Published Apr 6, 2021
Notebook: Perseverance needed
circle avatar
Bryan Matthews  •  AuburnSports
Senior Editor
Twitter
@BMattAU

AUBURN | Auburn is 1-8 in the SEC with No. 5 Mississippi State set to visit Plainsman Park this weekend.

It’ll be another tough test for the Tigers after dropping 2 of 3 at No. 2 Arkansas. But AU showed it was capable of going head-to-head with an elite team winning game one and leading game two 4-0 and game three 5-0 before losing both by one run.

Seven of AU's eight conference losses are by two runs or less.

“There’s still so much baseball to be played,” said Auburn coach Butch Thompson. “We shouldn’t be sitting right here right now with the quality of ball that we’ve played. It’s not going to get any easier and we can’t feel sorry for ourselves. This is a life lesson if you can persevere.”

Auburn still has seven conference series, 21 games, left to climb back up the standings and can point back to the 2001 season when AU started 0-9 in the SEC only to finish 15-15.

Under Thompson, AU advanced to its first back-to-back NCAA Regionals in 14 years and its first Super Regional in 19 years in 2018. In 2019, he led AU to its first College World Series in 22 years.

“Our program persevered when we got down to the last pitch at Florida State and came back and win a Regional the next year,” Thompson said. “Our program persevered being one run away from going to a Super Regional to an entire year later being in a Super Regional.

“That’s our recent success, has been perseverance, and it’s called on bigger than ever right now. We do have something to call on to help us move forward.”

DEFENSE SHINES: Thompson called AU’s defensive effort in Fayetteville one of the best he’s seen. The Tigers turned seven double plays and Kason Howell made several leaping and diving catches in centerfield. Overall, AU had a .982 fielding percentage at Arkansas committing just two errors. All 13 of the Razorbacks’ runs were earned.

CONTRAST IN PITCHING: Auburn’s three starting pitchers combined to go 1-0 with a 1.55 ERA, 10 strikeouts and six walks in 17.1 innings at Arkansas. Seven relievers combined to go 0-2 with a 10.00 ERA, four strikeouts and 13 walks in 9.0 innings. Carson Skipper and Mason Barnett combined to throw 2.0 shutout innings with one hit in Thursday’s win but came back Saturday to give up three runs on three hits and six walks in 3.2 innings.

BULLPEN HELP: Barnett switched from starter back to closer this week and Skipper returned from an injury. Both could take a step forward this weekend. Hayden Mullins is also on schedule to return from an injury this week. He is 2-0 with a 0.82 ERA and has the team’s best strikeout ratio with 19 in 11.0 innings.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Brody Moore had a strong series at Arkansas batting .462 with six runs scored, one double, one home run and one RBI. He also had a perfect fielding percentage in 20 chances at second base and helped the Tigers turn many of those double plays. Other standouts include Rankin Woley, who batted .364, and Ryan Bliss, who batted .308. Tyler Miller was just 1 of 12 at the plate but led AU with four RBI.

PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Cody Greenhill led Auburn to its first SEC win Thursday night holding the Razorbacks to a run on three hits in 7.0 innings. He struck out five and didn’t issue a walk. All three of AU’s starters played well as Jack Owen didn’t allow a run in 5.1 innings and Joseph Gonzalez allowed two runs in 5.0 innings on just two hits.

UP NEXT: Auburn’s scheduled game against Kennesaw State Tuesday night was postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the KSU program. The Tigers will host the Bulldogs for a 3-game series this weekend beginning Friday night at 6 p.m. CT on SECN+/ESPN+.