CHAPEL HILL | A lot of players have stepped up at the plate, on the mound and in the field to spark Auburn’s postseason run. But none have been as critical as the emergence of the Tigers’ big three bats.
Will Holland, Steven Williams and Edouard Julien have ignited AU’s offense combining to hit .364 (16-44) with 14 runs scored, four home runs and 18 RBI as the Tigers have gone 4-0 in the NCAA postseason.
“Even though they haven't had the season they've wanted to, we have all the confidence in the world in them, and they’ve just come alive, which is not a bad time to come alive,” junior designated hitter Conor Davis said.
Holland was really the first of the trio to get his bat going during the Alabama series May 3-5. In last 17 games, Holland is batting .349 with 17 runs scored, three doubles, five home runs and 15 RBI.
He was hitting .201 after the first game of the Alabama series and is hitting .244 now.
“The confidence is always there,” Holland said. “You go through a bunch of trials and tribulations during the season. Coach (Butch) Thompson always gathered us up every day and said, ‘We’re going to get through it, there’s going to be a few bumps in the road.’ He said we were going to get through it and we did.”
Williams came into last week’s Atlanta Regional last among AU’s starters with a .227 average. There were even questions on whether Thompson would bench Williams in favor of freshman Devin Warner.
But Williams caught fire during the four-game NCAA tournament winning streak. The Atlanta Regional MVP is hitting .412 with four runs scored, one double, three home runs and 12 RBI. He’s raised his average to .241 in four games. The sophomore had a nine-pitch at-bat Saturday, which culminated in a two-run home run in the fifth inning off UNC starter Tyler Baum for AU’s first runs of the game.
“When they start fouling off and it turns into six, seven, eight, nine pitches, you start to feel like he’s settled. We call it marbles. He kept seeing marbles. Kept seeing marbles and extended the at-bat,” Thompson said. “I don’t know if they were trying to come in or not, but it just wound up in a good spot for Steven to handle the ball. It just lets you know that he’s still having a good at-bat, because after the first one, human nature goes like, ‘OK, was that last weekend where he was locked in, and now it’s gone?’ Then right back in it with that swing in the at-bat to get us to one run was huge.”
In 10 career NCAA tournament games, Williams is hitting .425 (17-40) with 13 runs scored, two doubles, one triple, five home runs and 19 RBI. He has a .900 slugging percentage.
As for Julien, he’s been slowing warming up since the end of the regular season before breaking out against UNC with two hits including a three-run home run in the ninth.
“I thought it was a huge swing for Steven, and for me today, when Julien hit that home run, that’s when I get really excited,” Thompson said.
In seven postseason games including the SEC Tournament, Julien is hitting .333 with seven runs scored, one double, one home run and six RBI. He leads the team with 51 RBI this season, making him the first Auburn player with back-to-back 50-RBI seasons since Brian Fletcher in 2009-10.
After beating UNC 11-7 Saturday, Auburn is just one win away from reaching the College World Series for the first time since 1997. The Tigers have rallied from 5-2 deficits after seven innings twice during the tournament — against Georgia Tech last Sunday and UNC Saturday. Previously, AU was 2-19 when trailing after seven innings.
“These guys are just connected and playing the best they can. When they get behind they’re just not rolling over. I think it’s a great trait of perseverance,” Thompson said.
Sunday’s game two is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on ESPN. If necessary, the two teams will play Monday at noon on ESPN2.
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