Keegan Thompson takes the Plains by storm as Auburn's newest baseball ace

From his performance on the mound so far, it's hard to tell that Keegan Thompson is a freshman.
But Thompson has always had success when competing with players who are older than him.
"Since I've been young, I've been playing against or practicing with people who are always four years older than me," Thompson said. "I've always had a lot of help growing up."
According to his Cullman High School head coach Brent Patterson, Thompson would come take baseball lessons since he was eight or nine years old.
"It was pretty obvious even then that he wasn't the average kid," Patterson said. "He always handled himself a little differently around baseball than most other kids."
From that young age, Patterson knew Thompson would be a successful baseball player once he got to the high school level.
Thompson committed to Auburn University the summer before his sophomore year and he honored that commitment even when multiple MLB scouts attended his games.
"During his senior year, when the scouts were calling every day and turning up the heat, he and his family had made a plan and they never wavered," Patterson said.
Thompson said he always wanted to go to college where he would get the chance to play in the SEC, which is the competition needed to make it in the next level.
"In high school you don't have to work as hard because you're already at the top of the level," Thompson said. "Coming into an SEC school, you just have to work your tail off every day to stay at the top of the competition."
So far Thompson has stayed at the top of the SEC, leading the conference with 46.1 innings pitched, two complete games and tied for first with five wins.
"Keegan isn't the type who is good one day and off the next," Patterson said. "He has such a great presence on the mound and has been in so many big games in his life, he isn't going to get overwhelmed by any environment."
Auburn head coach Sunny Golloway has raved about Thompson throughout this season.
"Keegan is a special young man, I think that's pretty apparent," Golloway said after Thompson's one-hitter against Presbyterian on March 1.
Golloway said he is looking forward to having Thompson on his team at multiple positions until the end of his junior year.
Patterson and the rest of his hometown are also looking forward to how Thompson's career at Auburn plays out.
"After pitching in the best conference in college baseball for three years, everyone will know exactly where he stands and how he compares against the best of the best," Patterson said.