CHAPEL HILL | Cody Greenhill watched from the mound as his pitch was driven off the bat of Austin Langworthy, bounced off the glove of Steven Williams and over the right field wall to give Florida a 3-2 win in 11 innings, sending the Gators to the 2018 College World Series and bringing Auburn’s season to a heartbreaking end.
A year later, Greenhill stood on a pitching mound 550 miles north and watched as his pitch was driven right into the glove of first baseman Rankin Woley to finish off a 14-7 win over North Carolina and send the Tigers to the College World Series for the first time in 22 years.
“It means everything. Everybody has counted us out. From the beginning since we’ve been hurt, we’ve been put down. This team has a lot of heart, man,” Greenhill said.
“Just speaking for the guys from last year, I can remember being on the mound and that last home run, man, that stuck with me and I made a promise to myself on the way home that I would never let the next group go through that.”
If this team has a heart, it’s centered around Greenhill, who goes by ‘The Bull’ and brings a lot of intensity to the mound. He’s been one of Auburn’s most consistent performers this season, leading the team and tied for second in the SEC with 12 saves.
“He's a winner,” Auburn coach Butch Thompson said. “We would not still be here if not for Cody Greenhill. He's an amazing competitor. There's still much development left in his game, but his heart and his ability is about as good as I've coached. And I've coached some good ones.”
There’s no telling where this run will end, but the word that best describes the 2019 Auburn baseball team to this point is perseverance. The Tigers fought through an inconsistent regular season, picking up a key comeback win at LSU in the last weekend and adding a win over Tennessee in the SEC Tournament to secure an NCAA bid.
After being swept in two games against Georgia Tech during the regular season, the Tigers beat the No. 3 national seed twice in the Atlanta Regional to make it to Chapel Hill where it took 2 of 3 from No. 14 national seed and reigning ACC Tournament Champion UNC.
Next up is a date with SEC West foe Mississippi State, the No. 6 national seed, and All-American LHP Ethan Small Sunday night in the College World Series.
“Focus. It’s truly just focus,” said Greenhill of Auburn’s postseason turnaround. “Knowing that Coach has an approach. Pitchers knew we had to do better to give ourselves a chance to win. It’s a grind and we’ve embraced it.”
First pitch Sunday night at Ameritrade Park is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2.
