AL Rookie of the Year Gunnar Henderson picks Auburn to win NCAA Tournament

The former Auburn signee still has love for the Tigers.

[autotag]Gunnar Henderson[/autotag] was expected to be a key piece of Auburn baseball’s 2019 signing class, joining signees such as [autotag]Trace Bright[/autotag], [autotag]Mason Barnett[/autotag], and [autotag]Bryson Ware[/autotag]. However, he turned pro after being selected 42nd overall by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2019 MLB draft.

Despite never playing a game at Plainsman Park, Henderson’s love of Auburn athletics has never wavered. His NCAA Tournament bracket can prove it.

Henderson revealed his bracket on Monday, showing surprising picks such as James Madison making the Final Four and Duquesne making the Sweet 16. However, the best pick of all is his choice for national champion… the Auburn Tigers.

Henderson predicts that Auburn, Tennessee, North Carolina, and James Madison will make the trip to Phoenix, Arizona this year for the Final Four, with Auburn taking down SEC-rival Tennessee to win it all.

The Selma native was the top signee of Auburn’s No. 11 signing class for the 2019 recruiting cycle. Outside of being the best player from Alabama that year, he was the nation’s No. 4 shortstop and the No. 19 prospect overall according to Perfect Game.

He made his Major League debut with the Orioles on Sept. 2, 2022, and has racked up 32 home runs and 100 RBI since then, batting .256. Last season, he hit .255 with 28 home runs and drove in 82 runs while fielding over .960 at both third base and shortstop, which led to unanimous American League Rookie of the Year honors.

Do you agree with Henderson’s bracket picks?

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Auburn vs. Indiana: How to watch, stream, listen to this weekend’s series at Plainsman Park

Auburn Baseball kicks off the 2023 campaign with a three-game series against the Indiana Hoosiers at Plainsman Park. Here’s everything you need to know.

Auburn Baseball welcomes Indiana to Plainsman Park this weekend, and if you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place.

Auburn Baseball has had many questions surrounding its’ club heading into the 2023 campaign, which explains the lack of national recognition as Auburn is ranked in just two of the six national polls, with Perfect Game giving the Tigers their highest ranking at No. 17.

Auburn lost five pitchers from last season’s team in the first 12 rounds of the MLB Draft, which include closer [autotag]Blake Burkhalter[/autotag] and weekend starters [autotag]Mason Barnett[/autotag] and [autotag]Trace Bright[/autotag]. The Tigers will be missing some notable power from [autotag]Sonny DiChiara[/autotag] as well.

Even though Auburn has brought in some talent to hopefully fill those needs, head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] still says there are plenty of questions left to answer.

“Even if you do bring in a top 10 class, even if you have five freshmen in the top 100, (there is) still guesswork,” Thompson said Thursday.

Auburn has played many intrasquad scrimmages this winter and has held practices against one another leading up to the season opener. Thompson feels that this weekend’s series against the Hoosiers will erase the guesswork that he and his staff have had to use.

“I’m excited for the season and for our players to play somebody else, the guesswork goes away tomorrow,” Thompson said ahead of Auburn’s series with Indiana. “We will know more come next Monday than we’ve known for months (about) who we are.”

Thompson says that this weekend’s opponent, Indiana, will match up well with his club, and that they have pieces that will truly test his mostly inexperienced squad.

“They have seven of their nine position players back. They have real power, they have an 18-home run guy (Matthew Ellis), a 19-home run guy (Carter Mathison), they have two or three guys that can steal a base if you are not aware of how to stop the run game, or slow it down a bit,” Thompson said. “Big swings if you make cripple pitches and do not get into some good sequencing of quality pitches, you’ll pay for it.”

You will find key information about this weekend’s series below, including a how-to-watch guide featuring links to all three games, a how-to-listen guide, weekend matchups, and a projected starting lineup.

Butch Thompson reveals Auburn’s opening day starter, weekend rotation

This pitcher is set to make his first collegiate start on Friday afternoon when the Tigers open the season against Indiana.

The season-opening series is a great time for a head coach to test several aspects out in order to construct the perfect strategy before SEC play begins in mid-March. Auburn head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag]’s first item on the agenda is finding his perfect weekend rotation.

Auburn returns just one weekend starter from last season’s College World Series squad, [autotag]Joseph Gonzalez[/autotag]. He is expected to be the anchor of the staff, but will not get the opening day start on Friday when the Tigers host Indiana to kick off a three-game series, but instead will be used on Saturday.

“(Gonzalez) threw game three for us on Sundays last year. He seems like the starter, at least in the past because of not having enough starters back, that can go the longest. We might like the second spot anyway,” Thompson said of Gonzalez’s role within the staff.

If Gonzalez’s slot is on Saturday, then who will throw the first pitch of the 2023 season? Thompson will hand the ball to sophomore right-hander, [autotag]Chase Allsup[/autotag].

Allsup was used in a relief role last season. In 23 appearances, Allsup struck out 36 batters and built an ERA of 3.38 in 29.1 innings of work. Thompson says that Allsup earned a starting role due to his efforts in the fall scrimmage with Alabama.

“He started our fall exhibition game against Alabama and was great,” Thompson said of Allsup. “He’s been hunting to get back there and I thought he was this past weekend.”

Thompson has announced that freshman left-hander [autotag]Drew Nelson[/autotag] will close out the weekend by starting Sunday’s game. Other pitchers that could see time in relief include [autotag]Tommy Sheehan[/autotag], [autotag]Chase Isbell[/autotag], and [autotag]Tanner Bauman[/autotag]. Thompson shares what he hopes to see out of his first time starters, Allsup and Nelson.

“Maybe Allsup goes four or five innings max. I would say the same thing about Nelson,” Thompson said. “I think it’s the way baseball pitching has grown at all levels.”

Auburn will be looking to replace the production of [autotag]Trace Bright[/autotag] and [autotag]Mason Barnett[/autotag] in the weekend rotation, Gonzalez and Allsup should slide into their roles easily. Both were members of the D1Baseball Top 200 starting pitchers list alongside freshman [autotag]Zach Crotchfelt[/autotag], who is expected to start next Tuesday’s game against North Alabama at Toyota Field in Madison.

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Three pitchers earn spot on Preseason Top 200 list

D1Baseball considers three Auburn starters to be among the nation’s best.

There are a few questions surrounding Auburn Baseball as they prepare to make another run to the College World Series in 2023… one of those is who will anchor the pitching staff?

The Tigers will be without two of their three weekend starters from a season ago. [autotag]Trace Bright[/autotag] and [autotag]Mason Barnett[/autotag] have begun their professional careers, which leaves [autotag]Joseph Gonzalez[/autotag] the perfect opportunity to become the rotation’s ace.

Who will take over the other two spots? D1Baseball has delivered its suggestions.

The baseball media outlet released their preseason top 200 starting pitchers rankings and included three members of Auburn’s roster. Gonzalez is Auburn’s highest-rated pitcher checking in at No. 20, while [autotag]Chase Allsup[/autotag] and freshman [autotag]Zach Crotchfelt[/autotag] round out the list at No. 44 and No. 183 respectively.

Gonzalez alternated between Saturday and Sunday starting roles in 2022. In seven starts, he bumped an ERA of 3.20 while striking out 24 batters and walking five in 45.0 innings of work. His strongest outing of the season came against Vanderbilt on April 10, where allowed eight hits and one earned run while striking out eight batters in a complete-game effort, earning the 8-2 win. Opposing batters hit .275 off of him last season.

Allsup was used as a reliever last season and did not pitch more than two innings in his 23 outings. He struck out 36 batters in 29.1 innings of work, boasting an ERA of 3.38.

Crotchfelt, a freshman from Jackson, New Jersey, makes the list without ever having thrown a collegiate pitch. He signed with Auburn as the No. 9 overall left-handed pitcher from the 2022 recruiting cycle, and the No. 93 overall recruit by Perfect Game. He was named a MaxPreps All-American after striking out 130 batters in 65.0 innings of work as a senior at Jackson Memorial High School.

It will be worth keeping an eye on these players as potential fillers to the rotation. [autotag]Tommy Sheehan[/autotag] is also seen as a potential weekend starter for the Tigers after he struck out 29 batters in 33.2 innings of work last season. Out of his 16 appearances, he earned three starts.

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Auburn Baseball misses out on top 25 preseason ranking

Despite earning a bid to the College World Series in 2022, Auburn Baseball misses the cut in D1Baseball’s preseason ranking.

The Auburn Tigers had an incredible run to the College World Series in 2022.

Following an early exit from the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Auburn went on a tear through the Auburn Regional by outscoring Southeastern Louisiana, Florida State, and UCLA 51-18 in three games to set up a weekend slate at Oregon State. Auburn was able to knock off the Beavers in the Super Regionals to clinch a berth in the College World Series for the second time in three seasons.

Despite such a strong end to the 2022 season, it seems that Auburn will need to prove its worth to the voters this season.

D1Baseball recently released its preseason top 25 rankings. Nine SEC teams made the cut, with seven of those being placed in the top 10. Out of those nine teams, Auburn was not one of those.

While it is not known why Auburn did not make the preseason top 25, it may be due to the uncertainty surrounding Auburn’s roster. Pitching-wise, the Tigers will look to replace [autotag]Trace Bright[/autotag] and [autotag]Mason Barnett[/autotag] in the rotation and [autotag]Blake Burkhalter[/autotag] in relief. Auburn will also be missing the bats of [autotag]Sonny DiChiara[/autotag], [autotag]Blake Rambusch[/autotag], [autotag]Brooks Carlson[/autotag], and [autotag]Brody Moore[/autotag].

Auburn will need to replace many key pieces of last season’s College World  Series team but is off to a great start as the incoming freshman class ranks No. 10 according to D1Baseball.

Auburn opens the season on Friday, Feb. 17 at Plainsman Park against Indiana. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. CT.

Here’s a look at the initial top 25 from D1Baseball.com.

1 LSU
2 Tennessee
3 Stanford
4 Ole Miss
5 Texas A&M
6 Wake Forest
7 Florida
8 Arkansas
9 Oklahoma State
10 Vanderbilt
11 East Carolina
12 North Carolina
13 Maryland
14 Virginia Tech
15 TCU
16 Louisville
17 UCLA
18 Southern Miss
19 Virginia
20 Alabama
21 NC State
22 Miami
23 South Carolina
24 Texas Tech
25 Oregon

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Baltimore Orioles agree to terms with Trace Bright

Contract details have emerged for RHP Trace Bright and the Baltimore Orioles.

Another key piece of Auburn’s rotation is officially going pro.

Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline has reported that the Baltimore Orioles have agreed to terms with their fifth-round selection, Auburn RHP [autotag]Trace Bright[/autotag].

Bright, who recorded 17 starts for Auburn in 2022, was taken with the 137th overall selection and has signed a contract worth $400,000, which is below slot value, but still considered a pretty hefty payday.

The Montgomery product ends his three-year stint at Auburn with an ERA of 6.01 in 139.1 innings of work. He struck out 149 batters and issued just 63 walks in 40 total appearances, posting a 10-9 record.

In 2022, Bright got the nod in 17 weekend games, and making one additional appearance as a reliever. In 18 appearances, Bright struck out 94 batters while issuing just 38 walks. His longest outing of the season was 6.0 innings, which he accomplished in three straight starts in nonconference weekend action.

His best outing came in the Auburn Regional against Southeastern Louisiana, where he struck out ten batters in Auburn’s 19-7 win over the Lions at Plainsman Park. Bright also got the start against Stanford in the College World Series, where he struck out eight batters in five innings of work in Auburn’s lone win in Omaha.

Bright becomes the fifth draft pick from Auburn to sign with an MLB Organization. Details have yet to emerge for [autotag]Brody Moore[/autotag] (517th overall pick by Cardinals), [autotag]Hayden Mullins[/autotag] (369th pick by Red Sox), and [autotag]Carson Skipper[/autotag] (326th pick by Rockies). It is expected that all three will sign with their respective organizations.

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Mason Barnett becomes latest Tiger to sign professional contract

The Kansas City Royals have agreed to terms with Mason Barnett, who recorded 83 strikeouts for Auburn in 2022.

[autotag]Mason Barnett[/autotag] becomes the fourth member of the 2022 Auburn Baseball roster to sign his rookie contract, as he has agreed to terms given by the Kansas City Royals, the club that drafted him with the 87th overall selection in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

According to Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline, Barnett has agreed to a rookie contract worth $697,500, which is just over $27,000 below slot value.

In three seasons at Auburn, Barnett posted a 5-7 record over 40 appearances with 21 starts. He made his most appearances during the 2022 season, where he started 14 games on the mound in a weekend-starter role.

In 63.2 innings pitched in 2022, Barnett struck out 87 batters while boasting a 4.38 ERA, and an opponent average of .256.

Barnett joins Blake Burkhalter (Braves), Sonny DiChiara (Angels), and Blake Rambusch (Mariners), as former Tigers to sign their professional contracts. Four more Tigers have yet to agree to terms with the organizations that drafted them. The next deal expected to be reported is for Brody Moore, who has penned a farewell tweet to Auburn fans after reportedly agreeing to terms with the St. Louis Cardinals.

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Group of Tigers get drafted on day two

See which Auburn players are heading to the Bigs as day two of the MLB draft continues:

The MLB draft is on its second day, and a new group of Auburn players are headed to The Show.

Tigers reliever [autotag]Blake Burkhalter[/autotag] was the first Auburn player to come off the board, as the Braves selected him in the second round with the 76th overall pick in the draft. More were expected to go during the second day of the draft, though, and that turned out to be exactly the case on Monday when the Tigers saw a group of prospects finally get to hear their name called.

Here is every Auburn player that has been taken on day two so far:

A look at Auburn Baseball’s top prospects ahead of MLB Draft

Six Tigers are among College Baseball’s top 150 draft-eligible prospects according to D1Baseball.com

Auburn’s unexpected run to the College World Series in 2022 had its perks, which included added exposure for members of the team.

Due to their success, Auburn baseball’s top batters, fielders, and pitchers were able to show their talents to fans far and wide as well as Major League Baseball scouts.

Ahead of the 2022 MLB Draft, D1Baseball released their picks for the top 150 draft-eligible college prospects, where six Tigers were listed.

Auburn’s top prospects are headlined by pitchers, beginning with the SEC’s save leader, [autotag]Blake Burkhalter[/autotag].

Burkhalter struck out 71 batters over 46.1 innings of work, and went on to record 16 saves in 2022. Next are weekend starters [autotag]Trace Bright[/autotag] and [autotag]Mason Barnett[/autotag], followed by reliver [autotag]Carson Skipper[/autotag].

Both position players to make the list made an impact at the plate, as they finished the season sitting atop the team’s batting average leaderboard. In his first season after transferring from Samford, Sonny DiChiara led Auburn in three major categories… home runs (22), RBI (59), and average (.383). Not far behind him was [autotag]Blake Rambusch[/autotag], who stole 16 bases and recorded a .327 average.

All six players have a great shot to hear their names called during the MLB Draft that is set to begin Sunday, July 17. Where do they stack up against College Baseball’s best prospects? Here is where the top Tigers are listed according to D1Baseball’s top 150 list:

Auburn drops game to Arkansas, ending season in College World Series

A magical run came to a heartbreaking ending in Omaha on Tuesday night.

The Southeastern Conference’s “surprise team” from the 2022 season wrote their final chapter on Tuesday night at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska.

Auburn, who had just won their first game in the College World Series since 1997 a day prior, could not overcome the experience of fellow SEC squad, Arkansas on Tuesday, dropping the game 11-1, thus closing the book on a magical run.

“It was a great experience for every one of us. We found a ton of positives out of this season,” said head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] following the game. “Our people stepped up to the plate for this team before we ever played a game and I’ll never forget that. I thought we returned the favor at the end of the postseason.”

Arkansas jumped ahead early in the first inning on two quick hits. Braydon Webb would lead off the game by reaching base on a double to left center field, then would score one at-bat later on a single by Peyton Stovall, giving the Razorbacks the 1-0 lead. After a meeting with pitching coach [autotag]Tim Hudson[/autotag], Auburn starting pitcher [autotag]Mason Barnett[/autotag] would sit down the next three batters in order, earning two strikeouts.

Auburn kept Arkansas off of the scoreboard in the 2nd inning, but the Razorbacks would catch wind again over the next two innings. Arkansas scored seven runs over the 3rd and 4th innings to gain control of the game with an 8-0 lead. The Razorbacks scored a run in the 6th, and two more in the 9th to cap scoring.

Auburn’s lone run came in the 7th inning, when [autotag]Bobby Peirce[/autotag] led off the inning with a line drive home run off of the left field foul pole.

Despite ending the season with a lop-sided loss, Auburn Baseball defied the odds that were given to them during the preseason. The Tigers went from being picked to finish 7th in the SEC West, to ending the season as one of the final five teams left standing at the College World Series.

Head coach Butch Thompson feels that the foundation has been laid, and he expects to see this program continue to grow.

“You can look at pen to paper from the time we’ve been here to this second and see some growth,” said Thompson. “I absolutely think we are on the cusp of doing amazing things consistently. That’ll be the driving force, trying to leave this program in a better place.”

Auburn ends the 2022 season with a 43-22 record. Some of the accomplishments that the Tigers were able to claim this season include posting a winning record in the SEC, hosting an NCAA regional for the first time since 2010, win a regional at home for the first time since 1999, winning the Corvallis Super Regional to set up their second trip to Omaha in three NCAA Tournaments, and winning a College World Series game for the first time in 25 years.

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