Todd the 'whole package' for No. 4 Auburn
AUBURN | Jonah Todd initially went to Marion Military Academy as a pitcher. He found a home in the outfield but well into his sophomore season, he didn’t have any offers.
His JUCO coach, Matt Downs, was making calls, trying to get schools to come checkout his centerfielder, who was well on his way to batting .411 with 14 doubles, four triples, 42 runs scored and 24 RBI — pretty good numbers at any level.
Auburn assistant Brad Bohannon got tipped-off on Todd, saw him in person, and offered him to come play for the Tigers — as a walk-on.
Todd accepted and a year later he’s one of the nation’s top hitters and spearheading a resurgent Auburn program that’s risen to No. 4 nationally and is tied for first place in the SEC.
“Bohannon knows somebody who’s friends with Matt. He took his word for it, came down and watched. I guess he liked what he saw,” Todd said.
Like is putting it lightly.
Todd is second in the SEC with a .396 batting average and the current SEC Player of the Week after hitting .571 in four games and driving in four runs during a doubleheader sweep of Mississippi State Saturday.
“He keeps doing something special every day and you leave the ballpark going, ‘Wow.’ His consistency, his ability to run, throw, hit,” Auburn coach Butch Thompson said.
Todd anchors Auburn’s defense in centerfield — he has two assists and one error in 132 chances — and sets the tone for the offense batting leadoff.
“He’s been the whole package,” shortstop Luke Jarvis said. “You know he’s going to give you a really, really good at-bat. It’s huge setting the tone. Even in the first SEC series where we’re facing (Alex) Faedo and he’s got a 13-pitch at-bat. That’s the guy you want at the top of the order and leading us because he’s not afraid of anything.
“And then yeah, he catches everything. If the ball goes up anywhere near centerfield, we all think, 'Okay Jonah is there.' He’s been unbelievable.”
Thompson actually moved Todd out of the leadoff spot for five games early last month and Auburn went 2-3 during that short stretch.
“I made the mistake of moving him out of the leadoff spot,” Thompson said. “I’m glad I did it early to be so convicted about it now. I’ll never move him again as long as he can walk up to the plate and leadoff for Auburn in 2017 because he sets the tone.”
Todd is second on the team with 29 walks and his 20 strikeouts are the lowest among Auburn’s full-time players. He’s also first with 45 runs scored, second with 13 doubles, tied for first with three triples, tied for third with 29 RBI and second with seven stolen bases.
“I just think he’s got great strike zone awareness; he knows what a ball is, he knows what a strike is,” Thompson said. “Even if he’s beat on a pitch, he still has the ability to foul it off and look for the next pitch. He can extend at-bats. I think for the most part, he gives everybody behind him a good look.
“He’s a gnat. He’s a guy that I hated throwing to, because I just knew it could be a long at-bat, and I wanted him to hit at the first pitch.”
Todd, from Birmingport, Ala., takes it as a personal challenge when he steps into the batter’s box.
“I just like the challenge,” Todd said. “When you’ve got a pitcher out there like some of the guys we face. This the best guy you’re going to see. He’s going first round. Trying to go out there and prove that you’re better than that guy.”
The Tigers, 32-14 overall and 14-7 in the SEC, host Alabama for a three-game series this weekend. With 10 games left in the regular season, Auburn is in position to host an NCAA Regional and potentially earn a national seed with a strong finish.
It’s a huge improvement over last year’s team, which finished 23-33, and the preseason expectations for this year’s team, which was picked to finish last in the conference.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Todd said. “We knew going into the season, what everybody had projected for us because we had so many new guys coming in, but even our coaches told us, ‘We’re better than what they say we are. We’re going to be at the top of the conference this year. You just have to trust yourself and trust each other.’”