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 baseball struggles carry on, loses to Ole Miss

Auburn baseball begins the month of May with a loss to Ole Miss, a win it desperately needed to keep any SEC Tournament hopes alive

Auburn baseball is attempting to fight its way into the SEC Tournament after it has struggled for the entirety of conference play, only winning three games up to this point. The Tigers have to play nearly perfect from here on out, which begins by playing Ole Miss.

Unfortunately, the start to this series did not go as Auburn hoped, as it lost to the Rebels in game one of this set on Friday, 11-7.

The scoring in this game got started early. In the top of the 1st, Ole Miss left fielder Jackson Ross took the first pitch he saw and sent it over the left field wall, putting his team on top 1-0.

The Tigers did not let that early run pass by so easily, though. With two runners on and one out in the bottom of the 2nd, [autotag]Caden Green[/autotag] reached on an error that was able to score in an Auburn run, tying the game up.

This is where the Rebels started to pour on though, as they wanted to put this game to bed quickly. They got two runners on with one out in the top of the 3rd before Ross came back to the plate and doubled down the left field line to score in one.

Andrew Fischer followed this up with a three-run homer to right field, giving Ole Miss a quick 5-1 lead on the road.

The Tigers clawed back in the bottom of the 4th with one out. Green got down the line quickly to complete an infield single to third base, putting two runners on. [autotag]Mason Maners[/autotag] then hit an RBI single and advanced to second base on a throw, putting two runners in scoring position.

Immediately after this, [autotag]Deric Fabian[/autotag] stepped to the plate and hit a ball towards the right side, where an error was made that allowed both runners on base to score, making it a 5-4 game.

The Rebels did not let this last for long. In the top of the 5th, Ross got things going with two outs in the form of a single to center field. Fischer then followed this up with a double down the right field line, putting Ross at third.

This set Will Furniss up to send a deep shot into center field and over the wall for another three-run home run.

Luke Hill kept the party going with a double into right center, before Judd Utermark hit a double right after to score him. This put Ole Miss up 9-4.

The Rebels struck again in the top of the 7th, when with the bases loaded and two outs, Eli Berch took a free pass and brought in the 10th run for his team.

Auburn made a quick answer in the bottom half of the inning. With [autotag]Carter Wright[/autotag] on second, Green came in clutch once again, singling to center field and making it a 10-5 game. However, the Tigers still needed some late heroics to win this.

Ole Miss made those even harder to come by later on. In the top of the 9th, Treyson Hughes rattled off an RBI single to extend the lead back to six runs.

The Tigers did make some noise in their final chance. With two runners on and one out, [autotag]Kaleb Freeman[/autotag], scoring [autotag]Cade Belyeu[/autotag] from second.

[autotag]Christian Hall[/autotag] then walked to load the bases, creating some tension on the field. After a strikeout, [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag] walked to bring in another run for Auburn. That would be all, though, as [autotag]Gavin Miller[/autotag] then struck out to end the game.

[autotag]Dylan Watts[/autotag] was given the loss for the Tigers, dropping to 0-3 on the season. He pitched for three full innings, giving up five runs on six hits, while striking out two and walking one.

Riley Maddox earned the win for the Rebels. He worked for five innings, giving up four runs on eight hits. He also struck out three and walked two.

Auburn has a chance to even the series up in game two on Saturday night. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. CST, and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

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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 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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McMurray’s productive day fuels Auburn’s run-rule win over Wichita State

Cooper McMurray sent home six runs in Auburn’s win over Wichita State

Auburn baseball used a late-inning surge in Friday’s game with No. 20 Iowa to pull off a 7-5 win to open its stay at the Jax College Baseball Classic in Jacksonville, Florida.

Momentum stayed on the side of the Tigers in Saturday’s game with Wichita State as they powered through to knock off the Shockers, 19-8, to move to 2-0 on the weekend.

Auburn (6-0) was bound for greatness from the very beginning of the game. [autotag]Cooper Weiss[/autotag] led off the inning with a double, which paved the way for the next two batters to reach base via base on balls to bring [autotag]Cooper McMurray[/autotag] to the plate. On the first pitch, McMurray smashed a home run to right field to give Auburn a 4-0 advantage before the first out of the game was recorded.

Auburn outscored Wichita State 15-3 through the first four innings, then would add four more runs in the 6th inning to put the run-rule into effect. The Tigers ended with 10 total hits, with McMurray and [autotag]Bobby Peirce[/autotag] each recording two.

What is even more shocking is the number of walks that were issued to Auburn batters. Nine Auburn batters had a base on balls as part of their statline, six of those were walked multiple times. [autotag]Cale Stricklin[/autotag] was walked three times in the game while players such as [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag], [autotag]Javon Hernandez[/autotag], and [autotag]Deric Fabian[/autotag] had two.

[autotag]Joseph Gonzalez[/autotag] picked up his second win of the season after striking out two batters and allowing three earned runs in 4.0 innings of work. [autotag]Zach Crotchfelt[/autotag] led the staff in strikeouts with three in 1 1/3 innings of relief.

Auburn will play one final game in Jacksonville this weekend, a date with No. 11 Virginia on Sunday at 3 p.m. CT. [autotag]Carson Myers[/autotag] will make his second start of the season for the Tigers after earning SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week honors after an eight strikeout day against Eastern Kentucky last Sunday.

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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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Auburn crushes Eastern Kentucky to earn series sweep

Auburn pitchers combined to strike out 14 batters in the Sunday finale.

Auburn baseball closes out opening weekend with another convincing win over Eastern Kentucky.

Auburn pitching limited the Colonels to just three hits in Sunday’s game, and struck out a combined 14 batters in the Tigers’ 9-1 win over Eastern Kentucky, thus completing the sweep.

UAB transfer [autotag]Carson Myers[/autotag] earned his first start as an Auburn Tiger on Sunday and delivered the best weekend performance on the mound. He struck out eight batters over six complete innings of work, allowing just two hits and issuing one walk. Myers’ best inning was his last, as he struck out the side on 12 pitches in the 6th inning.

Myers’ hard work did not go by the wayside once he departed, as [autotag]Christian Herberholz[/autotag] produced similar numbers over the final three innings. He finished the day with six strikeouts while allowing one earned run on one hit with a walk.

As strong as Auburn’s pitching was on Sunday, so was the bottom of the lineup. The combination of [autotag]Cooper Weiss[/autotag], [autotag]Christian Hall[/autotag], and [autotag]Deric Fabian[/autotag] went 7-of-9 at the plate with six RBI and a home run.

Hall extended Auburn’s lead to 3-0 in the 2nd inning with his first home run as a Tiger. Weiss scored the next run by singling home Bobby Peirce in the 3rd inning, and Fabian was responsible for the ensuing three runs over the 3rd and 5th innings.

Ike Irish had another respectable outing at the plate by recording two RBI, which included an RBI triple in the 1st inning to give Auburn and early 1-0 lead.

The Tigers return to action Tuesday to face UAB at Plainsman Park. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.

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Auburn earns season-opening win over Eastern Kentucky in run-rule fashion

Ike Irish records four hits as Auburn crushes Eastern Kentucky to open the season.

Friday’s season opener gave the early impression of an offensive slugfest before Auburn ran away late.

Auburn (1-0) led Eastern Kentucky (0-1), 8-5 through five innings before scoring nine runs over the 6th and 7th innings to put the run-rule into effect. The Tigers outhit the Colonels, 11-7 on its way to 17-6 season-opening win Friday night at Plainsman Park.

A sold out crowd watched Auburn earn its first win of the season, and were entertained early as the Tigers scored seven runs in the first two innings.

A bases-loaded walk put Auburn ahead, 1-0 in the bottom of the first. The walk led to a three-run blast by [autotag]Chris Stanfield[/autotag] to extend the lead to 4-0. Eastern Kentucky answered in the top of the 2nd inning with two home runs to trim Auburn’s lead to 4-3. The Tigers took control of the game again in the 2nd inning with the highlight being [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag]’s two-run single to extend the lead to 7-4.

That single would provide two of the four RBI that Irish produced on Friday, with the final two scores coming off of a tape-measure solo blast in the 4th and a groundout in the 6th to score [autotag]Deric Fabian[/autotag].

Auburn solidified the game over the 6th and 7th innings. A groundout, an error, and two bases-loaded walks led Auburn to a five-run 6th inning. Auburn experienced its fourth bases-loaded walk in the 7th inning, which made way for a three-run double by [autotag]Cooper Weiss[/autotag] to end the game.

Irish led the way in hits with four, and joined Stanfield by recording four RBI in Auburn’s first win of the season. Weiss was next in line with two hits and three RBI. [autotag]Tanner Bauman[/autotag] earned the win in relief by striking out one batter in 1 1/3 innings. Starter [autotag]Chase Allsup[/autotag] went 4 2/3 innings, where he allowed five hits and three earned runs while striking out five batters.

Auburn goes for the series win Saturday. [autotag]Joseph Gonzalez[/autotag] returns to the mound for Auburn, going against Quinton Hall of Eastern Kentucky. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT at Plainsman Park.

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Tigers check in at No. 15 in Perfect Game preseason poll

Auburn is expected to be one of the SEC’s most competitive teams this season.

The 2024 college baseball season is about to begin, and the Auburn Tigers are expected to be one of the SEC’s most competitive teams yet again.

Ahead of the new season, Perfect Game has revealed its preseason top-25 rankings and has included Auburn. This season, the Tigers check in at No. 15, which is one spot below North Carolina and one spot above Iowa.

The SEC is projected to be one of the toughest conferences in the sport this season. Auburn is one of eight teams from the SEC to be included in the top-25 poll from Perfect Game and is considered to be the lowest-ranked.

Arkansas is the highest-ranked SEC squad this season, checking in at No. 2 behind No. 1 Wake Forest. Defending College World Series champion LSU comes in at No. 3 while Florida is close behind at No. 4. Vanderbilt and Texas A&M round out the top 10 at No. 6 and No. 7 respectively.

Tennessee (No. 11) and South Carolina (No. 13) join Auburn in the top 15.

Auburn is poised to return to the College World Series for the third time in five seasons in 2024, and will have plenty of weapons to get them there. The Tigers return several key bats such as [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag], [autotag]Chris Stanfield[/autotag], and [autotag]Cooper McMurray[/autotag]. Pitchers such as [autotag]Christian Herberholz[/autotag], [autotag]Joseph Gonzalez[/autotag], and [autotag]Will Cannon[/autotag] also return to the arsenal, and several exciting transfers such as [autotag]Deric Fabian[/autotag] and [autotag]Christian Hall[/autotag] also join the roster.

The 2024 campaign begins on Friday, Feb. 16 against Eastern Kentucky. First pitch from Plainsman Park for the season opener has yet to be determined.

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Auburn transfer Deric Fabian named Cape Cod Athlete of the Week

He hit .560 with a home run and five RBI over the past week for the Chatham Anglers.

Auburn baseball has already made several key additions from the transfer portal and one of the most exciting is infielder [autotag]Deric Fabian[/autotag], who has the potential to be a dynamic hitter for Auburn.

The former Florida Gator is showing what he can do right now in the Cap Cod League and was just named the Cape Cod League Athlete of the Week by Brad Joyal of the Cape Cod Chronicle.

Fabian went 14-for-25 with a home run, a double, five RBI and nine runs scored for the Chatham Anglers over their last eight games. He is now hitting .404 (19-for-47) in the prestigious summer league and has played well at shortstop.

The Ocala, Florida native sent the past two seasons in Gainesville, hitting .289 with two homers, 10 RBI and nine runs in 38 at-bats last season.

He was named Florida’s Mr. Baseball in 2021 and is exepcetd to compete for Auburn’s starting shortstop role this summer but has experience across the infield.

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