Tag: Butch Thompson

Auburn drops game to Arkansas, ending season in College World Series

A magical run came to a heartbreaking ending in Omaha on Tuesday night.

The Southeastern Conference’s “surprise team” from the 2022 season wrote their final chapter on Tuesday night at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska.

Auburn, who had just won their first game in the College World Series since 1997 a day prior, could not overcome the experience of fellow SEC squad, Arkansas on Tuesday, dropping the game 11-1, thus closing the book on a magical run.

“It was a great experience for every one of us. We found a ton of positives out of this season,” said head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] following the game. “Our people stepped up to the plate for this team before we ever played a game and I’ll never forget that. I thought we returned the favor at the end of the postseason.”

Arkansas jumped ahead early in the first inning on two quick hits. Braydon Webb would lead off the game by reaching base on a double to left center field, then would score one at-bat later on a single by Peyton Stovall, giving the Razorbacks the 1-0 lead. After a meeting with pitching coach [autotag]Tim Hudson[/autotag], Auburn starting pitcher [autotag]Mason Barnett[/autotag] would sit down the next three batters in order, earning two strikeouts.

Auburn kept Arkansas off of the scoreboard in the 2nd inning, but the Razorbacks would catch wind again over the next two innings. Arkansas scored seven runs over the 3rd and 4th innings to gain control of the game with an 8-0 lead. The Razorbacks scored a run in the 6th, and two more in the 9th to cap scoring.

Auburn’s lone run came in the 7th inning, when [autotag]Bobby Peirce[/autotag] led off the inning with a line drive home run off of the left field foul pole.

Despite ending the season with a lop-sided loss, Auburn Baseball defied the odds that were given to them during the preseason. The Tigers went from being picked to finish 7th in the SEC West, to ending the season as one of the final five teams left standing at the College World Series.

Head coach Butch Thompson feels that the foundation has been laid, and he expects to see this program continue to grow.

“You can look at pen to paper from the time we’ve been here to this second and see some growth,” said Thompson. “I absolutely think we are on the cusp of doing amazing things consistently. That’ll be the driving force, trying to leave this program in a better place.”

Auburn ends the 2022 season with a 43-22 record. Some of the accomplishments that the Tigers were able to claim this season include posting a winning record in the SEC, hosting an NCAA regional for the first time since 2010, win a regional at home for the first time since 1999, winning the Corvallis Super Regional to set up their second trip to Omaha in three NCAA Tournaments, and winning a College World Series game for the first time in 25 years.

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Thompson receives aid in form of former CWS championship coaches

After dropping a tough game to Ole Miss on Saturday, Auburn head coach Butch Thompson called on two former championship coaches for assistance.

Prior to Auburn’s trip to Oregon State to face the Beavers in the Corvallis Super Regional, head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] told local media that his team’s goal is “national championship or bust.”

The statement was made in hopes to raise the expectations of the program from “happy to be here” to true contenders for a national title.

However, after dropping the first game of the 2022 College World Series on Saturday to Ole Miss, Thompson knew that his team was behind the 8-ball since only four teams in 40 years have ever won the College World Series after dropping their first game.

But, Thompson knew that he could not allow his team to give up. So he called on former Oregon State head coach Pat Casey, as well as former South Carolina head coach Ray Tanner, who were two of those coaches who led their teams to national championships after losing their first game in Omaha.

Lucky for Thompson, those two men were happy and willing to lend a helping hand. That helped, as Auburn was able to defeat Stanford on Monday afternoon, winning their first game in Omaha since 1997, and, more importantly, keeping their title hopes alive.

“Both of those men got back and gave me paragraphs, taking me through the journey with their team,” said Thompson following Auburn’s 6-2 win over Stanford on Monday. “Those men, it was like those men were excited to hear from me, and they were like, “yeah, this is what we did, this is what we talked about, this became our focus.” I’m just hunting for every inch that I can for our program.”

The Tigers’ win over the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament field was fueled by scoring six runs over the 6th and 7th innings, which included a three-run double by [autotag]Cole Foster[/autotag], who was battling illness throughout the game. Foster’s grit is just a small sample of Auburn’s personality, and what could lead them to more wins at the College World Series.

“The man, the woman, or the team that will never quit, they have a chance,” says Thompson. “I just want us to fight, and I want us to attack. That’s all you can ask for, the score will take care of itself.”

Auburn’s next opportunity to extend their season comes Tuesday night against Arkansas. The Razorbacks dropped a game to Ole Miss on Tuesday night, moving them to the loser’s bracket. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. CDT, and can be seen on ESPN.

To watch Monday’s postgame press conference in its’ entirety, click below.

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WATCH: The Voice of the Auburn Tigers calls the final out of the Corvallis Regional

Here’s how the final out of Auburn’s College World Series-clinching win sounded from the Voice of the Auburn Tigers

“The Tigers dogpile in Corvallis!”

Auburn Baseball clinched their second trip to the College World Series in their last three chances on Monday night, as they fought off the No. 3 Oregon State Beavers, 4-3 in game three of the Corvallis Super Regional at Goss Stadium in Corvallis, Oregon.

Following a two-run home run by Oregon State’s Justin Boyd that trimmed Auburn’s lead to one run in the 7th inning, Auburn head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] elected to call on [autotag]Blake Burkhalter[/autotag] out of the bullpen to close the game.

Burkhalter, the SEC’s leader in saves, would strike out five batters over 2.2 innings to grab his 15th save of the season with none being bigger than the final out of the game, where he struck out Garrett Forrester on a full count to put the game on ice.

Here’s how the final out of the Corvallis Regional sounded from the Voice of the Auburn Tigers, Andy Burcham, on the Auburn Sports Network.

Auburn was the final team to earn their way into the College World Series, and will continue their journey to a national championship on Saturday against fellow SEC-foe, Ole Miss. The Tigers meet the Rebels at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska at 6 p.m. CDT.

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PHOTO GALLERY: Auburn drops game 2 to Oregon State

Here are the best images from game two of the Corvallis Super Regional between Auburn and Oregon State

Auburn will have to wait one more day for the chance to punch their ticket to Omaha, as they dropped game two of the Corvallis Super Regional to Oregon State on Sunday, 4-3.

Auburn could not quite get the bats going as they were only able to muster three total hits against Golden Spikes Award finalist Cooper Hjerpe, and grabbed just two more off of relief pitcher Ben Ferrer. While there were few, Auburn was able to take advantage of mistakes by the Beavers’ pitching staff, as they scored two of their three runs on wild pitches.

While you wait for game three between Auburn and Oregon State, take a look at the best images from game two.

Auburn bullpen uses ‘next man up’ mentality in win over Oregon State

After Trace Bright’s early departure from game one against Oregon State, the Auburn bullpen stepped up to aid in victory.

Prior to Auburn Baseball’s departure for Corvallis, Oregon, on Thursday, head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] told reporters that this year’s squad was special, citing that the players have meshed well with one another, which has formed a healthy clubhouse.

Auburn’s “got your back” mentality was on full display during game one of the Corvallis Super Regional, in the form of the bullpen, which was instrumental in Auburn’s 7-5 win over Oregon in game one of the best-of-three series.

Auburn starting pitcher [autotag]Trace Bright[/autotag]’s night unfortunately ended after recording just two outs on 47 pitches. Thompson called on [autotag]John Armstrong[/autotag] to dig them out of a hole, before handing the baseball to [autotag]Tommy Sheehan[/autotag]. That is where the Tigers began finding success on the mound.

Sheehan took control of the game on the mound by tossing 3.1 innings of shut-out baseball, striking out three batters and allowing two hits. Sheehan’s confidence grew with every pitch, which erased the pressure that his team felt early on.

“We have had a ‘next man up’ mentality all year, and we just tried to stick with that, not try to do too much out there in a big spot,” Sheehan said in a postgame interview with the Auburn Sports Network. “(I just) tried to be myself and stick to the game plan and let the guys field behind me.”

Sheehan exited the game after the 5th inning, turning the keys over to [autotag]Carson Skipper[/autotag] and [autotag]Blake Burkhalter[/autotag] to close the game. Their outings were just as successful as Sheehan’s, which helped Auburn grab that valuable game one victory. Skipper struck out five batters in 3.0 innings of relief, which set up Burkhalter to grab his SEC-best 14th save of the season after allowing a run on two hits in the 9th inning.

“Those are the guys we want to get (the ball to), they have been our guys all year,” said Sheehan. “My motto has been ‘get the ball to (Burkhalter)’ all year. That’s what we did and it worked out for us.”

Auburn will turn to Joseph Gonzalez for game two of the Corvallis Super Regional against Oregon State on Sunday. The first pitch is set for 9 p.m. CDT, and can be seen on ESPN2.

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Auburn pitcher gets the call to join the Los Angeles Angels

Daniel joins Keegan Thompson and Casey Mize as a member of Auburn’s 2017 starting rotation to get called up to the majors.

A key piece to Auburn’s stout pitching rotations in 2017 and 2018 is getting his chance to shine in the Major Leagues.

[autotag]Davis Daniel[/autotag], who was a starting pitcher for the Tigers from 2017-19, has been called up by the Los Angeles Angels and will be a part of the active roster for Saturday night’s game against the New York Mets in Anaheim, California.

Daniel, who is celebrating his 25th birthday on Saturday, says that he got the call from the manager of the Angels’ triple-A affiliate, Lou Marson, at 1 a.m. MDT, and was on a flight from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles at 8 a.m. MDT, according to Sam Blum of The Athletic.

In nine starts on the mound for the triple-A Salt Lake Bees, Daniel posted a  3-1 record with a 3.64 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 47.0 innings. It is unclear at the time of this post if Daniel will join the Angels rotation, or will be used as a bullpen arm.

Daniel was very instrumental during a significant era of Auburn pitching. In 2017, he was used as the Sunday starter in a weekend rotation that featured current Cubs starter [autotag]Keegan Thompson[/autotag] and Tigers starter [autotag]Casey Mize[/autotag]. Then, in 2018, he returned to the rotation with Mize as they added [autotag]Tanner Burns[/autotag] to the mix, who was later drafted by the Cleveland Indians with the No. 36 overall selection in 2020.

Prior to being taken in the 7th round by the Angels in 2019, Daniel made 37 career appearances and 27 starts for Auburn, where he posted a 7-7 record and 5.37 ERA to go along with 135 strikeouts in 139.0 innings.

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Auburn’s “prove it” mindset carries over to Super Regionals

Head coach Butch Thompson called on his team to “prove it” last weekend in the Auburn Regional, but it’s what the team has done all season long.

Prior to last weekend’s Auburn Regional, Auburn Baseball head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] challenged his team to prove why they were selected as a regional host.

“You play an entire season for moments when it’s time to prove it. You have to draw from every experience that you’ve had this entire season and put it into play,” Thompson said. “There’s no more reset. This is it. You have to prove it and play well to continue to advance.”

Auburn did way more than “prove it”, as they went 3-0 over the weekend. and did so with an all-around team effort on their way to outscoring their opposition, 51-17.

Now, Auburn prepares to appear in their third Super Regional in four NCAA Tournaments and will continue to “prove it” by traveling to Corvallis, Oregon, to face Pac-12 power Oregon State.

Auburn’s “prove it” mindset became public last weekend. But, according to outfielder [autotag]Kason Howell[/autotag], “prove it” has been the Tigers’ persona all season long, and it all started with a preseason prediction.

“It’s meant everything just because we got picked last (in the SEC West) at the beginning of the year, so to ‘prove it’ has been our identity all year,” Howell said prior to the team’s departure to Oregon on Thursday. “We’ve played with a little bit of a chip on our shoulder, so we have to ‘prove it’ again this weekend. If we ‘prove it’ then, we have to ‘prove it’ in Omaha.”

That has what Auburn has done all season. The Tigers finished the SEC season with a 16-13 record, grabbing the no. 5 seed in the SEC Tournament, and have not dropped more than two games in a row all season long. Howell says that they have been able to maintain consistency through team chemistry.

“The locker room is a great place to be for everybody, everybody gets along. We have been through a lot this year and that has brought us closer together,” Howell said. “This team is more unified than any team I’ve been apart of, so that’s a huge thing going into playing on the road when you only have each other. That’s a big deal.”

Auburn will look to continue their hot streak this weekend at Oregon State for the Corvallis Super Regional. Game one between the Tigers and Beavers is set for 9 p.m. CDT Saturday night.

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Auburn Baseball: How to watch and listen to game one of the Corvallis Super Regional

Here’s how you can keep up with Auburn’s first game against the Beavers:

The No. 14 Auburn Tigers are set to play in their third Super Regional in four NCAA Tournaments beginning Saturday night in Corvallis, Oregon, against the No. 3 Oregon State Beavers.

The Tigers dominated their competition during last week’s Auburn Regional, outscoring their opponents 51-17 over three games. Head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] says that it will be key for his team to maintain the persona that they displayed last weekend, and to keep riding momentum.

“Most of our talks will be about doubling down on our identity, who we are,” Thompson said. “We can’t play better than we did last weekend. The biggest challenge for us is trying to maintain and stay there.”

What Auburn won’t have on their side this weekend, however, is home field advantage. The Tigers fed off of the energy of their home fans last weekend, and will now have to compete in an electric environment, across the country. Thompson believes that as long as his squad does their job, and plays to the best of their abilities, distance and environment should not dictate their success.

“The score will take care of itself, and this will come down to execution,” Thompson said. “Whether we’re playing at Plainsman Park or a 41-hour drive away, this thing will come down to execution.”

The Beavers went 3-1 in the Corvallis Regional last weekend, defeating Vanderbilt in the regional championship game to move on to the Super Regionals.

Oregon State shares two mutual opponents with Auburn, Vanderbilt and UCLA. The Beavers went 1-1 against the Commodores in last weekend’s Corvallis Regional, while Auburn defeated UCLA in the Auburn Regional final.

During the season, Auburn took two-of-three from Vanderbilt at Plainsman Park. Oregon State dropped two-of-three games to UCLA in the final Pac-12 series of the season, and went 1-1 against the Bruins in the Pac-12 tournament.

Bright welcomes the challenge of being game one starter

Trace Bright felt untouchable in his last start, and hopes to keep riding that momentum into game one against Oregon State.

Junior right-hander [autotag]Trace Bright[/autotag] felt untouchable in his last start on the mound.

He got the nod to start game one of the Auburn Regional against Southeastern Louisiana where, after one inning, he had an 11-run cushion. Through his five total innings of work, he would strike out ten batters while issuing just two walks and allowing four earned runs in Auburn’s 19-7 win over the Lions.

Auburn head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] has preached “trust” and “confidence” in the past week, and it appears to be bleeding over to pitching strategy, as Bright has gotten the call to start on the mound against Oregon State in game one of the Corvallis Super Regional beginning Saturday night.

It’s a role that Bright has embraced, and he will enter the game with plenty of faith in his teammates.

“It’s a huge honor. We want to go out and set the tone early like we did this past weekend and try to get a win in that first game,” Bright said prior to Auburn’s departure to Corvallis, Ore. on Thursday. “Knowing that ([autotag]Joseph Gonzalez[/autotag]) is right behind me for game two, we will have obviously a full bullpen. Scoring 51 runs in three games this past weekend, hopefully we continue that because it takes the pressure off the pitcher.”

However, every aspect of his last start will be completely different as he prepares for his next outing, from the environment to the caliber of opponent. Bright feels that he has a great approach to attacking Oregon State, a team that relies heavily on finding ways to get on base.

“Trying to throw strikes. It’ll be a different environment, but getting ahead and being able to control the running game, and try to keep them off the bases as much as possible,” says Bright. “Just try to keep them from playing their game.”

Auburn battles Oregon State in game one of the Corvallis Super Regional Saurday night. First pitch is set for 9 p.m. CDT.

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The foundation to Auburn Baseball’s success is consistency

After a disappointing season in 2021, Auburn Baseball is back on track to continue the successes of the 2018 and 2019 teams.

The Auburn Tigers are the hottest team in college baseball. The Tigers swept the competition at last weekend’s Auburn Regional, outscoring their opponents 51-17 in the process.

Auburn dominated the regional in all three aspects. At the plate, Auburn hit 13 long balls, which included a three-home run game by [autotag]Cole Foster[/autotag] in Friday’s regional opener against Southeastern Louisiana. The confidence at the plate translated to the field, as Auburn only committed one error on the weekend. Pitching was also dominant, as the starting pitcher in two of the three games struck out ten batters a piece.

Some teams catch wind and have luck at certain points through the year. For Auburn, they are starting to see their consistent play throughout the season payoff.

Head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] was quoted as saying “National Championship or bust” following last weekend’s regional win. He says that the team’s consistency has given him trust, as well as the confidence, to make that claim as they head to Oregon State to face the Beavers in this weekend’s Super Regional.

“We got to a certain point in the season where I said I trust this ball club,” said Thompson prior to the team’s departure for Corvallis, Oregon on Thursday. “This is a ball club of consistency. We have never lost more than two games (in a row) over the season. I don’t know if I have had that in my 30 years of coaching, so there’s a model consistency. I have had trust, and now I believe in them.”

The constant play of this team is the product of a solid build up. Prior to the 2020 season that was abruptly ended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Auburn had developed into one of the nation’s best programs.

In 2018. Auburn won the Raleigh Regional in similar fashion to last weekend’s Auburn Regional, and appeared in their first Super Regional since 1999 before falling to SEC foe Florida.

Auburn built off that success in 2019 by appearing in their second-straight Super Regional. The Tigers went on to take two-of-three from North Carolina on the road, and went on to make their first appearance in the College World Series since 1997.

After a season of struggles in 2021, Auburn seems to have found their way back on track to getting to the ultimate goal of being national champion. The player’s energy has rubbed off on Thompson.

 “I feel the chip on their shoulder,” says Thompson. “For those guys to come back last season, a lot of people were like “they are done, they are no good”, and for them to trigger back in, I started feeling it last year.” 

Auburn will spend Friday practicing and adjusting to the climate that the state of Oregon presents, then will lock in and begin the Super Regionals late Saturday night against Oregon State. First pitch between the Tigers and Beavers is set for 9 p.m. CDT.

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