AUBURN | It took a few years, but Trace Bright has got it now.
When Auburn’s junior right-hander steps onto the mound, he’s got the mentality of a veteran that expects to dominate an opposing lineup.
“You always need to find something to get better at as a pitcher. My three years at Auburn I have definitely developed that. Being competitive and being confident is a big thing,” said Bright.
The Tigers will turn to Bright Friday night in the opening game of the Auburn Regional against SE Louisiana. Bright is 3-4 on the season with a 4.63 ERA and a team-high 74 strikeouts.
In his last two appearances, Bright is 1-0 with a 3.52 ERA and six strikeouts in 7.2 innings.
“This is young man that’s getting more aggressive and more confident as he’s gone through this year,” said AU coach Butch Thompson. “Man, I hope the best is yet to come.”
Bright tends to work quickly, and if he can’t get the strikeout, trusts his defense to make plays behind him.
“He’s got the mentality that he’s going to go up there and get you out no matter how, no matter what way,” said senior shortstop Brody Moore. “He’s going to get you out and he’s going to put his trust in the eight guys behind him and say, ‘Here, let’s go to work.’
“When you’ve got infielders saying he’s fun to play behind, it means something’s going right. It means we’re always active getting ground balls. That’s what we like. That’s what we want as infielders.”
Bright has been AU’s Saturday starter for most of the season, but is more than ready to step in and set the tone for the Tigers in Friday’s opener.
“It’s amazing to be back here at Plainsman Park for the postseason,” said Bright. “A big crowd and a night game, it will be fun. We’ve got to keep our nerves calm and get after them tomorrow.”
Auburn will go with Joseph Gonzalez (6-2, 2.74 ERA) Saturday against either UCLA or Florida State. The Bruins and Seminoles open the Auburn Regional Friday at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN2. AU will play SLU at 6 p.m. on ESPN+.
BIG BAT IS BACK: Cole Foster, who has missed the last six games after injuring his back against Alabama May 13, is expected to be back in the starting lineup for the Regional. Foster has started 43 games at second base this season and was AU’s third-best hitter in SEC play with a .309 average and five home runs. The Tigers went 3-3 without Foster in the lineup.
"We think he gives us a shot in the arm,” said Thompson. “We think he’s a real threat in the box to do something, especially against some higher-level pitching. He participated Friday, Monday and Wednesday in the squad games.”
EAGLE HEADS: It started with a trip to a candy store in Knoxville, Tenn. Bryson Ware and a couple of players spotted it and knew they had to have it. Auburn’s new Eagle head mask made its debut against Tennessee and has been planted on the head of AU players after every home run since.
“They saw it just sitting on the shelf and were like, ‘We have to buy it.’ I didn’t know it was happening and it just popped up when somebody hit a homer. It’s pretty cool,” said Moore.
The mask is a pretty tight fit, but not so much for Moore, who wore it after a home run against Arkansas. “It’s a little looser on me than Sonny, though,” he joked.
HOT OPPONENT: SE Louisiana enters the Regional winning seven of their final 10 regular season games and winning the Southland Conference Tournament, which included taking 2 of 3 from McNeese State in the championship series. The Lions have hit 69 home runs, stolen 113 bases and been hit by 124 pitches.
“The last time I competed against them, they stole home on us,” said Thompson. “This team is going to do a lot. They’re going to be on the plate. They’re going to crowd it and try to make us feel uncomfortable more than any team we’ve played probably this year. They’ve been hit by pitches in excess of 100 times. One player on their team has 35 HBP’s, which is incredible to me, and they’ve stolen over 100 bases. That they’re hot and they do a couple of things offensively that’s a little bit different.”
CRAFTY LEFTY: Soft-throwing, left-handed pitchers have traditionally given the Tigers trouble and that’s exactly what they’ll face in SLU starter Adam Guth, who features a changeup. The freshman is 4-1 with a 5.13 ERA. He’s struck out 47 batters and walked 31 in 59.2 innings. AU enters the Regional batting just .233 in its last seven conference games. “The elephant in the room is can we get our offense reset? We’ve played in the range defensively. We’ve played in the range from a pitching standpoint. Can we get our offense back to where we’ve played the majority of the season? That’s what I’m interested in,” said Thompson.
THIS IS IT: Kenny Loggins couldn’t have sung it any better. This is what Auburn has been preparing for all season and being able to host a NCAA Regional at Plainsman Park for the first time in 12 years makes it that much better.
“Auburn is special to all of us,” said Moore. “To be able to put ourselves in that spot to defend our home turf, is something we’re ready to do. We’re ready to show up and do it.”
