Several early standouts for Thompson

AUBURN | One week down and two more to go before Butch Thompson opens his second season as Auburn’s head coach.

With 20 newcomers, Thompson has turned over his roster in the offseason and a couple of junior college transfers have impressed during the first week of preseason practice in outfielder Jonah Todd and shortstop Luke Jarvis.

"Maybe one I haven't talked about much is Jonah Todd,” Thompson said. “He's starting to play centerfield as good as anybody and he's had great at-bats. His swing is short and compact. I thought he has played great.

“You can't ignore on the infield that we can tell when Luke isn't at short. He does a great job directing traffic and then having good at-bats in the lineup.”

Todd hit .411 with 14 doubles, four triples and 24 RBI as a sophomore at Marion (Ala.) Military Institute while Jarvis batted .371 with 17 doubles, two home runs, 34 RBI and 12 stolen bases as a sophomore at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, Calif.

“Jarvis had a really good (Friday) night at shortstop. We keep feeling like he's getting more and more comfortable,” Thompson said.

A fifth-year senior has also caught Thompson’s eye.

“On the mound, I think Cole Lipscomb has done really well from a reliever standpoint,” he said. “I think for 3-6 outs his slider plays up a little bit more.”

Lipscomb is 10-7 with a 3.59 ERA in 32 career appearances including 24 starts. His best season was in 2015 when he was 8-2 with a 2.53 ERA, but he’s expected to be used out of the bullpen in 2017.

Thompson also updated the status of senior catcher Blake Logan, who is recovering from an illness but expected to be back by the season-opener against George Washington Feb. 17.

“We're sprinting and taking BP and getting closer everyday,” Thompson said. “I will say though that after four or five rounds of BP, usually a college player will hit as long as you throw to them, he's probably ready for a break after four or five rounds.

“We're taking steps forward and what I like is we've never taken a step backwards in his progress."