Deric Fabian – Syndication Server

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.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Brian on Twitter @TheRealBHauch

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)

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

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.

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.

Stayed consistent and came out on top. #WarEagle

— Auburn Baseball (@AuburnBaseball) February 21, 2024

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.

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.

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.

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.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=691343809]

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow JD on Twitter @jdmccarthy15

Four Gators enter transfer portal following College World Series

Four more Florida baseball entered the transfer portal on Friday. The Gators have now lost eight players to the portal and gained three.

Although a handful of players had already made their transfer intentions known, four more Florida baseball players entered the portal on Thursday, according to Gators Online. Infielder Deric Fabian, right-handers Clete Hartzog and Tyler Nesbitt, and outfielder Matt Prevesk are all leaving the program.

Fabian might be the most surprising departure. He played in 46 games as a true freshman, including 43 starts alongside his brother, Jud, who is now with the Baltimore Orioles organization. He slashed .218/.321/.329 with four home runs and 22 runs batted in, but the emergence of Cade Kurland at second base left Fabian without a starting spot on the field.

He only made his way into 22 games for Florida this year, including just 10 starts. He slashed .289/.386/.447 with six of his 11 hits coming against the SEC. With Kurland set to return and Alabama transfer third baseman Colby Shelton coming over to the Swamp, it’s smarter for Fabian to see opportunity elsewhere than risk another year on the bench.

All of Fabian’s metrics point toward a second chance with a competitive school. His wRC+ this year was 106 compared to a league average of 100. His batting average on balls in play (BABIP) is .360 and a walk rate of 11.4% is above average.

Nesbitt is leaving the program after four years, but one of those was the COVID season and another was spent recovering from Tommy John surgery. He made 20 appearances for Florida in 2022, striking out 29 batters over 33 1/3 innings with a 4.59 ERA.

He lowered that number to 2.96 over 11 appearances in 2023, including three starts. His metrics suggest some regression since the surgery, but Nesbitt has enough SEC experience to make him an attractive transfer piece.

Hartzog, on the other hand, could struggle to find another Power Five program to take him after a rough showing in Gainesville. Hartzog only logged 6 1/3 innings over seven appearances and gave up enough runs to finish the season with an 8.53 ERA. Most of the damage came against Florida State, and the rest of his action came during midweek games.

Prevesk is another questionable candidate to stay at a similar level. His .286 batting average doesn’t seem too alarming, but his metrics don’t pain a pretty picture. There’s very little patience at the plate (4.4 % walk rate) and his wRC+ of 76 is well below league average at the plate. Defensively, he’ll likely stay in right field but will eventually turn into a designated hitter.

These four join catchers Salvador Alvarez and Rene Lastres, left-hander Carsten Finnvold and right-handers Yoel Tejeda and Anthony Ursitti in the portal. Florida has earned commitments from UCLA right-hander Kelly Austin, Coastal Carolina catcher Tanner Garrison and Alabama infielder Colby Shelton.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1369]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Florida baseball humbled and swept by South Carolina

Well… at least the weekend is over and Florida can reset with UNF on Tuesday. Tough series for the Gators in Columbia against a dominant South Carolina club.

The Florida Gators have held onto the No. 3 spot in the D1Baseball.com rankings for over a month, but a sweep at the hands of No. 6 South Carolina over the weekend should change that.

UF dropped Game 3 of the weekend series, 7-5, on Saturday, following up a 13-3 mercy rule loss and a 5-2 affair on Friday night.

South Carolina jumped on [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] early. Left fielder Dylan Brewer hit a leadoff double and shortstop Braylen Wimmer homered to left. Caglianone struggled with command a bit, but this was more of a case of the Gamecocks hitting the ball well all weekend.

Game three final. #GoGators | Presented by @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/54ENJo4x0F

— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) April 22, 2023

Kevin O’Sullivan got some options warming up in the bullpen, but he didn’t have to go there until the fourth. A leadoff walk ended Caglianone’s day on the mound, and he shifted to designated hitter as [autotag]Cade Fisher[/autotag] came in to pitch.

Fisher gave up a double to Ethan Petry that scored two, making it 5-1 in favor of South Carolina. Jonathan French drove in one more in the bottom of the fifth, right after [autotag]Cade Kurland[/autotag] hit his second home run of the day for the Gators. Fisher struck out six over three innings, and then Sully turned to [autotag]Ryan Slater[/autotag] for the final two frames.

Slater gave up multiple hits in each inning, but South Carolina only managed to add one insurance run between both threats. Florida’s offense finally came alive in the top of the eighth, but two runs weren’t enough to tie up the game. Caglianone and [autotag]Josh Rivera[/autotag] got the RBIs.

The Grand Rivera 💪#GoGators // 📺 https://t.co/s26dMs9mAg pic.twitter.com/JxAS0Ey72N

— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) April 22, 2023

[autotag]Deric Fabian[/autotag] scored as a pinch runner for [autotag]Luke Heyman[/autotag], who singled into center field to start the ninth, but [autotag]Michael Robertson[/autotag] struck out with [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] on deck to end the game.

Florida really struggled to hit South Carolina’s pitching staff this weekend, and starter Matthew Becker kept everyone but Kurland at bay for five innings. James Hicks was strong for his first two innings of relief, and Chris Veach got the save despite a shaky ninth.

There’s no way to sugarcoat a loss like this. Gators Wire predicted a 3-0 sweep from Florida and received the exact opposite result. It’s a reality check for what is still one of the top teams in the nation, but now it’s LSU and South Carolina at the top of the SEC.

Florida could get a chance at redemption in the SEC or NCAA Tournament, but the stakes will be even higher then. Until then, it’s time to shake off a bad weekend and reset with a Tuesday game against North Florida. Following that, Missouri and Texas A&M sandwich a neutral site game against FSU on the schedule, so Florida has a good chance to recover before hosting No. 4 Vanderbilt.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1369]

[mm-video type=video id=01gxxeqq2vhjmccteth4 playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gxxeqq2vhjmccteth4/01gxxeqq2vhjmccteth4-2346b84476bb420195db0f813431176e.jpg]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.