Tag: Conner McBride

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 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.

Butch Thompson issues apology for Auburn baseball’s recent struggles

The Tigers fell to 2-10 in SEC play last weekend by dropping a home series to Tennessee, its’ fourth-straight conference series.

Auburn baseball’s rotten start to SEC play continued over the weekend, as the Tigers dropped two of three games to No. 4 Tennessee at Plainsman Park.

After winning Friday’s opener, the Tigers fell in the final two games in run-rule fashion, being outscored 31-7 in 14 total innings. Allowing plenty of runs to score in SEC play is becoming common, as they have allowed opponents to score 9.4 runs each game, compared to the 5.4 runs they score in each SEC contest.

Following Sunday’s 19-5, seven inning loss to the Volunteers, head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] addressed the team’s recent struggles, especially on the mound. He took the time to apologize to fans and boosters for the team’s recent poor performance in SEC play.

“It’s my responsibility. We have a long way to go in this season. We knew this schedule was going to be a grind and test us. It has been a little more than that, especially on the mound. It’s my responsibility with us not being competitive on the mound or not being able to do some things. I just apologize to all the fans and stakeholders and everybody who loves, cares and supports our program. We’ll get with the guys and force them to figure out solutions and our staff to get better and meet expectations. We’ve worked hard from the time we got here to build something up and we’ve done this together. We’ll continue to try to get this group refocused. I’m intently asking for some ‘figure it out mentality’ from our coaches and players to show us a roadmap of how we can get better.”

The recent setbacks are not due to Thompson’s lack of coaching or scheming. Last weekend, Thompson attempted to shake up Auburn’s weekend pitching rotation by wiping the usual slate of [autotag]Chase Allsup[/autotag], [autotag]Joseph Gonzalez[/autotag], and [autotag]Conner McBride[/autotag] clean and electing to start [autotag]Dylan Watts[/autotag] in Friday’s game before making a game-time decision for Saturday’s and Sunday’s starters.

The plan fell through, as Auburn’s final two starters ([autotag]Conner McBride[/autotag] and [autotag]Will Cannon[/autotag]) combined to pitch three full innings, allowing 11 earned runs on seven hits while walking four batters. The pitching staff collectively boasts a 9.18 ERA against conference foes and allows opposing batters to hit .341 off of them.

As Thompson said, there is plenty of season left to figure things out. The Tigers have six SEC series’ remaining, beginning with No. 16 Kentucky this weekend at Plainsman Park.

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Visiting Vols trounce Auburn, sets up Sunday rubber match

Auburn was limited to three hits in Saturday’s loss to Tennessee.

Auburn baseball opened the weekend series with No. 4 Tennessee by stunning the Vols with great offense in a 9-5 victory.

On Saturday, Tennessee returned the favor.

The Volunteers jumped out to an early 5-0 advantage and never looked back. In all, Tennessee recorded 13 hits in Saturday’s 12-2 run-rule victory over Auburn at Plainsman Park to even up the series.

After a scoreless inning from both squads, Tennessee took control of the game by scoring five runs in the top of the 2nd to take the 5-0 lead. The Volunteers led off the inning with a solo blast by Dalton Bargo to take the early 1-0 lead. After the home run, Tennessee used two walks and an RBI double to set up Christian Moore for a grand slam opportunity. He took advantage, and smashed a home run to right center field.

Auburn nearly avoided the big inning, but a two-out walk set up the grand slam.

“If you want to play that game and flip that lineup and keep getting (Christian) Moore and (Blake) Burke to the plate, you can pay for that, and that definitely happened,” head coach Butch Thompson said postgame. “The way (Drew) Beam pitched today, that was more than he needed, so it was a huge moment in the ballgame.”

Tennessee’s starter, Drew Beam, tossed a complete game gem for the Volunteers by striking out eight batters and allowing just three hits to Tiger batters. His offense provided plenty of cushion as well. Following the five-run 2nd inning, Tennessee scored three more runs in the 3rd and one more in the 4th inning before scoring three total runs over the final two frames to secure the win.

Auburn’s lone runs came in the bottom of the 7th inning when two wild pitches allowed [autotag]Cooper McMurray[/autotag] and [autotag]Chris Stanfield[/autotag] to score. [autotag]Cade Belyeu[/autotag] joined McMurray and Stanfield as the only Tigers to record a hit in the game.

[autotag]Conner McBride[/autotag] got the start for Auburn, and his outing was shortlived as he was pulled following the 1st inning grand slam after allowing five runs on four hits. [autotag]Chase Allsup[/autotag]’s outing was the most notable of the game. He worked 4 2/3 innings, where he struck out four batters and allowed four runs on seven hits. [autotag]Tanner Bauman[/autotag] and [autotag]Ben Schorr[/autotag] also recorded some time on the mound in the loss. As a unit, Auburn pitching gave up six home runs in the contest.

Sunday’s rubber game between the Tigers and Volunteers is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT on Sunday at Plainsman Park. The game will be broadcast live on SEC Network+.

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Recap: Tigers come up short in game one against Texas A&M

In an attempt to build some momentum in SEC play, Auburn baseball falls short in game one in College Station

Auburn baseball has been struggling to start its SEC schedule, constantly trying to find answers to come out of games with victories in order to build its resume. After winning their first conference game in the series finale versus Arkansas last weekend, the Tigers hope to build momentum in this weekend’s series against Texas A&M.

Unfortunately, Auburn (16-9) could not gain any in game one on Thursday, as it fell to the Aggies (23-3) 9-7 at Blue Bell Park.

Texas A&M got the scoring started early in this game in the bottom of the 1st. With one out and one runner on, Stanford transfer Braden Montgomery hit a two-run home run over the right center wall, making it 2-0 in early going.

The Aggies extended the lead in the bottom of the 3rd. After Jace LaViolette doubled and advanced to third later on, Jackson Appel hit a fly ball to left field that was caught, but was deep enough to bring LaViolette in. They were in firm control at 3-0.

That was until the top of the 4th when the Tigers made a massive move to get themselves back in it. [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag] began the inning with an infield single to third base, before two straight outs to follow put Auburn in yet another bad spot.

[autotag]Chris Stanfield[/autotag] eased that worry though when he doubled down the left field line, getting Irish to third. [autotag]Mason Maners[/autotag] came up immediately after and sent a pitch over the left field wall, tying the game up at 3-3.

The bottom of the 4th produced more damage from Texas A&M, as Hayden Schott led the home half off with a home run to right center, putting his team back in front 4-3.

Later in the inning, two back-to-back singles by Gavin Grahovac and LaViolette brought in a run each, giving the Aggies a three-run lead once again at 6-3.

The top of the 6th saw another surge by the Tigers. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Stanfield reached on a fielder’s choice in which Irish scored off of a throwing error. Later on [autotag]Carter Wright[/autotag] reached on his own fielder’s choice hit, where [autotag]Bobby Peirce[/autotag] also scored on an error. The game was once again tied, this time at 6-6.

Texas A&M did not let that last for long though. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the 6th, Appel was hit by a pitch, scoring in a run. Ted Burton then walked on the next at-bat which brought in another run for the Aggies. Schott followed that up with a line drive to right field that was caught, scoring a third A&M runner and making the score 9-6.

Irish attempted to kick start one more push for Auburn in the top of the 7th with a solo home run to right center, but that was all the scoring that would occur for the rest of the game, as the Aggies secured a 9-7 victory.

[autotag]Parker Carlson[/autotag] picked up the loss in relief for the Tigers, dropping to 2-1 on the season. [autotag]Conner McBride[/autotag] was the starter on the mound. He pitched 3.0 innings, giving up six hits and six runs, while striking out three and walking two.

Evan Aschenbeck picked up the win in relief for Texas A&M, improving to 4-0 on the year. He pitched 4.0 innings, giving up one run on two hits while striking out five on the night.

The two squads will meet up again in game two on Friday, where first pitch is set for 6 p.m. CST. [autotag]Chase Allsup[/autotag] is set to start on the hill for Auburn.

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Auburn announces weekend rotation for series vs. Texas A&M

For the first time in three weeks, Auburn head coach Butch Thompson is sticking with the same pitching rotation he did a week ago for the Tigers’ upcoming series against No. 4 Texas A&M.

For the first time in three weeks, Auburn head coach Butch Thompson is sticking with the same pitching rotation he did a week ago for the Tigers’ upcoming series against No. 4 Texas A&M.

[autotag]Conner McBride[/autotag], [autotag]Chase Allsup[/autotag], and [autotag]Joseph Gonzalez[/autotag] will toe the rubber against the Aggies. The former will open the series for the second straight weekend while Gonzalez closes things out on “get-away day” on Sunday.

McBride (3-1) has been a revelation for Butch Thompson’s Tigers this season, pitching to a 2.38 earned run average to lead all Auburn starters. The junior did everything he could to earn a win last Friday against Arkansas, but the Auburn bats weren’t able to help him out in a 1-0 loss at home.

As for Allsup, the junior will start on Saturday for the second consecutive weekend after starting every series openers prior. The Dothan, AL native put together his best start in a while last time out, shoving six innings of 3-run ball in a 6-5 loss.

Joseph Gonzalez ( rounds things out for a second consecutive weekend after missing out on the weekend rotation three weeks ago due to struggles to begin the season. He’ll look to secure back-to-back wins for the first time this season.

 

McBride. Allsup, Gonzalez, and the Tigers open up their series against Texas A&M in College Station on Friday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6 PM central.

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Recap: Pitcher’s duel goes in favor of Arkansas in game one

After dropping all three games in its opening SEC series, Auburn baseball dropped its first home game of conference play to Arkansas.

The Auburn Tigers returned to Plainsman Park on Thursday in search of their first win in SEC play, following its winless performance against Vanderbilt. They would have to do so at the hands of the nation’s top-ranked team in Arkansas, though, so the challenge would be anything but easy.

Auburn (14-7) opened up its series with the Razorbacks (18-2) with a game that was back-and-forth battle between the pitching staffs of both teams. Unfortunately for the Tigers, they finished on the losing end of that fight, 1-0.

That lone run from Arkansas came in the 1st inning. After two quick outs to open the game up, Wehiwa Ahoy blasted a home run over the right field wall. At that point, it seemed as if an offensive battle was going to take place.

The rest of the game was actually anything but.

Auburn had a chance to tie the game up in the 1st with two outs when [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag] made it to scoring position on a wild pitch. [autotag]Cooper McMurray[/autotag] struck out swinging soon after, ending the threat.

The Razorbacks almost extended the lead in the 3rd with runners on second and third with one out. That was when right fielder [autotag]Bobby Peirce[/autotag] caught a fly ball and threw a runner out at the plate to end the top half of the inning.

The Tigers also had a chance to make a run at the lead with runners on second and third in the 4th inning, but nothing resulted of it.

The next big threat came about in the bottom of the 6th when Auburn had the bases loaded and two outs. [autotag]Mason Maners[/autotag] would ground out towards the first base side, keeping the Tigers scoreless.

The rest of the game went pretty quietly, with every out being crucial on both sides. Auburn was never able to make a run, ultimately dropping the contest.

Arkansas ace pitcher Hagen Smith picked up his fourth win on the season. He struck out 12, walked two and gave up three hits in the game.

[autotag]Conner McBride[/autotag] was given the loss. In addition to giving up the lone run, he gave up four hits, struck out four and walked two. He drops to 3-1 on the season.

Auburn’s second game with the Razorbacks is set for Friday, with first pitch being set for 6 p.m. CST.

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Recap: Auburn takes down Air Force 8-4

Recap: Auburn takes down Air Force 8-4

“Hump day” may have started a bit bumpy for Auburn against Air Force, but the Tigers ultimately got the job done at home to secure their 10th win of the season.

The getaway day game may have started early, but the Falcons wasted no time getting the scoring started against Auburn starter [autotag]Conner McBride[/autotag] when first basemen Jay Thomason hit a solo shot in the top half of the first. Unfortunately for Air Force that lead lasted only one inning.

Auburn infielders [autotag]Gavin Miller[/autotag] and [autotag]Cooper Wiess[/autotag] struck back in the bottom of the second off of Falcons starter, and Auburn native, Patrick Davidson. The former tied the game with an RBI single, while the latter blasted a 2-run bomb to give the Tigers their first lead of the afternoon.

Auburn held on from there, largely thanks to McBride cruising through 5 innings of 2 run ball. McBride (2-0) left the game as the pitcher of record on the long side after a home run from [autotag]Deric Fabian[/autotag] and sac fly from [autotag]Christian Hall[/autotag] gave the Tigers a 6-2 lead.

From there, five Tiger arms combined for 4 innings of 2 run ball, while another homer from Fabian and sac fly from star Ike Irish held the Falcons back from scratching their way to a comeback.

The 4-run win improves head coach Butch Thompson’s squad to 10-2 on the season as they prepare for the upcoming weekend series against Austin Peay at Plainsman Park.

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Auburn passes first midweek test, downs UAB at Plainsman Park

The Tigers managed to defeat UAB, 7-2, on Tuesday despite recording just three hits in the contest.

Who says you need a dominating offense to win a baseball game convincingly?

The Auburn Tigers (4-0) earned its first midweek win of the season Tuesday by downing in-state foe UAB (2-2), 7-2, at Plainsman Park. Despite winning by five runs, Auburn only managed to record three hits in the contest.

“You’re usually not sitting here with the result you want if the other team scores first and you get outhit in the ballgame,” Auburn head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] said after the game. “I give the guys some credit for just hanging in there and battling.”

The usual damage pieces in [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag], [autotag]Chris Stanfield[/autotag], and [autotag]Bobby Peirce[/autotag] teamed up to notch one hit each in the stat sheet while the rest of the Tigers’ lineup went 0-14 at the plate.

Auburn’s first official hit came in the top of the 2nd inning when Peirce led off the inning with a single to 3rd base. He later scored in the inning on a bases-loaded walk to [autotag]Javon Hernandez[/autotag], putting the Tigers ahead, 1-0. Irish led off the 3rd inning by hitting a 420-foot home run off the batter’s eye in center field. Irish’s second home run of the season extended Auburn’s lead to 2-0.

Auburn waited three innings to earn its third and final hit of the game when Stanfield opened the 6th inning with a double to right field. [autotag]Deric Fabian[/autotag] grounded out to 2nd base three at-bats later to send Stanfield home.

Auburn pitching made up for the lack of offensive power in the game as six pitchers combined to strike out 11 batters while allowing six hits, three walks, and two earned runs. [autotag]Conner McBride[/autotag] tossed 3.2 innings in his Auburn debut, striking out four batters and allowing two hits. Freshman [autotag]Griffin Graves[/autotag] earned the win by throwing two relief innings and striking out two batters. [autotag]Tanner Bauman[/autotag] struck out the side in one inning of work on 14 total pitches.

The Tigers will now shift its focus to an exciting, yet challenging weekend ahead in Jacksonville, Florida. Auburn will compete in the Jax College Baseball Classic beginning Friday at 5 p.m. CT against the No. 20 Iowa Hawkeyes. Auburn will also face No. 11 Virginia and Wichita State at 121 Financial Ballpark.

Check out these highlights from Tuesday’s win.

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