Prior to Auburn’s trip to Oregon State to face the Beavers in the Corvallis Super Regional, head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] told local media that his team’s goal is “national championship or bust.”
The statement was made in hopes to raise the expectations of the program from “happy to be here” to true contenders for a national title.
However, after dropping the first game of the 2022 College World Series on Saturday to Ole Miss, Thompson knew that his team was behind the 8-ball since only four teams in 40 years have ever won the College World Series after dropping their first game.
But, Thompson knew that he could not allow his team to give up. So he called on former Oregon State head coach Pat Casey, as well as former South Carolina head coach Ray Tanner, who were two of those coaches who led their teams to national championships after losing their first game in Omaha.
Lucky for Thompson, those two men were happy and willing to lend a helping hand. That helped, as Auburn was able to defeat Stanford on Monday afternoon, winning their first game in Omaha since 1997, and, more importantly, keeping their title hopes alive.
“Both of those men got back and gave me paragraphs, taking me through the journey with their team,” said Thompson following Auburn’s 6-2 win over Stanford on Monday. “Those men, it was like those men were excited to hear from me, and they were like, “yeah, this is what we did, this is what we talked about, this became our focus.” I’m just hunting for every inch that I can for our program.”
The Tigers’ win over the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament field was fueled by scoring six runs over the 6th and 7th innings, which included a three-run double by [autotag]Cole Foster[/autotag], who was battling illness throughout the game. Foster’s grit is just a small sample of Auburn’s personality, and what could lead them to more wins at the College World Series.
“The man, the woman, or the team that will never quit, they have a chance,” says Thompson. “I just want us to fight, and I want us to attack. That’s all you can ask for, the score will take care of itself.”
Auburn’s next opportunity to extend their season comes Tuesday night against Arkansas. The Razorbacks dropped a game to Ole Miss on Tuesday night, moving them to the loser’s bracket. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. CDT, and can be seen on ESPN.
To watch Monday’s postgame press conference in its’ entirety, click below.
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