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The State of Auburn Baseball

It’s time for baseball on the Plains! As the MLB playoffs continue to heat up, Auburn baseball will host a pair of exhibition matches in Plainsman Park, before displaying their talent in the intrasquad Fall World Series later this month. The Tigers begin exhibition play this Friday (October 15th) at 6 p.m. when they host Tuskegee in a 12-inning matchup. Auburn will then take on Clemson on Saturday, October 23rd.

Coming off a down year compared to where the program has been the last few years, the Auburn baseball squad will look to have a strong fall practice season to transition into the 2022 campaign. The Tigers feature a deep roster with 49 players listed on the official roster. Of these, 24 are newcomers to the orange and blue. This includes 11 true freshmen and 13 transfer students. Among them are transfers from Notre Dame, Lipscomb, Presbyterian, Samford (three transfers), and various community colleges.

While there are a bunch of new faces on this squad, there is plenty of returning talent as well. The Tigers return four hitters who played in at least 40 games while hitting better than .250. On the mound, Auburn has nine returning hurlers who made double digit appearances last season. Continue reading for a breakdown of the Tigers’ roster by position.

Pitching

Auburn has replenished their arm talent after losing Cody Greenhill, Richard Fitts, and Jack Owens to professional baseball. That veteran trio combined to start 25 games last season. Auburn does return sophomore Joseph Gonzalez (five starts), junior Mason Barnett (six starts), and junior Trace Bright (11 starts) who all started at least five games a year ago. In addition, Notre Dame transfer Tommy Sheehan comes over with plenty of big game experience. Sheehan suffered through an injury last year but was one of the Fighting Irish’s best starters in the COVID shortened 2020 season. Freshman Chase Allsup comes in with a bunch of hype as one of the top high school baseball players in the state of Alabama last year.

In the bullpen, Auburn returns reliable senior lefty Carson Skipper and sophomore Carson Swilling who developed into a reliable reliever last year as a freshman. Lipscomb transfer Tyler Drabick and Samford transfer Chase Isbell will also throw out of the bullpen for the Tigers this season. The Tigers will also get Hayden Mullins back after an injury cut his campaign short last year. Other familiar names include Brooks Fuller, Will Morrison, and Blake Burkhalter. The Tigers also have a plethora of other freshmen pitchers who will look to make their mark in fall ball.

Catcher

Sophomore Ryan Dyal and junior Nate LaRue combined to start 32 games behind the dish last season. Both players struggled at times hitting, while at the same time displaying defensive prowess. Four-year letterman Steven Williams, who split time at catcher and rightfield last year, has taken his talents to professional ball; however, the Tigers brought in a veteran presence to help out behind the dish in Presbyterian transfer Jake Wyandt. Sophomores Ben Schorr and Peyton Sybrandt will also look to take a step forward this season.

Infield

Despite losing a talented trio in Ryan Bliss, Rankin Woley, and Tyler Miller, the Tigers have several talented options on the infield. Returner Brody Moore combines with Samford transfers Brooks Carlson and Sonny Dicharia to form a core group in the infield. Look for talented sophomore Cole Foster to push for playing time at shortstop. Graduate student Garrett Farqufar has plenty of experience as well. Cam Hill predominately played at designated hitter last year but has high school experience at first base as well. Other infield options include transfers Blake Rambusch, Cooper Self, Mason Land, and Luke Burk. John Samuel Shenker will also provide another bat for the Tigers this spring after football season ends.

Outfield

Kason Howell and Bryson Ware both return as experienced outfield starters for the Tigers. Brayton Brown, Josh Hall, and Bobby Pierce all played at times for the Tigers in the outfield last year as well. Freshman Mike Bello will be another option for the Tigers as well this year in the outfield.

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