Tag: Carson Myers

Butch Thompson to enhance pitching staff this offseason

Auburn baseball ranked near the bottom in several categories this season. Thompson looks to change that by any means necessary.

Auburn baseball experienced a disappointing season in 2024 by finishing with a 27-26 record and missing this week’s SEC Tournament with an 8-22 mark in conference play.

Pitching played a major role in Auburn’s struggles this season as the team finished near the bottom in several categories within the SEC including ERA (5.94), opposing average (.286), strikeouts (466), and hits allowed (517). Head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag], who is known for his success as a pitching coach, understands that his team needs enhancements to perform at a higher level, and will do whatever it takes to make it happen.

“(Pitching) our biggest challenge and it continued to be one all the way until our last ball game,” Thompson said during his final regular season press conference. “It’s learn and grow. I have to figure out the solutions on what I can do to help in that area that I have spent a lot of time in my career doing.”

How does Auburn go about correcting its issues on the mound? The two obvious choices are through NIL and the Transfer Portal. Thompson looks to utilize both tools this offseason.

Thompson hopes his program will become more competitive within the SEC in the NIL game and on the field.

“NIL, that space, whether I hit the mark or fell short on that of the estimation, trying to find a commitment there that matches the peers in our league,” Thompson said. “We finished fifth in this league the last two years and I thought once we got to a certain level of depth in our pitching staff, there’s a watermark or a level of acceptability in our league. I thought we threw too many innings in our league beneath that from a talent standpoint.”

Outside of NIL and stadium upgrades which will feature an expanded locker room, new weight room, and a new pitching lab, Thompson says there are a few perks he will use in his recruiting pitches to transfer targets.

“I think we’re pretty attractive because we play in the Southeastern Conference. We’re trying to take a trip to the Dominican with the club over Thanksgiving. We play a series in Arlington, Texas back in the dome in February in addition to those 10 SEC weekends. There’s huge opportunity,” Thompson said. “We’re hopeful that when we get to the first of June that we have our ducks in a row. That’s our singular focus is on this roster that we can put all of our attention to that and see if we can attract some guys that help us get ready quick.”

Outside of seniors [autotag]Tanner Bauman[/autotag], [autotag]Christian Herberholtz[/autotag], and [autotag]Konnor Copeland[/autotag] it is unclear how many pitchers will depart from the program this offseason. [autotag]Chase Allsup[/autotag] is a name to watch for ahead of this summer’s MLB draft and notable pitchers such as [autotag]Carson Myers[/autotag], [autotag]Dylan Watts[/autotag], [autotag]Will Cannon[/autotag], and [autotag]Conner McBride[/autotag] are eligible to return to the program next season.

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Recap: Auburn baseball evens series with Missouri behind offensive explosion

Auburn evened its series with Missouri on Saturday by keeping its feet on the pedal.

Auburn baseball scored 11 runs on 11 hits in Friday’s series opener at Missouri in a losing effort. Auburn returned to the field Saturday and delivered another stellar performance at the plate, resulting in a win.

The visiting Tigers scored 12 runs on 17 hits while smashing four home runs in a 12-2 run-rule victory over Missouri on Saturday at Taylor Stadium in Columbia, Missouri.

Auburn’s bats were on fire Friday, especially in its six-run 7th inning. However, Auburn’s pitching allowed 12 runs on 13 hits, which included six runs over the final two innings. Saturday’s effort on the mound was much more respectable as [autotag]Chase Allsup[/autotag] and [autotag]Carson Myers[/autotag] returned to early-season form.

Allsup returned to the weekend rotation for the second-straight weekend on Saturday and delivered a four-hit, nine-strikeout performance while allowing one run over five complete innings. For Allsup, he has now struck out 18 batters while allowing two earned runs on eight hits since returning to the weekend rotation last Sunday in the finale with Ole Miss.

Auburn head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] was pleased with Allsup’s efforts on Saturday.

 “That was good,” Thompson said postgame. “Nine strikeouts and only one walk and did a nice job. He did get to that 90 pitches or so, but he’s been on a journey and plugged it back up in a SEC start, and a quality one at that.”

Myers finished the game by striking out four batters and allowing two hits in three innings of work to earn the save.

Offensively, [autotag]Caden Green[/autotag] paced Auburn by recording four hits with four RBI. All four of his RBI came in the final two innings, two in the 7th inning on a home run and two more in the 8th on a single to left field. [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag] and [autotag]Carter Wright[/autotag] had three hits while Cooper Weiss added two more. Irish, Green, Weiss, and [autotag]Cade Belyeu[/autotag] each homered in the contest.

With Saturday’s win, Auburn has evened the series with Missouri. The rubber match of this weekend’s series is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT, and can be seen on SEC Network+.

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Recap: Auburn baseball completes comeback effort in Sunday’s win over Ole Miss

The Tigers rallied from a 5-0 deficit to take down Ole Miss in walk off fashion.

Auburn baseball did not get the necessary wins over Ole Miss last weekend that it needed to keep its SEC Tournament hopes alive, but they refuse to pack up and quit on the season.

Sunday’s game was an example of Auburn’s determination. Trailing 5-0 before picking up a bat, the Tigers chipped away throughout the game before delivering the final blow in the final inning to walk-off as 10-9 victors over the Rebels on Sunday evening at Plainsman Park in Auburn.

The Sunday win prevented Auburn from being swept for the fifth time in SEC play. Auburn head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] was proud of his team’s ability to overcome early adversity and to keep fighting until the final at-bat.

“A great job by the resiliency of the club,” Thompson said postgame. “They’ve hung in there and competed enough to get that last punch back. I really wanted it for them.”

Auburn responded to Ole Miss’ five-run 1st inning effort by scoring two runs in the bottom frame on two RBI singles by [autotag]Cade Belyeu[/autotag] and [autotag]Caden Green[/autotag]. The Tigers added a run each in the next three innings to tie Ole Miss, 5-5, going to the top of the 5th inning, and would take a 6-5 lead in the 7th inning on Belyeu’s double.

Both teams combined to score four runs over the final two innings. Ole Miss’ Jackson Ross tied the game in the top of the 8th with a solo shot, which paved the way for Auburn’s [autotag]Cooper Weiss[/autotag] and [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag] to hit solo blasts themselves in the bottom frame to put Auburn back in front, 8-6.

Ole Miss pieced together one last comeback bid in the 9th inning by sending three runs home on a bases-loaded double by Andrew Fischer. In the bottom frame, [autotag]Kaleb Freeman[/autotag] tied the game at 9-9 with an RBI single before a wild pitch allowed [autotag]Javon Hernandez[/autotag] to score and to give the Tigers the 10-9 win.

At the plate, Auburn totaled 15 hits with five players recording multiple hits. On the mound, starter [autotag]Carson Myers[/autotag] lasted 2/3 of an inning after allowing five runs on four hits. [autotag]Cam Tilly[/autotag], [autotag]Chase Allsup[/autotag], [autotag]Conner McBride[/autotag], and [autotag]Parker Carlson[/autotag] also saw time on the mound.

Carlson earned the win, but the performance of the game belonged to Allsup, who earns the credit for keeping Ole Miss from adding more runs over the middle innings. He allowed one run on four hits over 4 2/3 innings, striking out nine batters.

“Allsup gave us a chance today,” Thompson said. “That’s a couple of outings where he threw the ball really well. He’s had control and command. He’s absolutely grown as a pitcher. He’s hung in there. I’m glad to see him have success. He persevered and was rewarded today.”

Auburn baseball moves to 22-24 on the season, 4-20 in SEC play. The Tigers will travel to Atlanta on Tuesday to face Georgia Tech for its final non-conference game of the season. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT.

Check out the highlights from Sunday’s win here.

Auburn sticking with same weekend rotation for third straight week

Auburn baseball will once again try to capture its first SEC weekend series win of the year when the Tigers host the Ole Miss Rebels at Plainsman Park.

Auburn baseball will once again try to capture its first SEC weekend series win of the year when the Tigers host the Ole Miss Rebels at Plainsman Park. If there were ever a time for [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag]’s team to grab a series “W”, this would be it, as the Rebels come in with just a 5-10 road record and 23-21 record overall.

Although the Tigers haven’t won either of their last two series, it hasn’t been because of the starting pitching. Auburn’s weekend rotation has pitched to an above-average 3.85 earned run average over the past two weekends. That stat, along with Auburn’s newfound competitiveness in recent games, may be why coach Thompson has opted to throw Sophomore [autotag]Dylan Watts[/autotag] (0-2), senior [autotag]Tanner Bauman[/autotag] (2-2), and junior [autotag]Carson Myers [/autotag] back into the action this weekend against Ole Miss.

Watts will once again open up the series for the Auburn staff. The young right-hander wasn’t fantastic last weekend against LSU, but he was certainly very good. Auburn’s newest pitching weapon went the deepest he had in any game this season last Friday, throwing 5 2/3 innings of 2-run ball. Watts was dominant throughout the night but allowed 2 solo home runs in the 4th and the 5th in an otherwise brilliant 9 strikeout performance.

Seasoned veteran Tanner Bauman is in line to start for the second-straight Saturday after throwing 4 1/3 solid innings of 2-run ball last weekend. The senior is lefty tied a season-high with 5 punch outs on the afternoon, although I’m sure he would have traded a few of those for quicker outs to get him through 5 innings. He’ll hope to last long enough to qualify for his third win of the season this time out.

In a strange ironic twist, Auburn’s only win last weekend came when the Tigers best and most consistent pitcher, Carson Myers, had one of his worst outings of the season. The UAB transfer lasted just 4 innings against LSU last Sunday, allowing 4 runs (all earned) on 5 hits and a walk. He struck out just 1. Myers may have a chance to take the bump in a rubber game this Sunday. If he gets the chance, the left-hander will need to be better.

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Auburn announces weekend rotation for series against LSU

Despite falling in all three weekend contests last weekend against the Mississippi State Bulldogs, Auburn head coach Butch Thompson has opted to stick with the same trio of pitchers for this weekend’s series against LSU.

Despite falling in all three weekend contests last weekend against the Mississippi State Bulldogs, Auburn head coach Butch Thompson has opted to stick with the same trio of pitchers for this weekend’s series against LSU.

While the Tigers did lose the trio of games, the pitching staff wasn’t the main issue. Sophomore [autotag]Dylan Watts[/autotag] (0-1), senior [autotag]Tanner Bauman[/autotag] (2-2), and junior [autotag]Carson Myers [/autotag] along with a sleuth of relievers gave up 15 runs over the three losses. Over half of the runs given up did come in the series opener, however.

The sophomore Watts gets the Friday nod for a second straight week after a fairly good start to open the series last weekend. Watts pitched the deepest he had into a game this season, tossing 4 innings of 2-run ball before the Auburn bullpen imploded in an 8-1 loss. While the start was solid, the Washington State native did allow 5 base hits while just striking out 1 bulldog over his 4 innings of work. He’ll look to miss more bats against an LSU lineup that has scored at least 6 runs over its last three games.

Left-hander Tanner Bauman will once again take over on Saturday. The senior had a nearly identitical start to that of Dylan Watts last weekend but lasted 2/3 of an inning less. Bauman allowed 2 runs and six hits over 3 1/3 innings on the mound. He struck out 2 and walked 1. Unfortunately for the senior and his team, he was charged with the loss after any hope of an Auburn late comeback was flushed by rain in the 7th inning.

Junior southpaw Carson Meyers makes his team-leading sixth weekend series start to finish things off on Sunday. The UAB trasnfer has been the bright spot in an otherwise forgetful season for Auburn, as his latest 6-inning, 1-run outing dropped his season ERA down to a very respectable 3.72. Meyers also missed bats frequently last Sunday, striking out 5 Bulldogs in the loss. The 5 punch-outs were the most Meyers has accumulated since his opening start of the season against Eastern Kentucky.

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Auburn announces weekend rotation for series against Mississippi State

This weekend, sophomore Dylan Watts, senior Tanner Bauman, and junior Carson Myers will get the call against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. 

Auburn baseball’s 2024 season has been nothing short of tumultuous, with the Tigers struggling to pick up any kind of momentum since the pre-SEC schedule ended in mid-February. That rockiness has caused head coach Butch Thompson to consistently tinker with his weekend rotation, as we’ve Auburn throw out different combinations in almost every SEC series thus far.

This weekend, sophomore [autotag]Dylan Watts[/autotag], senior [autotag]Tanner Bauman[/autotag], and junior [autotag]Carson Myers [/autotag] will get the call against the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Watts earns the Friday nod after pitching exclusively in relief since his season debut in late February against UAB. The Washington State native has yet to throw more than 2 2/3 innings in a game this year but does own an impressive 19:2 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 16.2 innings pitched this season. His 5.94 era is high, but the sophomore could have a decent chance to slice it down with a longer outing.

Senior southpaw Tanner Bauman will toe the rubber on Saturday for the Tigers in an interesting move from Thompson. Bauman had a very solid outing against No. 5 Kentucky last Saturday, navigating his way through 4 innings of 1-run ball. Bauman’s second-straight inclusion in the weekend rotation isn’t surprising, but Thompson’s decision to pitch fellow left-hander Carson Myers directly behind him is.

The junior Myers has spent plenty of time in high leverage situations for the Tigers this season. After a mid-season scuttle, Myers has settled in as Auburn’s most reliable pitcher, most notably giving up just 4 runs over his last 12 SEC innings pitched.

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Recap: Offensive surge propels Auburn to game one win over Tennessee

An offensive party in the 1st and 2nd innings propelled Auburn baseball to a game one win over the Tennessee Volunteers on Friday

After getting swept in its last series against Texas A&M, Auburn baseball looked to bounce back in SEC play, returning home to begin a three-game series with the No. 4 Tennessee Volunteers on Friday.

Game one at Plainsman Park proved to be a great start in that effort, as the Tigers put on a phenomenal offensive showing in the first couple of innings to defeat Tennessee, 9-5.

Worries set in early in the top of the 1st, though. Christian Moore led the game off with a double for the Volunteers. After he advanced to third on a wild pitch, Blake Burke hit a double of his own to score Moore, giving Tony Vitello’s squad a 1-0 lead.

Kavares Tears came up later in the inning to continue the fun, smashing a two-run home run to give Tennessee an early 3-0 lead, something Auburn did not need to see.

However, after two outs in the bottom of the 1st, [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag] got a hold of a pitch and sent it over the wall for a solo blast, cutting the score to 3-1.

Back-to-back singles by [autotag]Cooper McMurray[/autotag] and [autotag]Bobby Peirce[/autotag] set [autotag]Christian Hall[/autotag] up to hit a single of his own, scoring McMurray.

The fun was not finished there. [autotag]Cade Belyeu[/autotag] joined the party with a three-run home run, turning what was a three-run deficit into a 5-3 lead for the Tigers.

That lead would not last for long, though, as in the top of the 2nd, Moore came back to the plate for the Volunteers after a single by Cal Stark and hit a two-run home run over the center field fence. The game was once again tied, this time at 5-5.

After a leadoff strikeout to begin the bottom of the 2nd, [autotag]Mason Maners[/autotag] doubled to right field before [autotag]Cooper Weiss[/autotag] singled on a bunt to the third base side. This led to a single by Irish that brought in Maners, giving the lead back to Auburn.

After a McMurray walk to load the bases, Peirce reached on a fielder’s choice that scored Weiss. Hall came up immediately after a singled through the left side, scoring Irish and giving the Tigers an 8-5 advantage.

Nobody scored again until the bottom of the 6th. With runners on the corners and one out, McMurray hit a sacrifice fly to center field that scored the ninth run of the game for Auburn, making it 9-5 and ending the scoring overall.

The Tigers closed out Tennessee without any scoring threats being made to secure the game one victory.

[autotag]Carson Myers[/autotag] got the win in relief for Auburn, improving to 2-2 on the season. He pitched 3.2 innings on the mound, giving up no runs on three hits, striking out four and walking three.

AJ Causey picked up the loss for the Volunteers, dropping to 5-2 on the year. He only pitched 1.1 innings, giving up eight runs on eights hits. He struck out four hitters as well.

The Tigers will take the field for game two on Saturday with the hopes of winning their first conference series of the year. First pitch for that contest is set for 3:30 p.m. CST and will be broadcast on SEC Network+.

Recap: Auburn fails to keep up with Vanderbilt, drops Saturday contest

No. 10 Vanderbilt’s bats told the story Saturday as they blew by Auburn to earn the series win.

In game one between No. 19 Auburn and No. 10 Vanderbilt on Friday, the Tigers had a rough time trying to slow down the Commodores bats, thus falling, 11-1.

Saturday’s game provided the same storyline, as the Commodores did most of its damage in the middle innings to run away with a 13-5 series-clinching win over Auburn at Hawkins Field in Nashville, Tennessee.

Vanderbilt’s bats were the headline again on Saturday, as they collected 13 runs on 17 hits. Eight of 11 Vanderbilt batters recorded at least one RBI and six of those batters recorded multiple hits. Auburn head coach Butch Thompson says that Vanderbilt’s plate success has been the difference in the series.

“They’re a handful at the plate, and we’re doing everything we can. They’re absolutely having a little bit tougher at-bats, but at the same time I think our guys are absolutely competing,” Thompson said postgame. “The difference has been their at-bats are just a tick better up and down the lineup. They linked up with two outs and made us pay.”

Auburn built momentum early on by scoring two runs in the top of the 1st inning. [autotag]Cooper Weiss[/autotag] scored on a fielding error before [autotag]Cooper McMurray[/autotag] drove home [autotag]Bobby Peirce[/autotag] with an RBI double.

Momentum was quickly taken away in the bottom half thanks to a three-run inning by the Commodores. The inning was headlined by a leadoff home run by RJ Austin to cut the Tigers’ lead to 2-1.

Both teams traded blows in the 4th inning before Vanderbilt rattled off seven runs over the 5th and 6th innings. Auburn scored two runs in the 7th inning to cut the deficit to 11-5, but Vanderbilt would deliver the final blow in the 8th inning to secure the win.

Auburn recorded eight hits in the game, with [autotag]Javon Hernandez[/autotag] and Cooper McMurray each recording two a piece. McMurray led the team in RBI with two thanks to an RBI double and a solo home run in the 4th inning.

[autotag]Carson Myers[/autotag] took the loss for Auburn after he allowed four earned runs and six hits in 3 1/3 innings. [autotag]John Armstrong[/autotag] closed out the 4th inning by walking two batters and allowing one hit. He also struck out two batters in his 2/3 inning effort.

The Tigers will look to salvage a game in the series on Sunday by facing Vanderbilt at at 1 p.m. CT in Nashville.

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Austin Peay powers through Auburn, forces Sunday rubber match

The No. 20 Tigers will look to bounce back Sunday after allowing 15 runs on 16 hits to Austin Peay in game two of the weekend series.

The No. 20 Auburn Tigers gave up 15 runs on 16 hits to Austin Peay on Saturday. It did not help matters that the Tigers committed seven errors in the effort. Head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] was less than pleased with his squad’s performance.

“I think the feeling going through that one, I think that’s the worst game I have been a part of as the head coach at Auburn,” Thompson said postgame. “I’ll take ownership of that. It was pretty lethargic. Pretty rough outing by our guys. It all started on the mound and give all the credit to their guy. I really think, in seven innings, we had one real swing and that was (Cooper) Weiss.”

Both teams traded blows in the first inning by hitting a multi-RBI home run each. However, Austin Peay controlled the game by scoring consistently and scoring seven runs over the final two innings to secure a 15-6 win over the Tigers on Saturday afternoon at Plainsman Park.

[autotag]Cooper Weiss[/autotag] put the Tigers on the board in the bottom of the 1st inning by hitting a two-run home run to cut into the Governors’ lead, 3-2. After that, Austin Peay scored eight unanswered runs before Auburn found the plate again. The Governors scored eight runs on three RBi doubles, two RBI singles, and a home run.

[autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag] ended the streak by hitting a two-run home run in the 8th inning to cut Austin Peay’s lead to 11-4. The Governors would not back down, as they would score four more runs in the top of the 9th inning to secure the win. Auburn scored two more runs in their half of the inning, but it would not be enough to complete the comeback effort.

Auburn used seven pitchers in the game, with starter [autotag]Carson Myers[/autotag] taking the loss after giving up four earned runs on seven hits through three innings of work. Auburn’s pitching staff struck out 10 batters on Saturday, with [autotag]Dylan Watts[/autotag] leading the way with four. [autotag]Parker Carlson[/autotag] was the lone pitcher to not allow a run in 1 1/3 innings of work.

At the plate, Weiss was the lone player to record multiple hits. He and Irish led the team in RBI with two.

“It’s a quick flush and you have to get right back out here and try to win a series tomorrow,” Thompson said. “We need to be interested in getting back out here and competing tomorrow.”

The Tigers look to win the series over Austin Peay on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT.

Runs Hits Errors LOB
Austin Peay 15 16 1 15
No. 20 Auburn 6 8 7 6

WP: Devine (3-0) | LP: Myers (1-1)

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Auburn earns series win over UConn thanks to sweet swings from Irish, Fabian

The duo of Deric Fabian and Ike Irish combined to hit three home runs and score seven RBI in No. 22 Auburn’s series-clinching win over UConn on Sunday.

The concept of a “sophomore slump” is foreign to Auburn catcher [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag].

Irish earned Freshman All-America honors from four publications, as well as a spot on the SEC All-Freshman team after hitting .361 with six home runs and 50 RBI. This season, he is on track to break those numbers.

Irish also has the “clutch factor” working in his favor, as he crushed two home runs in No. 22 Auburn’s 8-2 series-clinching win over UConn on Sunday at Plainsman Park in Auburn. Irish delivered the final four runs of the game for Auburn by hitting a two-run shot to right field in the 6th inning to extend Auburn’s lead to 6-2 and capped the scoring in the 8th inning by crushing another two-run home run over the Huskies bullpen to push the lead to 8-2.

Joining Irish on the home run trail Sunday was [autotag]Deric Fabian[/autotag], who hit a home run over the left field monster in the 1st inning to put Auburn on the board. The long ball traveled 412 feet and gave Auburn an early 3-0 lead. The only run that Auburn scored that did not involve Irish or Fabian occured the bottom of the 6th inning on a UConn error. Irish hit his first home run of the day just two at-bats later.

[autotag]Carson Myers[/autotag] was strong in his second start at Plainsman Park by allowing just three hits over four innings of work. [autotag]Cam Tilly[/autotag] was credited with the win as he struck out two batters and allowed three hits on four innings of relief. [autotag]Will Cannon[/autotag] tossed the final inning, striking out a batter.

Auburn improves to 9-2 on the season while UConn falls to 3-6. The Tigers welcome Air Force to Plainsman Park this upcoming week for a two-game midweek set beginning Tuesday at 6 p.m. CT.

Runs Hits Errors LOB
UConn 2 7 2 10
No. 22 Auburn 8 12 0 7

WP- Cam Tilly (2-0) | LP- Stephen Quigley (0-2)

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