Tag: Tommy Sheehan

Alabama evens series with Auburn in a pitcher’s duel

Auburn’s late push was not enough to earn a game-two win on Saturday evening.

After winning Friday’s series opener at Alabama in convincing fashion, Auburn hoped to play well enough on Saturday to earn their second SEC series win of the season, and their first weekend series win on the road.

However, a three-run 2nd inning was enough for the Crimson Tide to take game two of the series. A bases-loaded walk and a two-RBI double by Alabama bats in the inning aided Alabama in its’ 4-2 win over Auburn on Saturday, thus creating a winner-take-all game three on Sunday afternoon.

Those three early runs by Alabama (25-11) were crucial, as Auburn (20-14-1, 5-9) outhit the Crimson Tide, 6-5, and left just one runner on base throughout the game, as opposed to Alabama, who stranded 10 runners.

Alabama got on the board first on a bases-loaded walk from Auburn starter Drew Nelson to Andrew Pinckney in the 2nd inning and would add to the lead just two pitches later when Mac Guscette scored two runs on a double down the left field line to extend Alabama’s lead to 3-0.

Alabama added one more run in the 4th inning when [autotag]Parker Carlson[/autotag] relieved [autotag]Tommy Sheehan[/autotag] on the mound, and immediately walked Ed Johnson with the bases loaded to move the Tide ahead, 4-0.

After two straight innings of sending the minimum to the plate, Auburn found their way onto the scoreboard in the 7th inning when [autotag]Bobby Peirce[/autotag] crushed a solo home run over the left field scoreboard to cut into Alabama’s lead, 1-0.

Auburn threatened the Crimson Tide’s lead yet again in the 9th inning when the first two batters of the inning reached base — [autotag]Chris Stanfield[/autotag] with a single and a full-count walk to [autotag]Caden Green[/autotag]. Stanfield scored on a [autotag]Cole Foster[/autotag] single to cut Alabama’s lead in half, 4-2. However, the threat ended when Peirce struck out on the ensuing at-bat, and Ike Irish grounded into a double play to end the game.

Head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] applauded his team’s comeback effort, but hopes to one day “turn the corner.”

“I absolutely loved the engagement of our ballclub and giving us a chance when the game didn’t get started the way we wanted it to,” Thompson said after the game. “I thought we were one barrel away and had the guys who could do it.”

Alabama’s pitching deserves credit for keeping Auburn’s bats relatively quiet throughout the game. Starter Garrett McMillan allowed just one hit while striking out four over 5.0 innings of work. Zane Probst and Alton Davis also combined to allow two hits and an earned run to Auburn batters while striking out a batter and issuing just one walk.

Auburn had the most success against Hunter Furtado, as he allowed the Tigers to record three hits and one earned run off of him.

Nelson ended his start by allowing three earned runs on two hits with three walks in 1.0 inning of work. Auburn’s bullpen did a great job of holding the lead together as [autotag]John Armstrong[/autotag], Tommy Sheehan, Parker Carlson, and [autotag]Zach Crotchfelt[/autotag] combined to allow just three hits and one earned run over the final 8.0 innings. Crotchfelt struck out four batters and allowed two hits in the final three innings.

“He looked the part. He went through the entire lineup. That absolutely was his coming out party in my opinion,” Thompson said of Crotchfelt’s performance on the mound.

Auburn will have another opportunity to win the series over Alabama on Sunday. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. CT from Sewell Thomas Stadium in Tuscaloosa.

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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 Morning Rush: Tigers retain pitcher for upcoming season, NBA player visits facilities

An Auburn southpaw returns to the team in this edition of the Morning Rush:

There’s always something happening on the Plains.

Today, we have a pitcher Auburn will be very happy to have back after an exodus of players to the NBA draft. A former Tigers basketball player and top-five pick returned to campus on Monday, Auburn coach Bruce Pearl is hosting a camp he used to put on in his Tennessee days and Auburn men’s golf released its schedule for the upcoming 2023 season.

It can get hard to keep up with Auburn news as the work week blazes by, so we here at Auburn Wire like to do it for you — here is everything you may have missed in this edition of the Auburn Morning Rush:

Auburn bullpen uses ‘next man up’ mentality in win over Oregon State

After Trace Bright’s early departure from game one against Oregon State, the Auburn bullpen stepped up to aid in victory.

Prior to Auburn Baseball’s departure for Corvallis, Oregon, on Thursday, head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] told reporters that this year’s squad was special, citing that the players have meshed well with one another, which has formed a healthy clubhouse.

Auburn’s “got your back” mentality was on full display during game one of the Corvallis Super Regional, in the form of the bullpen, which was instrumental in Auburn’s 7-5 win over Oregon in game one of the best-of-three series.

Auburn starting pitcher [autotag]Trace Bright[/autotag]’s night unfortunately ended after recording just two outs on 47 pitches. Thompson called on [autotag]John Armstrong[/autotag] to dig them out of a hole, before handing the baseball to [autotag]Tommy Sheehan[/autotag]. That is where the Tigers began finding success on the mound.

Sheehan took control of the game on the mound by tossing 3.1 innings of shut-out baseball, striking out three batters and allowing two hits. Sheehan’s confidence grew with every pitch, which erased the pressure that his team felt early on.

“We have had a ‘next man up’ mentality all year, and we just tried to stick with that, not try to do too much out there in a big spot,” Sheehan said in a postgame interview with the Auburn Sports Network. “(I just) tried to be myself and stick to the game plan and let the guys field behind me.”

Sheehan exited the game after the 5th inning, turning the keys over to [autotag]Carson Skipper[/autotag] and [autotag]Blake Burkhalter[/autotag] to close the game. Their outings were just as successful as Sheehan’s, which helped Auburn grab that valuable game one victory. Skipper struck out five batters in 3.0 innings of relief, which set up Burkhalter to grab his SEC-best 14th save of the season after allowing a run on two hits in the 9th inning.

“Those are the guys we want to get (the ball to), they have been our guys all year,” said Sheehan. “My motto has been ‘get the ball to (Burkhalter)’ all year. That’s what we did and it worked out for us.”

Auburn will turn to Joseph Gonzalez for game two of the Corvallis Super Regional against Oregon State on Sunday. The first pitch is set for 9 p.m. CDT, and can be seen on ESPN2.

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Auburn to open their 73rd season at Plainsman Park against Troy

Auburn set to open the home slate against Troy on Wednesday

It’s the return of college baseball on The Plains. The Auburn Tigers have their home opener on Wednesday against in-state foe Troy.

The Tigers opened the season at Globe Life Field for the State Farm College Baseball Classic. Facing three Big 12 teams, Auburn finished 2-1 after dropping the season opener against the Oklahoma Sooners. They beat No. 14 Texas Tech in a close game before throttling Kansas State on Sunday.

All their focus now shifts to Troy. Lefty Tommy Sheehan will be on the bump for this game. Auburn will face right-handed pitcher Beau Fletcher. He comes in with a 0-0 record and a 5.40 ERA.

“Whenever we hook it up against an in-state opponent, we always want to do good against each other,” head coach Butch Thompson said. The head coach knows the importance of a fast start. “We’re coming right out of the gate on Wednesday and we need to be at our best.”

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