Auburn beats AUM as Lowe, ’67 team honored

AUBURN | Baseball was back at Plainsman Park Friday for the first time since Auburn’s appearance in the 2019 College World Series.

It was only an exhibition game against AUM, but the Tigers won 9-1 and honored former player Q.V. Lowe, who was part of the program’s first-ever CWS team in 1967.

“I thought it was awesome for us to get together and honor their winningest head coach and a guy that led Auburn to the first College World Series in ’67,” Auburn coach Butch Thompson said. “He was a huge part of Auburn, a huge part of AUM and I hope it was a really neat experience for Q.V.”

Nine Auburn pitchers combined to hold AUM to an unearned run on two hits. Bailey Horn, Cody Greenhill, Nate LaRue, Ryan Watson, Drew Baker, Peyton Glavine, Garrett Wade, Carson Skipper and Blake Burkhalter all pitched an inning apiece. Horn struck out the side in the first and Glavine did the same in the sixth.

“I thought our arms did a great job tonight,” Thompson said. “I’m not excited about our at-bats as a group. You talk about a veteran group … I don’t think they’re having midseason at-bats and they definitely did not tonight.”

Auburn broke on top with an RBI single by Conor Davis in the first inning. The Tigers struck for four in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Steven Williams, and RBI groundout by Rankin Woley, an AUM error and a bases-loaded walk by David DuCote.

AU added two in the eighth on a bases-loaded single by Travis Odom and two more in the ninth on an RBI single by Johnny Ceccoli and a bases-loaded walk by Brayton Brown.

Catcher Matt Scheffler threw out two base runners in the fifth.

Lowe and the entire ’67 CWS team were honored prior to the game with Lowe throwing out the first pitch. Lowe served as the Warhawks head coach from the program’s inception in 1987 until retiring in 2014.

Auburn won 9-3 at Columbus State last week as Garrett Farquhar hit a 3-run home run. The Tigers will conclude fall practice with a three-game World Series beginning Nov. 1.