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A spirit that is not afraid

Butch Thompson updates status of injured pitchers, weekend rotation vs. South Carolina

<p>Brooks Fuller (18). Auburn baseball vs Alabama A&amp;M on Wednesday, February 20, 2019, in Auburn, Ala</p>

Brooks Fuller (18). Auburn baseball vs Alabama A&M on Wednesday, February 20, 2019, in Auburn, Ala

With left-handed pitcher Jack Owen still recovering from some tightness in his throwing shoulder, Butch Thompson announced Thursday that he would give the ball over to Brooks Fuller for the Saturday start this weekend against South Carolina. This will be the true freshman’s second start of the season and his first against a SEC opponent. 

With South Carolina (16-9, 1-5) leading the SEC with 42 home runs in 25 games, Thompson wanted to turn to a guy who he believed could keep the ball down to help keep a a hard hitting opponent at bay. 

“He competes really well for us,” Thompson said. “We’re playing in an offensive park again. Brooks is a lefty that has an opportunity to keep the ball down and that’s important. He’s missed below the zone. We think that gives us a chance in that ballpark and why we’re so convicted already to give him that opportunity.”

Fuller, an Auburn native, is 1-0 on the season with a 1.62 ERA. He had allowed eight runs on 11 hits and 12 walks in 16.2 innings of work. Of those eights runs allowed, only three were earned runs. He has struck out 10 this season thus far. Hitters are averaging .183 against him. 

“It’s special, but at the same time you have to go out there and post,” Fuller said. “Nothing’s given to you in the SEC so if you don’t go out there and post, it can be taken away from you real quick. So I’m going to learn all I can the next two days from scouting reports and Tanner, and go out there and try to throw strikes and give my team a chance to win.”

In other Auburn (20-5, 4-2) pitching news, Owen is progressing well and is set to travel with the team to South Carolina. Before he went down with the shoulder tightness and had to miss a start against Mississippi State, Owen was giving the Tigers all they could ask for in a weekend starter. He is 3-0 this season with a 0.31 ERA. In 29 innings pitched he has allowed two runs, only one earned, on 16 hits and two walks. He has struck out 33.

Owen is set to throw in the bullpen when Auburn arrives in Columbia.

“We have thrown three consecutive days,” Thompson said of Owen’s progress. “We really couldn’t push a bullpen any earlier. We thought he needed to get out to a certain distance before getting on the mound. We achieved that. Now we’re allowed to go get on the mound and we’re going to do that at South Carolina.”

How that session goes will determine his availability for the weekend, but the hope is he can get in a game at least as a relief pitcher. The Sunday starting spot has still not been decided on, which could be an option for Owen depending on what the Tigers’ staff sees Thursday night.

“We’re taking him,” Thompson said. “Jack will be one of our 27 and if we didn’t think there wasn’t any chance he would pitch we wouldn’t. Will that be one inning or a start? We’ve left that Sunday spot open as a potential once we see how this Thursday night bullpen goes.”

Another pitcher that has been dealing with an injury in Davis Daniel. Daniel was a preseason prediction for one of the Tigers’ three weekend starters, and he got the start on the Tigers’ Opening Day back on February 15. He left the game after throwing on two innings and has not pitched in a game since.

Davis has been suffering from tightness in his forearm and Auburn has been careful with his recovering with a hope to get him back later this year.

“I said immediately with him that we’re going to not be on a rushed schedule,” Thompson said. “We want to make sure we’re taking care of Davis’ arm. We won’t be guessing if he feels good or not. We’re going to make sure. I think we’ve followed that protocol. I think Dr. Andrews is happy where that stands right now. I think another two and a half weeks would put him on the mound as long as things keep checking out. I don’t know what’s realistic. Could I say the last month of SEC play if everything stayed on the timeline and we had no setbacks. I think that’s what we’re shooting for.”

Game one of the series is set for a 6 p.m. CST start time Friday night, with Tanner Burns getting the start in Columbia. Games 2 and 3 are set for 12 p.m. and 11 a.m. CST starts, respectively. Both the Saturday and Sunday games will air on SEC Network.


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