AUBURN | It’s hard for any athlete to return from knee surgery. Bobby Peirce had to overcome surgery on both knees. At the same time.

Nearly a year and a grueling rehab process later, the fourth-year junior has worked his way into the starting lineup and become one of Auburn’s most important players at the plate and in the outfield.

“Really, the hardest time was probably last year right before the surgery when I was just like, ‘Damn, I don’t know if I’m every going to be the same.’ I’m glad to kind of be back to who I am,” said Peirce.

Peirce, a Scottsdale, Ariz., native, signed with Auburn out of South Mountain Community College as one of the nation’s top JUCO prospects, hitting .315 with eight doubles, four triples, eight home runs and 44 RBI as a freshman.

It was his last full season of baseball.

A thumb injury caused him to miss most of his sophomore year at South Mountain, and knee issues began shortly after arriving at Auburn. He took an injection in both knees to try and play through the pain last year, but it wasn’t enough. He hit just .200 in 15 at-bats.

After the season, the decision was made to have surgery. He spent a few weeks on crutches before beginning an extensive rehab process.

“They basically cut out a little of both of my patella tendons,” Peirce explained. “Really, it took so long to build back strength and let the tendon grow back. That’s why it took six to eight months. It was a lot of rehab. It was a long process.”

That meant missing the entirety of last fall’s practice and most of preseason.

“He came in and we met with him in January and couldn’t promise him any at-bats this year,” said hitting coach Gabe Gross. “Basically in a full calendar year, he’d had about 20 at-bats and all those were in preseason January. It was just like, ‘Man, I believe in you but don’t know what to make of you right now because of how long it’s been since you’ve really played.’”

Peirce, however, kept a positive attitude and continued to believe in his ability. It was during long sessions in the Josh Donaldson Hitting Lab that he began to start feeling more like himself for the first time in nearly three years.

“There’s not anyone on this team that has come in and put the hours in, in that building down there that Bobby has,” said Gross. “He has never wavered in his belief in himself and that his opportunity would come and that he was going to be ready for it.”

There were still more obstacles to overcome. Peirce was held out of the travel squad for the opening series at the College Baseball Showdown in Arlington, Texas.

He had just 10 at-bats through the first 26 games of the season.

“I just kind of worked my way in there with the chances I got,” said Peirce. “I would get an at-bat or two in a midweek game and I finally got a start at LSU. That was my first start and from there, it kind of took off.”

His opportunity came after a season-ending injury to Josh Hall, who collided with a bench making a game-ending catch in the opening game at LSU. Peirce stepped up for an injured teammate right when Auburn needed him the most.

Since moving into the starting lineup April 1 at LSU, Peirce is third on the team with a .339 average.

He hit the go-ahead home run in the seventh inning of last Friday’s win over South Carolina and enters this weekend’s series at No. 1 Tennessee riding a six-game hitting streak.

“It means a lot,” said Peirce of being able to play again. “There’s been a lot of work, a lot of frustration that’s gone into it, but it’s finally paid off. I feel really good about it moving forward.”

Peirce has also shown surprising speed for coming off double-knee surgery. He’s got three of Auburn’s seven triples this season and has stolen 2 of 3 bases.

He had a key outfield assist when he threw out a Mississippi State base runner trying to go first to third in a 3-2 win in Starkville.

“Bobby’s done an amazing job,” said AU coach Butch Thompson. “He went from somebody that, ‘Alright, come in here in spell us and hopefully you’ll be ready to go,’ to somebody we’re hanging our hat on now. We’ll need to continue to get great play out of him. But slowly, you’re starting to feel like Bobby is right in the middle of everything. He’s a guy that we’re counting on each and every day.

“It’s a great story he’s writing by getting out there and producing and being such a huge part of this team after all he’s been through."

First pitch Friday and Saturday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium is scheduled for 6 p.m.CT on SEC Network. Sunday’s finale will be 1 p.m. on SECN+/ESPN+.