AUBURN | Cam Hill has played in just eight innings through the first four games but the freshman is already showing what made him one top signees in Auburn’s 2020 class.

Hill made his first appearance against Presbyterian Sunday coming into a 1-1 game in the 10th inning and retiring all three batters he faced, two by strikeouts. AU scored in the bottom of the inning giving Hill the win.

Two days later, he got a start as the designated hitter against Alabama A&M and went 3 for 3 with one run scored and three RBI.

“It was a great debut for him both on the mound and getting the opportunity to swing the bat,” Auburn coach Butch Thompson said. “We think he’s going to be a great player and huge contributor for us.”

Hill arrived in Auburn after a standout career at Bob Jones High School in Madison, Ala. He was 14-4 with a 1.96 ERA on the mound, and had 32 doubles, 22 home runs and 95 RBI in his final three prep seasons. Hill led Bob Jones to the 2019 state championship series where they lost 7-6 in the final game to McGill-Toolen and current AU catcher Nate LaRue.

Hill was a Perfect Game third-team All-American.

“That dude can play, for sure,” said sophomore outfielder Josh Hall after Tuesday’s 18-2 win over the Bulldogs. “For him to come in his first outing in the 10th inning in a 1-1 ballgame and shove it like he did, that was real exciting to see.

“I saw him in the lineup today and watching what he did in the preseason, he just finds barrels and hits the ball hard every time he’s in the box. We all where excited for him and the night he had. It’s been a good 48 hours for him.”

Two-way players are becoming rarer in baseball, but Hill has a chance to both pitch and hit for the Tigers during his college career, although he’s unlikely to play a position in the field his first season.

“We’re not pushing a defensive position right now because we want him to grow and develop as a pitcher,” Thompson said. “We’re not putting that third aspect of a ton of reps at first base or corner outfield or wherever it would be.

“Things can always change with a college baseball team, but for right now, I think you’re looking at him in a DH role when he does hit. And you’re looking for him to keep growing and earning more as we define his role as a pitcher.”

Hill isn’t your typical freshman in stature either. He’s listed on AU’s roster 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds.

"It looks 6-3, 6-4, Paul Bunyan-type stuff,” Thompson said. “It’s 92, 93 coming out of the hand. Man, he was so ready to go and pound the zone the other day.

“He just keeps having professional at-bats and we keep seeing that ball being re-directed to the middle of the field during all the batting practice and the games we played. And it continued even with some slower velocity. The ball was hit hard. It’s coming off with a lot of velocity. He looks like a professional hitter. I guess what I mean there is it’s just a consistent approach and he stays on balance. I’m not sure we have nine better hitters from that standpoint of evaluating.”

Auburn plays a second game against Alabama A&M Wednesday at 4 p.m. CT. The game is not available on T.V. or streaming.