D1Baseball includes three Auburn players in Top 150 MLB draft college prospects rankings

These three players had great careers on the Plains. Now, it is time to take their talents to the next level.

The 2023 MLB draft is on deck, and three Auburn players will have the chance to take their talents to the next level.

Ahead of the MLB draft, which will take place July 9-11, D1Baseball has constructed a list of the top 150 college players that have the best chance to hear their names called during the draft. Among those 150, three of Auburn’s most talented players are included.

Infielders [autotag]Cole Foster[/autotag] and [autotag]Bryson Ware[/autotag] and pitcher [autotag]Joseph Gonzalez[/autotag] are all on D1Baseball’s top 150 MLB draft prospects rankings. Foster and Ware had incredible seasons for the Tigers in 2023, while Gonzalez was limited due to injury setbacks.

Foster starts the list by checking in at No. 43 in the rankings. Foster has a career average of .305 with 22 home runs and 97 RBI. The 2023 season was his best at the plate, where he was fourth on the team in average with .336, third on the team in hits with 75, and was one of three players to hit ten-or-more home runs by smashing 13. His 49 RBI were also tied for fourth-best on the team with [autotag]Cooper McMurray[/autotag].

Pitcher Joseph Gonzalez is next at No. 92. Gonzalez was expected to be the Tigers’ ace on the mound this season, but setbacks due to a nagging shoulder injury kept him away from the team for the majority of the season. He has a 10-7 record with an ERA of 4.08 in 37 appearances. His sophomore season in 2022 saw him record 54 strikeouts and allowed just 28 earned runs in 15 games, with 14 starts. This season, he pitched just one game, which was a winning decision against Indiana on Feb. 18. He tossed 5.0 innings of shutout baseball, where he allowed just one hit.

Finally, Auburn’s all-time single-season home runs leader rounds out the list at No. 105. Ware crushed 24 home runs this season, breaking [autotag]Hunter Morris[/autotag]’ previous record of 23 back in 2010. Ware also led the team RBI (63), and slugging percentage (.731). He was second in average (.350) and hits (78) behind freshman [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag].

Foster and Gonzalez have at least one more season of eligibility remaining. So if they are not pleased with their draft selection, they have the chance to return to Auburn for one more season. Other players of note that may get the chance to turn pro are pitcher [autotag]Tommy Vail[/autotag], as well as outfielders [autotag]Justin Kirby[/autotag], [autotag]Kason Howell[/autotag], and [autotag]Bobby Peirce[/autotag].

[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 Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

Auburn drops midweek contest to Troy

The Tigers drop their first home midweek contest of the year to an in-state foe.

Despite scoring six runs in the bottom of the first inning, the Auburn Tigers (23-17-1, 7-11 SEC) fell 8-7 at the hands of the Troy Trojans (29-13) at home in Plainsman Park Tuesday night.

“We just couldn’t do enough,” head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] said. “That’s a good ball club. That’s a team with an RPI higher than ours and doing good in their league. We couldn’t muster enough on the mound to be competitive at home.”

[autotag]Hayden Murphy[/autotag] got the start for Auburn and allowed five runs off of five hits, walked two batters, and struck two out in two innings of work. [autotag]Parker Carlson[/autotag] ended up with the loss in 3.1 innings of work that saw two runs off of one hit, three batters walked and three struck out.

Noah Manning earned the win for Troy in 4.1 innings of work in which he held the Tigers scoreless, only allowed three hits, walked one batter, and struck two out.

The Trojans had two two-run homers in the top of the second inning to cut the deficit to one. They tacked three more runs on in the top of the sixth inning to take a two-run lead.

The Tigers put across one more in the bottom of the seventh inning when [autotag]Justin Kirby[/autotag] hit a sac fly to right field to bring home Kason Howell.

Auburn will be back in action this weekend against the South Carolina Gamecocks on the road. First pitch is set for 6:00 p.m. CDT on Friday, 3:00 p.m. CDT on Saturday, and 11:30 a.m. CDT on Sunday. The first two games will be broadcasted on SEC Network+ and the final game will be on SEC Network.

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 Daniel on Twitter @DanielJLocke

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyzb4ahnasj2m3 player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=]

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

Auburn falls apart in eighth inning, gets crushed 24-7 by Georgia

The Bulldogs scored 16 runs in the eighth inning to put the game away.

Auburn once again erased an early lead Saturday against the Georgia Bulldogs but unlike the first two games of the series, the Bulldogs kept adding on and crushed the Tigers 24-7 in Plainsman Park.

Auburn (6-7-1, 2-4 SEC) trailed just 8-7 entering the eighth inning but the pitching staff came unraveled, surrendering eight hits and issuing eight free passes as the Bulldogs scored 16 runs to take command of the game and end any chances of Auburn completing their third straight comeback win.

Charlie Condon walked to lead off the inning and scored after consecutive singles by Parks Harber and Corey Collins to make it 9-7. A four-pitch walk to Will David loaded the bases with nobody out.

A second-straight walk brought another run home before Mason LaPlante broke the game up with a two-RBI single to make it 12-7. They kept adding on as their next eight batters reached safely to make it 20-7.

Auburn needed to cut the deficit to under 10 in the bottom of the eighth inning to prevent a run-rule loss but was unable to do so.

For the third time in the series, Auburn fell behind early. This time Georgia did their damage at the top of the first. Ben Anderson led the game off with a double and scored two batters later when Condon singled him home.

Harber gave them some breathing room next when he belted a two-run homer over the left field wall to give them an early 3-0 lead. Connor Tate opened the third inning with a solo home run to make it a 4-0 game.

After the next three Bulldog hitters reached base to load the bases with one out, [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] replaced freshman starter [autotag]Zach Crotchfelt[/autotag] with [autotag]Christian Hernandez[/autotag]. The right-hander struck out Sebastian Murillo but walked Cole Wagner to give the Bulldogs a 5-0 lead.

Auburn started chipping away in the bottom of the inning with a two-out rally. [autotag]Bryson Ware[/autotag] got things started with a single before [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag] was hit by a pitch. After Georgia failed to get Ware out in a rundown, [autotag]Justin Kirby[/autotag] hit a shallow blooper into right field to score Ware and make it a 5-1 game.

The Tigers got another run back in the fourth after [autotag]Nate LaRue[/autotag] walked and advanced on a wild pitch and scored on a single by [autotag]Caden Green[/autotag]. Kason Howell kept the rally going with a bunt single but Auburn was unable to get another run across and left two more runners stranded.

The Bulldogs struck again when Parks led the fifth inning off with a double and David singled him home to make it a 6-2 lead. Thompson once again went to his bullpen after that, this time calling for Parker Carlson.

Georgia once again loaded the bases after an error by [autotag]Bryson Ware[/autotag] and Carlson walked a batter. The Bulldogs took advantage of the opportunity with a two-RBI single by LaPlante to make it 8-2 and break the game open.

The Tigers chased Georgia starter Liam Sullivan in the fifth inning after Kirby singled and Bobby Pierce reached on an infield single. Cooper McMurray entered as a pinch hitter and smoked a double to right field to make it 8-4 and get Auburn back in the game.

Auburn’s offense caught fire in the sixth inning. Howell walked to start the inning and Cole Foster doubled to bring Ware up with two runners in scoring position and nobody out. Ware smashed his 11th homer of the season to left center to make it an 8-7 game and seize the momentum for Auburn.

It would not last as the Bulldogs went on to score 16 runs in the eighth inning and prevent Auburn from sweeping the series.

Auburn baseball takes Georgia series with another impressive comeback

For the second game in a row, Auburn erased a three-run Georgia lead to steal a victory.

The Auburn Tigers earned their first SEC series win of the season by taking game two of the series with Georgia with a striking resemblance to how they won the series opener.

On Thursday, Georgia led 6-3 heading to the bottom half of the 9th inning. Auburn would tie the game on a two-RBI double by [autotag]Bryson Ware[/autotag] and an error that allowed him to score several at-bats later. Auburn would then seal the win in the 11th inning when [autotag]Carter Wright[/autotag] was walked on four pitches with the bases loaded, giving the Tigers the 7-6 advantage.

In Friday’s middle game, Georgia jumped out to a 3-0 advantage through five innings before Auburn, yet again, erased the deficit to collect a win. Ike Irish scored three of the Tigers’ runs, and Justin Kirby added three more on a home run to left field in the 6th inning to give Auburn the 6-3 win over Georgia, which clinched the series at Plainsman Park.

“I thought it was a tall order tonight. I thought some things would have to go our way because you have a real, like game one SEC starter (Georgia starting pitcher Jaden Woods) going for them tonight even though it’s game two,” head coach Butch Thompson said following his team’s win over Georgia. “Any way you slice it, that’s a top-10 offense that you are facing. I thought that combination made this one really challenging.”

The Bulldogs struck first in the top of the 2nd inning when Cole Wagner was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, giving the Bulldogs the 1-0 lead. Bulldog power hitter Charlie Condon doubled the lead on a solo shot to dead-center field in the 3rd inning to move Georgia ahead, 2-0.

After the home run, Auburn starter [autotag]Tanner Bauman[/autotag] walked the ensuing batter on four pitches, which caused head coach Butch Thompson to make a pitching change. [autotag]Chase Allsup[/autotag] was called upon and ended the inning by striking out Sebastian Murillo to end the inning.

Allsup held Georgia in check until the 5th inning when a hit that just fell shy of [autotag]Justin Kirby[/autotag]’s glove in right field, as well as an error, led the Bulldogs to score another run, extending their lead to 3-0. He would exit in the 6th inning after allowing one hit and striking out a batter in 2.2 innings of work.

Auburn was able to erase the no-hit effort of Georgia’s Jaden Woods in the bottom of the inning when freshman [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag] hit his first collegiate home run over the monster in left field to cut into the Bulldog’s lead, 3-1.

Irish would score Auburn’s second run of the game on a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded in the 6th inning. Auburn would then take the lead on the very next at-bat when Justin Kirby cranked his eighth home run of the season over the left field wall. The three-run shot put Auburn ahead, 5-3.

Momentum rushed to Auburn’s side of the top of the 7th inning when Georgia’s Corey Collins failed to touch home plate after a Sebastian Murillo single that would have trimmed Auburn’s lead to 5-4. After review, it was determined that Collins never touched the plate, and was tagged out while trying to correct the effort.

From that moment on, Auburn collected three hits and a run while holding Georgia to two hits.

Irish and Kirby paced the team in RBI, scoring three runs each. The Tigers recorded eight hits in the game, with [autotag]Caden Green[/autotag] being the only player to record two. John Armstrong earned the win on the mound. He went 2.2 innings and allowed five hits, zero earned runs, and zero walks.

Game three of the series between Auburn and Georgia is set for 2 p.m. CT at Plainsman Park and will be streamed live on SEC Network+.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyzb4ahnasj2m3 player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=]

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

Auburn walks it off in series opener with Georgia

Auburn trailed Georgia by three runs heading to the 9th inning, but a walk-off walk in the 11th inning sealed the come-from-behind win.

It took 11 innings, but it all came down to a walk in the Auburn Tigers series-opening 7-6 win over the Georgia Bulldogs.

“I didn’t ask for a lot this week,” head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] said following the game. “I just asked for these guys to kind of connect with one another. I asked the guys what it really means to stay in the fight and to keep punching back. We thought we took more punches than we really delivered last week. That ninth is a good symbol of hanging around and staying in there.”

[autotag]Tommy Vail[/autotag] got the start for Auburn. He pitched five innings, allowing four runs on seven hits, walking two batters and striking out seven. [autotag]Will Cannon[/autotag] ended up with the win, pitching the final three innings. He allowed one run off of one hit, walked two batters and struck out three.

Kolten Smith got the start for Georgia. He tossed 3.1 innings, allowing one run off of two hits. Kyle Greenler ended up with the loss for the Bulldogs in 0.2 innings of work, allowing one run off of two hits and walking two batters, one of them being [autotag]Carter Wright[/autotag] to end the game.

Georgia took a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning. [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag] got the scoring started for Auburn in the bottom of that inning with a double that scored [autotag]Cole Foster[/autotag]. [autotag]Connor Green[/autotag] tacked on another run for the Tigers in the fifth inning with a solo shot to left field.

Georgia added another run in the top of the sixth inning. [autotag]Bryson Ware[/autotag] hit a solo home run in the bottom of that inning to bring the Tigers within one.

The Bulldogs added on two more runs in the top of the ninth inning to extend their lead to three. Auburn refused to go down quietly, however. Ware doubled down the right-field line to score Foster and [autotag]Kason Howell[/autotag]. [autotag]Justin Kirby[/autotag] reached on an error that allowed Ware to score.

The next run came in the bottom of the 11th inning when Wright was walked, allowing Irish to score.

Auburn will be back in action tomorrow night for the second game of the series. First pitch is set for 6:00 p.m. CT.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyzb4ahnasj2m3 player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=]

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

Extra inning walk off seals comeback win for Auburn baseball

Auburn stormed back to win Tuesday’s game over Georgia Tech in 12 innings after trailing 7-0 in the 3rd inning.

Auburn baseball proved Tuesday night what it has proven all season long… they refuse to quit.

After trailing 7-0 to Georgia Tech heading into their half of the 3rd inning in Tuesday’s contest, the Tigers outscored the Yellow Jackets 12-4 over the ensuing 9.5 innings to walk off with a 12-11 win at Plainsman Park.

The Tigers scored five runs in the bottom of the 6th inning to tie Georgia Tech, 11-11, with the score remaining that way until the bottom of the 12th inning with two down. Auburn’s [autotag]Justin Kirby[/autotag] led off the inning by reaching base on a walk and was sent home by an unlikely hero in [autotag]Brody Wortham[/autotag]. The transfer from West Georgia who pinch hit for [autotag]Josh Hall[/autotag] in the inning earned his “welcome to Auburn” moment by delivering a single to right field to score Kirby from 2nd base to seal the win.

“I took one pitch to kind of just get a feel because I had been over on the sideline for a while, but I was looking for something middle-away and got a fastball on the outer half,” Wortham said of his game-winning hit. “As soon as it hit the bat, I knew it was through and I knew Kirby was scoring, no doubt.”

The walk-off win was Auburn’s second of the season, the first coming against Lipscomb on March 4, which coincidentally was also a 12-11 win by Auburn. The win ahead of a crucial SEC-opening series at Arkansas speaks volumes to the Tigers’ identity.

“It speaks to how resilient our offense is. Honestly, even our pitching staff,” Kirby said of Auburn’s comeback win. “The last four or five innings we got some really big zeros, and that was huge. It just speaks to how resilient this team is. We have a lot of fight, and you can’t really teach that.”

The marathon game ended with 23 total runs, 42 hits, and it took 4 hours and 33 minutes to complete. Seven Tigers recorded multiple hits, and Kirby led the way with four. Kirby also led the team in RBI with three while Josh Hall and Gavin Miller added two to the total.

Auburn will now focus on Fayetteville, Arkansas, where they will travel for their first SEC series of the season. Game one between Auburn and Arkansas is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on Friday at Baum-Walker Stadium.

[mm-video type=video id=01gvgd32wa42tkbhxwa9 playlist_id=none player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gvgd32wa42tkbhxwa9/01gvgd32wa42tkbhxwa9-e473a56f6162a062d094e5c9f59ada50.jpg]

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

Auburn baseball ‘responds’ with come-from-behind win at Jax State

Cole Foster led the Tigers offensively with four hits in Auburn’s first true road win of the year.

For the second straight day, Auburn got into a tight defensive battle with an in-state foe. However, what made Wednesday’s game at Jax State different from Tuesday’s win over UAB on Tuesday was that Auburn needed to come from behind to get the win.

Trailing 1-0 heading to the 7th inning, a trio of hits from the top half of Auburn’s lineup made way for four runs to score. Two more insurance runs in the 9th inning would be enough to escape Jacksonville with a 6-3 win at Rudy Abbott Field.

“We responded. I thought that was the difference there in the ballgame,” head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] said following Wednesday’s game. “It’s neat to play some of these closer games and having to come from behind. Some teams can only win one way. I think we’re at least learning or gaining a little confidence that we can win more than one way.”

Both teams were held scoreless through the first five innings before Jax State broke open the tie by posting a run in their half of the 6th inning. The Gamecocks led off the inning with a base runner due to an error by Tiger shortstop Cole Foster. That run scored two at-bats later on a right-field double by Mason Maners to put Jax State up, 1-0.

Auburn responded by delivering a punch in the form of a four-run top of the 7th inning with two outs. Foster tied the game on a single to left field to score [autotag]Caden Green[/autotag] from third base. [autotag]Justin Kirby[/autotag] would give Auburn the lead on a ground-rule double that scored [autotag]Mike Bello[/autotag]. Finally, [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag] gave the Tigers added insurance on a two-run double to left field that scored Kirby and Foster to give Auburn the 4-1 lead.

Auburn added two more runs in the top of the 9th inning when [autotag]Chris Stanfield[/autotag] plated two on a single to left field to extend Auburn’s lead to 6-1. Those two runs would be considered the game’s most important for Auburn, as the Gamecocks fired back by scoring two runs in the bottom of the ninth to cut Auburn’s lead to 6-3.

It would be the second night in a row that Auburn allowed their opponent to bring the tying run to the plate, but [autotag]Will Cannon[/autotag] struck out Maners to close the game.

Three Tigers recorded multiple hits in the game, with Foster leading the way with a 4-for-4 night. Freshmen Stanfield and Irish each had two hits and two RBI. Starting pitcher [autotag]Konnor Copeland[/autotag] pitched five innings of two-hit baseball, striking out six batters. [autotag]Chase Isbell[/autotag] earned the win by allowing one hit in 1.0 innings of work, making way for Cannon to earn his third save of the season.

Auburn will welcome Southeastern Louisiana to Plainsman Park to begin a three-game series with the Lions on Friday at 6 p.m. CT. Southeastern is currently 9-4, and most recently won a midweek contest at Alabama A&M, 14-0 on Wednesday.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyzb4ahnasj2m3 player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=]

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

Auburn baseball vs. Lipscomb: How to watch/stream this weekend’s series at Plainsman Park

Auburn baseball looks to continue its’ offensive hot streak this weekend against Lipscomb.

Auburn baseball plays Lipscomb this weekend for a three-game series at Plainsman Park, and if you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place.

Auburn baseball (6-1-1) looks to continue its recent hot streak this weekend as they welcome Lipscomb (5-3) to Plainsman Park.

Auburn put on an offensive clinic in Wednesday’s midweek action against Florida A&M. An 11-run first inning was enough to allow Auburn to coast to an 18-8 run-rule victory. Cole Foster, Cooper McMurray, and Justin Kirby each had three RBI in the win. Tommy Vail struck out six batters in four innings of work on the mound.

The Tigers are hitting exceptionally well this season as they enter the series with a .342 average. [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag] and [autotag]Bryson Ware[/autotag] have been leading the way as they have 34 hits between them. [autotag]Justin Kirby[/autotag] has hit six home runs, which is ironically the total of hits he has on the season.

The pitching rotation will see the usual Friday starter as [autotag]Tanner Bauman[/autotag] gets the nod. However, [autotag]Christian Herberholz[/autotag] will get the Saturday start for the second weekend in a row while [autotag]Joseph Gonzalez[/autotag] continues to nurse an injury. Freshman [autotag]Zach Crotchfelt[/autotag] will get his first weekend start of the season by taking the mound on Sunday.

Below, you will find everything you need to know ahead of this weekend’s series between Auburn and Lipscomb, including a broadcast guide, projected lineup, and the pitching rotation.

Baseball Roundup: Auburn takes two (and a half) from Southern California

A series that had an anomalous beginning ends in a peculiar fashion.

Auburn baseball’s most recent series with USC began in an unforeseen fashion as the series that was originally planned to be played in Los Angeles had to be moved to Auburn due to inclement weather in Southern California.

It would only make sense for the series to have a bizarre finale.

In Sunday’s closer, USC jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the 1st inning before Auburn rattled off eight unanswered runs to take an 8-4 lead into the 4th inning before the Trojans tied the game again in the 5th.

The Tigers would then gain another comfortable lead on a [autotag]Justin Kirby[/autotag] grand slam in the 5th inning. His second home run of the day pushed Auburn to a 12-8 advantage. USC tied the game again over the next three innings, which set up an entertaining final inning.

USC’s Connor Clift appeared to send the winning run home in the bottom of the 9th on a base hit to left field that sent Carson Wells home from 2nd base. However, Auburn appealed the decision, stating that Wells never touched the plate. After a brief officiating conference, it was determined that Wells, in fact, did not touch home plate, thus wiping the run off the scoreboard.

Due to the Sunday travel rule, the series finale ended in a 12-12 tie, which put a cap on a wild, yet amusing series where Auburn won two games.

“A lot of strengths in our ball club to not lose a game this weekend in a great series, but something is definitely unsettling,” head coach Butch Thompson said after Sunday’s game.

Auburn did take care of business by winning two out of three over another power five club in USC. A four-run 4th inning in Friday’s game propelled the Tigers to a 5-3 series-opening win, and a solid return punch in Saturday’s game gave Auburn the 12-2 series-clinching win. After trailing 3-0 through three innings, the Tigers scored eight unanswered runs over the following three innings to take control of the game.

Auburn closes the week by going 3-0-1, which improves their record to 5-1-1 on the young season. Here is a look back at this weekend’s top performers from the USC series at Plainsman Park.

RELATED: Photo Gallery: Auburn baseball handles USC to clinch series

Behind Enemy Lines: Auburn-USC Baseball preview with Matt Zemek of Trojans Wire

Get to know this weekend’s opponent, USC, ahead of this weekend’s series at Plainsman Park.

Auburn Baseball received a gift of sorts on Tuesday night, as it was announced that their upcoming weekend series with USC will now be played at Plainsman Park after an inclement weather forecast forced the series to change venues from Dedeaux Field in Los Angeles as originally planned.

Sure, there is disappointment that the Tigers will have to wait another season to visit sunny Southern California, but it does help that they will play their second-straight Power Five opponent in front of the home crowd.

The Tigers opened the season by winning two-of-three games over Indiana last weekend at Plainsman Park behind great plate appearances by newcomers [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag] and [autotag]Justin Kirby[/autotag]. Auburn’s hot streak continued on Tuesday night as the Tigers defeated North Alabama, 13-1 in seven innings at Toyota Field in Madison.

The Trojans enter the weekend with a mirrored 3-1 record after sweeping Marist last weekend and falling to UC-Irvine in midweek action on Tuesday. USC got similar results on the mound as Auburn did last weekend by recording outs without many strikeouts. First baseman Nick Lopez has also shown power at the plate for the Trojans.

What else do we need to know about USC before this weekend’s series? We called on Matt Zemek of Trojans Wire to help us out.

Zemek talks about last weekend’s series against Marist, the importance of Nick Lopez, and just how important this series is to the 12-time national champions. Without further delay, here is the latest edition of Behind Enemy Lines with Matt Zemek of Trojans Wire.