Baseball stuff... todays posts honor mikey

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theplainsman.com

Auburn claims run-rule victory over Florida A&M

5–6 minutes

After being swept by Mississippi State, the Tigers (20-20, 2-16 SEC) were hungry for a win coming into their midweek matchup against Florida A&M (20-20, 15-3 SWAC). Glowing with determination, Auburn broke its three-game losing streak with a dominant 11-1 win in seven innings over the Rattlers. 

Although Auburn’s lineup was missing big players, like sophomore Ike Irish, graduate Bobby Peirce and senior Mason Maners, its veterans stepped up to help secure the victory. 

First baseman Cooper McMurray, shortstop Cooper Weiss, right fielder Kaleb Freeman and designated hitter Christian Hall helped carry the Tigers to victory. Collectively, they contributed six runs, five hits, three doubles, one home run and seven RBIs. 

After being held to two scoreless frames, the Tigers’ offense gained momentum in the third and scored eight runs. McMurray got Auburn on the board, thanks to LHP Logan Sharpton’s balk. 

Auburn baseball player celebrates clearing second base

 

 

With two runners on base, Freeman saw his opportunity to extend Auburn’s lead. Freeman blasted the ball down the left field line to secure a double, sending third baseman Gavin Miller and left fielder Cade Belyeu home to make it 3-0. 

After a Florida A&M pitching change, second baseman Caden Green singled to left field so that Freeman could score. 

Weiss continued the Tigers’ offensive assault with a double sent down the left field line that cleared the bases. McMurray wrapped up Auburn’s offense surge with a double down the right field line, so Weiss could make it 8-0. 

The Rattlers hoped to gain some offensive momentum but scored only one run in the fifth inning. 

Determined to finish the game in seven innings, the Tigers rallied together to score three runs in the sixth and seventh innings. 

Head coach Butch Thompson’s pitching staff had a solid day on the bump, collecting 12 strikeouts, one walk and one wild pitch while allowing only two hits and one run. 

“I think the way their stuff set today would play so competitively on the weekend – like what we’ve been used to in the past – so they were good,” Thompson said. “That’s why they got out there today to keep trying to define, develop and get your stuff set again. And they both accomplished that today.”

Thompson opted for RHP Chase Allsup – who usually pitches on the weekend – as Auburn’s midweek starter. Earning the win, Allsup (2-3) pitched five innings and recorded eight strikeouts, one walk and one wild pitch while allowing two hits and one run. 

Chase Allsup (#46) pitches for Auburn against Florida A & M.

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RHP Cam Tilly took over the mound in the sixth, pitching two innings. Facing six total batters, Tilly logged four strikeouts with no walks. 

“Tilly stuff was so good today,” Thompson said. “And that’s his job. I told him today is to get to that level of stuff and let it play, regardless of who’s in the box and what day it is. That is the consistency and demand from him.”

Comparatively, Florida A&M went through seven pitchers and recorded 12 walks, one strikeout, two wild pitches, one balk and two hit-by-pitches. 

Continuing SEC play, the Tigers travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to face the Bayou Bengals on Friday, April 26, at 6:30 p.m. CST for a three-game series. The series will be televised on SEC Network+.

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Caitlyn Griffin | Sports Writer

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

Twitter: @caitlyngrif99

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THIS is two days old but it was just posted last night.

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al.com

Auburn baseball star Ike Irish could miss multiple weeks with ankle injury

Published: Apr. 23, 2024, 6:09 p.m.

3–4 minutes

AUBURN, AL - MARCH 26 - Auburn Catcher Ike Irish (18) during the game between the #21 Auburn Tigers and the Jacksonville State Gamecocks at Plainsman Park in Auburn, AL on Tuesday, March 26, 2024. Photo by Grayson Belanger/Auburn TigersGrayson Belanger/Auburn Tigers

Auburn baseball star catcher Ike Irish could miss multiple weeks with an ankle sprain picked up during the second game of Sunday’s doubleheader against Mississippi State, head coach Butch Thompson said.

Irish injured his ankle sliding into first base in Starkville. He did not play in Auburn’s 11-1 win Tuesday against Florida A&M. He was seen at Plainsman Park in a walking boot and out of uniform.

Thompson said he got a “good report” on Irish’s ankle and said he does not believe anything was broken after getting X-rays. His ankle is swollen and bruised, however.

“I don’t know if that’s one, two or three weeks,” Thompson said. “He’ll be out for a period of time.”

It’s another big blow in what has already been a very difficult season for Auburn. Auburn has lost eight straight SEC games and is in last place in the conference at 2-16 in the league.

Auburn’s pitching staff has the worst ERA in SEC games next season, and that’s now coupled with the team losing its best hitter in Irish.

Irish is hitting .326 this year with 11 home runs and 48 RBIs.

Auburn only has four weekend series left in a season that has been among the most disappointing of Thompson’s tenure. Auburn is fighting for a spot in the SEC Tournament and a trip to the NCAA Tournament looks, at this point, highly unlikely.

Should Irish’s timeline keep him out for several weeks as Thompson mentioned, Auburn may be in a position where Irish isn’t rushed back quickly, with his obvious professional future maybe not worth risking re-injury in a season gone awry.

Yet Auburn could also use him back quickly if it wants to have any shot at a postseason. After Auburn’s win over Florida A&M, Thompson said that Tuesday was the start of Auburn’s postseason. His point: Auburn is going to have to start playing now as if it was the postseason in order to have a shot at making the actual postseason.

Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com

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247sports.com

Auburn run rules Florida AM in Tuesday matinee

Jason Caldwell

6–7 minutes

Auburn beat Florida A&M 11-1 on Tuesday.

AUBURN, Alabama—The Auburn Tigers got back on the winning track on Tuesday afternoon against Florida A&M, using an 8-run third inning to cruise to an 11-1 run-run victory in seven innings. With the win Auburn improves to 20-20 overall while Florida A&M falls to 20-20.

"I thought we played in a fog a little bit last week," coach Butch Thompson said. "Mississippi State has a nice club, but yesterday's fog is a sin. We have been through a patch and we'll go through it in life. A fog does not deserve the rest of this run.

"You can't let the fog set in on you because the game is only going to reward your ability to shove it in the zone and make a quality pitch. If three or four hitters come to the plate and you can't make a pitch at game time, you're not going to be rewarded. We've got to be able to have moments, that has really escaped us on the weekends.

"I want the fog gone and a ton of gratitude the rest of this year because we march into our postseason right now. Our postseason began today, in all honesty. It's not a problem and it has happened before. It absolutely landed on us. I want these guys to be thankful. I want these guys to play with it. If not, we have to intervene and to make sure whoever is out there is playing with a ton of gratitude."

A key to Tuesday's victory was the pitching of junior right-hander Chase Allsup. Getting the start, Allsup didn't allow a hit until the fifth inning. Earning the win, Allsup allowed one run on two hits in five innings and struck out eight with just one walk. His win was the first for an Auburn starting pitcher since March 26.

Coming out of the bullpen, true freshman Cam Tilly was dominant in his two innings. He struck out four and didn't allow a hit to secure the victory for the Tigers.

Cooper McMurray and Carter Wright led the way with a pair of hits each while shortstop Cooper Weiss had the big blow with a three-run double.

The game came down to one inning for the Tigers. After stranding a pair of runners in each of the first two innings, Auburn's offense finally broke through with the big inning to bury the Rattlers early. 

Loading the bases with nobody out, Auburn scored its first run on a balk with one out. Following his good weekend in Starkville, Kaleb Freeman doubled home two runs to put the Tigers in front 3-0. Following a pair of walks to load the bases once again, Caden Green singled home a run to bring Weiss to the plate. 

With the bases still loaded, Weiss smoked a double down the left field line to clear the bases and give Auburn a seven run lead. Later in the inning, a McMurray double scored Weiss to finish off the eight-run inning. 

Florida A&M got a single run in the fifth inning to cut into the Auburn lead, but the Tigers got the run back in the sixth on a Chris Stanfield sacrifice fly. One inning later, they would finish off the Rattlers with a solo home run by Christian Hall setting the table for true freshman Eric Guevara's single to cap off the 10-run win.

Auburn returns to action this weekend when the Tigers travel to Baton Rouge to face LSU in a three-game series. Game times for the series are 6:30 p.m. on Friday night, 6 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday. All three games can be seen on SEC Network+.

#PMARSHONAU: Head-shaking events in the new world of college athletics

The unexpected continues to happen in changing times

In more than half a century of writing about the games people play, I have seen and heard a lot. But, as I frequently learn, I have not seen or heard everything. Things still happen that make me shake my head in wonder.

Following are some of those things.

--As of today, Kentucky, the bluest of the so-called bluebloods, does not have a single scholarship player on its basketball roster.

--We have eighth-year seniors and at least one ninth-year senior who will play college football or basketball next season.

--In the past seven seasons, Auburn and Alabama have combined to win four regular-season SEC basketball championships and four SEC Tournament championships. Kentucky has won one of each

--The Pac-12 will no longer exist in July in any real way. By the way, the SEC and the Big Ten don't care.

--Some college athletes are making more money than scores of men and women who have been toiling away at their jobs for decades. Make sense? Not to me.

--Bobby Petrino is the offensive coordinator at the school where he was the head coach and was fired after he had a motorcycle wreck with his mistress, who had hired to work near him, was on the back.

--Ole Miss, which has not played in even one of the 32 SEC Championship Games, is being discussed as a serious contender for a football national championship.

--Oklahoma and Texas will be members of the SEC in July. I expect both of them – yes, including Texas – to learn that playing in the SEC week in and week out is a lot different than doing the same thing in the Big 12. And that is in every sport.

--Auburn's starting point guard for most of last season will play at Alabama next season.

--The former Alabama baseball coach was fired for feeding a gambler inside information.

--People actually take seriously a computer program that spits out the supposed NIL value of individual players. I can tell you their value without using a computer. It's what someone is willing to pay them.

--Two years after going to the College World Series and one year after being a regional host for the second consecutive time, Auburn's baseball team is 2-16 in the SEC. Those two wins are over No. 2 Arkansas and No. 3 Tennessee.

--Florida has had three consecutive losing seasons in football.

--USC, UCLA, Washington and Oregon will soon be in the Big Ten.

--Stanford and Cal will soon be in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Maybe they got their oceans confused.

--For no good competitive reason that I can see, college football has instituted a two-minute warning. TV likes it, and these days that sometimes matters the most.