Tag: Grant Dayton

Former Auburn pitcher Grant Dayton retires from baseball

Dayton saw Major League action with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves over his five-year career.

Former Auburn pitcher [autotag]Grant Dayton [/autotag] has announced his retirement from professional baseball after a career that spanned 12 years.

The Huntsville, Alabama native played five seasons at the Major League level. He was a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2016-2017 and of the Atlanta Braves from 2019-2021. The left-hander’s career ERA is 3.43 with 119 strikeouts to 39 walks in 102.1 innings of work.

His best season came in his rookie campaign when he struck out 39 batters in 26.1 innings for the Dodgers in 2016. He saw the highest number of innings in 2020 when he tossed 27.1 innings for the Braves.

Dayton played for Auburn from 2008-2010 and recorded a 4.66 ERA with 217 strikeouts to 49 walks in 249 innings of action. He struck out 79 batters during his freshman season in 2008 and would strike out 69 batters in his sophomore and junior seasons.

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Scott Foxhall returns to Auburn baseball staff

Foxhall previously served as Auburn’s pitching coach and recruiting coordinator from 2009-14.

Auburn baseball head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] has welcomed an old friend of the program back for his second stint.

[autotag]Scott Foxhall[/autotag], who served as Auburn’s pitching coach and recruiting coordinator from 2009-14, has returned to the Plains. He will serve as the Director of Player Development, taking the place of [autotag]Aaron Everett[/autotag] following his departure to serve as Jax State’s pitching coach.

During his initial tenure, Foxhall worked with the likes of [autotag]Grant Dayton[/autotag], [autotag]Cole Nelson[/autotag], [autotag]Derek Varnadore[/autotag], [autotag]Jon Luke Jacobs[/autotag], [autotag]Conner Kendrick[/autotag], [autotag]Keegan Thompson[/autotag], and [autotag]Dillon Ortman[/autotag], all of whom struck out 60-or-more batters under his watch.

“Scott Foxhall brings an abundance of experience to our player development position,” Thompson said in a press release. “His recruiting connections span across the country and his familiarity with Auburn will allow him to hit the ground running. A large number of former Auburn players and baseball supporters who love our program are going to be excited to see Scott and his amazing family back on The Plains.”

He comes to Auburn after most recently spending the last five seasons as Mississippi State’s pitching coach. During the Bulldogs’ College World Series championship season in 2021, three pitchers struck out 100-plus batters under Foxhall’s direction. Landon Sims posted an ERA of 1.44 while striking out 100 batters. The Bulldogs’ ace that season, Will Bednar, struck out 139 batters while walking just 26 batters in 92.1 innings.

According to the press release from Auburn Athletics, Foxhall will be responsible for assisting the coaching staff in the overall development of the student-athletes, from assisting with practice plans and scouting reports to reviewing analytical data and overseeing the academic progress of the program. He will also play a large role in on-campus recruiting.

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Former Auburn players set to open up the 2022 MLB season

MLB season is almost upon us, a look at which former Auburn Tigers are preparing for the 2022 season.

The NCAA has crowned its new men’s basketball team and college baseball is in full swing with conference play. That means it is baseball time in America when it comes to Major League Baseball.

There are plenty of former Auburn Tigers looking to take to the diamond in hopes of leading their team to the pennant and a shot at a World Series championship. One such player is former Auburn slugger [autotag]Josh Donaldson[/autotag]. He was recently dealt from the Minnesota Twins to the New York Yankees. Perhaps he can get a rin with the Bronx Bombers.

There are a total of seven former Tigers projected to be on opening day rosters as the season opens on Thursday.

Auburn Wire breaks down the group of Tigers in the pros.

Auburn baseball: Five former Tigers set for MLB postseason

Five former Auburn players in Garrett Cooper, Grant Dayton, Josh Donaldson, Josh Palacios and David Ross are one step closer to winning the World Series after making the MLB postseason.

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Five former Auburn players in Garrett Cooper, Grant Dayton, Josh Donaldson, Josh Palacios and David Ross are one step closer to winning the World Series after making the MLB postseason.

Dayton recently won his second straight NL East championship with the Atlanta Braves, who are set to open postseason play against the Cincinnati Reds Wednesday at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN. Dayton turned in a career year with the Braves, going 2-1 with a 2.30 ERA in 18 appearances.

Cooper and the Miami Marlins, making the team’s first postseason appearance since 2003, will face off with Ross and the NL Central champion Chicago Cubs Wednesday at 1 p.m. on ABC. Cooper hit .283 with six home runs and 20 RBI in 34 games and is set to make his postseason debut.

Ross led the Cubs to the organization’s first NL Central title since 2017 in his first season as the manager.

Donaldson and the AL Central champion Minnesota Twins kick off the postseason by taking on the Houston Astros Tuesday at 1 p.m. on ABC. Donaldson is not on the Twins’ Wild Card roster due to injury but is a member of the team’s taxi squad.

Palacios and the Toronto Blue Jays take on the AL East champion Tampa Bay Rays Tuesday at 4 p.m. on TBS. Palacios, who was added to Toronto’s taxi squad Sept. 17, is not included on Toronto’s Wild Card roster but is a part of the team’s postseason player pool.