Daniel earns opening day start

AUBURN | It’ll be Davis Daniel on the mound Friday night as No. 17 Auburn hosts Georgia Southern. The junior right-hander was given the nod as the Tigers’ opening day starter.

“It means a lot,” Daniel said. “It’s very encouraging and it obviously adds to the confidence I built up at the end of last year. It’s cool to look back the last two years, the guys that threw on Fridays the last two years were Keegan Thompson and Casey Mize, and those are two guys I learned a lot from.

“It’s an honor to be in the same kind of category and to be able to throw that opening day too.”

Daniel was the choice over sophomore right-hander Tanner Burns, who will start Saturday’s game.

“I really believe in my heart, and I think I’ve said it once or twice this week, that it’s 1A and 1B,” Auburn coach Butch Thompson said. “I am not ready to go ‘this is our first starter or our second starter.’ Because you and I could have a pretty good argument, if you want to break it down, the Friday night guy or the Saturday guy, which is more important? I think from a pride standpoint, a player wants the Friday night spot, because it’s Game 1.”

Daniel was 3-4 with a 4.86 ERA last season, but really came on at the end of the season including holding No. 1 Florida to just one hit in 5.1 scoreless innings of relief in the final game of the Gainesville Super Regional. He was drafted in the 11th round of the MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers last summer.

“Davis, we need him to come out and really get the team going,” Thompson said. “That’s what a great Friday night starter does. We think he’s capable. He committed to come back. This has not been given. I think he’s pitched very well in January. We think he’s ready to take the reins, because that’s a big slot to fill from what we’ve had in that slot the last two years.”

Thompson has chosen junior college transfer Kyle Gray, a left-hander, to start Sunday. Another junior college transfer, left-hander Bailey Horn, will have a prominent role in the bullpen and could potentially become a starter.

Cody Greenhill, who along with Burns was a Freshman All-American last season, will begin 2019 as the team’s closer. Juniors Elliott Anderson and Ryan Watson, along with as many as six true freshmen including Brooks Fuller and Garrett Wade will be an important part of what should be Auburn’s deepest bullpen in years.

Sophomore left-hander Jack Owen is slated to start Tuesday’s game against Alabama A&M.

First pitch Friday at Plainsman Park is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT. Saturday’s game is 2 p.m. and Sunday’s 1 p.m. The first two games will be available on SECN+. Sunday’s game will not be televised.

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