Tag: Cole Foster

Auburn baseball vs. Eastern Kentucky: How to watch, stream this weekend’s season-opener at Plainsman Park

Auburn’s journey to Omaha begins this weekend at Plainsman Park.

Auburn baseball hosts Eastern Kentucky this weekend to kick off the 2024 season at Plainsman Park. If you are wondering how to watch the action live, you have come to the right place.

The Auburn Tigers are hoping to get back to the College World Series this season, and the best way to do that will be to earn a series win over Eastern Kentucky. To do so, head coach Butch Thompson will need to break in a few newcomers.

Players such as Bobby Peirce and Cooper McMurray return to their usual positions. However, the likes of [autotag]Kason Howell[/autotag], [autotag]Cole Foster[/autotag], and [autotag]Bryson Ware[/autotag] have since departed the program, which will lead to several transfers getting their first chances to prove themselves with their new club.

Another exciting factor for Auburn this season is the return of Joseph Gonzalez to the weekend rotation. Gonzalez, who pitched just one game last season before a shoulder injury sidelined him for the remainder of the season, will pitch in Saturday’s middle game of the series.

Below, you will find everything you need to know for this weekend’s series between Auburn and Eastern Kentucky such as a broadcast guide, ticket prices, and Auburn’s projected starting lineup.

Auburn claims top-25 ranking in Baseball America’s preseason poll

Solid pitching and a great transfer portal haul will make Auburn extremely competitive in 2024.

Auburn baseball is poised for another successful season in 2024.

The Tigers have earned a spot in another preseason poll, this time from Baseball America. The publication has included Auburn in its preseason top 25 by giving them the No. 23 slot.

Auburn will need to replace key pieces such as [autotag]Nate LaRue[/autotag], [autotag]Bryson Ware[/autotag], and [autotag]Cole Foster[/autotag], but has a great returning cast led by [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag], [autotag]Bobby Peirce[/autotag], and [autotag]Chris Stanfield[/autotag]. Pitching-wise, the Tigers will be anchored by [autotag]Joseph Gonzalez[/autotag], who returns from a shoulder injury that sidelined him for most of the 2023 season.

Returning pitching, as well as a solid transfer portal haul, is what will make Auburn competitive this season says Baseball America.

The Tigers must replace a lot offensively, but brought in some exciting players through the transfer portal to bolster the offense. On the mound, Opening Day starter [autotag]Joseph Gonzalez[/autotag] is back and healthy after missing nearly all of last season. If he recaptures his exceptional 2022 form and [autotag]Chase Allsup[/autotag] makes a successful transition to the rotation, watch out for the Tigers.

Auburn is one of eight teams from the SEC that earned a top-25 ranking by Baseball America. Defending College World Series champion LSU is the conference’s highest-ranked team at No. 2 and is followed by Arkansas (No. 3), Florida (No. 4), Vanderbilt (No. 7), and Tennessee (No. 8) in the top 10. Texas A&M and South Carolina also grabbed a preseason ranking at No. 11 and No. 12 respectively.

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Chase Isbell signs deal with Kansas City Royals

Isbell was the lone pitcher from Auburn’s bullpen to be selected in the 2023 MLB Draft.

Three Auburn players, [autotag]Cole Foster[/autotag], [autotag]Bryson Ware[/autotag] and [autotag]Chase Isbell[/autotag], heard their names called in the MLB Draft. One player, [autotag]Nate LaRue[/autotag] was picked up as a free agent.

Additionally, five players who were signed with the Tigers were drafted.

The Royals selected Isbell in the 15th round with the 439th overall pick. Isbell received a signing bonus worth $150,000. Greg Walker of Royals Review believes that Isbell’s command will allow him to find a place in a professional bullpen.

At 6’3”, 210, Isbell served as a power righty out of the Auburn bullpen and frequently worked multiple innings. He has a fastball at 93-96 that he’ll throw at the top of the zone. He pairs that with a tight, late-breaking slider at 86-88. The slider is a true out pitch so with better overall command, Isbell could find a role in a major league bullpen.

In two seasons with the Tigers, Isbell posted a 5.54 ERA, a 4-2 record, two saves and 65 strikeouts to 31 walks in 52 innings of work.

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Bryson Ware signs contract with Philadelphia Phillies

Ware is on the move to professional baseball after hitting a school-record 24 home runs in 2023.

Auburn baseball’s single-season home run leader is moving to professional baseball.

Infielder Bryson Ware was taken with the No. 253 selection of the MLB draft by the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies signed their 10th-round pick to a deal valued at $187,100 which includes a $152,500 signing bonus.

A blog titled Phillies Minor Thoughts says that Ware has intrigue as a prospect, and could be viewed as more than just an organization filler.

Ware struggled his first two years at Auburn after transferring from junior college, but broke out in a big way in 2023. He hit .350/.438/.731 with 24 home runs as a senior. He primarily played third base this season and has played around the diamond. According to Baseball America he posted some top end exit velocities to go with the home run power. The Phillies have not been afraid drafting college players coming off of big years with big exit velocity numbers.

In three seasons with the Tigers, Ware hit .297, scored 125 runs, recorded 135 hits, hit 31 home runs, posted 110 RBI, and stole 14 bases.

Two members of the Auburn baseball team joined Ware in being drafted, [autotag]Cole Foster[/autotag] and [autotag]Chase Isbell[/autotag]. One, [autotag]Nate LaRue[/autotag], signed a free-agent deal after.

Five players signed to the Auburn baseball program were also signed.

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Cole Foster signs contract with San Francisco Giants

Foster will make the move to the Giants organization after agreeing to a deal earlier this week.

Three members of the Auburn baseball team heard their name called and one more was signed through free agency. Additionally, five players who were signed to the Auburn program were drafted.

Infielder [autotag]Cole Foster[/autotag] was selected by the San Francisco Giants with the 85th overall pick in the third round.

The Giants signed the Auburn shortstop to a deal with a $820,900 pick value and a $747,500 signing bonus. Foster could make a move to a full-season league quickly says Melissa Lockard of The Athletic.

A well-rounded player, Foster doesn’t have one standout tool but he’s a good athlete who has power potential from both sides of the plate and enough defensive chops that he will be able to contribute at a few positions in the infield. Holmes noted on Monday that Foster was relatively new to switch-hitting in high school, but that he had grown more comfortable swinging from both sides of the plate over the past three years. Foster has Power 5 conference experience and should be able to jump into a full-season league quickly.

In three seasons with the program, Foster hit .305, scored 102 runs, recorded 128 hits, hit 22 home runs, posted 97 RBI, and stole seven bases.

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Seattle Mariners sign Colt Emerson above slot value

Auburn baseball’s top signee of the 2023 class is bypassing the Plains and heading to the pros.

Auburn baseball had five signees from the 2023 class selected in the MLB draft last week. One of those has chosen the professional route.

The Seattle Mariners agreed to terms with the No. 22 overall selection, infielder [autotag]Colt Emerson[/autotag]. Emerson, Auburn’s top signee of the class, signed a deal with the Mariners for $3.8 million, which is above that slot’s designated value.

The Mariners signing Emerson to a deal above average was expected reported MLB.com.

As expected, the Mariners went over-slot to bring in the high-school bat, who was committed to Auburn University, like they did last year when selecting Cole Young, another lefty-swinging shortstop. An average runner with solid arm strength, Emerson is a steady defender at shortstop but probably will move to a different position in pro ball.

Emerson is the first Auburn signee to sign a deal with a major league club. [autotag]Cole Foster[/autotag] (San Francisco Giants), [autotag]Bryson Ware[/autotag] (Philadelphia Phillies) and [autotag]Chase Isbell[/autotag] (Kansas City Royals) were members of the 2023 roster who were drafted but have not agreed to terms. Each club has until 5 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 25, to come to terms with its draft picks. If a player has exhausted his collegiate eligibility, he can sign at any time up until one week prior to the next year’s draft.

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Nate LaRue signs free agent deal with Toronto Blue Jays

LaRue hit .202 with 13 home runs and 69 RBI in four seasons at Auburn.

Dreams came true for three members of Auburn baseball’s 2023 roster this week, as their names were called during the 2023 Major League Baseball draft.

Infielders [autotag]Cole Foster[/autotag] and [autotag]Bryson Ware[/autotag], as well as pitcher [autotag]Chase Isbell[/autotag], were selected by Major League clubs this week, and a fourth has signed a deal as a free agent.

Following the draft, the Toronto Blue Jays reached an agreement with Auburn catcher [autotag]Nate LaRue[/autotag]. The Blue Jays originally drafted LaRue out of high school in 2019, but LaRue elected to join the Tigers’ baseball program.

In four seasons on the Plains, LaRue hit .202 with 13 home runs and 69 RBI. Behind the plate, he fielded at a .994 clip with just six errors. Over the last two seasons, he appeared in 105 games with 87 starts.

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Kansas City Royals select Chase Isbell in 15th round of MLB draft

Isbell struck out 65 batters over the last two seasons at Auburn, posting a 4-2 record.

The third player of Auburn’s 2023 roster has been selected in the 2023 MLB draft.

A day after infielders [autotag]Cole Foster[/autotag] and [autotag]Bryson Ware[/autotag] were taken by the San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies respectively, right-hander [autotag]Chase Isbell[/autotag] was taken in the 15th round by the Kansas City Royals, ultimately wrapping up Auburn’s selections.

Isbell has been a staple of Auburn’s bullpen since transferring into the program from Samford in 2022. He saw the most action of his Auburn career in 2023 when he appeared in 23 games. He struck out 42 batters over 33.1 innings of work while posting an ERA of 5.34 and a record of 3-1.

Isbell was one of eight Auburn representatives to be selected in the 2023 MLB draft. Joining Isbell, Foster, and Ware, transfer commit Sam Mongelli was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Four signees were also selected: Colt Emerson (Seattle Mariners), Kevin McGonigal (Detroit Tigers), Bjorn Johnson (Milwaukee Brewers), and Dylan Watts (Milwaukee Brewers).

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Dodgers select Auburn transfer in 10th round of MLB draft

Sam Mongelli committed to transfer to Auburn before the MLB draft. Now, he finds himself at a crossroads.

Following a stellar season at Sacred Heart which saw him win Northeast Conference Player of the Year, infielder [autotag]Sam Mongelli[/autotag] decided that he would transfer to Auburn to continue his career within the SEC.

Monday, he was selected in the 10th round by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2023 MLB draft. Now, Mongelli is at a crossroads. Does he begin his professional career? Or does he stay in college and take the chance of boosting his draft stock for next season?

For Auburn’s sake, they hope that he remains a collegiate athlete. His stats are impressive, as he won conference Player of the Year by smashing 20 home runs and plating 54 runs during his senior campaign.

Not only would his plate presence be a contributing factor, but his infield experience would be beneficial as both [autotag]Cole Foster[/autotag] and [autotag]Bryson Ware[/autotag] were also selected in the MLB draft on Tuesday by the San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies respectively. Having an experienced infielder would fill a void left by those two skilled athletes.

The slot value for the 310th overall pick is projected to be $164,600. If negotiations between Mongelli and the Dodgers do not work out, expect Mongelli to join the Tigers roster ahead of fall camp.

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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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