The ping of a metal bat. The smell of fresh hotdogs. The sound of hecklers echoing through the stadium.
That’s right — it’s time for baseball.
Another season of baseball on the Plains is upon us, and for most fans, that means enjoying the nice weather and watching a good game in the ballpark.
For others such as myself, it means an array of new uniforms hitting the diamond across the country.
For us uniform enthusiasts, every detail matters, from the paint-by-number templates Adidas has passed out the last two years to how well a player blouses their pants to showcase their stirrups.
When it comes to Auburn uniforms, there are plenty of things to talk about.
When baseball coach Sunny Golloway took over at Auburn last season, he brought along his traditional sense of uniform styles along with his baseball playbook.
During Golloway’s time at Oklahoma, the Sooners wore some classic uniforms, with a script Oklahoma and the OU logo, as well as some true busts, such as a digi-camo top and cap.
Through last season and the beginning of this one, we have seen how much of a hand Golloway has over the team’s uniforms.
One of the first things he did was regulate stirrups — in layman’s terms, the hosiery worn over sanitary socks — across the board, except on the road with their gray uniforms.
Auburn wore three different sets of stirrups in 2014: blue, blue with three white stripes and blue with three stripes of orange and blue, in the same vein as the NFL’s Chicago Bears.
Golloway also brought player names back to the jerseys, something that had been missing during the John Pawlowski years (2009-13).
Golloway also had his team captains wear “C” patches last year, but we have yet to see that feature this season.
Traditionally, the starting pitcher gets to choose the uniforms for the day.
This season, Auburn’s pitchers have multiple options to choose from, including some new pieces.
Last year, Auburn wore six jerseys: blue, white, orange, cream throwback, gray and Yankee pinstripes; three pairs of pants: white, pinstripe, cream throwback and gray; and two hats: blue with an orange bill and an all-blue.
This year, Auburn has added a new white-vest jersey. The team has also added a blue digi-camo hat they broke out during the Capital City Classic against Alabama, similar to the one Golloway introduced to the Sooners. Now, the overall uniform count is 13 items.
With baseball being as superstitious as it is, many times teams will continue to wear the same combination if they have been on a winning streak.
Auburn was no exception, once wearing the cream throwbacks upwards of five straight games last year, proving Golloway holds true to some traditions.
Clint Richardson is the creator of the Auburn Uniform Database Blog. He can be reached via email at clintrichardson24@yahoo.com.
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.
