3/11/23 Baseball Articles

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Takeaways from Auburn's game one win over SE Louisiana

Andrew Stefaniak

2–3 minutes

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What did we learn from Auburn's 7-1 win over SE Louisiana?

Auburn took game one of the series over Southeastern Louisiana 7-1. 

The Tigers had 11 hits and only allowed one earned run. Auburn looked great in all three phases of the game, leading to the big win.

Auburn was facing a good ball club in SE Louisiana that likes to manufacture runs. Auburn didn't let that happen today, and this was a big part of the wide margin of victory. 

What did we learn from Auburn's game one win over SE Louisiana? 

Cole Foster is on a hot streak

Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

Cole Foster went 4-5 in this ball game with four rbi's and scored twice. This makes him 8-11 with four homers in two games against SE Louisiana. This is Foster's second straight four-hit ball game, so it is safe to say he is on a hot streak. For Auburn to go on a run this season, the veteran Foster will need to stay hot at the dish and continue to play the excellent defense he has to start the season. 

John Armstrong's dominance continues

Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

John Armstrong has been automatic to start the season, and that dominance continued in this game. He went 3.1 innings hitless with one strikeout and six groundouts. His stuff looked really good in this ball game. It was easy to tell since he was able to saw off so many bats with his power sinker. Armstrong is on pace to be one of the best relievers in the league this year, and Auburn will need this to continue throughout the season since bullpen depth is a big question mark for this ball club. 

Auburn continues to play great defense

Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

One thing that has not been talked about this season is their defense. Auburn has fielded the ball great this season, and that trend continued in this ball game. Chris Stanfield and Kason Howell can run down anything hit their way, and the entire infield has been sure-handed fielding ground balls this season. Good defense wins ball games. Auburn being 12-1-1 on this season has a lot to do with their terrific defense. 

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'Simple, relaxed and smooth' Foster powers Tigers past SELA in series opener

Jason Caldwell

5–6 minutes

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AUBURN, Alabama—Going 4-6 with three home runs and nine RBI in last year’s NCAA Regional game against Southeastern Louisiana, Auburn shortstop Bryson Ware picked up where he left off on Friday night with four hits and three runs batted in as the Tigers won for the seventh straight time, beating the Lions 7-1 to take the first game of the series.

Scheduled to play single games on Saturday and Sunday, Auburn and SELA will now play a doubleheader on Saturday because of expected weather on Sunday. Game two will still be at 2 p.m. with the second game coming 30 minutes following the conclusion of game one. Both games can be seen on SEC Network+.

Foster was again the hitting star for the Tigers, collecting four hits for the second-straight game after doing it Wednesday night in a win over Jacksonville State. He also added his second home run of the season and leaves with a batting average of .442 on the year. Auburn also got a pair of hits each from true freshmen Ike Irish and Chris Stanfield to lead the offense.

"My thing is simple, relaxed and smooth," Foster said. "Those are kinda like my three words that I try to play by and I think that’s really been showing. That’s what I’ve been working on the most and I want to stay with it all year.

"I think it goes back to the approach of not trying to do too much, staying within myself, getting my pitch early in the count and trying to do damage. I’m not seeing a beach ball or anything. We’re facing good arms and it just happens that I’m trying to stay short and simple and it’s been showing out lately."

Getting the start on the mound for the Tigers, junior LHP Tanner Bauman gave Auburn a shot to win despite not having his best stuff. Pitching into the fifth inning before giving way to Parker Carlson, Bauman allowed one run on seven hits and struck out three. Coming on with a runner on second and no outs, Carlson struck out two in his only inning of work. Trevor Horne got two outs in his only inning of work before John Armstrong came on to finish the sixth. He would go the rest of the way to finish off the night for Auburn.

"I don’t think it can be overstated how good of a job John Armstrong has done for this team early on," coach Butch Thompson said. "It’s tremendously early, but four wins and now he’s picking up a save. He’s been the Swiss Army Knife for this pitching staff and has done an amazing job. He’s helped us secure some series, but really helped us in the first game of a series to stay competitive and not have to use anybody else with what looks like a long day tomorrow."

Following a pair of scoreless innings to open the game, Auburn’s offense finally got untracked in the bottom of the third to get the Tigers going. With one out, Kason Howell walked to bring Foster to the plate. Not trying to do too much, Foster pulled one through the right side for a single to put runners on first and second for the heart of the order.

Patient at the plate, Justin Kirby walked to bring Irish to the plate. Already with a single to his credit on the night, Irish with the other way for a double to score two and put the Tigers on th board. A Bryson Ware fly ball pushed across Kirby to make it 3-0 Auburn.

Getting through four innings without allowing a run, Bauman ran into big trouble to open the fifth when Tyler Finke singled and scored on a Jake Killingsworth double to the gap. Entering the game with a runner in scoring position, Carlson got a ground ball for the first out before back-to-back strikeouts ended the frame and kept Auburn in front by two.

"Parker Carlson did a nice little job for us and got a couple of big outs in that vulnerable situation from the starter to the first reliever," Thompson said. "We were about to get out of that inning."

One inning later the Tigers would extend the lead thanks to one big swing of the bat from Foster. First, Auburn would get some help from Lion pitching as walks to Nate LaRue and Howell put a pair of runners on base for Foster. Getting a 1-0 pitch over the heart of the plate, Foster hammered it deep over the right field fence for his second home run of the season. That gave Auburn a five-run lead, but he wasn’t done.

In the bottom of the eighth, Howell led things off with a double to left. When the throw from the SELA left fielder got away at second, the senior advanced to third. Foster needed just one pitch to add to the lead with a single to center field making it 7-1 Tigers.

Armstrong would finish things off to earn his first save of the season. He didn’t allow a hit in the final three and one/thirds innings to secure the victory.

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'Simple, relaxed and smooth' Foster powers Tigers past SELA in series opener

Jason Caldwell

5–6 minutes

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AUBURN, Alabama—Going 4-6 with three home runs and nine RBI in last year’s NCAA Regional game against Southeastern Louisiana, Auburn shortstop Bryson Ware picked up where he left off on Friday night with four hits and three runs batted in as the Tigers won for the seventh straight time, beating the Lions 7-1 to take the first game of the series.

Scheduled to play single games on Saturday and Sunday, Auburn and SELA will now play a doubleheader on Saturday because of expected weather on Sunday. Game two will still be at 2 p.m. with the second game coming 30 minutes following the conclusion of game one. Both games can be seen on SEC Network+.

Foster was again the hitting star for the Tigers, collecting four hits for the second-straight game after doing it Wednesday night in a win over Jacksonville State. He also added his second home run of the season and leaves with a batting average of .442 on the year. Auburn also got a pair of hits each from true freshmen Ike Irish and Chris Stanfield to lead the offense.

"My thing is simple, relaxed and smooth," Foster said. "Those are kinda like my three words that I try to play by and I think that’s really been showing. That’s what I’ve been working on the most and I want to stay with it all year.

"I think it goes back to the approach of not trying to do too much, staying within myself, getting my pitch early in the count and trying to do damage. I’m not seeing a beach ball or anything. We’re facing good arms and it just happens that I’m trying to stay short and simple and it’s been showing out lately."

Getting the start on the mound for the Tigers, junior LHP Tanner Bauman gave Auburn a shot to win despite not having his best stuff. Pitching into the fifth inning before giving way to Parker Carlson, Bauman allowed one run on seven hits and struck out three. Coming on with a runner on second and no outs, Carlson struck out two in his only inning of work. Trevor Horne got two outs in his only inning of work before John Armstrong came on to finish the sixth. He would go the rest of the way to finish off the night for Auburn.

"I don’t think it can be overstated how good of a job John Armstrong has done for this team early on," coach Butch Thompson said. "It’s tremendously early, but four wins and now he’s picking up a save. He’s been the Swiss Army Knife for this pitching staff and has done an amazing job. He’s helped us secure some series, but really helped us in the first game of a series to stay competitive and not have to use anybody else with what looks like a long day tomorrow."

Following a pair of scoreless innings to open the game, Auburn’s offense finally got untracked in the bottom of the third to get the Tigers going. With one out, Kason Howell walked to bring Foster to the plate. Not trying to do too much, Foster pulled one through the right side for a single to put runners on first and second for the heart of the order.

Patient at the plate, Justin Kirby walked to bring Irish to the plate. Already with a single to his credit on the night, Irish with the other way for a double to score two and put the Tigers on th board. A Bryson Ware fly ball pushed across Kirby to make it 3-0 Auburn.

Getting through four innings without allowing a run, Bauman ran into big trouble to open the fifth when Tyler Finke singled and scored on a Jake Killingsworth double to the gap. Entering the game with a runner in scoring position, Carlson got a ground ball for the first out before back-to-back strikeouts ended the frame and kept Auburn in front by two.

"Parker Carlson did a nice little job for us and got a couple of big outs in that vulnerable situation from the starter to the first reliever," Thompson said. "We were about to get out of that inning."

One inning later the Tigers would extend the lead thanks to one big swing of the bat from Foster. First, Auburn would get some help from Lion pitching as walks to Nate LaRue and Howell put a pair of runners on base for Foster. Getting a 1-0 pitch over the heart of the plate, Foster hammered it deep over the right field fence for his second home run of the season. That gave Auburn a five-run lead, but he wasn’t done.

In the bottom of the eighth, Howell led things off with a double to left. When the throw from the SELA left fielder got away at second, the senior advanced to third. Foster needed just one pitch to add to the lead with a single to center field making it 7-1 Tigers.

Armstrong would finish things off to earn his first save of the season. He didn’t allow a hit in the final three and one/thirds innings to secure the victory.

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No. 11 Auburn ready for last non-conference series against SELA - The Auburn Plainsman

 

4–5 minutes

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Riding a six-game winning streak, No. 11 Auburn hosts Southeastern Louisiana for a weekend series. Although the Tigers have had a long week with back-to-back games on Tuesday and Wednesday, Auburn is ready for this weekend’s matchup. 

The last time Auburn faced Southeastern Louisiana was last summer during regionals, and the Tigers claimed a 19-7 win over the Lions. Auburn took an early 11-run lead in the first inning with a dominant performance from Cole Foster, who had three home runs and nine RBIs. 

“They were here last year and to speak on them a little bit, man, we just didn’t see their identity, and we didn’t allow them to do what they normally do, and that’s one way to attack it, but if you look for things that jump out to you about Southeastern Louisiana, they already have 10 wins in the season,” said head coach Butch Thompson.

Southeastern Louisiana already has 138 runs, averaging 10.6 a game, and 117 hits, averaging nine. The Lions are ranked 13th in runs and fourth in stolen bases with 47. Whereas Auburn has collected 109 runs, averaging 8.4, and 141 hits, averaging 10.8. The Tigers are ranked 24th in hits and 27th in fielding percentage with .983. 

The Lions are a strong offensive team and will capitalize on any mistake the Tigers make on the field. Auburn must contain Southeastern Louisiana's offense to secure the win and minimize errors, especially on the mound. 

“Usually when somebody is that good at running the bases, they’re probably pretty good at picking up signs and doing things of that nature. So they got a lot of cat and mouse going on. They get a lot of action,” Thompson said. “As long as they’re in the ball game, that’s their identity, so we’re gonna have to be able to pitch good, keep those baserunners off, and keep ownership of home plate is big for us in this series.”

Leading the Lion’s offense, fifth-year Tyler Finke has 22 runs, 15 hits, four doubles and one home run with a .375 batting average and a .550 slugging percentage. Senior Shea Thomas has 13 runs, 13 hits, three doubles and two home runs with a .310 avg and .524 SLG%. Sophomore TJ Salvaggio has 11 runs, 12 hits, two doubles, one triple and two home runs with a .293 avg and .537 SLG%. 

Thompson has already announced two of the three starters for the series. Similar to the Lipscomb matchup, Tanner Bauman opens for the Tigers on Friday, and Zach Crotchfelt will start on Saturday. Sunday’s starter is undecided. 

Joseph Gonzalez is throwing again, but Thompson decided to continue to keep him in the dugout until SEC play. Cooper McMurray will not play because of an ankle sprain and will be out for two-to-three weeks. 

The series starts Friday at 6 p.m. CST. Because of the weather, Sunday’s baseball game may be moved to Saturday, but Thompson stated that the decision will not be made until late afternoon Friday.    

“We’ll wait 24 hours to make any decisions. We might be forced to look at a Saturday doubleheader, which will be tough, but we always try to do the right thing,” Thompson said. 

Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.

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Caitlyn Griffin | Sports Writer

Caitlyn Griffin is a freshman from Huntsville, Ala. majoring in journalism. She started with The Plainsman in fall 2022. 

Twitter: @caitlyngrif99

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Tigers preparing for challenge from SELA in final non-conference series

Jason Caldwell

4–5 minutes

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AUBURN, Alabama—Coming off a pair of midweek wins over UAB and Jacksonville State, the No. 11 Auburn Tigers (11-1-1) will face off against Southeastern Louisiana this weekend in the final non-conference baseball series of the regular season when the Lions come to Plainsman Park for three games beginning Friday at 6 p.m. CST. It will be a rematch of the opening game of last year’s Auburn Regional when the Tigers scored 11 runs in the first inning on the way to a 19-7 win.

Auburn’s Butch Thompson expects a much different challenge when the Lions come to town this weekend. Southeastern enters the series with a 9-4 overall record, coming off a midweek win at Alabama A&M after a series loss at Jacksonville last week.

The Lions lead the country in hit by pitches (56) and rank top 10 in the country in stolen bases (47), on-base percentage (.458) and walks (92). Fifth-year outfield Tyler Finke leads the team with a .375 average and ranks third in the country with 15 stolen bases. He tied the program record for stolen bases this week.

“We didn’t see their identity because Cole Foster hit the two home runs and I think we scored 10 runs in the first inning,” Thompson said. “That game didn’t allow them to do what they normally do. The things that jump out to you about Southeastern Louisiana is that they already have nine or 10 wins on the season. Eight of their starting hitters return, so their whole lineup returns for them.”

Tasked with slowing down the SELA lineup will be junior left-handed pitcher Tanner Bauman on Friday night with true freshman LHP Zach Crotchfelt getting the start on Saturday. With junior RHP Joseph Gonzalez back throwing, but still not ready to go this weekend, Thompson said the goal is to have him ready for the SEC opener against Arkansas in a week.

A pitching staff that has allowed just seven runs in the last three games, Thompson said he likes what he sees from the guys as they continue to pass it down and get the job done on the mound.

“Our offense has cooled a little bit, but the pitching has picked up and that’s a positive,” Auburn's head coach said. “We’ve dug into some bullpen arms so we’ll get to more of our depth the first of the weekend where it seemed like the first three weeks it was the back of the bullpen before you get to some youth. 

“We’ll do Bauman again and we’ll move Crotchfelt up a day. We’ll go TBA on Sunday. With Bauman and Crotchfelt going Friday and Saturday that will be four left-handed pitchers going in a row (Tommy Vail, Konner Copeland). I can’t remember doing that in a while.”

Offensively, Auburn will be without first baseman Cooper McMurray for possibly a few more weeks while dealing with an ankle injury. Both Bobby Peirce and Kason Howell are dealing with tight hamstrings and are still questionable for being back in the lineup in the outfield.

Dealing with those situations has pushed young guys like Ike Irish and Chris Stanfield into the starting lineup with Irish at first base after serving as Auburn’s designated hitter the first three weeks. While it has meant some new faces in new spots, Foster said in the long run this will be good for this team to develop depth moving forward.

“It’s going to help us a lot,” Foster said. “Losing Kason and Bobby has been huge, but it has given more guys chances. Stanfield has been out there the last week and he’s taken advantage of it. Mike Bello got in there and performed and made some good plays and had some good swings. It’s just helping us grow.

“We realize that when those guys aren’t playing, other guys have to step in and fill that role. It’s definitely helping us grow more as a team due to the fact that we have to grow up.”

Game times for the series are scheduled for 6 p.m. on Friday, 2 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday. Saturday and Sunday can be seen on SEC Network+.

PROBABLE STARTERS

Friday – Jr. LHP Tanner Bauman (1-0, 3.60) vs. R-So. RHP Brennan Stuprich (0-1, 7.45)

Saturday – Fr. LHP Zach Crotchfelt (0-0, 6.35) vs. Jr. RHP Will Kinzeler (0-0, 3.38)

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Sunday – TBA vs. TBA

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