Thompson excited about pitching depth
AUBURN | With two of last year’s weekend starters resting their arms, there were opportunities for a number of Auburn’s pitchers to step up this fall.
A number of them did starting with junior left-hander Bailey Horn.
“Bailey Horn probably threw the baseball as good as any pitcher in our program,” Auburn coach Butch Thompson said. “The way Jack (Owen) and the way Tanner (Burns) have looked with Bailey Horn, you already feel like you have a rotation or a thought of what a potential rotation may be.”
Burns and Owens, both juniors and returning weekend starters, are on a throwing program as they build up their arms for the start of the season in February.
The Tigers also return Cody Greenhill, who has saved 17 games the past two season. The junior right-hander is expected to have a lot more help on the backend this season from sophomore right-hander Richard Fitts and junior college right-hander Drew Baker.
“Fitts pitched in a Regional, a Super Regional and both games in Omaha as a true freshman,” Thompson said. “We think Richard can continue to do that great work in the bullpen and help Cody a little bit more, and/or is he a starter? That will be a major role that he brings.
“Baker, who came to us from Chipola, you’re talking about a mid-90’s fastball and maybe a tick more once we get to the season. That’s exciting to put around Greenhill and Fitts in that bullpen.”
The Tigers struggled to find a consistent midweek starter last season, but Thompson feels like Auburn has a couple of good options to fill that role in freshman right-hander Trace Bright and junior college right-hander Jackson Reynolds.
“Probably the freshman that impressed us the most, that looks like an eventual, down-the-road starter is Trace Bright from Trinity,” Thompson said. “He threw the ball with enough velocity in the low 90’s, he landed his breaking ball, which is sometimes a challenge with a freshman pitcher and he showed a third pitch with a changeup to the lefties. He just stayed in the strike zone the entire fall. He had an amazing fall for us.
“It would be nice if our three guys are healthy like we want them to be, our veterans, if somebody like a Trace Bright or a Jackson Reynolds, that was arguably the best pitcher in Alabama junior college last year, can solve that riddle we’ve had ever since we’ve been here of that midweek start or if they could piggyback off each other and handle that, that would make us stronger on the weekend and the midweek.”
Plenty more depth will come from senior right-hander Ryan Watson, junior left-hander Peyton Glavine, sophomore left-hander Brooks Fuller, sophomore right-hander Will Morrison, sophomore left-hander Carson Skipper, sophomore left-hander Garrett Wade and freshman left-hander Hayden Mullins.
Mullins is one of the highest-rated pitchers to sign with Auburn in the last several years.
“He had a little forearm tightness down the stretch,” Thompson explained. “He’s a strike-throwing lefty No. 1, he’s a strike-throwing lefty with velocity No. 2 and he’s got a track record No. 3. We think he’s an eventual starter.
“Right now we’re just wrapping around can he come out Jan. 8 and be healthy. We feel good about where he’s at, he’s on a throwing program right now. We’re just wanting him to get fully restored and get this behind him that he’s been battling with for the last year.”
Overall, that quality depth will give Thompson and pitching coach Steve Smith a lot of options to work with this spring, and a staff that could develop into one of the SEC’s best.
“We feel like the pitching depth is probably deeper than anytime we’ve been here,” Thompson said. “And what you’re graded in the best league in America every year, those 10 consecutive weeks, is how good your frontline pitching is. There’s no doubt we have more layers and depth to our pitching staff. That’s been clear to us.”
Auburn opens the season with a four-game series against Illinois-Chicago beginning Feb. 14. The Tigers and Flames will play a game Friday, a doubleheader Saturday and the series finale Sunday.
** Stay tuned later this week for a story on Auburn's position players. Below is an update on another talented class that signed with the Tigers last week...