called was [autotag]Kevin McGonigal[/autotag], who is considered to be Auburn’s top prospect of the 2023 class. McGonigal was taken 37th overall by the Detroit Tigers and may begin his pro career if the offer is attractive.

There was buzz that McGonigle seemed “unsignable” and would head to Auburn, but he doesn’t go here if he’s not ready to start his pro career. A real gamer, McGonigle has the chance to be a plus hitter with solid power, one who routinely finds the barrel. He might end up at second, like his idol, Chase Utley. This will be an over-slot deal, so the Tigers will have to save some money in other spots, and it makes me wonder if Max Clark’s bonus might be a little under slot at No. 3 to help make this signing happen.

According to MLB.com, the Mariners’ selection of Emerson at No. 22 is worth a value of $3,496,600, and the Tigers’ selection of McGonigal is worth $2,309,500. Several other names to watch for as the MLB draft continues on Monday include [autotag]Bryson Ware[/autotag], [autotag]Cole Foster[/autotag], and [autotag]Joseph Gonzalez[/autotag].

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D1Baseball includes three Auburn players in Top 150 MLB draft college prospects rankings

These three players had great careers on the Plains. Now, it is time to take their talents to the next level.

The 2023 MLB draft is on deck, and three Auburn players will have the chance to take their talents to the next level.

Ahead of the MLB draft, which will take place July 9-11, D1Baseball has constructed a list of the top 150 college players that have the best chance to hear their names called during the draft. Among those 150, three of Auburn’s most talented players are included.

Infielders [autotag]Cole Foster[/autotag] and [autotag]Bryson Ware[/autotag] and pitcher [autotag]Joseph Gonzalez[/autotag] are all on D1Baseball’s top 150 MLB draft prospects rankings. Foster and Ware had incredible seasons for the Tigers in 2023, while Gonzalez was limited due to injury setbacks.

Foster starts the list by checking in at No. 43 in the rankings. Foster has a career average of .305 with 22 home runs and 97 RBI. The 2023 season was his best at the plate, where he was fourth on the team in average with .336, third on the team in hits with 75, and was one of three players to hit ten-or-more home runs by smashing 13. His 49 RBI were also tied for fourth-best on the team with [autotag]Cooper McMurray[/autotag].

Pitcher Joseph Gonzalez is next at No. 92. Gonzalez was expected to be the Tigers’ ace on the mound this season, but setbacks due to a nagging shoulder injury kept him away from the team for the majority of the season. He has a 10-7 record with an ERA of 4.08 in 37 appearances. His sophomore season in 2022 saw him record 54 strikeouts and allowed just 28 earned runs in 15 games, with 14 starts. This season, he pitched just one game, which was a winning decision against Indiana on Feb. 18. He tossed 5.0 innings of shutout baseball, where he allowed just one hit.

Finally, Auburn’s all-time single-season home runs leader rounds out the list at No. 105. Ware crushed 24 home runs this season, breaking [autotag]Hunter Morris[/autotag]’ previous record of 23 back in 2010. Ware also led the team RBI (63), and slugging percentage (.731). He was second in average (.350) and hits (78) behind freshman [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag].

Foster and Gonzalez have at least one more season of eligibility remaining. So if they are not pleased with their draft selection, they have the chance to return to Auburn for one more season. Other players of note that may get the chance to turn pro are pitcher [autotag]Tommy Vail[/autotag], as well as outfielders [autotag]Justin Kirby[/autotag], [autotag]Kason Howell[/autotag], and [autotag]Bobby Peirce[/autotag].

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Bryson Ware and Cole Foster earn ABCA All-Southeast Region selections

The left side of Auburn’s infield had quite the season in multiple aspects.

Senior third baseman [autotag]Bryson Ware[/autotag] and junior shortstop [autotag]Cole Foster[/autotag] were selected First Team All-Southeastern Region and Second Team All-Southeastern Region respectively by the American Baseball Coaches Association and Rawlings.

Ware being honored as first-team will put him on the ballot to potentially be named as an All-American. The ABCA/Rawlings All-America Teams will be announced on Friday.

Ware will add this achievement to a resume that also includes a Second Team All-SEC and SEC All-Tournament Team selection. He set the program record for most home runs in a single season with 24. Ware led Auburn and placed top-10 in the conference in runs with 66, home runs, RBI with 63, slugging percentage with .731, and total bases with 163.

Foster also earned a spot on the SEC All-Tournament team after a productive season in which he hit .336 with 57 runs, 75 hits, 13 doubles, 13 home runs, and 45 RBI. He placed second on the team in runs, third in hits, doubles, and homers, and tied for third in RBI. He ended the season on an 11-game hitting streak.

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The best images from Auburn’s time at the Auburn Regional

The season came to an unfortunate end for the regional hosts on Saturday after dropping two consecutive games.

Auburn Baseball’s season came to an unfortunate end on Saturday as the Tigers fell to the Southern Miss Golden Eagles, 7-2 in an elimination game in the Auburn Regional at Plainsman Park.

The tough ending cannot erase a historic season for the Tigers, who ended the season with a 34-23-1 record. Auburn earned its second-straight regional host bid for the first time in program history after finishing 12-3 in the second half of the SEC schedule, and the program also reached new heights as [autotag]Bryson Ware[/autotag] set the program’s single-season home run record by smacking 24 long balls.

Auburn falling short of its third trip to the College World Series in four seasons is disappointing, but the team has nothing to be ashamed of.

Here’s a look back at the best images from Auburn’s losses to Penn and Southern Miss in the Auburn Regional.

Offensive struggles plague Auburn in season-ending loss to Southern Miss

Auburn recorded nine hits and stranded 11, but only collected two runs in the season finale.

After recording the hottest second half in the SEC this season, the Auburn Tigers played their way into the NCAA Tournament as a regional host for the second-straight season.

Unfortunately, the Tigers’ splendid run came to a screeching halt on Saturday afternoon. Behind four home runs and a strong outing on the mound, the Southern Miss Golden Eagles defeated Auburn, 7-2, to eliminate the hosts from the Auburn Regional at Plainsman Park.

Both teams found themselves in the loser’s bracket after dropping their opening-round games on Friday. Auburn tallied just four hits in Friday’s loss to Penn and hoped to revive the bats in an effort to stay alive. However, it would be Southern Miss that grabbed momentum early and would ride it until the final out.

With two runners on, and one out, Southern Miss’ Christopher Sargent crushed a home run to right field to put the Golden Eagles up, 3-0 before Auburn could grab a bat.

Dustin Dickerson would be responsible for the Golden Eagles’ next two runs, as he would hit home runs in back-to-back at-bats in the 3rd and 5th innings to give Southern Miss a comfortable 5-0 advantage. Rodrigo Montenegro hit a sacrifice fly in the 6th inning to extend Southern Miss’ lead to 6-0 before Auburn would strike.

In the bottom of the 6th inning, two singles by [autotag]Chris Stanfield[/autotag] and [autotag]Cooper McMurray[/autotag] would bring life back to the Auburn lineup and cut Southern Miss’ lead to 6-2. The Tigers would leave six runners on base in the final three innings but failed to send another run across to score.

Southern Miss’ dagger came in the 8th inning on a solo home run by Danny Lynch to bring the lead to 7-2.

“The responsibility lies on me,” Auburn coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] said following Saturday’s loss. “Our team made a good run. This group put us in position after a really tough start and stayed in the fight the entire season to get us to this point to host a regional. We didn’t link it up enough in these two days to have success against two really good opponents.”

Eight batters recorded hits for Auburn in the game, with [autotag]Cole Foster[/autotag] being the lone Tiger to pick up two hits. Auburn would also fail to record a multi-base hit in its second consecutive game.

“We pride ourselves on getting timely hits the past month or so,” senior [autotag]Bryson Ware[/autotag] said. “The past few games, for whatever reason, it hasn’t been falling our way. Hats off to Southern Miss, they played a great game. I couldn’t be happier to be a part of this team.”

[autotag]Tommy Vail[/autotag] took the loss for Auburn. After becoming the team’s ace on the backend of the schedule, Vail ran into a stretch of bad luck on Saturday by allowing four earned runs on four hits while recording four strikeouts in 4.1 innings of work.

“He’s a fighter for us,” Thompson said of Vail. “We would not have been able to be here without Tommy Vail.”

In relief, [autotag]Konnor Copeland[/autotag] and [autotag]Chase Isbell[/autotag] worked 4.2 innings and allowed five hits and two runs. Isbell struck out four batters in his 3.2 innings of relief.

Auburn’s season ends with a 34-21-1 record. Southern Miss will face the loser of Penn/Samford on Sunday at 2 p.m. CT in another elimination game.

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‘A front row seat’: Hunter Morris watches Bryson Ware break his home run record from opposing dugout

Bryson Ware became Auburn’s single-season home run leader on Thursday, doing so in front of the previous record holder.

The 2010 season was an enjoyable one for Auburn baseball fans. The Tigers won 43 games, hosted a regional for the first time since 2003, and saw one of its’ most talented sluggers break the single-season home run record.

Auburn first baseman [autotag]Hunter Morris[/autotag] hit 23 home runs during that season to grab Auburn’s single-season home run record, breaking the previous record of 22 held by [autotag]Todd Faulkner[/autotag] for ten seasons. Auburn was spoiled with power in 2010, as the Tigers collectively hit 131 home runs. [autotag]Brian Fletcher[/autotag] was right behind Morris by hitting 22 long balls, with [autotag]Trent Mummey[/autotag], [autotag]Kevin Patterson[/autotag], and [autotag]Tony Caldwell[/autotag] also smashing double-digit home runs.

On Thursday, Morris watched his record sail away as [autotag]Bryson Ware[/autotag] hit his 24th home run of the season against Alabama in the SEC Baseball Tournament to take sole possession of the record. Morris, who now serves on Alabama‘s coaching staff, never dreamed of being in the venue to see his record break.

“I definitely didn’t think I would see it from the other dugout,” Morris said in an interview with the Opelika-Auburn News, “much less have a front-row seat.”

Morris says that he has no ill feelings towards Ware for breaking his record. Actually, he acknowledges the determination it takes to accomplish such a feat and considers it an honor.

“It’s a great accomplishment,” Morris said. “I’m proud of what I did 13 years ago, and he should be very proud of himself for the work that he’s put in. It was special for me, and I hope he appreciates that side of the Auburn Family, even though I was competing against him today.”

Ware broke the record on the first pitch of the 6th inning of Auburn’s 7-4 loss to Alabama in the SEC Tournament at the Hoover Met on Thursday. It traveled a distance of 403 feet, and it was his fifth home run in six games.

“It’s really cool to do it at this stadium at the SEC Tournament with a good crowd in the stands against Alabama; it makes it a little sweeter,” Ware said Thursday. “Some outstanding athletes have worn this jersey. It’s really cool to see some of that hard work pay off. I can’t be more thankful.”

Ware will have more opportunities to build on the record, as the Tigers are set to take part in the NCAA Regionals that begin next weekend.

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Auburn defeats Missouri in SEC Tournament opener, sets up date with Vanderbilt

Auburn has now won nine games in a row, and now has a seat in the double-elimination portion of the SEC Tournament bracket.

The No. 5 seed Auburn Tigers’ hot streak continued late Tuesday night, as they took care of No. 12 seed Missouri in the opening round of the SEC Tournament in Hoover, 10-4. The win is Auburn’s seventh in a row and the fourth straight win over the Tigers from Columbia.

After sweeping Missouri last weekend at Plainsman Park, Auburn picked up where they left off by knocking out Missouri in a come-from-behind effort. Missouri struck first on a sacrifice fly by Ross Lovich in the 2nd inning to give Missouri the 1-0 lead. Auburn answered in the bottom of the 3rd by scoring three runs on a bases-loaded walk, a ground out, and a sacrifice fly.

Auburn’s 3-1 lead was shortlived as Missouri would score three more runs in the top of the 4th to re-take the lead, 4-3. However, in the bottom half of the 4th, [autotag]Cole Foster[/autotag] decided that his team would not relinquish another lead. [autotag]Chris Stanfield[/autotag] tied the game at 4-4 with an RBI single to score [autotag]Caden Green[/autotag], and he would later score on a three-run blast by Foster that sailed over the right field wall and deep into the Hoover night to put Auburn ahead, 7-4.

After that home run, Auburn returned to its’ comfort zone.

“Cole Foster’s home run allowed us to exhale and get back to playing our brand of baseball,” Auburn coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] said Tuesday. “We got enough and did enough. Thankful to come out here and get a win.”

Auburn would score three more insurance runs in the 8th inning to seal the victory. Peirce added an RBI while [autotag]Bryson Ware[/autotag] crushed his 22nd home run of the season, which was of the two-run variety.

“I knew that guy had a high spin rate fastball and he was going to try to blow me up with it,” Ware said. “I just told myself I was going to be on time for it. Thankfully, I got enough of it to get it out of here.”

[autotag]Tommy Vail[/autotag] got the start for Auburn and went 3.2 innings while allowing four runs on two hits. [autotag]Chase Isbell[/autotag] got the win out of the bullpen with 3.0 innings of shutout work, and [autotag]Zach Crotchfelt[/autotag] got the save by turning in a 2.1-inning effort. All three pitchers combined to strike out 11 Missouri batters.

With the win, Auburn is now in the double-elimination portion of the SEC Tournament bracket. Their next matchup is with No. 4 seed Vanderbilt, which will take place at approximately 8 p.m. CT Wednesday.

RELATED: Schedule, Broadcast information for the 2023 SEC Baseball Tournament in Hoover

Here’s a broadcast guide/preview of Wednesday’s game.

Three Tigers named to All-SEC Teams

Bryson Ware, Ike Irish and Kason Howell have all been honoured by the SEC after their great seasons.

[autotag]Bryson Ware[/autotag], [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag] and [autotag]Kason Howell[/autotag] were named to All-SEC Teams Monday, the conference announced.

Ware made the Second Team while Irish earned All-Freshman Team honors and Howell made the All-Defensive Team.

Ware finished the regular season in the top 10 in the league in hits (73), runs (61), home runs (21), RBI (57) and slugging percentage (.730). His career-best .358 batting average ranked just outside the top 10. The senior led Auburn in batting average (.333), runs (38), hits (40), home runs (12) and total bases (80) during conference play.

Irish made the All-Freshman Team after being named the Freshman of the Week three times during his first season on the Plains. His 21 doubles are the third most in the SEC and lead freshmen nationally. He leads Auburn with 79 hits on the season, the fifth most in the league.

Howell, a mainstay in center field since he arrived at Auburn, has a .993 fielding percentage this season after making just one error in 149 chances to go with three outfield assists. The senior has made just seven total errors in his 243 games, the third most ever by a Tiger.

The trio has helped lead No. 25 Auburn to a 33-19-1 overall record and a  No. 5 seed in the SEC Tournament. The Tigers are set to open tournament play Tuesday night in Hoover, Alabama, with a game against Missouri (30-23, 10-20), their fourth straight matchup.

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Auburn completes sweep of Missouri, ends regular season on 8-game winning streak

The Tigers are playing their best baseball right at the start of postseason play.

The Auburn Tigers are officially red-hot. 

After taking both games in Friday’s doubleheader over Missouri, they had a chance to sweep their second straight SEC series. It wasn’t looking good as they entered the bottom of the eighth inning trailing 7-4 in Plainsman Park Saturday.

As it has all season Auburn’s offense came alive when they needed it most, exploding for five runs to take a commanding 9-7 lead and win the game. Auburn secured its fifth straight SEC series win and ended the season on an eight-game winning streak with the comeback. They are now 33-19-1 overall and 17-13 in league play.

“We absolutely played hard and kept going,” Auburn coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] said. “When it opened up and we got an opportunity, we made the most of it.”

[autotag]Brody Wortham[/autotag] started the eighth inning off with a single and came around to score on a [autotag]Chris Stanfield[/autotag] double to get the scoring started. [autotag]Cole Foster[/autotag] then singled Stanfield home to pull Auburn within one. 

[autotag]Cooper McMurray[/autotag] followed up a [autotag]Bobby Pierce[/autotag] strikeout with a double to put the go-ahead run in scoring position with two outs for [autotag]Bryson Ware[/autotag]. Missouri decided to intentionally walk him to load the bases for freshmen [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag]. 

Before he could do anything the Missouri pitcher threw a wild pitch that allowed Foster to score and make it a 7-7 game. 

Irish then put Auburn ahead with a two-RBI single to make it a 9-7 game.

“We battled and we fought, we figured some stuff out and it’s all come together here lately,” Irish said. “I was not trying to do too much, stay with my approach and put the ball in play, especially with two strikes. They shifted on me and I hit it where they weren’t, and we got one to sneak through.”

He finished the game with a pair of doubles and two RBI.

Auburn was playing catchup the whole game after Missouri scored three runs in the first inning. They got two of the runs back in the second inning after [autotag]Caden Green[/autotag] and Stanfield hit sacrifice flies to score Irish and [autotag]Kason Howell[/autotag], respectively.

Missouri added a run in the top of the third but Pierce responded with a double and scored on a Ware single to make it 4-3 in the bottom of the inning.

Missouri then played small ball in the fourth to get their fifth run of the game. They led the inning off with a bunt single, advanced on a ground out and scored on a two-out double.

The home Tigers quickly responded when [autotag]Nate LaRue[/autotag] led the home half of the inning off with a solo home run to make it 5-4. Both pitching staffs settled in after that, Auburn reliever [autotag]Tanner Bauman[/autotag] retired the next 10 batters he saw before allowing a single and then a home run in the eighth.

The lefty allowed two runs in 3.2 innings of work and struck out three and gave his offense a chance to get back in the game.

“I just wanted to go out there and fill up the zone and give my offense a chance to get back in this game, which obviously they did,” Bauman said. “Coming back on a short day’s rest, I wanted to keep it easy, let my defense work, which is what I try to do, and it ended up working out pretty well.”

[autotag]Will Cannon[/autotag] entered in the eighth and the only runner he allowed was one he hit. He struck out one batter as he earned the win.

Auburn has not lost an SEC game since May 5 and is set to open its SEC Tournament run on Tuesday against Missouri.

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