After his dominating performance against Cincinnati over the weekend in which he matched the school's single-game strikeout record, Auburn sophomore pitcher Tanner Burns has been named the SEC Pitcher of the Week, the league office announced Monday
Burns struck out 15 batters in the series opener against Cincinnati, joining Auburn's 15-strikeout class which includes former teammate Casey Mize (2018), Chris Bootcheck (1999), Tim Hudson (1997), John Powell (1994) and Mark Chapman (1986).
The SEC Pitcher of the Week award is the first for Burns. He is the first underclassman at Auburn to receive the award since Keegan Thompson and Cole Lipscomb won it in back-to-back weeks in 2015.
The Alabama native pitched the first complete game shutout in the conference this season and the first of his career last Friday against Cincinnati. He struck out the first six of nine batters he faced and sat down 11 Bearcats in a row to start the game. Ultimately, Burns only faced two batters over the minimum as he did not issue a walk.
The sophomore right-hander struck out a batter in eight of his nine innings of work and struck out two or more batters in six innings. Burns threw a total of 104 pitches, 78 of which were strikes.
Auburn continues its nonconference schedule with midweek games against UT Martin on Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday's game is set for a 4 p.m. CST first pitch at Plainsman Park.
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