Tag: Nate LaRue

Auburn claims top-25 ranking in Baseball America’s preseason poll

Solid pitching and a great transfer portal haul will make Auburn extremely competitive in 2024.

Auburn baseball is poised for another successful season in 2024.

The Tigers have earned a spot in another preseason poll, this time from Baseball America. The publication has included Auburn in its preseason top 25 by giving them the No. 23 slot.

Auburn will need to replace key pieces such as [autotag]Nate LaRue[/autotag], [autotag]Bryson Ware[/autotag], and [autotag]Cole Foster[/autotag], but has a great returning cast led by [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag], [autotag]Bobby Peirce[/autotag], and [autotag]Chris Stanfield[/autotag]. Pitching-wise, the Tigers will be anchored by [autotag]Joseph Gonzalez[/autotag], who returns from a shoulder injury that sidelined him for most of the 2023 season.

Returning pitching, as well as a solid transfer portal haul, is what will make Auburn competitive this season says Baseball America.

The Tigers must replace a lot offensively, but brought in some exciting players through the transfer portal to bolster the offense. On the mound, Opening Day starter [autotag]Joseph Gonzalez[/autotag] is back and healthy after missing nearly all of last season. If he recaptures his exceptional 2022 form and [autotag]Chase Allsup[/autotag] makes a successful transition to the rotation, watch out for the Tigers.

Auburn is one of eight teams from the SEC that earned a top-25 ranking by Baseball America. Defending College World Series champion LSU is the conference’s highest-ranked team at No. 2 and is followed by Arkansas (No. 3), Florida (No. 4), Vanderbilt (No. 7), and Tennessee (No. 8) in the top 10. Texas A&M and South Carolina also grabbed a preseason ranking at No. 11 and No. 12 respectively.

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Chase Isbell signs deal with Kansas City Royals

Isbell was the lone pitcher from Auburn’s bullpen to be selected in the 2023 MLB Draft.

Three Auburn players, [autotag]Cole Foster[/autotag], [autotag]Bryson Ware[/autotag] and [autotag]Chase Isbell[/autotag], heard their names called in the MLB Draft. One player, [autotag]Nate LaRue[/autotag] was picked up as a free agent.

Additionally, five players who were signed with the Tigers were drafted.

The Royals selected Isbell in the 15th round with the 439th overall pick. Isbell received a signing bonus worth $150,000. Greg Walker of Royals Review believes that Isbell’s command will allow him to find a place in a professional bullpen.

At 6’3”, 210, Isbell served as a power righty out of the Auburn bullpen and frequently worked multiple innings. He has a fastball at 93-96 that he’ll throw at the top of the zone. He pairs that with a tight, late-breaking slider at 86-88. The slider is a true out pitch so with better overall command, Isbell could find a role in a major league bullpen.

In two seasons with the Tigers, Isbell posted a 5.54 ERA, a 4-2 record, two saves and 65 strikeouts to 31 walks in 52 innings of work.

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Bryson Ware signs contract with Philadelphia Phillies

Ware is on the move to professional baseball after hitting a school-record 24 home runs in 2023.

Auburn baseball’s single-season home run leader is moving to professional baseball.

Infielder Bryson Ware was taken with the No. 253 selection of the MLB draft by the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies signed their 10th-round pick to a deal valued at $187,100 which includes a $152,500 signing bonus.

A blog titled Phillies Minor Thoughts says that Ware has intrigue as a prospect, and could be viewed as more than just an organization filler.

Ware struggled his first two years at Auburn after transferring from junior college, but broke out in a big way in 2023. He hit .350/.438/.731 with 24 home runs as a senior. He primarily played third base this season and has played around the diamond. According to Baseball America he posted some top end exit velocities to go with the home run power. The Phillies have not been afraid drafting college players coming off of big years with big exit velocity numbers.

In three seasons with the Tigers, Ware hit .297, scored 125 runs, recorded 135 hits, hit 31 home runs, posted 110 RBI, and stole 14 bases.

Two members of the Auburn baseball team joined Ware in being drafted, [autotag]Cole Foster[/autotag] and [autotag]Chase Isbell[/autotag]. One, [autotag]Nate LaRue[/autotag], signed a free-agent deal after.

Five players signed to the Auburn baseball program were also signed.

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Nate LaRue signs free agent deal with Toronto Blue Jays

LaRue hit .202 with 13 home runs and 69 RBI in four seasons at Auburn.

Dreams came true for three members of Auburn baseball’s 2023 roster this week, as their names were called during the 2023 Major League Baseball draft.

Infielders [autotag]Cole Foster[/autotag] and [autotag]Bryson Ware[/autotag], as well as pitcher [autotag]Chase Isbell[/autotag], were selected by Major League clubs this week, and a fourth has signed a deal as a free agent.

Following the draft, the Toronto Blue Jays reached an agreement with Auburn catcher [autotag]Nate LaRue[/autotag]. The Blue Jays originally drafted LaRue out of high school in 2019, but LaRue elected to join the Tigers’ baseball program.

In four seasons on the Plains, LaRue hit .202 with 13 home runs and 69 RBI. Behind the plate, he fielded at a .994 clip with just six errors. Over the last two seasons, he appeared in 105 games with 87 starts.

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Auburn completes sweep of Missouri, ends regular season on 8-game winning streak

The Tigers are playing their best baseball right at the start of postseason play.

The Auburn Tigers are officially red-hot. 

After taking both games in Friday’s doubleheader over Missouri, they had a chance to sweep their second straight SEC series. It wasn’t looking good as they entered the bottom of the eighth inning trailing 7-4 in Plainsman Park Saturday.

As it has all season Auburn’s offense came alive when they needed it most, exploding for five runs to take a commanding 9-7 lead and win the game. Auburn secured its fifth straight SEC series win and ended the season on an eight-game winning streak with the comeback. They are now 33-19-1 overall and 17-13 in league play.

“We absolutely played hard and kept going,” Auburn coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] said. “When it opened up and we got an opportunity, we made the most of it.”

[autotag]Brody Wortham[/autotag] started the eighth inning off with a single and came around to score on a [autotag]Chris Stanfield[/autotag] double to get the scoring started. [autotag]Cole Foster[/autotag] then singled Stanfield home to pull Auburn within one. 

[autotag]Cooper McMurray[/autotag] followed up a [autotag]Bobby Pierce[/autotag] strikeout with a double to put the go-ahead run in scoring position with two outs for [autotag]Bryson Ware[/autotag]. Missouri decided to intentionally walk him to load the bases for freshmen [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag]. 

Before he could do anything the Missouri pitcher threw a wild pitch that allowed Foster to score and make it a 7-7 game. 

Irish then put Auburn ahead with a two-RBI single to make it a 9-7 game.

“We battled and we fought, we figured some stuff out and it’s all come together here lately,” Irish said. “I was not trying to do too much, stay with my approach and put the ball in play, especially with two strikes. They shifted on me and I hit it where they weren’t, and we got one to sneak through.”

He finished the game with a pair of doubles and two RBI.

Auburn was playing catchup the whole game after Missouri scored three runs in the first inning. They got two of the runs back in the second inning after [autotag]Caden Green[/autotag] and Stanfield hit sacrifice flies to score Irish and [autotag]Kason Howell[/autotag], respectively.

Missouri added a run in the top of the third but Pierce responded with a double and scored on a Ware single to make it 4-3 in the bottom of the inning.

Missouri then played small ball in the fourth to get their fifth run of the game. They led the inning off with a bunt single, advanced on a ground out and scored on a two-out double.

The home Tigers quickly responded when [autotag]Nate LaRue[/autotag] led the home half of the inning off with a solo home run to make it 5-4. Both pitching staffs settled in after that, Auburn reliever [autotag]Tanner Bauman[/autotag] retired the next 10 batters he saw before allowing a single and then a home run in the eighth.

The lefty allowed two runs in 3.2 innings of work and struck out three and gave his offense a chance to get back in the game.

“I just wanted to go out there and fill up the zone and give my offense a chance to get back in this game, which obviously they did,” Bauman said. “Coming back on a short day’s rest, I wanted to keep it easy, let my defense work, which is what I try to do, and it ended up working out pretty well.”

[autotag]Will Cannon[/autotag] entered in the eighth and the only runner he allowed was one he hit. He struck out one batter as he earned the win.

Auburn has not lost an SEC game since May 5 and is set to open its SEC Tournament run on Tuesday against Missouri.

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Auburn baseball earns 30th win with drubbing of Ole Miss

Auburn’s offensive dominance continued Saturday as the Tigers complete the sweep in Oxford.

After outscoring Ole Miss, 24-6 in Friday’s doubleheader sweep, Auburn continued its offensive dominance on Saturday en route to another impressive win.

The Tigers used a 20-hit effort at the plate and a solid defensive day to defeat Ole Miss, 13-5 on Saturday to complete the three-game sweep at Swayze Field in Oxford.

Auburn (30-19-1, 14-13 SEC) set the tone early by jumping out to a 12-run cushion before the Rebels (25-26, 6-21 SEC) had a chance to answer. [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag] and [autotag]Nate LaRue[/autotag] each plated runs on RBI singles in the top of the 2nd, and [autotag]Cole Foster[/autotag] smashed a solo home run in the 3rd inning to give the Tigers a 3-0 advantage.

Auburn would go on to do their most damage in the 5th and 7th innings. The Tigers scored six runs in the 5th to go ahead, 9-0, with a [autotag]Cooper McMurray[/autotag] grand slam being the biggest blow of the inning.

Auburn added three more runs in the 7th inning to push their lead to 12-0. Irish got the inning with a solo blast, with [autotag]Cole Foster[/autotag] and [autotag]Bobby Peirce[/autotag] adding runs with two-out singles.

The Rebels finally cracked the scoreboard in the bottom of the 7th by scratching four runs across. Bo Gatlin put Ole Miss on the board with a two-run double, and later scored on a two-run home run by John Kramer to cut the Tigers lead to 12-4.

Each team traded runs in the 9th inning to cap scoring. McMurray again would extend the Tigers’ lead with a sacrifice fly to score [autotag]Chris Stanfield[/autotag], and Ole Miss answered with a single by T.J. McCants to score Garrett Wood.

Every player in the Auburn lineup recorded a hit in the game, with five players recording three hits. McMurray led the team in RBI with five, while Foster and Irish each picked up two.

Starting pitcher [autotag]Christian Herberholz[/autotag] allowed just one hit in 2.0 innings. [autotag]Drew Nelson[/autotag] earned the win for the Tigers by relieving Herberholz for 2.0 innings, where he allowed two hits and struck out one batter. [autotag]Chase Isbell[/autotag] led the pitching staff in strikeouts with two.

Auburn returns to Plainsman Park to play one more game at home this season on Tuesday. The Tigers and Jax State will do battle on Tuesday at 6 p.m. CT.

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Tigers take both games in double header, clinch fourth-straight series victory

Auburn outscored the defending CWS champs, 24-6, to clinch the series on Friday.

The Auburn Tigers (29-19-1, 13-13 SEC) won both games in Friday’s doubleheader against the Ole Miss Rebels (25-25, 6-20 SEC) to clinch their fourth consecutive series win. The Tigers won the first game by a score of 16-4 in eight innings and the second game by a score of 8-2.

Sophomore right-hander [autotag]Chase Allsup[/autotag] got the start for Auburn in the first game and allowed three runs off of four hits, walked one batter and struck one out in 2.1 innings of work. Junior left-hander [autotag]Tanner Bauman[/autotag] picked up the win in a 3.1-inning outing in which he allowed no runs off of three hits and struck two batters out.

Junior left-hander Xavier Rivas got the start for Ole Miss in the first game and ended up with the loss in a 2.1-inning effort in which he gave up six runs off of seven hits, walked two batters and struck five out.

The Rebels got the scoring started in the first inning, but a four-run rally in the second inning put the Tigers in front and they never looked back. Auburn was able to put runs across in all but two innings as Ole Miss struggled to find its footing at the plate.

Auburn had four players with multiple hits in the first game. Junior shortstop [autotag]Cole Foster[/autotag] went 4-5 with four runs batted in, a double and two home runs. Fifth-year outfielder [autotag]Kason Howell[/autotag] went 4-4 with four runs batted in and four doubles. Redshirt senior right fielder [autotag]Bobby Peirce[/autotag] went 3-6 with a double. Junior second baseman [autotag]Caden Green[/autotag] went 2-2 with three runs batted in. Senior catcher [autotag]Nate LaRue[/autotag] hit the only other home run for the Tigers in the 16-4 run-rule victory over the Rebels.

Graduate left-hander [autotag]Tommy Vail[/autotag] got the start and picked up the win for Auburn in the second game. Vail tossed eight innings and allowed only one run off of two hits, walked one batter and struck out six.

Freshman right-hander JT Quinn got the start for Ole Miss and ended up with the loss in an outing that lasted 2.2 innings and saw three runs off of three hits, four walks and five strikeouts.

Howell reached on an error in the second inning which allowed senior third baseman [autotag]Bryson Ware[/autotag] to score for Auburn’s first run of the game. A steady flow of offense kept the Tigers in front.

The Rebels’ two runs came from an RBI double by junior right fielder Kemp Alderman in the fourth inning and a sac-fly hit by junior shortstop Jacob Gonzalez in the ninth inning.

The Tigers had five players with multiple hits in the second game. Foster, Peirce, Ware and LaRue all went 2-5. Freshman designated hitter [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag] went 2-4 with three runs batted in and a home run.

The final game of the series is set for Saturday at 2:00 p.m. CDT. The game will be televised on the SEC Network.

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Auburn baseball holds off LSU to even series

A strong middle-inning effort was enough for Auburn to knock off the No. 1 team on Saturday night.

Auburn had no answer for LSU ace Paul Skenes in Friday night’s opener with No. 1 LSU and fell 3-0.

In game two of the series, the eagle flew well, which paved the way for the Tigers to also play well.

Auburn used patience and clutch hitting in the middle innings of Saturday’s middle game of the series with the Bayou Bengals to earn the 8-6 victory to even the series.

“We competed,” Auburn coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] said Saturday. “It was going to take a competitive spirit. Our crowd is creating an SEC environment that’s absolutely a factor in a ballgame.”

LSU began the game by jumping out to a 2-0 lead through the first three innings of the game. LSU’s Hayden Travinski and Tommy White each recorded an RBI single in the 2nd and 3rd inning respectively.

A trio of walks in the 4th inning put Auburn on the board. LSU pitcher Ty Floyd walked [autotag]Bryson Ware[/autotag] and [autotag]Brody Wortham[/autotag] to tie the game, and a third walk to [autotag]Nate LaRue[/autotag] by Gavin Guidry put Auburn ahead, 3-2.

Cade Beloso put LSU back in front with a two-RBI single in the top of the 5th inning, 4-3. Auburn then delivered its’ biggest punch in the 6th inning with three singles and a sacrifice fly to jump ahead for the second time in the game, 7-4.

Each team traded solo home runs in the 7th inning, with LSU’s Jordan Thompson scoring the final run of the game on a fielder’s choice in the 8th inning.

To close the game, [autotag]Will Cannon[/autotag] struck out three batters to solidify the 8-6 win and earned a three-inning save.

“The adrenaline was kicking,” Cannon said. “Facing the No. 1 team in the country, I definitely wanted it. Coach Thompson’s belief in me and the entire team is unreal. I thank him every day for that.”

In his return from injury, [autotag]Zach Crotchfelt[/autotag] earned the win on the mound in relief by striking out the only batter he faced in the 6th inning. Starter [autotag]Tommy Vail[/autotag] had another successful start by allowing just one earned run and six hits in 4.0 innings of work, striking out eight batters.

Auburn goes for the series win on Sunday. First pitch between Auburn and LSU is set for 1 p.m. CT and will be streamed live on SEC Network+.

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Auburn unable to complete sweep against South Carolina

The Tigers were unable to hold onto an early lead.

Auburn was nearly able to complete the sweep against South Carolina but came up just short as the Tigers lost 8-7 to the Gamecocks in Columbia.

The Tigers entered the ninth inning trailing 8-6 but [autotag]Bobby Pierce[/autotag] led the inning off with a home run to make it a one-run game. [autotag]Cooper McMurray[/autotag] walked to put the tieing run on but pinch-runner Josh Hall was picked off. [autotag]Bryson Ware[/autotag] singled to keep the threat going but the next two batters were retired to end the game.

“I just thought the effort was tremendous,” head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] said. “Bobby there in the ninth just kept us engaged and Ware gets a hit. It just felt like we kind of ran out of outs today instead of losing the ballgame because the competitive spirit was so good.”

The Tigers once again took an early lead, putting up four runs in the first inning. Chris Stanfield walked and scored on a fielder’s choice, [autotag]Bryson Ware[/autotag] hit a two-run homer and [autotag]Cole Foster[/autotag] hit a solo shot.

The Gamecocks quickly responded, scoring two runs of their own in the first inning. [autotag]Nate LaRue[/autotag] gave Auburn a 5-2 lead with a solo home run of his own in the second inning.

South Carolina answered with two runs in the fourth and another in the fifth to tie it at 5-5 before Ware led the sixth inning off with his second homer to retake the lead. It was his 18th of the season.

The Tigers were unable to hold onto their lead as Tanner Bauman surrendered a three-run homer in the seventh inning.

Auburn’s eight pitchers combined to walk eight batters and allow 11 hits. True freshmen Cam Keshock and Ryan Olson were the only Auburn pitchers to not allow a run. They combined to pitch 1.2 innings, allowing two hits and striking out one batter.

“Great battle, all three games,” Thompson added. “If we’ll battle that way, like we did last week, if we battle like that, we’ll take whatever happens results wise. If we can keep the process and energy that will equal our true results.”

The Tigers will return to action Friday when they host No. 1 LSU for a three-game series.

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Auburn baseball clinches series at South Carolina with huge Saturday win

For the second straight game, Auburn used a big, early lead to cruise to victory.

Auburn baseball found themselves on the outside looking in of D1Baseball’s Field of 64 projections this week and continued to fall in the RPI ahead of a challenging series against the RPI’s top team in South Carolina.

The Tigers apparently used that as motivation, as they followed up Friday’s performance by scoring nine more runs on Saturday to take down South Carolina, 9-5, to clinch the series at Founders Park in Columbia.

For the second game in a row, Auburn jumped out to a comfortable lead in the first inning, which ended up paying off in the late innings. [autotag]Cole Foster[/autotag] and [autotag]Kason Howell[/autotag] each scored two runs with singles in the first inning to put Auburn ahead, 4-0, before the Gamecocks stepped to the plate.

“Two days in a row we scored in the first inning and really set a tone,” head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] said. “It got us into the ballgame, and we did even more today in the first. You knew they’d make a rally, so we had to keep playing.”

Auburn tacked on two more runs in the 2nd inning on solo home runs by [autotag]Nate Larue[/autotag] and [autotag]Bobby Peirce[/autotag] to extend the Tigers’ lead to 6-0. South Carolina got on the board in the bottom half of the inning on a single by Jonathan French.

Auburn’s hottest hitter, [autotag]Cooper McMurray[/autotag], continued his stroke of luck by smacking two more home runs in the game. His first home run of the game was a two-run shot to center field and bumped Auburn’s lead to 8-1. He would score Auburn’s final run of the game in the top of the 9th inning with a solo home run.

McMurray has now hit seven home runs in seven straight games, and has now recorded three multi-home run games of the season.

“To open the day with a four-spot in the first is always big,” McMurray said Saturday. “Our pitching staff has come out and been really good for us and making it easy on the offense. On that side of the ball, we think we can score however many runs at any given time. It’s just about playing a full game of clean baseball.”

The Gamecocks began a rally in the middle innings, led by Cole Messina. Messina picked up four RBI on a 5th inning double and a two-run home run home run in the 7th inning. The rally would not be enough for South Carolina to earn the comeback, as they would fall to Auburn for the second straight game.

Auburn’s series win over South Carolina is the first time that the Gamecocks have dropped a series at home. Heading into the series, South Carolina had a 24-1 record at home, and have since dropped two straight.

“Players are allowed to get better, and this is a good step forward for us this weekend, but we have to keep playing,” Thompson said.

Pitching was also valuable in Saturday’s win. [autotag]Christian Herberholz[/autotag], [autotag]Chase Isbell[/autotag], and [autotag]Konnor Copeland[/autotag] combined to strike out 11 batters and allowing just six hits.

Game three of the series between Auburn and South Carolina is set for 2 p.m. CT on Sunday. The game will be broadcasted on SEC Network+ as well as the Auburn Sports Network.

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