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auburnwire.usatoday.com Auburn golf continues historic run as they head to NCAA Championship Brian Hauch ~2 minutes The No. 1 ranked Auburn Tigers men’s golf team has had quite the season on the links. That season continued this week, as the Tigers paced the field at the Baton Rouge Regional to win their sixth straight tournament. Auburn golfers shot a combined 21 under par for the tournament, 8 strokes better than second-place Virginia Tech’s 13 under and 21 strokes better than the final team to qualify, Ohio State. While junior Brenden Valdes was the star of the tournament (-6), freshmen Josiah Gilbert (-4) and Jackson Koivun (-4) joined him in the individual top 5 in Baton Rouge. A solid top 15 showing from senior J.M Butler (+1) was enough to offset a rough final round from junior Carson Bacha (+6) to give the Tigers a comfortable tournament win. Auburn’s golfers are rolling right now, and they’ll look to parlay the momentum into a National Championship at the Omni La Costa Champions Course in Carlsbad California starting on May 24. As the nation’s top-ranked team, the Tigers will certainly be one of the favorites to take home the trophy on May 29. 🏆🏆🏆 SIX IN A ROW 🏆🏆🏆#WarEagle pic.twitter.com/1qwxcgxf8N — Auburn Men's Golf (@AuburnMGolf) May 15, 2024 Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Brian on Twitter @TheRealBHauch

auburntigers.com 'I've loved it': Auburn freshman hurdler Ja'Kobe Tharp, SEC champion Auburn University Athletics 6–8 minutes AUBURN, Ala. – Cut from his seventh-grade basketball team, Ja'Kobe Tharp decided to give track and field a try. "I've got to do something, so I just started to run track," said Tharp, who six short years later would break a legendary American Junior (U20) record that had stood for nearly a half century. "My middle school coach made me run hurdles. I didn't want to do it. I didn't want to fall on one of the hurdles." One year later, Tharp won the middle school hurdles Tennessee state championship, a feat he repeated as a junior and senior at Rockvale High School near Murfreesboro. Ironically, it was basketball – the sport that redirected Tharp to track and field and launched an SEC championship career – that helped pave his way to the Plains. After pandemic school closures canceled his ninth-grade season, Tharp tried out for basketball as a sophomore and made the team. "His athletic ability is what drew me to him out of high school," Auburn sprints coach Ken Harnden said. "I watched him dunk from the free-throw line in a game and do crazy stuff on the basketball court. When he got the ball in space, it was special." Tharp displayed that special ability in his first race last year by winning the 110m hurdles in a landslide. Tennessee MileSplit posted a TikTok video of Tharp's exploits captioned "You're in the wrong heat!", generating millions of views. "My senior year, I was flying," said Tharp, whose high school best time was 13.32 seconds over 39-inch hurdles. "I had a good start and after hurdle two, I flew past everybody. There was a video recording, and it was just me in the frame for the last five hurdles." At the 2024 SEC Outdoor Championships May 11 in Gainesville, Tharp not only won the gold medal, his 13:18 time broke the record Super Bowl champion Renaldo Nehemiah set in 1978. "It really felt great," Tharp said. "I didn't know I had broken it, honestly. One of my better starts of the season, but it still wasn't where I want it to be. Toward the end, my race gets better. I just kept on handling what I needed to handle in my lane. I kept going and the rhythm got quicker." "If you go down that list of the people he passed, every Olympic champ for the last 20 years is on that list," Harnden said. "He's just shot past all of them. It's a pretty special deal." "It's huge," Auburn head coach Leroy Burrell said. "Renaldo is an icon, not only in football and track and field, but in sport. "Ja'Kobe worked hard. Ken did a great job of recruiting and preparing him. He's got a bright future. I think he's just getting started. These next couple weeks could be even bigger than the last couple. "I'm fortunate to get to witness it. He's a great kid, great smile, great personality. It's really fun to see a guy like him get the reward." SEC champ: Ja'Kobe Tharp celebrates after his record-setting race Tharp hopes to join his coaches as NCAA champions June 5-8 at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon. Harnden won the 1995 NCAA 400m hurdles title at North Carolina and Burrell won the NCAA 100m title in 1990 and the NCAA indoor long jump championships at Houston in 1989 and 1990. "That's why I came here," Tharp said. "Out of all the schools that were recruiting me, that's why I came here. I knew Coach Ken was going to get me where I needed to be. "At the beginning of the year, I told coach I wanted to be a champion, either SECs or nationals. He made it happen." When Tharp signed with the Tigers, his mother gave Harnden permission to use tough love to help guide her son. "'Do what you have to do to get my kid to the next level, academically and as a person,'" Harnden recalls Aminda Tharp saying. "He's a fantastic kid and a great teammate." "Coach and I are always talking about executing the race," Tharp said. "Finish each hurdle before you go to the next one. As long as I execute, there's no telling what that time will say." "What surprised me the most is his flat foot speed," Harnden said. "He's turned into a really good sprinter. Maybe that's partly because of the group he trains with." Ja'Kobe Tharp plans to improve his starting technique after the 2024 season At Auburn, Tharp easily fit in with the Tigers' sprinters, who practice together daily. "I've loved it," Tharp said. "My teammates are like a little family away from home. I love that." The freshman phenom not only lowered his times, he also cleared higher hurdles, from 39 inches in high school to 42 inches in college. "It was hard to get used to at first," Tharp said. "Now I have to jump the hurdle. In high school, I was sliding by on top of the hurdles. I was fast so it made up for it. It's been completely different." "His high school times were good but they weren't indicative of this," Harnden said. "To take the hurdles up 3 inches and run faster than you ran over the little hurdles says a lot." Tharp's combination of long legs, leaping ability and running speed set him up for success as he covers 10 hurdles and 110 meters in the time it takes to sing the alphabet. "I've always been fast," he said. "Perfecting my form, that's the biggest thing. I'm getting closer and closer to having great form." For Tharp, the event challenges him physically and mentally. "The thrill," Tharp said. "You're in the box. You're trying to calm yourself down. As the race starts, so many things can happen that you have to react to quickly." After the season, Tharp and Harnden plan to work on Ja'Kobe's start, hoping to cut it down from eight steps to seven before the first hurdle. Once his start is as strong as his finish, the rest of the field could be in trouble. "When it does, it opens up a whole another level of possibilities," Harnden said. "When we improve that part, that'll make a big difference." "The best part of my race is the end," Tharp said. "At the beginning, I'm trying to work on getting my rhythm earlier. Once I get into rhythm, that's when I start picking up speed and pulling away from other people." Tharp competes next at NCAA East Preliminaries May 22-25 in Lexington, Kentucky, with hopes of advancing to NCAAs two weeks later and adding to his SEC gold medal. "That would be really huge if I could bring home a national medal," Tharp said. "My first year, I couldn't ask for a better season." Gold medalist: Auburn freshman Ja'Kobe Tharp won the 2024 SEC championship in 110m hurdles Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer

al.com Auburn gives up costly home runs in NCAA Tournament loss to UCF; now faces elimination Updated: May. 17, 2024, 6:51 p.m.|Published: May. 17, 2024, 6:34 p.m. 4–5 minutes TALLAHASSEE, FL - MAY 17 - Auburn Outfielder KK McCrary (16) during the NCAA Regionals game between the Auburn Tigers and the UCF Knights at Joanne Graf Field in Tallahassee, FL on Friday, May 17, 2024. Photo by Grayson Belanger/Auburn TigersGrayson Belanger/Auburn Tigers The UCF Knights suffered a disastrous third inning, allowing the Auburn Tigers to take a commanding four-run lead midway through Friday afternoon’s NCAA Tournament opener at the Tallahassee Regional. In the moment, it seemed a rocky start from UCF pitcher Sarah Willis may have been the deciding factor in Friday’s Knights-Tigers matchup at JoAnn Graf Field. Instead, a late-game Auburn collapse ended up being the main storyline as the Knights came from behind and scored nine unanswered runs in the final three frames to beat the Tigers 11-6. Auburn gave the starting nod to its ace in Maddie Penta, who put together an uncharacteristic start against UCF, allowing the Knights to plate two runs off three hits in the first inning. But Penta quickly settled in, forcing the Knights down in a three up, three down inning in the second frame, setting the table for Auburn’s offense to answer the call and plate a pair of runs of its own to knot the game up at 2-2. It was a double from Axe Milanowski, an RBI double from Rose Roach and an RBI base hit from Nelia Peralta that helped the Tigers tie that ball game in the second inning. Come Auburn’s next trip up to the plate, the Tigers were able to capitalize on a slew of self-inflicted wounds committed by the Knights. After Auburn’s Icess Tresvick led off with a walk and Amelia Lech followed with a ground out, Anna Wohlers issued a single to right field for the lone hit of the bottom of the third inning. Meanwhile, UCF worked itself into a jam with a hit by pitch to load the bases, followed by a pair of bases-loaded walks to bring across a pair of runs for the Tigers. An error by UCF’s catcher and a sacrifice flyout assisted Auburn in tacking on two more runs to its lead and taking a 6-2 advantage into the fourth inning. The Tigers remained comfortably out front until the Knights started stringing together hits against Penta, who gave up two runs in the top of the fifth before being relieved by fellow senior pitcher Shelby Lowe. Penta’s day finished after 4.1 IP, eight hits, four earned runs and six strikeouts on 94 total pitches. With Lowe still in the circle, the Knights blistered the Tigers in the top of the sixth inning as UCF’s Shannon Doherty and Jasmine Williams each launched a three-run home run while facing the same two outs. And just like that, the game had flipped from a four-run advantage for the Tigers, to a four-run deficit. “We gave up eight two-strike hits. That’s a lot. Putting it in play is one thing, but giving up those doubles, home runs with two strikes is hard,” Dean said. “We know our pitchers are better than that.” When all was said and done, UCF jabbed at Auburn one last time as Sierra Humphreys notched a solo homerun to give the Knights their 11th run of the game. The Knights finished the afternoon having out-hit the Tigers 15-8. “Both teams battled,” Dean said. “We didn’t do what we wanted to do throughout the whole entire seven innings. We had opportunities to add some runs.” Auburn left 10 batters on the base path and was just 4-for-20 with runners on. Following Friday afternoon’s loss, the Tigers will now prepare to see the loser of Friday evening’s matchup between Chattanooga and 15th-seeded Florida State. That game is set for a 2:30 p.m. first pitch and the loser will be eliminated from the tournament. If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

al.com With addition of former SMU F Ja’Heim Hudson, Auburn builds frontcourt depth Published: May. 17, 2024, 8:29 p.m. 4–5 minutes Georgia State forward Ja'Heim Hudson (15) lays in a basket as Auburn forward Johni Broome (4) defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)AP SMU transfer forward Ja’Heim Hudson committed to Auburn on Friday night according to a post on his Instagram account, an addition that gives Auburn some long-sought frontcourt depth this offseason. Hudson visited Auburn on May 15 and after several attempts to find a forward didn’t pan out, Hudson wound up as the swing Auburn finally connected on. Auburn reportedly held visits with Texas forward Dillon Mitchell who committed to Cincinnati earlier Friday and several recruiting outlets reported Auburn was supposed to have a visit with Clemson transfer forward R.J. Godfrey before he canceled it and quickly committed to Georgia. Auburn also reportedly had a call with Samford transfer forward Achor Achor, but never got him for an on-campus visit. Auburn’s pitch is a bit complicated. There isn’t a clear path to starters’ minutes for any forward addition. Auburn brought back Johni Broome, Dylan Cardwell and Chaney Johnson. The only major frontcourt piece Auburn lost was Jaylin Williams, the winningest player in Auburn’s program history who exhausted his eligibility. All three big men on Auburn’s roster before Hudson’s addition were going to play, and whoever came in to take the scholarship spot left by Williams was going to be part of a rotation. In an age where players hit the transfer portal often looking for more playing time, Auburn is selling the opposite. Head coach Bruce Pearl proved that could work in an SEC Tournament title-winning season with a team that was truly 10-deep. Whether next year’s team will be the same is unclear, but it remains a general model. Hudson, a Georgia native, came off the bench for SMU last season, his only year there after transferring from Georgia State. Hudson entered the portal on May 1, after SMU hired former USC coach Andy Enfield to lead its team. Enfield’s departure from Los Angeles started a chain where Eric Musselman left the head coach job at Arkansas to go to USC and Arkansas lured John Calipari from Kentucky to Arkansas. In his one year at SMU, Hudson played 15.2 minutes per game and scored 5.4 points per game. He played in 31 games and started one. He started 34 games in the previous two seasons at Georgia State, including scoring 10.1 points per game as a sophomore in the 2022-23 season. Hudson will have one remaining year of eligibility. Hudson and Georgia State played Auburn in the 2022-23 season at Neville Arena. Hudson scored eight points in that game and had 11 rebounds. Hudson is Auburn’s second major transfer portal addition following Furman transfer guard JP Pegues. Auburn’s only other incoming forward at this point is freshman Jahki Howard. Auburn has two remaining scholarships open, but is probably likely to only fill one of them. The second was vacated by Carter Sobera, a walk-on who earned a scholarship midway through last season. For the spot Auburn will fill, it’s likely to do so with a guard. Auburn lost three top guards from last year’s team and has only brought in two thus far. Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com

al.com Cade Belyeu wasn’t meant to play this much. But Auburn found its next star. Published: May. 17, 2024, 6:31 a.m. 5–6 minutes AUBURN, AL - MAY 16 - The Auburn Baseball Team during the game between the Auburn Tigers and the Alabama Crimson Tide at Plainsman Park in Auburn, AL on Thursday, May 16, 2024. Photo by David Gray/Auburn TigersDavid Gray/Auburn Tigers The freshman who wasn’t supposed to be in the lineup at all this late, let alone a spot like this for his hometown college, was being mobbed by his more experienced teammates who thrust a celebratory fire rescue helmet on his head. He’d just clobbered a low pitch 437 feet over the student section in right-center field. It was the bottom of the 8th inning, a solo home run that gave Auburn a crucial and clutch insurance run in a soon-to-be 4-2 win over Alabama on Thursday night. But why he was there — in the final week of the SEC season in the late innings of a close, series-opening game — is twofold. It’s part a vastly disappointing Auburn season. And it’s part that as the year got its most desperate, Cade Belyeu may give Auburn its best chance to win. A little more than 24 hours before the first pitch in the season finale series against Alabama, Auburn head coach Butch Thompson stood in Plainsman Park’s Hall of Fame Club and said he wanted to balance a desire to beat the school’s archrival, but find time to get young players on the field for an already mathematically eliminated Auburn. Or maybe he could do both at the same time, he said. “That’s what a head coach should do,” Thompson said Wednesday. “These guys should be in this moment. But I want to make it clear, I just answered a question about the rivalry, we’re doing everything we can to have success and win this series. But I do believe that some of our younger players have earned the right and give us the chance to be successful in this series as well.” He was talking about Auburn native Cade Belyeu. Thompson has answered questions throughout this year on a season gone awry. Auburn is now 26-25 overall and 7-21 in the SEC after Thursday’s win over Alabama. Thompson has tried to find answers. So Belyeu established himself as a crucial part of the lineup in this largely and mostly otherwise forgettable year. Belyeu has now started 24 games. He’s playing in Auburn’s last 17 consecutive games including Thursday and in 36 games total. His 87 at-bats are eighth-most on the team and by far the most among freshmen. It’s part out of necessity due to injuries. Part because he earned it. And now he’s an everyday mainstay. “He looks more comfortable in the box to me,” Auburn junior infielder Deric Fabian said after Thursday’s game. “That’s kind of what hitting is, is being comfortable in the box. So, extremely proud of him and excited for his future.” He’s hit a home run in four of the last five games including the three in a row. Of those four home runs, two have been in the 8th or 9th inning in games with a two-or-fewer run margin at the time of his swing. Not just home runs, but important ones, too. He now has seven home runs total out of 24 total hits. That’s just under 30% of his swings turning into a home run. He also had five doubles and a triple. Of his 24 hits, more than half are extra base hits. His .598 slugging percentage is third on the team this season. His on-base percentage is second-best on the team among those with more than 40 at-bats. “Good for him,” Thompson said. “I think it’s good for Auburn. I think it’s good for the future. Didn’t think he’d get this many opportunities in a normal world. But he has. And I have to keep mentioning his name cause his home runs and are coming on the weekends. His home runs are coming in big moments.” Belyeu doesn’t need to be the star. Sophomore catcher/outfielder Ike Irish serves that role for now. But if Thompson described the end of this season as about finding momentum to take into the offseason where changes are sure to come, then Belyeu is a foundational piece among the young group on this team to build around. There are several pitching questions on this roster going forward. But with a freshman emergence from a player like Belyeu, Thompson has one less long-term concern. As Thompson said, Belyeu isn’t playing because Auburn wants him to see early at-bats in games with nothing to play for. He’s playing because Auburn needs him now. “Cade Belyeu has really come to the forefront as the best example that I probably have today of doing that,” Thompson said Wednesday. “But we are still trying to win. And now I believe that Cade Belyeu — with the lineup that we’ve settled from all the challenges and injuries, etc. — he is in the lineup because I think it gives us the best chance to win.” Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com

al.com Auburn baseball survies near meltdown to clinch series win over Alabama Published: May. 18, 2024, 6:40 a.m. 5–7 minutes AUBURN, AL - MAY 17 - Auburn Infielder Ty Mauldin (51) during the game between the Auburn Tigers and the Alabama Crimson Tide at Plainsman Park in Auburn, AL on Friday, May 17, 2024. Photo by David Gray/Auburn TigersDavid Gray/Auburn Tigers Auburn scored 12 runs, had its manager ejected in the third inning and got a fourth straight strong start from Chase Allsup, and that all sharply faded to irrelevancy when a 7th inning double from Alabama’s William Hamiter fell into right field. Auburn led by 10 then. It was one strike away from sealing a run-rule, series-clinching victory over its archrival. What followed was a near complete meltdown which nearly doomed Auburn to a devastating and embarrassing loss. Until relief pitcher Hayden Murphy, at Auburn’s last gasp, saved the close call with calamity. The scoreboard will show Auburn winning 12-11 over Alabama on Friday night. The schedule will show Auburn clinched a series win over Alabama, taking the first two of a three-game set — and a second straight SEC series win. The record books will show a fifth series win over Alabama in the last six years, excluding the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. The season will show Auburn clinching a winning record and a perfect 4-0 stretch after it was mathematically eliminated last week. Auburn is now 27-25 overall and 8-21 in SEC play — ensuring Auburn can do no worse than tie its program record for conference losses. But Friday’s box score and videos instead tell a story of nerves, anxiety and the verge of heartbreak. That box score shows Auburn scoring six runs in the fourth inning and six more in the fifth. Auburn had 20 plate appearances across the two innings, seven extra-base hits, two home runs and five different hitters with RBIs. Head coach Butch Thompson watched part of the rally with fans from the top of the parking deck overlooking Plainsman Park after he was ejected for arguing balls and strikes in the third inning. Cade Belyeu hit a solo home run in the fifth inning that put up Auburn up 12-2. Asked after the game, Belyeu certainly did not think that blast was going to end up as Auburn’s most crucial swing of the game. Associate head coach Karl Nonemaker — who served in charge after Thompson’s ejection — gave Allsup the chance to finish a seven-inning complete game. It backfired. Allsup got two quick outs in the seventh, then allowed Alabama’s Ian Petrutz to reach base as an otherwise routine groundball bounced off Cooper Weiss’ glove. He’d shifted to the other side of the infield from his normal shortstop spot in Auburn’s defensive alignment. The next batter hit a single. Hamiter, the following batter who got down to his last strike, ripped a two-out, two-run double to right eliminating the mercy rule chance. Auburn then took out Allsup for relief pitcher John Armstrong. The first batter Armstrong faced hit a two-run home run. Armstrong hit the next batter with a pitch and then walked the following batter before he was taken out of the game. A 12-2 lead and a chance for an emphatic win was gone. An unreliable bullpen just had six extra and unnecessary outs thrust upon itself. Nonemaker said the momentum massively shifted. He was right. It became Auburn needing to hang on. An Auburn bullpen that has struggled mightily throughout the SEC season was doing it again. Alabama added four more runs in the eighth inning and scored another in the ninth. Alabama got as close as the tying run on third base in the ninth and the go-ahead run on second base. It was then that finally, mercifully, Auburn ended its own self-imposed implosion. Murphy struck out Crimson Tide catcher Mac Guscette to seal the win. “It didn’t go great,” Nonemaker said. “But he was able to make a big pitch and finish it.” Auburn’s bullpen hit five batters with a pitch in the seventh inning or later. One of those hit-by-pitch situations drove in a run with the bases loaded. Alabama also scored one of its runs in the comeback via a wild pitch. Auburn was clearly thankful to get a win it may not have deserved. A win so encapsulating of the way this disappointing season has gone save for the fact that Auburn ended up with more runs than its opponent in this case. Auburn’s season will be over after Saturday’s final game of the series against Alabama. It will miss the postseason entirely for the first time since 2016, Thompson’s first year at Auburn. Thompson has said Auburn has played its best baseball now with nothing to play for, the weight of a season turned desperate lifted off the team. But this night brought all that anxiety back. It was much simpler for Auburn coaches and players to laugh about this after the game. It will live at Auburn is a story to recall a crazy game, and not the embarrassment it nearly was. Alabama is now 32-20 and needs to avoid being swept by the SEC’s last-place team as its postseason hopes possibly tickle near the bubble. The first pitch for Saturday is set for 5 p.m. Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com

al.com Rewinding Auburn softball’s 11-6 loss to UCF in the NCAA Tournament’s Tallahassee Regional Updated: May. 17, 2024, 4:36 p.m.|Published: May. 17, 2024, 12:53 p.m. 9–11 minutes AUBURN, AL - MARCH 31 - The Auburn Tigers during the game between the Auburn Tigers and the #4 Tennessee Volunteers at Jane B. Moore Field in Auburn, AL on Sunday, March 31, 2024. Photo by Zach Bland/Auburn TigersZach Bland/Auburn Tigers For Auburn softball, a 27-19-1 (9-15 SEC) record was enough to earn the Tigers a ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the 19th time in program history. And while Auburn’s road to Oklahoma City and the Women’s College World Series is a a long and winding one, all that matters right now is that the opportunity exists. The Tigers will open their NCAA Tournament appearance this afternoon in a matchup against the UCF Knights at the Tallahassee Regional, hosted by 15th-seeded Florida State at JoAnn Graf Field. When Auburn and UCF open things up at 1 p.m. on Friday, it’ll represent the second time since 2021 that the Tigers and Knights met on the dirt of JoAnn Graf Field after the two programs met at the Tallahassee Regional three years ago. UCF won that matchup 5-4. Follow along for live updates from Auburn’s NCAA opener. Pregame Auburn’s starting lineup LF KK McCrary — .285 CF Makayla Packer — .278 RF Icess Tresvik — .301 DP Amelia Lech — .233 C Anna Wohlers — .302 1B Axe Milanowski — .250 3B Annabelle Widra — .247 2B Rose Roach — .188 SS Nelia Peralta — .234 P Maddie Penta — 1.77 ERA T1 | UCF 2, Auburn 0 UCF’s Jada Cody leads off the inning with a 0-1 base hit and is worked around to third base on a pair of sacrifice ground outs from Shannon Doherty and Sona Halajian. UCF’s Chloe Evans sends a pitch to the left field warning track, good for an RBI double, which puts UCF out front 1-0 with two outs. Jasmine Williams sends a base hit up the gut for the Knights, which allows Evans to score from second. Williams advances to second on the throw. UCF leads Auburn 2-0 with two outs. Auburn retires the side as Stormy Kotzelnick grounds out to first base. B1 | UCF 2, Auburn 0 Auburn’s KK McCrary puts a runner on the basepath for the Tigers with a leadoff single. Auburn’s Makayla Packer fouls out to first base for out No. 1. Auburn’s Icess Tresvik flies out to center field for the second out. UCF’s Kaitlyn Felton strikes out Auburn’s Amelia Lech to end the inning and strand McCrary at first. T2 | UCF 2, Auburn 0 UCF’s Ashleigh Griffin flies out to shortstop for the first out of the inning. Maddie Penta issues her first strikeout as UCF’s Samantha Rey goes down on five pitches. UCF’s Aubrey Evans flies out to shortstop to send the Knights back out to the field. B2 | UCF 2, Auburn 2 Auburn’s Anna Wohlers grounds out to second base for the first out. Axe Milanowski knocks a one-out double to put a runner in scoring position for the Tigers. Annabelle Widra flies out to left field for the second out, Milanowski stays put on second base. Auburn’s Rose Roach hits a two-out RBI double to score Milanowski and put the Tigers on the board. The Tigers continue to pass the bats as Auburn’s Nelia Peralta logs a two-out RBI single to tie the game at 2-2. Back at the top of the order, Auburn’s KK McCrary notches a two-out base hit, which sparks a pitching change for UCF. The Knights turn to Katelyn Cochran (1.08 ERA, 26 IP) to get out of this second inning. She inherits a runner on first and second with two outs. UCF’s Katelyn Cochran comes out of the pen and strikes out Makayla Packer to get the Knights out of the inning. T3 | Auburn 2, UCF 2 Maddie Penta logs her second strikeout of the afternoon as she puts down Jada Cody with seven pitches. UCF’s Shannon Doherty is robbed of a hit as Auburn’s Makayla Packer tracks down a deep ball near the centerfield warning track for out No. 2. Sona Halajian reaches on a base hit down the left field line, followed by a hit up the gut from Chloe Evans. Auburn’s Maddie Penta strikes out Jasmine Williams to put the Knights away and keep them from adding a run. B3 | Auburn 6, UCF 2 UCF opens the bottom of the third inning with its second pitching change of the game as Sarah Willis (2.44 ERA, 120.1 IP) toes the rubber for the Knights. Willis hurls a five-pitch walk to Auburn’s Icess Tresvik, giving the Tigers a leadoff runner. Auburn’s Amelia Lech grounds out, but helps Tresvik move into scoring position with one out. Anna Wohlers singles to right field to put runners on the corners for the Tigers with one out. Wohlers’ hit is the sixth of the game for Auburn. UCF’s Willis hits Milanowski and then walks Widra to load the bases for the Tigers with one out. Willis issues a bases-loaded walk to scratch across an Auburn run. Bases stay loaded with one out. Willis issues a second bases-loaded walk, this one to Rose Roach, and the Tigers add another run while the bases stay loaded with one out. The Tigers tack on another run as Nelia Peralta pokes at a pitch to put it in play and reaches on a fielder’s choice. The Knights try for the out at home, but an error from the catcher allows Milanowski to score. Auburn’s KK McCrary flies out to left field, but Widra tags up and scores to give the Tigers their fourth run of the inning. Makayla Packer grounds out to the pitcher to end the inning. T4 | Auburn 6, UCF 2 UCF’s Stormy Kotzelnick is struck out by Auburn’s Maddie Penta to open the frame. UCF’s Sierra Humphreys goes down swinging, good for Maddie Penta’s fifth strikeout of the afternoon. Auburn’s Maddie Penta successfully strikes out the side as she puts down UCF’s Johneisha Rowe to retire the Knights. B4 | Auburn 6, UCF 2 Auburn’s Icess Tresvik fouls out to open the frame for the Tigers. UCF’s Sarah Willis appears to be settling in after a disastrous third inning as she strikes out Auburn’s Amelia Lech for out No. 2. Anna Wohlers draws a walk, but Axe Milanowski follows with a ground out to send the Tigers back to the field. T5 | Auburn 6, UCF 4 UCF’s Aubrey Evans leads off the inning with a foul out. UCF’s Jada Cody hits a one-out double to put a runner in scoring position for the Knights. Auburn’s Maddie Penta tags Shannon Doherty with a pitch to give up a free base with one out. UCF’s Sona Halajian rips a RBI single through the right side to score Cody. UCF’s Chloe Evans singles to left center to bring across another run for the Knights with one out. Auburn makes a call to the bullpen and brings in Shelby Lowe (2.79 ERA, 77.2 IP) to relieve Penta, who went 4.1 innings, gave up eight hits, four runs and struck out six. Lowe inherits runners on first and second with one out. Auburn turns a double play to end the frame. UCF challenges the play at second, so the play is under review. After the challenge, it’s ruled the runner at second base is out, while the runner at first base is safe. UCF’s Stormy Kotzelnick fouls out near the backstop to end the inning. B5 | Auburn 6, UCF 4 Auburn’s Annabelle Widra leads off the fifth with a standup double, good for the third double of the game for the Tigers. Widra advances to the doorstep on a wild pitch. Rose Roach strikes out for the first out. Auburn’s Nelia Peralta reaches on a fielder’s choice, plating runners on the corners for the Tigers with one out. Skylar Elkins (pinch running for Peralta) steals second, putting two runners in scoring position for the Tigers with one out. KK McCrary strikes out swinging for out No. 2. Makayla Packer grounds out to end the inning. T6 | UCF 10, Auburn 6 UCF’s Sierra Humphreys is struck out by Auburn’s Shelby Lowe for the first out of the inning. Johneisha Rowe gets a hit to fall in left field, giving UCF a base runner with one out. Aubrey Evans draws a five-pitch walk from Shelby Lowe. UCF’s Jada Cody flies out to shortstop for out No. 2. UCF’s Shannon Doherty hits a three-run homerun, giving the Knights their first lead since the second inning. The Knights continue to pass the bat with a pair of hits from Sona Halajian and Chloe Evans. UCF blows the game open with another two-out, three-run home run to give the Knights a 10-6 lead. B6 | UCF 10, Auburn 6 Auburn’s Icess Tresvik is struck out on five pitches for the first out of the inning. UCF’s Sarah Willis issues her second strikeout of the inning as Amelia Lech goes down swinging. Anna Wohlers is given a free base after a six-pitch walk with two outs. Axe Milanowski flies out to shallow right field to retire the side and strand Wohlers on first. T7 | UCF 11, Auburn 6 Auburn goes to Annabelle Widra in the circle. UCF’s Sierra Humphreys hits a leadoff, solo home run to add to the Knights’ lead. Johneisha Rowe lays down a bunt for the Knights, plating a runner on first base with no outs. Rowe ruled out after leaving first base early. UCF’s Jada Cody flies out to end the inning. B7 | UCF 11, Auburn 6 Auburn’s Annabelle Widra leads off the seventh inning with a single. Rose Roach takes a free base after a five-pitch walk, Widra advances to second with no outs. Auburn’s Nelia Peralta grounds into a 5-3 double play and now the Tigers are down to their final out with a runner on second. KK McCrary grounds out to third base. FINAL | UCF 11, Auburn 6 Following Friday’s loss, the Tigers will face elimination Saturday, when they’ll see the loser of this afternoon’s Chattanooga-Florida State matchup. If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. 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al.com How Hugh Freeze juggles coaching and his family during a chaotic time in college football Updated: May. 17, 2024, 12:40 p.m.|Published: May. 17, 2024, 12:29 p.m. 7–9 minutes Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze admits that he’s not much of a “Bahamas guy.” However, when his three adult daughters approached him and asked that he take a bit of time off in June to take a family vacation to the Bahamas, Freeze obliged ― because that’s what dads do. “We’re taking a whole family trip at the end of June. Grandbabies, daughters, their husbands and we’re going to the Bahamas. I’ve never done that before,” Freeze said in an interview with AL.com at the Jimmy Rane Foundation charity golf event in Montgomery on Thursday. “I said, ‘Yes, let’s do it.’ Because you’ve gotta make time for it and certainly you better make it intentional or it won’t happen.” Approaching his second season on The Plains, Freeze hasn’t been taken aback by the demands of the job. He knows it’s what he signed himself up for when he became a head coach and understands it often comes at the expense of time with his wife, children and now grandchildren. That said, anytime there’s a sliver of opportunity for him to spend time with his family, Freeze knows he has to jump on it. Last weekend, Freeze had an opening in his schedule and treated his wife Jill to a trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains, where the two stayed in a cottage after visiting with friends in Lynchburg, Virginia on Thursday and Friday. The purpose of the quick getaway was simple. “Just to show her, hopefully, how much I appreciate her and the role she plays in everything I do and the role she played in our two daughters who are now mothers,” Freeze said. “They’ve witnessed a great mother. I think mothers are the backbone of our families and Jill has been a rockstar in that.” Jill Freeze has navigated 13 seasons as a head coach’s wife — 11 of which came in the Division I ranks during her husband’s time at Arkansas State, Ole Miss, Liberty and now Auburn. However, a lot has changed since Hugh Freeze took the reins of Arkansas State in 2011, his first Division I job. From the sounds of it, Freeze has spent plenty of time bending his wife’s ear about the current state of college football. “My wife has made me promise I’m through complaining. But it’s just difficult. It’s difficult to manage,” Freeze said on April 2 when asked what spring looks like for college football coaches these days. The current college football calendar has been a whipping post for criticism from Freeze in the past six months. Freeze especially laid into the calendar on Dec. 16 as he met with reporters the same day the Tigers opened postseason practice in preparation for Auburn’s date with Maryland in the Music City Bowl. At the time, not only were Freeze and his coaching staff tasked with trying to prep the Tigers for their bowl game, but they were also grinding to keep Auburn’s top 10 recruiting class together, all while still navigating the winter transfer portal opening, which spanned from Dec. 4 to Jan. 2. “I think our calendar is extremely messed up. It’s not good for high school recruiting, portal recruiting, managing your own team, getting ready for bowl prep,” Freeze said. “I think our calendar needs a serious, serious look at it for what’s best for our game. It’s hard for any of us to truly manage all of it.” But December is always a busy month. The spring, though, has changed significantly. Freeze used to love watching the calendar flip from April to May as it meant signing day had come and gone, spring football had concluded, players were in a discretionary period and coaches weren’t allowed to go on the road to recruit. “Used to, May was like my favorite month,” Freeze said. “It’s really a time where you can go an schedule some stuff and breathe and relax.” But that, along with the rest of the college football landscape, has since changed. “Now, the recruiting never stops,” Freeze said Thursday. In the current recruiting calendar, the span of April 15 to May 25 is a “contact period,” in which programs are capped at 140 recruiting-person days. Anytime a coach on staff engages in an off-campus recruiting activity with a recruit, the program loses one of its allotted recruiting-person days. Being in a contact period also means programs can host recruits on campus. “We’ve got official visits this weekend and on the 31st,” Freeze said. “But still, May is a time when you can recharge a little bit.” But even up in the mountains with his wife on Mother’s Day weekend, Freeze admits that it’s easy for a coach’s mind to wander. “You still feel like you have to stay on top of recruiting, even though you wish… it’s just that everything is so expediated now,” Freeze said. Freeze continued to say that May, July and February are the only three months out of the entire year that slow down in the slightest for college coaches. “You’re not going to rest any other months,” Freeze said. “You’re not going to make your wife, kids… you’re not going to make them a priority those other months. I know that sounds terrible and it’s not that you don’t make them feel important, it’s just you don’t have enough hours.” It’s a hard truth that Freeze has learned firsthand during his coaching career. Now back at the helm of an SEC program, it’s Freeze’s job to foster a working environment that puts family at the forefront. Among other coaches facing similar balances is Auburn offensive coordinator Derrick Nix, who was hired in January and is the father to a young daughter. Meanwhile, Auburn tight ends coach Ben Aigamaua has two children under the age of 10, while edge coach Josh Aldridge also has a pair of young children. Then there’s wide receivers coach Marcus Davis, who managed to help Auburn land a historic haul of wide receivers, all while having a 2-year-old at home. “Family is first, they better do it,” Freeze said. “I do think I give ours more downtime than any other staff, yet it’s still very difficult. But like this month of May, they’re on the road recruiting. Here’s your assigned days. You have 13 days or you have 15 days or whatever your assigned days are that you have. “Those other days? You can do some work from home. Schedule the time that works for your wife and your children because, like I said, the month of May and July and February, you better take some time to make sure your family is in good shape.” But as Auburn’s head coach, Freeze knows that has to start with him and that he needs to lead by example. “I really believe the amount of chaos and the amount of lack of peace we experience as people – whether it’s your job or my job – I really believe it’s a direct proportion to our busyness,” Freeze said. “And I can get really busy thinking, ‘If I don’t do this, visit with recruits today, whatever, then it’s not going to get done.’ And all of a sudden my day is gone and I haven’t really had time to rest, refocus, relax.” And that’s why Freeze will be loading his suitcase with bathing suits and flipflops come late June despite not being a “Bahamas guy.” If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. 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247sports.com Freeze Everything in the building feels better entering Year 2 at Auburn Nathan King 4–5 minutes MONTGOMERY, Alabama — The vibes are high for Hugh Freeze — at least relative to a hectic first season leading the Tigers. In mid-May— with Auburn's work in the transfer portal nearly complete, highly rated recruits soon to hit campus, and Freeze soon able to take a step back to assess his blueprint for the 2024 season before fall camp rolls around — Auburn's head coach is able to hold his chin a bit higher when walking into the Tigers' facility. "Everything in the building feels better," Freeze said Thursday before Jimmy Rane's charity golf scholarship ceremony in Montgomery. "Hopefully that shows in the win column, also. I don't know that. But I do know we're going to be a better football team." Freeze has spoken often since the early stages of the offseason — when the Tigers turned over half their assistant staff, including both coordinators — that his familiarity with his coaches has increased substantially as compared to his inaugural season on the Plains. Even before coordinators Philip Montgomery and Ron Roberts were both out, Freeze admitted before Auburn's bowl game that putting together a first-year staff can always be tricky because of the inherent hastiness a new head coach must operate under while in the infancy of a program rebuild. So this time around, Freeze opted for more names he knows. He hired Derrick Nix, who served on Freeze's assistant staff for all five of his seasons at Ole Miss, as his offensive coordinator and running backs coach. Kent Austin, who coached under Freeze at Liberty, was elevated to quarterbacks coach after serving an off-the-field analyst role at Auburn last season. Promoted defensive line coach Vontrell King-Williams was a grad assistant at Liberty. Even the likes of former Liberty assistant Maurice Harris, who coached receivers for Freeze at Liberty, is now in a support staff role at Auburn as director of football and recruiting relations. In all, including tight ends coach Ben Aigauama outside linebackers coach Josh Aldridge and cornerbacks coach Wesley McGriff, six of Auburn's 10 assistants worked under Freeze in some capacity before arriving on the Plains. "I don't know if I can judge the value of it, but it's comfortable and it's worked for me in the past," Freeze told Auburn Undercover in an interview last month. "I have guys, when I say something, they immediately know what I'm talking about. And they can, in return, say, 'Here's the issue, coach,' and be in that position. … It's just much more comfortable." Rane, a prominent Auburn booster and board of trustees member, expressed his confidence in the direction of the football program under Freeze, who's looking to improve Auburn in a comparable manner to his previous jobs at Ole Miss and Liberty, where the teams saw significant win improvements compared to before his arrival. "It's obvious to anybody that follows football that his teams were better than the ones before him," Rane said Thursday. "I don't have any reason to think he will not work hard and improve. I'm very happy with him." Can Auburn follow that same path in Year 2? The Tigers' 6-7 campaign had a sour finish, including two painful losses to end the regular season, but Freeze immediately turned around and secured the nation's No. 8 recruiting class, then reworked his coaching staff. Auburn has also been labeled a winner in the transfer portal, particularly in the spring window, where the Tigers added a trio of defensive linemen, plus Penn State transfer receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith, who adds more than 1,700 career yards and 11 touchdowns. For now — until preseason camp gets rolling in early August —all Freeze can control is that his roster, his staff and the overall feeling in Auburn's facility feels better than it did just a few months ago at the tail-end of the 2023 season. "We improved our roster through recruiting — what that means, I don't really know yet what that looks like in Year 2," Freeze said. "But there's no question in my mind that the roster has improved, the culture is improving, the work ethic, the chemistry." *** Subscribe to Auburn Undercover for the latest news and intel, podcasts, recruiting coverage and more ***

si.com Auburn Recruiting: News For Three Birmingham Parker Prospects Brian Smith 2–3 minutes Last night’s Birmingham (Ala.) Parker versus Trussville (Ala.) Hewitt-Trussville spring game was a chance to catch up with three top prospects about their recruitments. All three were Parker prospects and have been recruited by Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers. First up, a consensus national top-10 recruit, Na’eem Offord. The cornerback has been committed to Ohio State since making his pledge earlier this year on Feb. 4. His recruitment is still not over. “I’m going to go to Oregon this weekend,” Offord began. “It’s an unofficial visit. I’m going to take an official visit (to Oregon) later.” He recently told 247, “I don't know yet, June 14th it's either going to be Oregon or Florida. Still trying to decide." Offord has already slated the June 21 weekend for his Ohio State official visit. Other teams still attempting to flip his commitment include Auburn, Alabama, and Georgia, among many college football programs. After the combined intel has been processed, it’s hard to say if Offord’s recruitment will conclude by the end of summer. National Signing Day will be on Dec. 4. Parker also has another top cornerback prospect. (L-R) Jourdin Crawford, Na'eem Offord, and Timothy Merritt / Brian Smith-Auburn Daily Timothy Merritt has reached 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds. Having watched his backpedal and overall athleticism, it was obvious to see why numerous programs offered him a scholarship. Miami, Arkansas, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Auburn, Alabama, and several other programs have been involved. Merritt has been trying to set his June official visits but surprisingly did not mention AU or Bama among them. When asked about the two in-state SEC schools, he had an explanation. “I’m going to visit Auburn and Alabama during the season.” Finally, Auburn defensive tackle commitment Jourdin Crawford commented about his recruitment. “I’m going to take my official visit (to Auburn) during the season.” Crawford has been pledged to the Tigers since Oct. 16, 2023

well he cannot help it. he rode the short bus to school.............

auburnwire.usatoday.com Auburn golf continues historic run as they head to NCAA Championship Brian Hauch ~2 minutes The No. 1 ranked Auburn Tigers men’s golf team has had quite the season on the links. That season continued this week, as the Tigers paced the field at the Baton Rouge Regional to win their sixth straight tournament. Auburn golfers shot a combined 21 under par for the tournament, 8 strokes better than second-place Virginia Tech’s 13 under and 21 strokes better than the final team to qualify, Ohio State. While junior Brenden Valdes was the star of the tournament (-6), freshmen Josiah Gilbert (-4) and Jackson Koivun (-4) joined him in the individual top 5 in Baton Rouge. A solid top 15 showing from senior J.M Butler (+1) was enough to offset a rough final round from junior Carson Bacha (+6) to give the Tigers a comfortable tournament win. Auburn’s golfers are rolling right now, and they’ll look to parlay the momentum into a National Championship at the Omni La Costa Champions Course in Carlsbad California starting on May 24. As the nation’s top-ranked team, the Tigers will certainly be one of the favorites to take home the trophy on May 29. 🏆🏆🏆 SIX IN A ROW 🏆🏆🏆#WarEagle pic.twitter.com/1qwxcgxf8N — Auburn Men's Golf (@AuburnMGolf) May 15, 2024 Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Brian on Twitter @TheRealBHauch

swimswam.com Distance Specialist Nora Weber Hands Verbal To Auburn (2025) Sidney Zacharias 3–4 minutes Fitter and Faster Swim Camps is the proud sponsor of SwimSwam’s College Recruiting Channel and all commitment news. For many, swimming in college is a lifelong dream that is pursued with dedication and determination. Fitter and Faster is proud to honor these athletes and those who supported them on their journey. Nora Weber has announced her verbal commitment to swim and study at Auburn University, beginning in the fall of 2025. Weber, a USA Swimming Scholastic All-American, currently attends Wissahickon High School in Pennsylvania. “I chose Auburn because of the great team culture and amazing campus environment. I feel like Auburn is the best place to help me achieve my athletic and academic goals.” Weber trains and competes year-round with the Germantown Academy Aquatic Club. She is a summer Juniors qualifier in the 1500m, as well as owns Winter Juniors cuts in the 400m/500, 1000/800m, and 1650. This spring, Weber represented her high school at the Pennsylvania High School State Championships (3A). She took home the state title in the 500 free in a personal best time of 4:49.85, which put her over six seconds ahead of the rest of the field. Weber also finished 5th in the 200 free, posting another best time in the process (1:51.62). Weber is only just beginning this summer’s long course season, but last year she capped her season off at the Futures Championships in San Antonio. She finished 1st in the 1500m free(17:08.86) and 2nd in the 800m free (8:59.82), with her 800m time marking a new personal best by over two seconds. Top SCY Times 200 free – 1:51.62 500 free – 4:49.85 1000 free – 9:59.34 1650 free – 16:34.04 Under the direction of head coach Ryan Wochomurka, the Auburn women finished 4th at the 2024 SEC Championships. Based on this year’s results, Weber’s current personal best time in the 1650 puts her just inside SEC scoring range. The 1650 was not a deep event for Auburn this year, as Averee Preble was the team’s only entrant at SECs, She finished 7th overall in 16:12.36, which was about seven seconds off her season best set at the Georgia Fall Invite (16:05.22). This past season was Preble’s last, which makes Weber’s arrival timely as Auburn looks to rebuild their distance strength. Weber joins Lilly Gault Abdella, Taylor Bacher, Abigail Heizer, and Hanna Schmidt in Auburn’s future class of 2029. Bacher and Abdella both swim distance freestyle events as well, but lean more towards middle-distance. If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to Recruits@swimswam.com. About the Fitter and Faster Swim Tour Fitter & Faster Swim Camps feature the most innovative teaching platforms for competitive swimmers of all levels. Camps are produced year-round throughout the USA and Canada. All camps are led by elite swimmers and coaches. Visit fitterandfaster.com to find or request a swim camp near you. FFT SOCIAL Instagram – @fitterandfasterswimtour Facebook – @fitterandfastertour Twitter – @fitterandfaster FFT is a SwimSwam partner.