AUBURN | Auburn baseball is back to work with a little more than a month to go before the start of the season.
The Tigers return a loaded roster with a number of returning starters in the field and on the pitching staff.
“It’s the most experience I've had and one of my favorite rosters that I've gotten to work with at any point in time, not just at Auburn, but anywhere,” said coach Butch Thompson, who is in his sixth season at Auburn. “I know I'm excited, the coaches are excited, and I believe the players are excited.
“I think they feel like our team culture is further along than it's been the last couple years and the last full season that at least made it to the final eight. We're excited, there's no doubt about that, and we look forward to the season.”
Auburn’s entire starting outfield returns in Judd Ward, Kason Howell and Steven Williams. The infield returns starting third/first baseman Rankin Woley, shortstop Ryan Bliss and co-starters at second base in Brody Moore and Garrett Farquhar.
Moore made a strong case as a full-time starter at second during fall drills.
“I think our players felt like Brody Moore had one of the best falls. I just think from start to finish he came with energy. He came to lead,” Thompson said. “Brody hit with aggression. He attacked. He was ready to swing 0-0. It just seemed like he was on a mission this entire fall.”
Candidates at first base and designated hitter include John Samuel Shenker, Johnny Ceccoli, Tyler Miller and Bryson Ware. Miller hit .462 with a double and home run during the fall world series. Ware, a junior college signee, was the standout newcomer during the fall.
“I think the players and the coaches were most excited about Bryson Ware,” Thompson said. “This is a guy that is a threat at the plate, and will be. He's a guy that we think we’ve got to get on the field and find a place for him. This is a guy that has power. This is a guy that has a lot of springs and coils and is a great athlete.”
The catcher position should be in good hands with Nate LaRue, the projected starter, and Ryan Dyal, who is returning from Tommy John surgery and could DH to begin the season.
The pitching staff will be anchored by veterans Cody Greenhill, who is moving from closer to weekend starter, and Jack Owen. There’s also a lot of excitement around Richard Fitts, who was hitting the upper 90’s on his fastball during the fall and has shot up draft boards for this summer.
“He made a jump in velocity, we added a four-seam fastball to his two seam,” Thompson said. “He got a fastball up to 98, which everybody talks about, but it's really the slider, adding a changeup to left-handed hitters, getting everything going.”
Mason Barnett, a hard-throwing right-hander, was expected to take over the closers role but was so good during the fall that Thompson is still considering his options going into spring.
“We just put him back in the closer role, but he's landing four pitches right now with Coach (Tim) Hudson,” Thompsons said. “In our staff meetings, we're arguing back and forth like, ‘Man, Fitts might have pitched himself into a first rounder so we're definitely going to give him that shot, and then all of us think that Mason's clicking on his heels if he's not a tick ahead so why does he not get a shot? This might be back-to-back first round type guys, at least from a stuff standpoint. They’ve got to go out have great years.”
There’s plenty more talent and depth on the staff including right-handers Trace Bright and newcomer Joseph Gonzalez, and left-handers Brooks Fuller, Carson Skipper, Hayden Mullins, Garrett Wade and Peyton Glavine.
The SEC will play a normal 56-game schedule beginning Feb. 19 including 30 conference games. The SEC schedule will be similar to the one that was supposed to take place in 2020 before it was cancelled.
