Tag: Zach Crotchfelt

Former Auburn outfielder announces transfer to SEC rival

One of Auburn’s top hitters from the 2024 season is moving on to another SEC program.

Eight members of Auburn baseball’s 2024 roster have entered the transfer portal since the Tigers’ season concluded last month, with the most notable departure being outfielder [autotag]Chris Stanfield[/autotag].

Stanfield entered the transfer portal on June 3 after spending the first two seasons of his collegiate career at Auburn. Tuesday, he revealed his next chapter will take him to Baton Rouge, as he will transfer to SEC rival LSU.

Stanfield is the fourth former Tiger to find a new home out of the transfer portal this season, joining pitcher [autotag]Zach Crotchfelt[/autotag] (Texas Tech), infielder [autotag]Gavin Miller [/autotag](Houston), and infielder [autotag]Ty Mauldin[/autotag] (UAB). Pitchers [autotag]Cam Keshock[/autotag] and [autotag]Trevor Horne[/autotag], as well as outfielders [autotag]Kaleb Freeman[/autotag] and [autotag]Alex Wade[/autotag] remain in the transfer portal as of the timimg of this post.

Although the transfer portal claimed eight players from its 2024 roster, Auburn and head coach Butch Thompson have nearly made up for the losses by adding seven players to the 2025 roster from the transfer portal. Notable additions include former LSU pitcher Samuel Dutton and former Samford catcher Lucas Steele. Ex-Creighton pitcher Mason Koch and former ECU outfielder Bristol Carter are Auburn’s most recent acquisitions after announcing their commitments this week.

Stanfield departs Auburn after hitting .278 with 97 hits, seven home runs, and 47 RBI with 18 stolen bases in two seasons on the Plains. In 2024, Stanfield finished fourth on the team in hits (53), tied for second in stolen bases (9), and fifth in RBI (25).

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Former Tiger hurler Zach Crotchfelt commits to Texas Tech

Texas Tech head coach Tim Tadlock could return Crotchfelt to starting pitching duties next season with the change of scenery and fresh start. 

Former Auburn Tigers left-handed pitcher [autotag]Zach Crotchfelt[/autotag] has committed to Texas Tech following his decision to enter the transfer portal in May. The junior from Jackson, NJ announced the move on X, formerly known as Twitter late Tuesday evening.

The southpaw never quite put it all together during two turbulent years on the Plains, but the former No. 9 ranked left-handed pitching prospect in the country still has plenty of time to live up to his high school hype for the Red Raiders.

After starting 6 games as a freshman, Crotchfelt was sentenced to bullpen duty for his final year and a half at Auburn. Texas Tech head coach Tim Tadlock could opt to return Crotchfelt to starting pitching duties next season with the change of scenery and fresh start.

The New Jersey native finished his Auburn career with a 5.69 ERA over 49 innings of work. Crotchfelt did strike out 55 batters in those 49 innings, but conversely allowed 31 free passes which doomed most of his appearances as a Tiger. If Tadlock and the Texas Tech coaching staff can hone in on the walk issues, they may have found a diamond in the rough in the former Tiger.

As for Auburn, head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] will certainly be looking towards the transfer portal and recruiting trail for a left-hander to replace Crotchfelt in the Auburn arm barn.

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Auburn pitcher Zach Crotchfelt enters transfer portal

After spending two seasons on the Plains, Auburn LHP Zach Crotchfelt will explore options within the transfer portal.

Auburn LHP [autotag]Zach Crotchfelt[/autotag] announced on social media on Saturday that he would be entering the transfer portal following his sophomore season on the Plains.

The Jackson, New Jersey native’s time as a Tiger was about as bumpy as the “El Toro” roller coaster in his hometown, as the lefty struggled mightily in both his freshman and sophomore campaigns.

After posting a below-average 5.62 earned run average in his first season, Crotchfelt scuffled again this year, pitching to an even worse 6.14 ERA in just seven appearances. The sophomore did post solid numbers against lower-end competition, however. In appearances against UAB, Austin Peay, Eastern Kentucky, and Jacksonville State, Crotchfelt managed to pitch 4 1/3 scoreless innings, striking out six in the process. That small-yet-successful sample could have been one of the factors that led the left-hander to choose the transfer portal.

A former top-60 incoming freshman prospect, Crotchfelt’s time on the Plains will always feel like a “what could have been” story. [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] now has even more work to do towards rebuilding an Auburn team that failed to reach postseason play in 2024.

Auburn’s pitching staff finished near the bottom in several categories this season including ERA (5.94) and hits allowed (517). Thompson has addressed the issues within the staff, and will explore experienced options within the transfer portal this offseason.

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Recap: Auburn baseball takes down UAB in Birmingham

Although Auburn is just 1-8 in SEC play to start the baseball season, the Tigers continued rolling in the non-conference on Wednesday.

Although Auburn is just 1-8 in SEC play to start the baseball season, the Tigers continued rolling in the non-conference on Wednesday by taking down the UAB Blazers 10-4 at Regions Park in Birmingham.

Auburn starting pitcher [autotag]Christian Herberholz[/autotag] (1-1) got the ball for the third straight mid-week game but struggled through 2 2/3 innings, allowing 4 runs on 5 hits in the contest.

The Tigers bullpen faired much better, as [autotag]Parker Carlson[/autotag], [autotag]Alex Petrovic[/autotag], [autotag]Zach Crotchfelt[/autotag], and [autotag]Hayden Murphy[/autotag] combined for 6 1/3 innings of 1-hit ball. Petrovic, Crotchfelt, and Murphy allowed just one base runner over the game’s final 5 frames.

On the offensive side, Auburn exploded for 10+ runs for the second non-conference game in a row. Infielder [autotag]Cooper McMurray[/autotag] and senior captain [autotag]Bobby Peirce[/autotag] happened to be the stars of the night. After Cooper Weiss drove in the first Auburn run with a single in the top of the first, McMurray and Peirce combined to drive in 6 of the next 9 Tiger tallies. Both players homered, while McMurray contributed 3 total hits and 3 RBIs.

Peirce had the biggest blast of the game in the sixth inning when he roped a 2-run, go-ahead home run into the seats to give Auburn a 6-5 lead. The 2-run homer was the beginning of a 7-run 8th inning that was bookended by another Pierce RBI single.

Auburn’s mid-week victories have yet to translate into weekend play, but we’ll see if that trend changes when the Tigers welcome No. 4 ranked Tennessee to Plainsman Park on Friday.

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McMurray’s productive day fuels Auburn’s run-rule win over Wichita State

Cooper McMurray sent home six runs in Auburn’s win over Wichita State

Auburn baseball used a late-inning surge in Friday’s game with No. 20 Iowa to pull off a 7-5 win to open its stay at the Jax College Baseball Classic in Jacksonville, Florida.

Momentum stayed on the side of the Tigers in Saturday’s game with Wichita State as they powered through to knock off the Shockers, 19-8, to move to 2-0 on the weekend.

Auburn (6-0) was bound for greatness from the very beginning of the game. [autotag]Cooper Weiss[/autotag] led off the inning with a double, which paved the way for the next two batters to reach base via base on balls to bring [autotag]Cooper McMurray[/autotag] to the plate. On the first pitch, McMurray smashed a home run to right field to give Auburn a 4-0 advantage before the first out of the game was recorded.

Auburn outscored Wichita State 15-3 through the first four innings, then would add four more runs in the 6th inning to put the run-rule into effect. The Tigers ended with 10 total hits, with McMurray and [autotag]Bobby Peirce[/autotag] each recording two.

What is even more shocking is the number of walks that were issued to Auburn batters. Nine Auburn batters had a base on balls as part of their statline, six of those were walked multiple times. [autotag]Cale Stricklin[/autotag] was walked three times in the game while players such as [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag], [autotag]Javon Hernandez[/autotag], and [autotag]Deric Fabian[/autotag] had two.

[autotag]Joseph Gonzalez[/autotag] picked up his second win of the season after striking out two batters and allowing three earned runs in 4.0 innings of work. [autotag]Zach Crotchfelt[/autotag] led the staff in strikeouts with three in 1 1/3 innings of relief.

Auburn will play one final game in Jacksonville this weekend, a date with No. 11 Virginia on Sunday at 3 p.m. CT. [autotag]Carson Myers[/autotag] will make his second start of the season for the Tigers after earning SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week honors after an eight strikeout day against Eastern Kentucky last Sunday.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

Auburn clinches weekend series with Saturday win over Eastern Kentucky

Bobby Peirce recorded three RBI while Joseph Gonzalez tossed five innings in Saturday’s 6-1 win at Plainsman Park.

It was a cold day on the Plains, but the Auburn bats were hot.

[autotag]Bobby Peirce[/autotag] and [autotag]Chris Stanfield[/autotag] recorded two hits as Auburn (2-0) claimed the first series win of the season by defeating Eastern Kentucky (0-2), 6-1 Saturday at Plainsman Park.

Auburn’s offense began, and ended, with Peirce on Saturday. Peirce put Auburn on the board first with a two-out triple in the 3rd inning to score [autotag]Javon Hernandez[/autotag] and [autotag]Caden Green[/autotag] to push Auburn ahead, 2-0. He put a cap on scoring in the bottom of the 8th inning with a solo home run to extend Auburn’s lead to 6-1.

Ike Irish was Auburn’s offensive hero in Friday’s opener, and Peirce took control in game two. Head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] is pleased with the versatility of his offense through two games and hopes to see the trend continue.

“Two outs, two strikes, and (Peirce) hit that triple to get us going,” Thompson said Saturday. “We really needed that. I hope that this is an offense that we can keep talking about a different guy every night. I hope that’s how we’re built.”

Following Peirce’s triple in the 3rd inning, [autotag]Cooper McMurray[/autotag] crushed his first home run of the season over the right field wall to extend Auburn’s lead to 4-0. Auburn’s fifth run of the game came off the bat of Hernandez, who grounded out to the shortstop to allow [autotag]Sam Robertson[/autotag] to score from 3rd base.

Eastern Kentucky’s lone run was scored in the 5th inning when DJ Sullivan doubled home Santiago Peralta. Sullivan led the Colonels in hits with two.

Saturday also marked the return of [autotag]Joseph Gonzalez[/autotag] to the mound after missing 364 days due to a shoulder injury. He struck out two batters, walked three, and allowed an unearned run in five complete innings. [autotag]Zach Crotchfelt[/autotag], [autotag]John Armstrong[/autotag], and [autotag]Will Cannon[/autotag] combined to strikeout seven batters through the final four innings from the bullpen. Every out that Cannon recorded in the 9th inning was a strikeout.

The Tigers go for the sweep of Eastern Kentucky Sunday at 1 p.m. CT. Auburn’s [autotag]Carson Myers[/autotag] will battle EKU’s Rian Yates on the mound.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

Auburn defeats Missouri in SEC Tournament opener, sets up date with Vanderbilt

Auburn has now won nine games in a row, and now has a seat in the double-elimination portion of the SEC Tournament bracket.

The No. 5 seed Auburn Tigers’ hot streak continued late Tuesday night, as they took care of No. 12 seed Missouri in the opening round of the SEC Tournament in Hoover, 10-4. The win is Auburn’s seventh in a row and the fourth straight win over the Tigers from Columbia.

After sweeping Missouri last weekend at Plainsman Park, Auburn picked up where they left off by knocking out Missouri in a come-from-behind effort. Missouri struck first on a sacrifice fly by Ross Lovich in the 2nd inning to give Missouri the 1-0 lead. Auburn answered in the bottom of the 3rd by scoring three runs on a bases-loaded walk, a ground out, and a sacrifice fly.

Auburn’s 3-1 lead was shortlived as Missouri would score three more runs in the top of the 4th to re-take the lead, 4-3. However, in the bottom half of the 4th, [autotag]Cole Foster[/autotag] decided that his team would not relinquish another lead. [autotag]Chris Stanfield[/autotag] tied the game at 4-4 with an RBI single to score [autotag]Caden Green[/autotag], and he would later score on a three-run blast by Foster that sailed over the right field wall and deep into the Hoover night to put Auburn ahead, 7-4.

After that home run, Auburn returned to its’ comfort zone.

“Cole Foster’s home run allowed us to exhale and get back to playing our brand of baseball,” Auburn coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] said Tuesday. “We got enough and did enough. Thankful to come out here and get a win.”

Auburn would score three more insurance runs in the 8th inning to seal the victory. Peirce added an RBI while [autotag]Bryson Ware[/autotag] crushed his 22nd home run of the season, which was of the two-run variety.

“I knew that guy had a high spin rate fastball and he was going to try to blow me up with it,” Ware said. “I just told myself I was going to be on time for it. Thankfully, I got enough of it to get it out of here.”

[autotag]Tommy Vail[/autotag] got the start for Auburn and went 3.2 innings while allowing four runs on two hits. [autotag]Chase Isbell[/autotag] got the win out of the bullpen with 3.0 innings of shutout work, and [autotag]Zach Crotchfelt[/autotag] got the save by turning in a 2.1-inning effort. All three pitchers combined to strike out 11 Missouri batters.

With the win, Auburn is now in the double-elimination portion of the SEC Tournament bracket. Their next matchup is with No. 4 seed Vanderbilt, which will take place at approximately 8 p.m. CT Wednesday.

RELATED: Schedule, Broadcast information for the 2023 SEC Baseball Tournament in Hoover

Here’s a broadcast guide/preview of Wednesday’s game.

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+.

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__

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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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Gators blow by Auburn in game two, evens series

The Tigers’ offense exploded in game one. In game two, the Gators returned the favor.

Much like in Friday’s series opener, one team had a great day at the plate while the other never really got it going.

In Friday’s opener, Auburn knocked off No. 3 Florida, 10-1, behind an 11-hit effort and a six-run 2nd inning. On Saturday, The Gators responded by posting 19 hits in a 12-5 victory to even the series.

All 10 Florida (23-5, 6-2 SEC) batters recorded a hit in Saturday’s win, with seven of those batters recording multiple hits. Starter Hurston Waldrop backed up his offense by striking out 10 batters and allowing four hits in 6.0 innings of work.

Auburn (18-8-1, 3-5 SEC) struck first on a groundout by [autotag]Ike Irish[/autotag] that scored [autotag]Cole Foster[/autotag] from 3rd base to put Auburn ahead, 1-0 in the top of the 1st inning. Florida answered in the bottom of the inning on a Jac Caglianone two-run blast to put them ahead, 2-1.

[autotag]Bobby Peirce[/autotag] would put the Tigers back in front with a two-run home run of his own in the top of the 3rd inning, but Florida scored five runs in the bottom half to take a 7-3 lead and grab control of the game.

The Tigers cut into Florida’s 8-3 lead in the top of the 7th inning when Foster and Peirce scored yet again on a single by [autotag]Bryson Ware[/autotag], but Florida scored four runs over the final two innings to earn the convincing win.

“All three times we scored tonight, not only did they score the very next half-inning, but they scored more than we scored in the top half,” head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] said after Saturday’s game. “They answered us every time we scored and created offense.”

Auburn continued to experiment with the weekend rotation by sending [autotag]John Armstrong[/autotag] to the mound for his first start of the season. He lasted 2.1 innings where he allowed seven hits, seven runs (four earned), and struck out one. [autotag]Christian Herberholz[/autotag] and [autotag]Zach Crotchfelt[/autotag] also provided 2.0 and 2.2 innings of relief respectively, with Herberholz allowing five hits and zero runs in his outing while striking out three batters.

[autotag]Parker Carlson[/autotag] ended the game for Auburn by throwing an inning of relief where he allowed two hits and an earned run.

Auburn’s offense recorded eight hits in the game, with Foster and Peirce leading the way with two hits each.

RELATED: How to watch/listen to Auburn baseball’s series at Florida

Game three of the series is set for Sunday at noon CT on SEC Network+. [autotag]Tommy Vail[/autotag] takes the mound for Auburn, and he will battle two-way star Jac Caglianone for the series win.

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