Baseball Stuff

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247sports.com

 

Auburn baseball looks to kick off strong second half in Starkville

Jason Caldwell

9–11 minutes

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Auburn takes on Mississippi State this weekend on the road.

Looking to make a strong second half run following a rough first half in SEC play, the Auburn Tigers (19-17, 2-13) travel to Mississippi State (23-14, 7-8) this weekend for a three-game series as part of Super Bulldog Weekend in Starkville. Needing to make a run in the final five series in conference play to have a shot to get back to Hoover for the SEC Tournament, coach Butch Thompson said it's a good time for his team to get rolling.

"We're all we've got, especially when we go on the road," he said. "Everybody has a job to do. I'm thankful that we have a whole second half to see some of these adjustments and see us getting back to playing good baseball. It's been a tough run against great teams. We've learned a lot and have had challenges along the way, but a good spirit, staying together and making some adjustments will allow us to get back and have a chance to get the result that we want."

Walking wounded

Sometimes there are just seasons when nothing goes right. I think back to Auburn football in 1998 and Auburn baseball in 2021 to teams that had potential, but injuries contributed to seasons that just fell apart. The same can be said of the current team to this point in the SEC schedule. While the lack of consistent pitching has been a theme, this is a team that has dealt with a virus that impacted them on the front end of league play and now injuries to two of the top four hitters on the team (Ike irish and Mason Maners) along with the most experienced position player on the roster (Bobby Peirce) gives the Tigers even more questions heading into this weekend's series against Mississippi State.

"We have basically three hand injuries," coach Butch Thompson said. "They are kind of day-to-day, so we'll take a bigger group. We'll have coaches driving their own cars to get a few more guys on the bus. I don't think our 27-man roster will be settled until Friday when we walk to home plate. Defensively, Irish and Peirce can do everything, but it's more about the bat and stopping a swing, etc. with the hand injuries they have. We had a hit-by-pitch by Maners and I think we've looked under the hood and got it to a point of 'what can the player handle?' How good they can they be in a game. We'll test the players to see if they can be on the 27-man and participate this weekend.

Building confidence

There's nothing more important for a player or a team than being confident. That's something this Auburn baseball team is trying to get back following a tough start in SEC play against the toughest schedule in the country. While it doesn't get much easier when you go to Starkville to face Mississippi State, shortstop Cooper Weiss said it's all about believing in yourself and trusting what you do. That's the goal heading into this weekend.

"It's the name of the game," Weiss said. "You have to be confident. It's the number one variable for human success. It's absolutely a paramount of being a good baseball team is getting wins under your belt, building on wins, getting that momentum. It's going to be a great experience with a lot of people there. You're going to have to play under some pressure. It's absolutely the number one thing you have to have as a baseball player. Maybe you don't win, but you still have to have that level of confidence that you're going to make that pitch or get that hit. It's paramount."

PROBABLE STARTERS 

Friday, 6 p.m., SEC Network+– So. RHP Dylan Watts (0-0, 5.94) vs. Jr. RHP Khal Stephen (5-2, 2.84) 

Saturday, 5 p.m., SEC Network – Sr. LHP Tanner Bauman (2-1, 5.21) vs. So. BHP Jurrangelo Cijntje (5-1, 3.80) 

Sunday, 1 p.m., SEC Network+ – Jr. LHP Carson Myers (2-3, 4.13) vs. TBA

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS 

Mississippi State enters the weekend with a 24-13 overall record, including a 7-8 mark in league play while winning both of their home SEC series. 

Offensively, the Bulldogs are hitting .282 overall and .261 in league play. Dakota Jordan leads the team in nearly every offensive category including runs (39), hits (52,) home runs (15) and RBI (51). 

On the mound, Mississippi State is sixth in the league and 26th in the country with a 4.35 staff ERA. The team ranks fifth in the league with 381 strikeouts in 326.2 innings pitched.

#PMARSHONAU: A salute to those who play for the love of the game

College athletics is in a dangerous place

Today, I will cover Auburn's softball game against Kentucky. Softball players get some NIL money, but it is a small amount compared to their fellow students who play football and basketball. They don't play for the money. They play because they love to play. They work just as hard, devote just as many hours and compete just as hard as football and basketball players.

That's one of the reasons I cover softball. Nobody asked me to. I do it because I enjoy the game and enjoy talking to the players and to their families. I admire them for giving so much for their schools, their families and their teammates.

This is where college football and men's basketball are today, and anyone who believes it is good for anybody other than some players getting ridiculous NIL money is sadly mistaken.

--A "student-athlete" advocate files an NLRB complaint against Notre Dame without even consulting the athletes for whom he claims to advocate. Who he is really advocating for is himself.

--Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, an Arkansas graduate, says he will double what any Kentucky freshman is getting if that freshman joins John Calipari at Arkansas.

--Lawsuits and billable hours for lawyers abound.

--The transfer portal is bursting at the seams, and many of the players in it will not only not cash in, but they also won't have anywhere to go.

--State legislatures, not exactly filled with experts on the inner workings of college athletics, pass laws designed only to allow programs in their states to do anything they want to do.

--Judges, many of whom also don't have a deep understanding of college athletics, make rulings as if players were employees, which they are not. Not yet anyway.

And on we go. I am sick of hearing about it all and sick of writing about it. But how can you ignore it?

I have written many times that NIL and penalty-free transfers were going to put the entire enterprise at risk. And, believe me, it is at risk. I just didn't believe it would happen so rapidly.

Is there a solution? I don't know what it would be.

Back in 2007 Alabama gave Nick Saban a guaranteed $4 million contract, an astronomical amount at the time. An athletics director at another school told me this: "They have opened up a real can of worms, and it's only going to get worse."

A power program head football coach who makes $4 million annually these days is not even considered highly paid.

It wasn't long before outsiders started trying to get their hands on some of that money. They filed lawsuits. They formed a College Players Association and a College Basketball Association without being asked to do anything of the sort by the players they claimed to represent.

The worms are still coming out of that can, and there is no going back.

We now have agents, some in it for the right reasons and some in it only to line their own pockets, for college players. We have some families – certainly not all - who see their sons as tickets to wealth. Some players – lots of them – are wealthy while they are still teen-agers.

The cost of taking a family to campus for a football game has gone out of sight. Tickets are expensive. Food is expensive. Even tailgating is expensive. That will eventually reduce the number of people who attend games. All the national types talk about is TV ratings. The ratings are good, so what's the problem?

Remember when you used to hear lots of talk about graduation rates? That's not mentioned now, and for good reason. Athletes bouncing from one school to another is not conducive to those athletes earning degrees.

Softball and other sports like it are what college athletics were meant to be. Football and basketball, particularly men's basketball, will one day soon be unrecognizable.

 

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auburnwire.usatoday.com

 

Auburn at Mississippi State: Series preview, broadcast info for this weekend's series in Starkville

Taylor Jones

5–7 minutes

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The Auburn Tigers travel to Starkville this weekend for a three-game series at Mississippi State. If you are wondering how to watch the action live, you have come to the right place.

The second half of the SEC slate begins Friday, and no one deserves a fresh start more than Auburn. Auburn (19-17, 2-13 SEC) is looking to make a push for an NCAA Tournament bid and will need to play its best baseball of the season over the next five weeks to get there. Mississippi State (23-14, 7-8 SEC) is listed as a No. 2 seed in D1Baseball’s latest Field of 64 Projections and will look to boost their chances to earn a host bid over the final 15 games of the regular season.

Auburn head coach Butch Thompson continues to shuffle personnel and game plans around to best fit the needs of his team and says that he is thankful to have more time to make adjustments.

“We’re all we’ve got, especially when we go on the road,” Thompson said Thursday. “Everybody has a job to do. I’m thankful that we have a whole second half to see some of these adjustments and see us getting back to playing good baseball. It’s been a tough run against great teams. We’ve learned a lot and have had challenges along the way, but a good spirit, staying together, and making some adjustments will allow us to get back and have a chance to get the result that we want.”

Below, you will find important information ahead of this weekend’s series between Auburn and Mississippi State including a broadcast guide, projected pitching matchups, and players to watch.

AUBURN, AL – MARCH 06 – Auburn Pitcher Dylan Watts (20) during the game between the #13 Auburn Tigers and the Air Force Falcons at Plainsman Park in Auburn, AL on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. Photo by Grayson Belanger/Auburn Tigers

• Date: Friday, April 19
• Time: 6 p.m. CT
• Streaming: SEC Network+ (Bart Gregory, Charlie Winfield)
• Pitching matchup:

AU: Dylan Watts (0-0, 5.94 ERA) vs. MSU: Khal Stephen (5-2, 2.84)

AUBURN, AL – MARCH 08 – Auburn Pitcher Tanner Bauman (25) during the game between the #13 Auburn Tigers and the Austin Peay Goveners at Plainsman Park in Auburn, AL on Friday, March 8, 2024. Photo by Grayson Belanger/Auburn Tigers

• Date: Saturday, April 20
• Time: 5 p.m. CT
• TV: SEC Network (Dave Neal, Gregg Olson)
• Streaming: Fubo (Watch for free)
• Pitching Matchup:

AU: Tanner Bauman (2-1, 5.21 ERA) vs. MSU: Jurrangelo Cijntje (5-1, 3.80 ERA)

AUBURN, AL – MARCH 23 – Auburn Pitcher Carson Myers (24) during the game between the #17 Auburn Tigers and the #1 Arkansas Razorbacks at Plainsman Park in Auburn, AL on Saturday, March 23, 2024. Photo by Grayson Belanger/Auburn Tigers

• Date: Sunday, April 21
• Time: 1 p.m. CT
• Streaming: SEC Network+ (Bart Gregory, Charlie Winfield)
• Pitching Matchup:

AU: Carson Myers (2-3, 4.13 ERA) vs. MSU: TBA

AUBURN, AL – FEBRUARY 16 – Auburn Outfielder Chris Stanfield (3) during the game between the Auburn Tigers and the Eastern Kentucky Colonels at Plainsman Park in Auburn, AL on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024. Photo by Zach Bland/Auburn Tigers

Listen to Auburn baseball all season long on your local Auburn Sports Network affiliate and the Auburn Athletics app. Pregame coverage begins 30 minutes before the first pitch every game day.

Abbeville	98.7 FM
Auburn (Primary)	94.3 FM
Auburn (Secondary)	100.3 FM
Birmingham	100.5 FM
Cullman	92.1 FM
Florence	1001. FM
Foley	92.5 FM
Foley	1310 AM
Gadsden	103.9 FM
LaGrange, Georgia	102.3 FM
Montgomery	740 AM
Oxford	92.7 FM
Roanoke	102.3 FM
Scottsboro	1050 AM
Selma	1490 AM
Tuscaloosa	100.5 FM
Vernon	100.7 FM
Vernon	1380 AM

BIRMINGHAM, AL – APRIL 03 – Auburn IN/Outfielder Christian Hall (19) during the game between the Auburn Tigers and the UAB Blazers at Regions Field in Birmingham, AL on Wednesday, April 3, 2024. Photo by Grayson Belanger/Auburn Tigers

• 😄 Cale Stricklin (.333 | 0 HR | 5 RBI)
• 1B: Cooper McMurray (.362 | 12 HR | 48 RBI)
• 2B: Deric Fabian (.231 | 5 HR | 24 RBI)
• 3B: Eric Guevara (.217 | 1 HR | 5 RBI)
• SS: Cooper Weiss (.307 | 5 HR | 29 RBI)
• LF: Cade Belyeu (.286 | 3 HR | 7 RBI)
• CF: Chris Stanfield (.274 | 2 HR | 13 RBI)
• RF: Cole Edwards (.167 | 0 HR | 0 RBI)
• DH: Christian Hall (.224 | 6 HR | 16 RBI)

AUBURN, AL – MARCH 21 – Auburn Infielder Cooper McMurray (26) during the game between the Auburn Tigers and the #1 Arkansas Razorbacks at Plainsman Park in Auburn, AL on Thursday, March 21, 2024. Photo by Noelle Iglesias/Auburn Tigers

• Average: Cooper McMurray (.362)
• Hits: Cooper McMurray (46)
• 2B: Cooper McMurray (11)
• 3B: Mason Maners, Bobby Peirce (2)
• HR: Cooper McMurray (12)
• RBI: Cooper McMurray (46)
• SB: Cooper Weiss (25)

Mississippi State outfielder Dakota Jordan (42) hits a two run home run against Ole Miss in the 6th inning at Swayze Field in Oxford, Miss., on Friday, Apr. 12, 2024. © Bruce Newman/Special to the Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK

• Average: Dakota Jordan (.377)
• Hits: Dakota Jordan (52)
• 2B: Dakota Jordan, Connor Hujsak, Amani Larry (9)
• 3B: David Mershon, Connor Hujsak (2)
• HR: Dakota Jordan (15)
• RBI: Dakota Jordan (51)
• SB: David Mershon (17)

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247sports.com

BONEYARD Dawgs set to tangle with Tigers as Super Bulldog Weekend is here

Steve Robertson

3–4 minutes

 Mississippi State baseball needs a winning weekend. Auburn will provide the opposition in a three-game series that the Bulldogs simply have to win. State could certainly use the sweep, but that is far from a given.

Despite their poor SEC showing, Auburn has proven to be able to swing the sticks a bit. The top four hitters sport batting averages above .300. Outside of that quartet, things have been a real challenge. While there is not a lot of length in the Auburn batting order, they have some hitters in the top half who can do damage. State pitching must be robust as the second half of the SEC slate begins at tonight at Dudy Noble Field.

Click HERE to listen to the show if the audio player does not appear below.

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The real challenge for Auburn has been on the mound. While Tiger hurlers have not walked the ball park, they have struggled to compete in the strike zone. Auburn pitching has been know to offer up some gopher balls that have turned into souvenirs. That understood, the Tigers have played five straight SEC opponents ranked in the top ten. Mississippi State will be the lone unranked foe Auburn has faced through six weekends of SEC play.

Current Auburn head coach Butch Thompson, a former Bulldog assistant, has always had good pitches. For one reason or another, things have just not come together this year. In SEC play, Auburn pitchers have a combined ERA above 9.00. Outs have been hard to come by at this point, but something has to give at some point. Mississippi State hopes the Tigers make a full recovery beginning on Monday.

In other news, Mississippi State football fans will get their first look at the Bulldogs in the annual maroon and white game. Admission to the event is free and fans are encouraged to come out for a bit of a progress report for Coach Jeff Lebby's first Bulldog team. While there is not much learned from a spring game, the chance to see the team in action is important.

Perhaps of more importance, the fans who attend can help sell Mississippi State to scores of college football prospects who will be in attendance. That level of support also carries over to the current roster and the first year staff under Lebby. The event is not just about entertainment, but promotion. It also gives State folks the chance to come together and celebrate the maroon and white. 

A fun filled weekend is expected and the biggest hope is that the football team makes it through the spring game healthy and that the Diamond Dawgs take an important SEC series. Our sincere wish is that you are there to see it all as we have the chance at the annual family reunion here on the campus of Mississippi State University

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theplainsman.com

Auburn seeks first SEC series win against Mississippi State

4–5 minutes

The Auburn Tigers (19-17, 2-13 SEC) are looking for their first SEC series win of the season as they prepare to travel to play the Mississippi State Bulldogs (23-14, 7-8 SEC). 

The Tigers have struggled against SEC competition so far this season, playing four ranked teams straight. The bulldogs are their first SEC foe to not be ranked going into the matchup. 

“We’re looking forward to a fresh restart second half of SEC baseball play traveling to Mississippi State,” said Auburn head coach Butch Thompson. “I think it’s super Bulldog Weekend. It’ll be a fun experience, a great atmosphere it always is for that event, much like our A-Day with the best crowds we’ve ever had. I expect the same going to Starkville this weekend. So, looking forward to the second half.” 

Auburn’s pitching has been its kryptonite, lacking consistency so far, and its lineup has given the pitching staff things to work on. In their last game against Georgia Tech, the team gave up seven runs in three innings to allow for a close game. 

"We’ve tried to adjust some things and are really not sure we found a lot of answers and just currently where we’re at," Thompson said. "We’ll probably throw (Dylan) Watts again in that first game and get started there...He had really done a good job in some relief appearances."

Thomspon also plans to throw Tanner Bauman in game two and then Carson Myers game three. 

The Bulldogs have an electric offense as sophomore Dakota Jordan leads the Bulldogs with 15 home runs, 52 hits, and 51 RBIs and is their go to guy in the lineup. David Mershon (SS), Hunter Hines (1B), and Amani Larry (2B) are Mississippi State's consistent hitters that can go deep during their at bats. 

To be able to compete in this series, the Tigers will need their freshmen to step up. Players like Cade Belyeu, Cale Strickland and Eric Guevara have proved they can contribute when needed. 

“It’s tough to play in this league,” said senior infielder Cooper Weiss. “There’s no doubt about that. You've got to be a special talent, special kid to play as a true freshman in any league, but more so the SEC and to have them produce like they are and to set the table for the older guys that have to be at the top of our lineup or the more experienced guys, it’s exceptional and it’s going to give us an opportunity to win every game.” 

The Tigers travel to Starkville, Mississippi to play the Bulldogs at Dudy Noble Field with the series starting on Friday, April 19 with first pitch set for 6:00 p.m. CST. Game two is on Saturday, April 20 at 5:00 p.m. and game three on Sunday, April 21 at 1:00 p.m. Saturday’s game will be broadcast on the SEC Network while Friday and Sunday’s game will be on SECN +. 

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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247sports.com

Guevara giving a glimpse of his talent for Auburn baseball team

Jason Caldwell

4–5 minutes

AUBURN, Alabama—When Auburn baseball opens the second half of the SEC schedule this weekend at Mississippi State, one of the players that will be at the center for the things is true freshman third baseman Eric Guevara. It's unusual enough to have a freshman playing a significant role as a position player in this league, to have Guevara on the field this season for the Tigers is something that nobody expected last September.

It was a normal work day for coach Butch Thompson's Tigers. Before full team fall practices began, the team has days it can get together to work on fundamentals and get prepared for the month to come. It was on one of those days that Guevara was taking part in a rundown drill. As the runner, Guevara was trying to avoid a tag when his knee gave out. Falling to the ground between third base and home plate, Guevara was helped off the field. A few days later he was diagnosed with a torn ACL that would require surgery.

With just a few months left before Christmas break, the general consensus was the talented freshman from Panama by way of Georgia Premier Academy would be out for the 2024 season. But, Guevara had other ideas.

"In the fall I was thinking I would be back next fall after the season," Guevara said. "When I got back this spring I had a checkup with the doctor and he said it was looking like I might be able to get some DH appearances halfway through the year. Then I had another checkup with him and he said I was looking great and getting close to playing. Honestly, it was just me working hard and keeping my head down and trying to be back out there when I had a chance."

When Auburn got back on the field this spring, the progress Guevara had made gave Thompson and the coaching staff the hope that he would be available as a pinch hitter late this season. As he kept progressing, the timeline kept moving up until a few weeks ago when he was cleared to participate fully and get back on the field.

Getting his first at-bat on March 26 against Jacksonville State, Guevara went 0-10 to open his career before getting his first hit against Alabama State on April 9. Since that time, the 5-11, 204-pounder has continued to get more and more comfortable after not seeing live pitching for more than six months. Going back to that game against ASU, Guevara is 5-14 with five runs batted in over four games.

"I'm starting to feel more comfortable at the plate as I see more pitches and get more at-bats," he said. "I'm just trying to have fun out there. It's been a while since I was out there so I'm just glad to be out there and playing."

With Auburn looking for consistency at third base, Guevara's return has given him the chance to get playing time and find a groove despite missing so much time. For Thompson, it has given the team back a player that is one of the most talented on the team.

"I think he's a great player," Thompson said. "From the time he went down with that non-contact injury right before the fall started, we thought we lost something. That's how much we thought of him way back in August or the first of September. I'm telling you, when you say a first-year guy can play and play at this level, that's a good player. 

"You go mark those that a coach would say that and a team would put him in the lineup as a freshman. We think he's a heck of a player. We still know he's a young player. I do think he's a guy that can absolutely help this club have success and win now. If you can do that as a freshman, you're a really good player."

With five more SEC series to continue to improve and get more experience, Guevara is a player that has a bright future. Shortstop Cooper Weiss said the time is now.

"This is my Panamanian savage," Weiss said of Guevara. "This guy is unreal. I think I heard Coach say it, but to play in this league as a true freshman is insane. Very few people have done it. This year our league has a couple of true freshmen that are outstanding and this guy is right up there. As soon as he went down with that non-contact injury in the fall there was a sigh of 'oh no, what do we do?' To see him relax and be himself and be the stud I know he is, everyone in the country is about to see how good this kid is. It's amazing."

[Mikey 16,630]

51 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

I have written many times that NIL and penalty-free transfers were going to put the entire enterprise at risk. And, believe me, it is at risk. I just didn't believe it would happen so rapidly.

P. Marshall has hit it on the nose here. Four years ago I said I'd give it (NIL plus unlimited transfers) five years to see if I still cared as much about college sports. It didn't take the full five years. Do I still want AU to win games? Sure. Am I as enthusiastic about college sports as I used to be? Not at all, and the degree to which I care continues to decline. The amounts of $ I give to AU isn't much compared to what some of our multi-millionaires give but what I do give goes 100% to the academic side. If somebody wants their $ to go to athletics, that's their money and their decision. The current college sports setup is not sustainable. Donations to support such is investing money into a sinking ship.

[aubiefifty 16,813]

30 minutes ago, Mikey said:

P. Marshall has hit it on the nose here. Four years ago I said I'd give it (NIL plus unlimited transfers) five years to see if I still cared as much about college sports. It didn't take the full five years. Do I still want AU to win games? Sure. Am I as enthusiastic about college sports as I used to be? Not at all, and the degree to which I care continues to decline. The amounts of $ I give to AU isn't much compared to what some of our multi-millionaires give but what I do give goes 100% to the academic side. If somebody wants their $ to go to athletics, that's their money and their decision. The current college sports setup is not sustainable. Donations to support such is investing money into a sinking ship.

when i see baseball articles i think of you mikey so i try to post what i can.