Cooper McMurray – Syndication Server

Cooper McMurray returning for another season on the Plains

Auburn will keep one of its key sluggers in its 2025 lineup with the return of Cooper McMurray.

Auburn baseball is continuing to fill out its roster for the 2025 season after a 2024 campaign that was less than desired. With so many moves happening throughout the program, roster spots are starting to fill up quickly.

A player that will have one of those spots is first baseman [autotag]Cooper McMurray[/autotag], who announced that he is returning to the Plains for another year on Saturday.

McMurray finished up his second season with the Tigers as one of the team’s most reliable hitters. He posted a .296 batting average that was filled with 14 home runs and 56 RBI.

Out of the 53 hits he picked up, 27 of them went for extra bases. He racked up a career-high 13 doubles within that, hoping to continue with his power next season.

McMurray knows he wants to help this team out as one of the veteran leaders in the lineup, which is why he came back for another round.

“After going through last season, all I want to do is win and help this university progress in the baseball world,” McMurray said in an interview with Auburn Live. “We’ve been to Omaha, but last season left a bad taste in my mouth. I want to be able to go back at it and end the career in the postseason and hopefully with a national championship for this university.”

Over the course of his college career, almost all of the McMurray’s hitting statistics have only increased, something that the Tigers and head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] have been pleased with.

Now, it is all about pushing that trend across the team, something McMurray really wants to do in the 2025 season.

“I’m hard on myself. I’m going to set some high goals for myself and the team,” McMurray said. “I’ll be one of the older guys on the team and it’s my responsibility to help lead the guys. I want to develop myself personally on and off the field. It’s important to have that balance. Coach Thompson does a great job, he’s a builder of young men and I wouldn’t want to play
for anyone else.”

McMurray now looks to have a good enough season to earn a high draft stock in the 2025 MLB Draft after the conclusion of next season.

See ya’ll at Plainsman Park in 2025! #WDE pic.twitter.com/zxrjh4z6JQ

— Cooper McMurray (@CoopMc9) July 13, 2024

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Belyeu, Irish grab postseason All-SEC honors

A pair of young Auburn sluggers were recognized by the SEC for the efforts on the diamond this season.

The SEC has released its baseball awards for the 2024 season, and two young Auburn sluggers are among the recipients.

[autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag] and [autotag]Cade Belyeu[/autotag] were instrumental in producing runs this season for Auburn by combining to hit 22 home runs and score 79 runs for Auburn. Because of their efforts, Irish and Belyeu earned All-SEC honors, the SEC announced Monday.

Irish earned first-team All-SEC honors by avoiding the dreaded “sophomore slump.” He hit for a team-leading .319 average with 59 RBI and tied [autotag]Cooper McMurray[/autotag] for the team lead in home runs with 14. Irish played three positions for the Tigers this season: catcher, right field, and designated hitter. As a catcher, Irish threw out nine runners, which was third-best in the SEC.

According to Auburn athletics, Irish became the fourth-fastest player in program history this season to reach 100 career hits, doing so in 68 career games. He joins [autotag]Scott Pratt[/autotag], [autotag]Todd Faulkner[/autotag], and [autotag]Tim Hudson[/autotag] by reaching the feat in less than 70 games. He grabs a first-team nod as a designated hitter, becoming the first Auburn DH to grab a first-team spot since [autotag]Sonny DiChiara[/autotag] in 2022.

Belyeu, a native of Auburn, took home All-SEC Freshman glory after hitting .284 with eight home runs and 20 RBI in 38 games with 26 starts. He did most of his damage in the last month of the season by hitting five home runs and scoring 10 runs over his final eight games. Out of his eight home runs, six were against SEC pitching.

Georgia‘s Charlie Condon earned SEC Player of the Year while Hagen Smith of Arkansas took home SEC’s Pitcher of the Year and Nick Mingione of Kentucky was named SEC Coach of the Year.

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Recap: Auburn defense shuts down Alabama in game one

Auburn baseball took down Alabama in game one of the “Iron Bowl of Baseball” thanks to great defense and a late home run

Auburn baseball is wrapping its season up with the hopes up ending a rough 2024 season on a high note. The Tigers take on the Alabama Crimson Tide in the “Iron Bowl of Baseball” in a rivalry series that sees both sides as motivated as ever.

Auburn used its motivation to its advantage, taking down the Crimson Tide in a 4-2 defensive duel on Thursday night.

Despite this, the Tigers got the action going early in the bottom of the 1st. [autotag]Chris Stanfield[/autotag] led the frame off with a walk before [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag] singled through the left side of the field. This set up [autotag]Cooper Weiss[/autotag] to reach on a fielder’s choice which saw Irish be thrown out at second base.

[autotag]Cooper McMurray[/autotag] followed this up with a sacrifice fly to left field deep enough to score Stanfield, putting Auburn on the board first.

Things continued into the 3rd inning for the Tigers. With Irish and McMurray on second and third, Caden Green reached on his own fielder’s choice to score Irish. This put Auburn up 2-0 early on its rivals.

Alabama answered back in the top of the 4th, though. Gage Miller stepped up with two runners on and two outs to hit a single into left center. This scored Mac Guscette to make it a 2-1 game.

The Tigers got that run back a couple of innings later. After Green hit a double down the left field line to begin the hitting, [autotag]Deric Fabian[/autotag] hit a double of his own to right field later in the inning, scoring Green and restoring the two-run lead in the 6th.

This lead was only alive for a short time. In the top of the 7th, William Hamiter hit a single through the left side to score Mason Swinney from third, making it a one-run contest for the Crimson Tide.

As the game got into the late stages, though, Auburn continued to realize what this rivalry means to the program, so it made a big move.

In the bottom of the 8th following two straight outs to lead things off, [autotag]Cade Belyeu[/autotag] hit a deep home run to right center, moving the lead to two runs and securing this win for the Tigers and sending the fans home happy.

Senior [autotag]Tanner Bauman[/autotag] got the win on Senior Night, recording one of his best outings of the year. He pitched six full innings and giving up two runs on five hits. He also struck out eight and walked three.

Greg Farone took the loss for Alabama, dropping to 4-3 on the season. He worked for 5.2 innings, giving up three runs on six hits. He posted three strikeouts and two walks in the process.

Auburn now has the opportunity to take the series over its archrivals on Friday night in game two. First pitch in that game is set for 6 p.m. CST and will be broadcast on SEC Network+.

Recap: Auburn’s SEC Tournament hopes are dashed with Friday loss at Missouri

Auburn dropped the series opener to Missouri on Friday despite having a comfortable lead in the late stages.

The tough hits keep coming for Auburn baseball.

Auburn held an 11-6 lead over Missouri in the 7th inning of Friday’s series opener. Then, as has been the case for most of the SEC slate, Auburn’s luck ran out in the final innings. Missouri rattled off six unanswered runs over the final two innings to stun Auburn and claim the first game of the weekend series, 12-11, on Friday night at Taylor Stadium in Columbia, Missouri.

Each team traded blows through the first six innings with Missouri hanging on to a 6-5 lead. Auburn caught momentum in the 7th inning by scoring six runs to build a comfortable 11-6 lead. [autotag]Eric Guevara[/autotag] kicked off the inning by scoring two runs on a double, with [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag] following suit later in the inning with a three-run triple. [autotag]Cooper McMurray[/autotag] capped scoring by grounding out to the shortstop which allowed Irish to score.

Auburn’s momentum was taken away immediately as Missouri scored twice in the bottom frame and stole the lead in the 8th inning by scoring four runs. Missouri’s final blow was delivered by Matt Garcia, when he doubled home three runs to push his team ahead, 12-11.

Irish led the team in hits with three. [autotag]Chris Stanfield[/autotag], [autotag]Caden Green[/autotag], and Eric Guevara each recorded multiple hits. On the mound, [autotag]Parker Carlson[/autotag] took the loss after allowing four runs on five hits. Starter [autotag]Tanner Bauman[/autotag] allowed three runs on four hits while striking out three batters in four innings of work.

Game two of the weekend series between Auburn and Missouri is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT Saturday.

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Recap: Auburn crushes Florida A&M in final midweek home game of season

Nine players recorded hits while Chase Allsup found his groove on the mound in Auburn’s win over the Rattlers.

Auburn baseball bounced back from a sweep at Mississippi State over the weekend by taking down Florida A&M in midweek action.

Nine Auburn players recorded at least one hit while pitcher [autotag]Chase Allsup[/autotag] found his groove on the mound in Auburn’s 11-1, seven-inning win over the Ratters on Tuesday at Plainsman Park in Auburn.

Allsup, who is a usual piece of the weekend rotation, earned the start in Tuesday’s win. He put together a solid outing by allowing one earned run on two hits while walking one and striking out eight over five innings. [autotag]Cam Tilly[/autotag] shut the door by throwing two perfect innings, striking out four batters.

“Their stuff was absolutely set today,” Auburn head coach Butch Thompson said of Auburn’s pitching performance on Tuesday. “I know it’s different sometimes on a Tuesday than it is on the weekend, but I think their stuff set will play competitively on the weekend like what we’ve been used to in the past. They were good. That is why they got out there today is to keep trying to find, develop and get your stuff set, and they both accomplished that.”

Allsup has seen his share of struggles this season, as he entered Tuesday’s contest with a 1-3 record and a 7.46 ERA. He has worked to improve over the last several weeks and was rewarded with a solid midweek showing.

“The biggest thing we’ve been working on in bullpens is balancing the ball on both sides of the plate,” Allsup said postgame. “That’s been a really challenging thing so far, and to be able to come out here and produce like we were wanting is a really big thing.”

Auburn broke the game open in the 3rd inning by posting eight runs on five hits. Following a balk to put the Tigers up, 1-0, [autotag]Kaleb Freeman[/autotag], [autotag]Cooper Weiss[/autotag], and [autotag]Cooper McMurray[/autotag] each scored runs on RBI doubles while [autotag]Caden Green[/autotag] scored one run on a single.

Auburn added insurance in the final two innings. [autotag]Chris Stanfield[/autotag] hit a sacrifice fly that was deep enough to score Freeman from 3rd base in the 6th inning. Auburn’s final two runs came across the plate in the 7th inning on a solo home run by [autotag]Christian Hall[/autotag] and an RBI single by [autotag]Eric Guevara[/autotag].

Auburn hits the road this weekend to face LSU at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge. Game one of the SEC series will begin Friday at 6:30 p.m. CT.

Recap: Auburn baseball drops doubleheader, gets swept in Starkville

Auburn’s baseball struggles continued in Starkville on Sunday, when the Tigers lost both ends of a doubleheader with Mississippi State.

Auburn baseball is entering crunch time as the end of the regular season draws near, trying to find answers to its struggles and make a run towards qualifying for the SEC Tournament in Hoover.

Unfortunately, those deficits were not able to be overcome, as the Tigers dropped both halves of a doubleheader with Mississippi State on Sunday, losing 3-1 and 4-3.

The first of the two contests was a pitcher’s duel until about the 4th inning. That is when the scoreless tie was broken and things got going.

Connor Hujsak led the inning off with a single into left field and advanced to second later in the inning with a Logan Kohler walk.

That set up Ethan Pulliam to single through the left side of the field, scoring Hujsak and putting the Bulldogs on the board.

After a strikeout recorded the second out, Armani Larry stepped up to the plate and also singled through the left side of the field, plating Kohler after an eventual error was made. Mississippi State had the 2-0 advantage.

Auburn attempted to answer back in the top of the 5th, as [autotag]Kaleb Freeman[/autotag] started the inning off with a solo home run over the right field wall, cutting the score to 2-1.

The final bit of scoring came in the bottom of the 6th with some two-out magic from the Bulldogs. After a David Mershon walk and a Dakota Jordan single, Hunter Hines singled through the right side to bring home the third Mississippi State run and eventually secure the win, 3-1.

The second of the two matches was filled with late drama, but early scoring.

With one runner on and two outs in the bottom of the 2nd inning, Kohler singled through the left side to score the first run of the game for the Bulldogs, putting them up 1-0.

Things started looking up for the Tigers in the top of the 4th. [autotag]Christian Hall[/autotag] began the frame with a single through the left side. [autotag]Cooper McMurray[/autotag] and [autotag]Cade Belyeu[/autotag] followed that up with back-to-back walks, loading the bases with no outs.

[autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag] drew a walk right after this to score Auburn’s first run, which then set up [autotag]Carter Wright[/autotag] to hit into a fielder’s choice and put the Tigers in the lead at 2-1.

After a Freeman walk eventually loaded the bases up again later in the inning, [autotag]Eric Guevara[/autotag] reached on a fielder’s choice to second base, scoring Belyeu and making the score 3-1.

Nobody scored again until the 7th, which is when the Tigers’ pitching woes started to show up once again.

After two singles began Mississippi State’s final chance to tie the game back up, Kohler came in clutch once again, doubling to right center and clearing the bases. The Bulldogs had suddenly come back and tied the game up 3-3.

That sent the game into extra innings, and Auburn could not capitalize in the top of the 8th.

With runners on first and second with two outs in the bottom half of the inning, Hujsak singled into left field, scoring in the game-winning run and securing the sweep for Mississippi State.

[autotag]Tanner Bauman[/autotag] picked up the loss in game one, dropping to 2-2 on the year. He pitched for 3.1 innings, giving up two runs on six hits, while striking out two and walking one.

[autotag]Christian Herberholz[/autotag] got the loss in the second game after his appearance in the 8th. He pitched 0.2 innings, giving up the one run on two hits while intentionally walking one.

Jurrangelo Cijntje picked up the first win for the Bulldogs with his 6.2 innings of work. He gave up one run on three hits, while striking out five and walking three.

Tyson Hardin got the win in game two, pitching two full innings. His phenomenal outing saw him give up no runs and no hits, while striking out five Tiger hitters.

Auburn now falls to 19-20 on the season and 2-16 in the SEC. Time is officially running out for [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag]’s team as they prepare to do battle with Florida A&M on Tuesday. First pitch for that game is set for 3 p.m. CST at Plainsman Park.

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+.

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 baseball takes down UAB in Birmingham

Although Auburn is just 1-8 in SEC play to start the baseball season, the Tigers continued rolling in the non-conference on Wednesday.

Although Auburn is just 1-8 in SEC play to start the baseball season, the Tigers continued rolling in the non-conference on Wednesday by taking down the UAB Blazers 10-4 at Regions Park in Birmingham.

Auburn starting pitcher [autotag]Christian Herberholz[/autotag] (1-1) got the ball for the third straight mid-week game but struggled through 2 2/3 innings, allowing 4 runs on 5 hits in the contest.

The Tigers bullpen faired much better, as [autotag]Parker Carlson[/autotag], [autotag]Alex Petrovic[/autotag], [autotag]Zach Crotchfelt[/autotag], and [autotag]Hayden Murphy[/autotag] combined for 6 1/3 innings of 1-hit ball. Petrovic, Crotchfelt, and Murphy allowed just one base runner over the game’s final 5 frames.

On the offensive side, Auburn exploded for 10+ runs for the second non-conference game in a row. Infielder [autotag]Cooper McMurray[/autotag] and senior captain [autotag]Bobby Peirce[/autotag] happened to be the stars of the night. After Cooper Weiss drove in the first Auburn run with a single in the top of the first, McMurray and Peirce combined to drive in 6 of the next 9 Tiger tallies. Both players homered, while McMurray contributed 3 total hits and 3 RBIs.

Peirce had the biggest blast of the game in the sixth inning when he roped a 2-run, go-ahead home run into the seats to give Auburn a 6-5 lead. The 2-run homer was the beginning of a 7-run 8th inning that was bookended by another Pierce RBI single.

Auburn’s mid-week victories have yet to translate into weekend play, but we’ll see if that trend changes when the Tigers welcome No. 4 ranked Tennessee to Plainsman Park on Friday.

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Recap: Auburn takes out weekend frustration on Jacksonville State with 13-3 win

Auburn’s SEC portion of the baseball schedule has not gone well, but the Tigers have continued to play good ball outside of the conference.

The Auburn Tigers have not had a great start to the SEC portion of the baseball schedule. [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag]’s squad had just one victory in six tries against SEC opponents but the Tigers have continued to play good ball outside of the conference.

That trend continued on Tuesday with Auburn hanging a 13-spot on Jacksonville State in a 7-inning, mercy rule, win at Plainsman Park.

Things weren’t all sunshine and rainbows for the Tigers on an overcast evening on the Plains. Senior Christian Herberholz (1-1) started on the bump for the Tigers and was immediately met with turbulence. The senior surrendered a 2-run home run to Gamecocks infielder Caleb Johnson in the opening inning but was able to calm the storm from there, working through four total frames while allowing just one more run. He struck out 7.

Star catcher [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag] was the first Tiger to pounce on Jacksonville State starter Colby Morse with a first inning solo shot. The sophomore now has 8 long balls on the campaign, leading all Tigers.

After things calmed down for the next couple innings, Jacksonville State infielder Brennen Norton drove home the final run of the day for the Gamecocks on an RBI double down the left field line to give JSU a 3-1 lead. From there, it was all Auburn.

Sophomore [autotag]Chris Stanfield[/autotag], senior [autotag]Mason Maners[/autotag], and junior [autotag]Cooper McMurray[/autotag] all provided run home runs around two more RBIs from Ike Irish in a 7-run fourth inning and 5-run fifth.

Auburn’s bullpen shut the door from there, giving the Tigers their fourth mercy rule win of the season. The 13 runs are the most Auburn has scored since March 10. [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] will hope his teams’ bats stay hot with a tough road series against No. 4 ranked Texas A&M on the docket this weekend.

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