Tag: Butch Thompson

Jacksonville State hires Aaron Everett for on-field role

Everett served as Auburn baseball’s Director of Player Development for the last two seasons.

[autotag]Aaron Everett[/autotag] is on the move after spending two seasons in a “behind the scenes” role with Auburn.

Everett, who joined [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag]’s staff as Director of Player Development prior to the 2022 season, has left the program to take the pitching coach job at Jax State.

The move comes as the Gamecocks baseball program prepares for a new era Former Missouri head coach Steve Bieser takes over the program following the retirement of longtime head coach Jim Case. Jax State is also moving from the A-Sun Conference to Conference USA. Everett is excited about the next step in his coaching journey.

“I am excited for the opportunity to lead a pitching staff and get on the road recruiting,” Everett tells Auburn Wire. “I am also excited to be working under Coach (Steve) Bieser. He has a vision for this program, and I believe he has assembled a strong coaching staff to help him bring it to fruition. The future is extremely bright for Gamecock Baseball.”

Everett joined Auburn’s staff after serving as head baseball coach at nearby Southern Union State Community College, where he led the Bison to a 44-31 overall record over the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Prior to his coaching career, he logged 49 appearances as a member of Tennessee‘s bullpen from 2006-08.

Everett wore many hats during his time at Auburn. He had a hand in Auburn landing the No. 8 recruiting class for the 2023 cycle, which features four players who were recently selected in the Major League Baseball draft. He also assisted the coaching staff with scouting and analytics reports.

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Auburn baseball adds Sacred Heart infielder Sam Mongelli

Mongelli smashed 20 home runs and plated 54 runs last season at Sacred Heart.

[autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] has already started to gear up for next season. Friday, the Tigers added former Sacred Heart infielder [autotag]Sam Mongelli[/autotag].

Mongelli has played four seasons with the Pioneers and will join Auburn as a graduate transfer.

Mongelli says that Auburn’s yearly goal of going to the College World Series is a driving factor behind his decision to spend his final season on the Plains.

“Culture-wise and competition-wise, they are a group of guys that really want to get to Omaha and win the thing. That’s something that drives me every day,” Mongelli said in an interview with Auburn Undercover. “That’s something I want to achieve in my life before I’m done. I know how much of a passion they have to get there and to win it. It lit a fire under me. I knew it was the right fit for sure.”

2023 was a big season for the Marlboro, New York native as he hit .402 with 97 hits, 20 home runs, 54 RBI, and a slugging percentage of .743.

Throughout his four seasons with the program, Mongelli averaged .341 with 150 hits, 26 home runs, 78 RBI, a slugging percentage of .593, and a fielding percentage of .907.

There are likely going to be some changes within the Auburn lineup heading into next season and Mongelli will likely play a significant role.

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Auburn baseball names Everett Teaford pitching coach

He spent the past six years with the Chicago White Sox.

[autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] has found his man, Auburn’s skipper announced that [autotag]Everett Teaford[/autotag] would be the program’s next pitching coach on Friday.

Teaford has spent the past six seasons with the Chicago White Sox, including the last four years as the minor league pitching coordinator. He was a minor league quality control coach for the White Sox in 2018 and assistant pitching coordinator in 2019 before being promoted to pitching coordinator in 2020.

“I absolutely believe Everett Teaford will be a gamechanger at the college level. He checks so many boxes and will help us continue to enhance our program,” Thompson said. “He has pitched at the highest level, helped develop professional pitchers, served as a scout, had an exceptional college career, and hails from an important section of Auburn’s recruiting footprint in Georgia.

“Teaford’s acumen, drive, personality, and ability to understand and implement programs and strategies will make a positive impact on our current and future student-athletes,” Thompson added. “I’m thankful that Everett, Natalie and their beautiful family believe this is the perfect time to invest in this amazing university. Auburn Family, help me welcome the Teaford family.”

Teaford was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 12th round of the 2006 MLB draft and spent the 2011-13 seasons with the Royals and the 2015 season with the Tampa Bay Rays. He went 3-5 with a 4.11 ERA and struck out 67 batters in 49 appearances.

During his time with the White Sox, Teaford most notably worked with pitching prospect Dylan Cease, who finished second in Cy Young Award voting in 2022.

“I’m extremely grateful to Coach Thompson for this opportunity, and I’m excited to get back into the college game,” Teaford said. “Auburn competes at the highest level in the SEC, and I love the momentum the program has created in recent seasons. I want to thank the White Sox for getting me started in the coaching profession, and I can’t wait to continue to help develop these young, talented pitchers on the Plains.”

He is replacing [autotag]Daron Schoenrock[/autotag]who spent one season with Auburn before deciding to step down to spend more time with his family.

Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Teaford played three seasons at Georgia Southern from 2004-06. A two-time All-Southern Conference performer, he turned in a 26-13 career record with a 4.00 ERA and struck out 353 batters.

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Auburn pitching coach Daron Schoenrock has reportedly stepped down

He spent just one season on the Plains.

For the second straight season Auburn head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] is looking for a new pitching coach.

[autotag]Daron Schoenrock[/autotag], who spent just one season on the Plains, has stepped down according to a report by Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball. Rogers added that Schoenrock “wants to be closer to family.”

Auburn’s pitching staff got off to a rough start under Schoenrock but improved throughout the season and was a major reason for their second-half turnaround. The Tigers were also without expected weekend starter [autotag]Joseph Gonzalez[/autotag], who only made one start due to injury.

The pitching staff finished the season with a combiner ERA of 5.76 and 502 strikeouts to 287 walks.

Thompson will now be looking for a pitching coach to pair with assistants Gabe Gross and Karl Nonemaker. Due to NCAA changes, the position will now be full-time and not a volunteer role.

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Renovations to Plainsman Park are given the green light

The home of Auburn baseball will see a series of upgrades over the next two seasons.

It has nearly been a year since plans to upgrade Plainsman Park were heavily discussed. Now, the time has come for those dreams to become a reality.

Auburn University announced Tuesday that the six-phase project will begin this summer, and will be completed prior to the 2025 season. Athletic director [autotag]John Cohen[/autotag] looks forward to changing the game-day experience for fans of Auburn baseball.

“This renovation is a vital part of enhancing the Auburn baseball experience at Plainsman Park for our donors, fans, students, and most importantly our student-athletes,” Cohen said via press release. “The scope of these enhancements will touch all areas and help make the game-day experience uniquely Auburn. Coach Thompson has led the program to unprecedented heights, and this renovation is possible because of his stewardship. Without the support of the Board of Trustees and our incredible donors and loyal fan base, this project would not be possible. We are extremely appreciative of their commitment to the future of Auburn baseball.” 

Head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] said this project is coming at a vital time in Auburn baseball’s history.

“We’ve been to five of the last six regionals, three of the four super regionals in our program’s history, two College World Series, had a No. 1 overall draft pick, built a statue for the only Hall of Famer in the history of our great league, hosted back-to-back regionals for the first time ever, set consecutive attendance records and the list goes on. This project is a major brick in the wall and continues the momentum all parties of our program, including our coaches, staff, players, donors, and fan base, have helped create the last few years.”

Here’s a look at the changes that Plainsman Park will go under over the next two years.

UAB slugger Christian Hall commits to Auburn baseball

UAB’s home run and RBI leader from 2023 will play for Auburn as a graduate student.

Auburn baseball will be adding power to its’ 2024 lineup.

[autotag]Christian Hall[/autotag], a power-hitting left-hander from UAB, has announced that he will be transferring to Auburn as a graduate student.

Hall is a great pickup for [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag]. In two seasons at UAB, Hall crushed 19 home runs and recorded 82 RBI. His 2023 season did not live up to his 2022 campaign, but he still managed to lead the Blazers in home runs (8), RBI (34), and slugging percentage (.433). In 2022, he hit .370 with 11 home runs and 48 RBI.

In two games against Auburn this season, Hall went 3-7 with an RBI. In UAB’s 4-1 loss to the Tigers on March 7, Hall scored the Blazers’ lone run on a 9th-inning single.

Hall becomes the second player from UAB to announce their intent to transfer to Auburn, as Blazers pitcher Carson Myers announced earlier this month that he would be transferring to Auburn. Joining Myers and Hall in transferring to Auburn for next season is former Jax State outfielder Mason Maners.

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Tigers add former JSU outfielder Mason Maners through the portal

Maners hit 12 home runs and scored 45 runs for Jacksonville State in 2023.

[autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] has wasted no time finding talent in the transfer portal to help fill some holes in Auburn’s roster. Thompson added [autotag]Carson Myers[/autotag], a transfer pitcher from UAB, last week. Now the Tigers have landed former JSU outfielder [autotag]Mason Maners[/autotag] to the roster.

In an interview with Jason Caldwell of 247Sports, Maners broke down the factors that made him decide to bring his talent to the Plains.

“It was many factors,” Maners said. “One, I have grown up an Auburn fan. I grew up in Birmingham and grew up going to football games. I have always been an Auburn fan. There was that pull initially in the back of my head knowing that I had a chance to play at my dream school that I have been a fan of my whole life.

“That alone didn’t make my decision. After I got in the portal I got calls from coaches and the difference between the Auburn coaches from the other ones, they were just so based around their culture and how they are as a team. They have facilities and all these things, but they’re really focused on creating a great culture.”

Maners hit .346 for the Gamecocks this season, a mark that placed him second-highest on the team. He was also second on the team in home runs with 12 and third on the team in RBI with 45.

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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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Auburn baseball drops regional opener to Penn

The Quakers scored three runs in the 11th inning to stun the regional hosts on Friday night.

Samford opened the Auburn Regional on Friday afternoon by stunning Southern Miss, 4-2, to force the Golden Eagles into the losers bracket.

Turns out, that would not be the only upset that the walls of Plainsman Park would see on the day.

The No. 13 overall seed, Auburn, hosted the Ivy League Champion Penn Quakers in the No. 1 vs. No. 4 matchup in primetime on Friday evening only to leave in defeat as they fell to Penn, 6-3 in 11 innings.

After tying the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the 8th inning to ultimately set up extra baseball, the Quakers pieced together three runs in the top of the 11th inning thanks to a pair of fielder’s choices and an RBI double by Ryan Taylor. Penn’s Carson Ozmer faced the minimum in the bottom half of the inning to nail down the win for his team.

“I give all the credit in the world to Penn,” Auburn coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] said following the game. “We knew they had a high-level pitching staff. We just didn’t get enough hits. We couldn’t link up enough offensively to keep pace.”

Ozmer got the win for the Quakers by tossing 3.2 innings of relief where he allowed one hit and struck out three batters. His relief outing complimented Ryan Dromboski’s start which lasted 5.1 innings. While on the mound, Dromboski allowed three hits, two earned runs, and four walks while striking out eight batters. Penn pitchers combined to strike out 14 Auburn batters in the game while only allowing four hits.

After three innings of scoreless effort from both squads, Penn grabbed an early lead in the top of the 4th on a double by Wyatt Henseler to give his team the early 1-0 lead. The Tigers responded in the 6th inning by stealing the lead away on a bases-loaded walk to [autotag]Cooper McMurray[/autotag] and a groundout by [autotag]Kason Howell[/autotag] that scored [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag] from third base to put Auburn ahead, 2-1.

Penn regained the advantage in the top of the 8th inning on a two-run blast by Jackson Appel to move them ahead, 3-2. The lead was shortlived as [autotag]Brody Moss[/autotag] was walked with the bases loaded to score [autotag]Josh Hall[/autotag] to ultimately send the game to extra innings.

Auburn will look to rebound on Saturday afternoon as the Tigers will face Southern Miss in an elimination game at Plainsman Park. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT and can be seen on ESPN+.

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Auburn vs. Penn: How to watch Auburn’s Regional opener

The Tigers are looking to start their NCAA Tournament run with a win in Plainsman Park.

The No. 13-seeded Auburn Tigers are set to start their NCAA Tournament run Friday when they take on the Penn Quakers in Plainsman Park. If you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place.

Auburn (34-21-1) is hosting a regional for the second-straight season and is an impressive 23-9-1 at home this season.

“We’ve played well at this stage, but they have to go make their own,” head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] said. “I’m just glad to get the opportunity. I’m glad to put it all back on the line because that means we’re still playing.”

The Quakers (32-14) won the Ivy League regular season and tournament championship to make their first NCAA Tournament since 1995. They are currently riding an eight-game winning streak.

RELATED: Scouting the Penn Quakers

Below, you will find everything you need to know ahead of the game between Auburn and Penn, including a broadcast guide, a projected pitching matchup, and players to watch.