Tag: Carson skipper

Baltimore Orioles agree to terms with Trace Bright

Contract details have emerged for RHP Trace Bright and the Baltimore Orioles.

Another key piece of Auburn’s rotation is officially going pro.

Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline has reported that the Baltimore Orioles have agreed to terms with their fifth-round selection, Auburn RHP [autotag]Trace Bright[/autotag].

Bright, who recorded 17 starts for Auburn in 2022, was taken with the 137th overall selection and has signed a contract worth $400,000, which is below slot value, but still considered a pretty hefty payday.

The Montgomery product ends his three-year stint at Auburn with an ERA of 6.01 in 139.1 innings of work. He struck out 149 batters and issued just 63 walks in 40 total appearances, posting a 10-9 record.

In 2022, Bright got the nod in 17 weekend games, and making one additional appearance as a reliever. In 18 appearances, Bright struck out 94 batters while issuing just 38 walks. His longest outing of the season was 6.0 innings, which he accomplished in three straight starts in nonconference weekend action.

His best outing came in the Auburn Regional against Southeastern Louisiana, where he struck out ten batters in Auburn’s 19-7 win over the Lions at Plainsman Park. Bright also got the start against Stanford in the College World Series, where he struck out eight batters in five innings of work in Auburn’s lone win in Omaha.

Bright becomes the fifth draft pick from Auburn to sign with an MLB Organization. Details have yet to emerge for [autotag]Brody Moore[/autotag] (517th overall pick by Cardinals), [autotag]Hayden Mullins[/autotag] (369th pick by Red Sox), and [autotag]Carson Skipper[/autotag] (326th pick by Rockies). It is expected that all three will sign with their respective organizations.

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A look at Auburn Baseball’s top prospects ahead of MLB Draft

Six Tigers are among College Baseball’s top 150 draft-eligible prospects according to D1Baseball.com

Auburn’s unexpected run to the College World Series in 2022 had its perks, which included added exposure for members of the team.

Due to their success, Auburn baseball’s top batters, fielders, and pitchers were able to show their talents to fans far and wide as well as Major League Baseball scouts.

Ahead of the 2022 MLB Draft, D1Baseball released their picks for the top 150 draft-eligible college prospects, where six Tigers were listed.

Auburn’s top prospects are headlined by pitchers, beginning with the SEC’s save leader, [autotag]Blake Burkhalter[/autotag].

Burkhalter struck out 71 batters over 46.1 innings of work, and went on to record 16 saves in 2022. Next are weekend starters [autotag]Trace Bright[/autotag] and [autotag]Mason Barnett[/autotag], followed by reliver [autotag]Carson Skipper[/autotag].

Both position players to make the list made an impact at the plate, as they finished the season sitting atop the team’s batting average leaderboard. In his first season after transferring from Samford, Sonny DiChiara led Auburn in three major categories… home runs (22), RBI (59), and average (.383). Not far behind him was [autotag]Blake Rambusch[/autotag], who stole 16 bases and recorded a .327 average.

All six players have a great shot to hear their names called during the MLB Draft that is set to begin Sunday, July 17. Where do they stack up against College Baseball’s best prospects? Here is where the top Tigers are listed according to D1Baseball’s top 150 list:

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’s Carson Skipper named to NCBWA Stopper of the Year watch list

Auburn baseball’s Carson Skipper has been named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year watch list.

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Two appearances. Two innings. Zero runs.

That is what Auburn closer Carson Skipper has done so far for the 5-0 Tigers and his name is being recognized now for his work.

On Thursday, it was announced that Skipper, a junior from Trussville, Ala, has been named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year watch list.

From the press release:

It marks the fourth straight season an Auburn pitcher has been named to the watch list – Calvin Coker (2018), Cody Greenhill (2019, 2020).

Dating back to last season, the Trussville, Alabama, native has turned in a 0.90 ERA in eight appearances and 10.0 innings. He has allowed six hits and issued three walks with 13 strikeouts during the span.

The Tigers travel to Texas this weekend to play Oklahoma, Baylor and Texas A&M.