AUBURN | Tyler Miller signed with Auburn as a shortstop out of East Mississippi Community College. A couple of years later, he’s one of the SEC’s best first basemen.
Miller leads Auburn with a .354 batting average and 12 home runs and leads the SEC with 49 RBI.
“I’m just staying within myself, not trying to do too much,” said Miller. “Doing everything I can to help the team. I can’t do any of this without my team around me, getting me in good position, people in scoring position, swinging at good pitches. I’m just taking what the pitchers give me and not trying to do too much.”
Miller played left field, right field and designated hitter last season, batting .229 with one triple and five RBI in 12 games including nine starts.
Going into this season, all three starters were returning in the outfield. Rankin Woley at third, Ryan Bliss at shortstop and Brody Moore at second had most of the infield locked down. And that trio has helped Auburn lead the nation with 43 double plays.
One of the few options for Miller was first base and he jumped at the opportunity. He's played well at first committing just one error in 285 chances this season.
“I think Tyler’s like, ‘I’m getting on this field. I’m ready to play,’” said Butch Thompson on Andy Burcham’s This Week in Auburn Baseball podcast. “That willingness as a junior college shortstop coming into our program like ‘Where’s a first base mitt? Let me try one of those on. I’m getting on this field.’ That was his first action step and once he made that action step and got a chance to get in the lineup, the rest is history.
“He catches the ball and has gotten better each week at first base. He’s dominating every routine plays thrown at him. It’s amazing. He’s exceeded our expectations going into the season for his first full year, no doubt.”
NO CIGAR: Auburn continues to struggle in close games losing two two-run contests to Florida to go along with a two-run win over the weekend as the Gators took the series. The Tigers are 3-12 in conference games decided by two runs or less and 2-8 in one-run SEC games. Auburn goes into its final four SEC series with a 3-15 conference record.
“We’re just at a stage of the season where you have to win the series,” Thompson said. “We knew starting this second half we virtually have to win every series to do what we want. You never want to give up a vision and what you’re fighting for and we certainly won’t do that now.”
LONG GONE: The Tigers hit eight home runs last week to raise their total to 59 on the season, which ranks second in the SEC and third nationally. Auburn has seven players that have hit five or more home runs in Miller (12), Bliss (9), Steven Williams (9), Bryson Ware (6), Woley (5), Cam Hill (5) and Kason Howell (5).
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Miller gets the nod after batting .409 in five games with two home runs and a team-best eight RBI. Other standouts include Bliss, who led AU with a .421 average in five games and also drove in six runs, and Moore, who batted .368 including a .455 average against Florida. Williams and Woley hit two home runs apiece.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Joseph Gonzalez was 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA in two appearances last week. He earned a win against Florida Sunday holding the Gators to two runs on three hits in 2.2 innings out of the bullpen. He threw 3.1 shutout innings against Jacksonville State Wednesday. Carson Swilling didn’t allow an earned win in three appearances, Will Morrison earned his first-career save against UF and Mason Barnett was 0-1 with a 0.00 ERA in two appearances out of the bullpen.
NEXT UP: Auburn won’t play any midweek games due to final exams this week. The Tigers will return to conference play at Georgia Thursday night at 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network. The rivals will play Friday night at 6 p.m. on SECN+/ESPN+ and Saturday at 11 a.m. on SEC Network.
