AUBURN | Carson Myers had plenty of reasons to be thrilled with Sunday’s outing.
It was his best-ever start shutting out Eastern Kentucky for 6.0 innings with a career-high eight strikeouts.
It was his first appearance in an Auburn uniform after transferring from UAB in the offseason.
But it was made extra special having his father, Matt Myers, in the stands watching.
“In my first two years of college, he wasn’t able to come see me because he was coaching,” said the younger Myers, who was named SEC co-Pitcher of the Week. “Today when he came it was just like, ‘Gotta take it to another level because you want to make him proud.’
“But it was just awesome to get him there and give him the opportunity to at least see me pitch.”
The Myers family has close ties to Auburn. Matt served as AU’s pitching coach from 2005-07. Butch Thompson, in his ninth season as AU’s head coach, was an assistant at AU with Myers for two of those seasons.
“My first view of Carson was in a high chair eating baby food,” said Thompson. “To track with the family that long and be that good of friends and then to see a day like today and get to go out there and pitch the way he did today, that’s a surreal moment and a neat one for that family with Matt being able to be in attendance when he hadn’t been able to in the past.
“I’m glad that family could take that in. They are dear to me. It’s good to see Carson all grown up and being able to play Division I baseball now.”
BUILDING DEPTH: Myers’ wasn’t the only standout pitcher Sunday. Christian Herberholz threw the final three innings allowing just one run and striking out the final six batters of the game. Herberholz started eight games last season and Thompson still views him as part of the starting rotation.
“You’re trying to build out for four spots so it covers you to put five pieces there. Oftentimes in series, you’re trying to win when you can,” said Thompson. “Herberholz started some big games for us last year down the road in conference. We’re not going to leave him by the wayside. He needed all three of those innings.”
BOTTOMS UP: The bottom of Auburn’s order was productive during the EKU series. Cooper Weiss led AU with a .500 average and stole a program-record four bases Sunday. Gavin Miller was 1 of 3 with a run scored and RBI in one start and Christian Hall his a two-run home run Sunday. Deric Fabian bounced back from an 0 of 2 performance Friday to go 3 of 4 with three RBI Sunday.
“Seeing the bottom of the lineup do that and the middle perform over the weekend the way they did, I think that gives us some hope and length to our lineup,” said Thompson.
CYCLING THROUGH: Both Ike Irish and Chris Stanfield hit for the cycle this weekend in all three games combined. Irish batted .385 with two singles, one double, one triple and one home run. Stanfield hit .444 with a single, double, triple and home run. Irish leads the team with six RBI, Stanfield is tied for second with four.
GOOD START: Auburn’s three starters, Chase Allsup, Joseph Gonzalez and Myers, were a combined 2-0 with a 1.72 ERA during the series. Six bullpen pitchers combined to go 1-0 with a 1.92 ERA.
NEXT UP: No. 14 Auburn (3-0) hosts UAB (2-1) Tuesday night at 6 p.m. CT on SECN+/ESPN+. AU junior right-hander Conner McBride, a junior college transfer, will fave UAB senior left-hander Christian Clack. The Blazers took 2 of 3 from Kennesaw State at home last weekend.
