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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