AUBURN | Auburn added a lot of pitching during the offseason and Samuel Dutton emerged from fall practice as one of best.

The LSU transfer is a favorite to start the Tigers opener in a little more than five weeks.

“If we started today, the flag we're waving who really won the competition would be Samuel Dutton,” said AU coach Butch Thompson at the end of fall ball. “He threw 72 percent strikes this last outing. He put together the best outing of the fall in this World Series. Four pitches looked sharp.”

Dutton, a 5-foot-11 right-hander from Southside, Ala., had 57 appearances including 15 starts in three seasons at LSU including the 2023 College World Series, which LSU won.

He was 1-3 with a 6.02 ERA and one save in those three season, striking out 76 and walking 25 in 86.2 innings. He struck out three in 1.0 inning out of the bullpen in game two of the CWS finals against Florida.

“The stuff is really good and he throws a lot of strikes,” said AU pitching coach Everett Teaford. “This is not necessarily negative on anything in the past, but just learning to call his own game and learning how to use his pitches, how his stuff profiles, what situations he should use it in, kind of took maybe a minute to kind of try to find the right mix.

“The last outing, almost going five innings and 50 pitches, one bunt hit, we kind of were able to put everything together because you felt like it was right there. He'd just have one inning or one at bat. That would kind of mess things up a little bit. But the stuff's really good. Strikes, competitor, everything you want from the intangibles he's got. And I was glad he ended on such a strong note.”

Auburn opens the season by hosting Holy Cross Feb. 14-16.