Sitting just 30 minutes to the east of Auburn, Phenix City is known for being a blip on the road to Columbus. But in a few years, it has the potential to be known for something — rather, someone — else.
Growing up, Anfernee Grier visited Auburn plenty of times.
“My mom actually went to Auburn, so I grew up an Auburn fan,” Grier said. “I came to a few football games growing up, so I’ve loved Auburn since I was a kid.”
As the son of a former professional baseball player, Grier always had lofty expectations to live up to on the diamond. As he grew older, Grier said he realized he might have the potential to play the game he loves at the school he’s always dreamt of.
Grier knew he had the ability to keep playing baseball at a further level “probably when I was about 16,” and that ability started getting demonstrated in high school.
At Russell County High School, Grier began using his plus speed and power to separate himself from the other players in the county, the state and even the nation. He led the Warriors to the Alabama High School Athletic Association State Semifinals his senior year, batting .404 along the way. Perfect Game USA named him the number one prospect in the Alabama, and the No. 55 player in the nation. He was named to several national All-American teams, and colleges took notice.
“I started getting offers from schools and Auburn finally gave me an offer,” Grier said. “I was like, ‘Well, I’ll go play for the school I’ve always wanted to, the one I’ve always supported.’”
Despite offers from more traditional baseball schools, Grier insisted the choice to come to Auburn was never a hard one.
“It wasn’t real hard, actually,” Grier said. “(Auburn) probably wasn’t my best offer, so I guess it was just meant to be. I don’t live too far away, so that helps. And you know, my mom coming to Auburn, me being an Auburn fan growing up. It was just a perfect fit for me.”
To top it all off, the Detroit Tigers drafted Grier in the 39th round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft. Despite numerous opportunities to leave home, Grier never wavered on his intentions to play at Auburn.
“It wasn’t that hard [not to sign with the Tigers],” Grier said. “I got drafted kind of late, so I knew I’d be coming to college to attend this wonderful university.”
Now in his second year at Auburn under coach Sunny Golloway, Grier has established himself as a consistent threat on the field, possessing power that most speedy centerfielders don’t have. He batted close to .400 for much of the season, and his teammates and coaches have done nothing but sing the praises of their most consistent player.
“He just means so much to us,” Golloway said. “If I’m the opposing team’s coach, their head coach, pitching coach or the opposing pitcher, I’m concerned with a lot of things. You want to throw strikes, but he can hurt you in so many ways.”
As of April 25, Grier sits at or near the top of several offensive categories. He leads the SEC in hits, with 66, and in doubles, with 19. His Tigers find themselves sitting in the thick of the SEC West race, and they are currently projected to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010.
Despite his talent, Grier said he doesn’t let all of the accolades go to his head. He prefers to let his skills do the talking, but when he does say something, the team takes notes.
“He’s really the quarterback out there for us,” said outfielder Sam Gillikin. “He’s a pretty quiet guy, but when he does say something it means something.”
Grier said he will stick around Auburn for a few more years to hone his skills, but he is likely on to bigger and better things, possibly to take after his father in professional baseball.
And it’s a pretty safe bet that he won’t be waiting until the 39th round to hear his name called this time around.
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