Baseball Tigers sign 14

AUBURN | With a number of talented juniors and seniors returning for the 2020 season, Auburn will be well positioned to make a run at a return trip to the College World Series.

But most, if not all, of those players will be moving on after next season, which is why Butch Thompson and his staff put more of an emphasis on junior college players during the early signing period.

The Tigers signed 14 players including four JUCO standouts.

“It allows us to get that junior college guy that’s played some junior college baseball that we feel like can step in and immediately help us instead of having to wait for them to get a year of experience,” Auburn coach Butch Thompson said. “In 2021 we’re going to need some new faces, some new names on the back of their jersey to be able to come in and help us immediately.”

The JUCO signees include three power hitters in infielder Bryson Ware from Pearl River (Miss.), infielder/outfielder Garrett Martin from McLennan (Texas) and outfielder Bobby Peirce from South Mountain (Ariz.), and a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher in Chase Wilkerson from San Jacinto (Texas).

“We do feel like we needed a couple of more bats,” Thompson said. “We went and got what we think is power in those guys, guys that can get the ball in the air to the pull side.

“Chase Wilkerson is an Alabama kid that went out to San Jacinto … and is a competitor. It’s written all over him that he’s just a competitor. Cody Greenhill has just been the epitome of, ‘Hey, I don’t know how this is going to happen but I know how to compete and get the last out.’ We think Chase is one of those guys.”

The Tigers’ 10 high school signees include shortstop Werner Blakely from Detroit, Mich., who played in the Under Armour All-American game at Wrigley Field last summer.

“Athletically, personality and 6-3/6-4, left-handed bat, athlete — he’s not going to take a backseat to anybody,” Thompson said.

Ware, Blakely, right-handed pitcher/outfielder Carson Swilling from Smiths Station, Ala., and switch-hitting shortstop Cole Foster Plano (Texas) Senior are four of the most highly-rated of the group and ones to watch for the 2020 MLB Draft.

“The challenge is, ‘Hey, can we get them here,’ but we have to keep trying to aim as high as we possibly can. We must keep trying to sign the best players in America,” Thompson said. “If we’re so scared of the draft that we’re scared of somebody getting here, we might not like the player we wind up getting.”

The talented group of prep signees also include left-handed pitcher/first baseman Cam Hill from Bob Jones in Madison, Ala., and right-handed pitcher/outfielder Carter Frederick from Chelsea, Ala., left-handed pitcher Kade Snell from Wicksburg in Newton, Ala., right-handed pitcher Jack Sokol from New Albany in Ohio, right-handed pitcher John Armstrong from Harrison in Marietta, Ga., shortstop John Griffin Bell from Faith Academy in Mobile, Ala., and catcher Ben Schorr from Columbus (Ga.) High.

SIGNEE BIOS

RHP Chase Wilkerson, San Jacinto (TX) Junior College

As a freshman: 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 13 K, 7.0 IP. Hit .291, 4 2B, 3 HR, 18 RBI.

OF Bobby Peirce, South Mountain (AZ) Community College

As a freshman: .315, 8 2B, 8 HR, 7 SB, 44 RBI.

1B/OF Garrett Martin, McLennan (Texas) Junior College

As a freshman: .335, 8 2B, 9 HR, 47 RBI

IF Bryson Ware, Pearl River (Miss.) Community College

As a senior at Germantown HS: .477, 9 2B, 8 HR, 26 RBI.

SS Werner Blakely, Early College of Excellence, Detroit, Mich.

Midpoint of junior season: .443, 3 HR. Under Armour All-American game.

RHP/OF Carson Swilling, Smith Station, Ala.

As a junior: 1.00 ERA, 4 S, 15 K, 9.0 IP. Hit .367, 2 HR, 27 RBI, 15 SB. Played in MLB High School All-Star Game.

SS Cole Foster, North Plano, Texas

As a junior: .305 with 4 2B, 1 HR. First-team Perfect Game Underclassmen All-American

LHP/1B Camden Hill, Bob Jones in Madison, Ala.

As a junior: 7-3, 1.71 ERA, 58 K, 65.2 IP. Hit .379, 11 2B, 8 HR, 31 RBI.

OF/RHP Carter Frederick, Chelsea, Ala.

As a junior: .407, 15 2B, 38 RBI. Fastball in low 90s.

LHP Kade Snell, Wicksburg in Newton, Ala.

As a junior: 3-3, 2.18 ERA, 87 K in 45 IP

RHP Jack Sokol, New Albany in Ohio

As a junior: 8-1, 1.04 ERA, 75 K, 53.1 IP.

RHP John Armstrong, Harrison in Marietta, Ga.

Sidewinder. No stats available.

SS John Griffin Bell, Faith Academy in Mobile, Ala.

No stats available.

C Ben Schorr, Columbus (Ga.) High

As a junior: .303, 5 2B, 4 HR, 19 RBI.