AUBURN | In each of Butch Thompson’s first four seasons there’s been a lot of competition in the offseason and a lot of questions on how the starting positions in the field and the pitching rotation would work out heading into the season.
It will be a much different outlook in 2020.
Fresh off its first trip to the College World Series since 1997, Auburn will return the bulk of its roster for what could be a special season.
“We had a lot of new pieces this year, a lot of young guys, underclassmen. I think almost all of those guys are coming back next year,” said freshman Ryan Bliss. “We made it to Omaha this year, so I don’t see why we shouldn’t be back next season with the experience we’ve got and the guys we’ve got coming back.”
Bliss, the starter at second base, is part of and infield that could return every starter other than junior shortstop Will Holland, who was a fifth round pick by the Minnesota Twins. First baseman Rankin Woley and catcher Matt Scheffler plan to return, and third baseman Edouard Julien, an 18th round pick by the Twins, is expected to make a decision within the next couple of days.
In the outfield, Judd Ward, Kason Howell and Steven Williams will all return, along with designated hitter Conor Davis, giving the Tigers a formidable lineup in 2020. If Julien returns, that lineup will include 88 percent of its runs scored, 92 percent of its doubles, 82 percent of its home runs and 91 percent of its RBI from last season.
“I’m very excited for all the guys coming back. There’s a lot of guys who got experience this year and are going to play a big part in our season next year,” said Davis, who will be a senior and one of the team’s key leaders next season.
"We're going to just keep working hard and the next step for us is to be successful here and obviously win a couple of games and go to the championship series, that's our goal. I think for the future of Auburn baseball we know what it takes to get here and what it's going to take to be successful the next time we are here.”
There will be several options to fill Holland’s spot at shortstop. Bliss could slide over, sophomore Brody Moore could figure in at shortstop or second, or a newcomer could step in.
Auburn will return almost its entire pitching staff except for senior Blake Schilleci, junior Davis Daniel, a seventh round pick by the Anaheim Angels, who missed most of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, and reliever Elliott Anderson, who was drafted in the 23rd round by the Kansas City Royals.
Sophomore Jack Owen still has a decision to make after being selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 21st round.
The list of returning pitchers includes All-American starter Tanner Burns, Cody Greenhill, who led the team with 12 saves last season, Bailey Horn, who moved into the weekend rotation at the end of the season, Ryan Watson, who was third on the team with 24 appearances, and a host of talented rising sophomores including Richard Fitts, Brooks Fuller, Will Morrison and Garrett Wade.
If Owen returns, Auburn’s pitching staff will retain 86 percent of its innings pitched, 82 percent of its wins and 85 percent of its strikeouts.
“We’re going to have a lot of guys back and we’re going to be a scary team next year,” Watson said. “We’re a close-knit team and we’ll have some new guys in that will help out too. Next year, we’re going to be a good team and this experience is going to be a building block.”
Auburn signed a top 10 class in 2019 and several of those players could help right away including left-handed pitcher Hayden Mullins, JUCO right-handed pitcher Drew Baker, catcher/closer Nate LaRue, infielder Mason Greer and JUCO infielder Tyler Miller.
Infielder Gunnar Henderson, who was taken No. 42 overall by the Baltimore Orioles, is still expected to sign for between $2 and 2.5 million, but the Orioles also have to invest a lot of money into No. 1 overall pick Adley Rutschman, a catcher from Oregon State, who also remains unsigned.
Many of Auburn’s players will disperse this summer to play in different leagues around the country while others rest up. Official team workouts will begin again in September with fall practice usually starting around the first week of October.
“People talk about projections and all that, but I think it’s going to come back to how hard we work in the fall,” Davis said. “Just like this past year, people counted us out because we didn’t have the names coming back like we were supposed to. It’s just going to come back to the summer and fall and how we grind and work until we get back to the spring.”
