AUBURN | Bub Terrell was the Auburn Regional MVP batting .727 with 10 RBI in three games.
Chris Rembert batted .313 with five RBI and Chase Fralick .363 with four RBI. Andreas Alvarez threw 5.0 shutout innings in the Regional-clinching win over N.C. State.
If the Regional went to an all-or-nothing game Monday, Christian Chatterton would have taken the mound as AU’s starter.
Five freshmen have played an outsized role in the Tigers’ resurgence this season and that continued into the postseason.
“They’re not freshmen anymore,” said AU coach Butch Thompson. “They’ve already played a whole college baseball season. So they have a ton of at-bats. They have a ton of experience.
“These are some of our best baseball players that we have now. I’m proud of them. They’ve been strong enough and physical enough.”
Thompson and his staff had a big decision to make this time last year. Auburn had finished 27-26 and failed to qualify for postseason. They could load up on transfers to make an immediate boost to the roster or put their trust in a No. 4-ranked recruiting class and leave room for the incoming freshmen to earn spots in the lineup.
They chose the latter, bringing in a handful of key transfers while also keeping the door open for the freshmen. And those five were able to take advantage of the opportunity and make an immediate impact.
“These guys earned the right to be on the field,” said Thompson. “These guys have been amazing and they’re great baseball players. I’m thankful they’re here. It’s going to be fun to watch and see them continue to grow and layer and grow as men.”
Rembert, Terrell and Fralick were all named to the SEC All-Freshman team. Rembert is also the first Auburn freshman since Hunter Morris in 2008 to earn first- or second-team All-SEC honors. He is currently second on the team with a .347 average along with 14 doubles, 10 home runs and 45 RBI.
He hit .376 in SEC play.
“Man, he’s just one of our best athletes, best players,” said Thompson of Rembert. “The other thing to watch with him is every time he puts the ball in play, how he runs to first. He just don’t give it away. He just absolutely gives you a hard 90 every time. He’s so skilled.”
Fralick has caught 19 consecutive games at catcher and is batting .340 with 16 doubles, four home runs and 40 RBI. Terrell raised his average to .309 during the Regional. He’s second on the team with 17 doubles to go along with five home runs and 41 RBI.
“Best freshmen in the country, really. Any team, any level,” said senior right-hander Samuel Dutton. “Those guys know how to play baseball, and I have everything good to say about them as human beings, as baseball players, as everything. So I'm really proud of them.”
Chatterton was the game-three starter in six of AU’s 10 conference series this season. He had a streak of 20.1 scoreless innings from April 8 through May 9. He’s 4-1 on the season with a 4.47 ERA and third on the team with 60 strikeouts.
Alvarez hadn’t faced a Power 4 team since April 19 before starting and holding the Wolfpack scoreless on six hits and one walk with five strikeouts. He’s 3-1 on the season with a 5.27 ERA.
“It was amazing,” said Terrell of Alvarez’s start against NCSU. “I told him when he got done with his outing that I’m proud of him. He’s been struggling lately.
“As a whole team we’re proud of him seeing that he stepped up in a big situation. We needed that. I think we’re going to carry that into next week.”
No 4 national seed Auburn hosts No. 13 Coastal Carolina in a Super Regional this weekend. Game times for the series will be Friday night at 8 p.m. CT and Saturday at 2 p.m. Both games will be on ESPN2. Sunday’s if necessary games is TBD.
