After an unsteady 2021 season where the Tigers finished 10-20 in SEC play, head coach Butch Thompson will return for his eighth season leading Auburn baseball, where the Tigers are set to kick off their season Friday.
Auburn lost starters in every position group from last year's roster, whether that be the MLB Draft or graduation. This included standout infielders Ryan Bliss and Tyler Miller, long-time outfielders Steven Williams and Judd Ward, as well as Cody Greenhill and Richard Fitts from the rotation.
The pitching staff was a point of concern last season, as the team finished with a 5.24 ERA, second-worst in the SEC. Mason Barnett boasts the most experience on the rotation, starting six games on the year. After giving up 21 walks on the year, his main focus will be to hone in on his great pitch mix.
Joseph Gonzalez, Hayden Mullins, Trace Bright, and Notre Dame transfer Tommy Sheehan will also compete for weekend rotation spots. All of them will most likely be given a chance early in the year.
The bullpen was definitely a point of issue on last year's team, giving the offense tough tasks late in games, and culminating in blowing an eight-run lead against Boston College and losing in the tenth frame.
Dothan native Blake Burkhalter will likely see the back end of games. The junior righty may not have the traditional size of a closer, but a 1.71 ERA in 2021 showed that he can take on a bigger role.
Southpaw senior Carson Skipper will also see plenty of action late in games, as well as a shot at a rotation spot, after he reportedly had a great fall camp showing.
With all of this movement on the roster, Butch has brought in several transfers and former reserve players in the hope that they can improve on last years’ performance. Sonny DiChiara and Blake Rambusch will likely take on the corner infield positions. Sonny will most likely see most of the time at first base after Tyler Miller signed with the Boston Red Sox last year. Rambusch will likely take the place of Rankin Woley at third.
DiChiara will likely be a primary source of power in this lineup, along with Cam Hill, who will most likely be put in the DH spot for his sophomore season. The two had a .598 and .477 slugging percentage last year, respectively.
The middle of the infield will likely see Alabama natives Garrett Farquhar and Brody Moore taking most of the time, with the latter taking on the heavy duty at shortstop. However, sophomore Cole Foster will see some playing time of his own. The switch-hitting Texan was the highest-rated recruit in the 2020 class, according to Perfect Game.
The outfield loses Judd Ward, who started 148 games for Auburn, often as its leadoff hitter. Kason Howell is now the undisputed leader of the outfield. An average hitter throughout his career, his defensive abilities are a huge difference-maker to the team.
Josh Hall is expected to join Howell in the outfield, as the quick redshirt junior is a likely starter in right field.
In left field, juniors Bryson Ware and Brayton Brown will both see time. While Brown could bring more pop to a power-starved lineup, Ware might be favored for his defensive abilities.
Behind the plate, two players return to replace Steven Williams, who was picked up by the Washington Nationals. Williams started behind the plate last year after being strictly an outfielder in his first three years, and his performance faltered. His on-base percentage went down to .315, and SEC opponents stole bases at an 84% clip on the year.
The choices for 2022 are Mobile native Nate LaRue and redshirt sophomore Ryan Dyal. Dyal played more games last year, despite coming off of Tommy John surgery, but LaRue offers more offensive upside, with a .429 career slugging percentage to Dyal’s .357. With the demands of the catcher position and the importance of interpersonal relationships with the pitchers, we will likely see plenty of both this season.
Despite many of the major producers from 2021 leaving, there is plenty of room for this team to find success in the powerful SEC. That being said, with matchups against Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, and Ole Miss, it will take a team effort for Auburn to make noise this season.
The Tigers open their season against Oklahoma at 11 a.m. CST from Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, Thursday. The game will be streamed exclusively on FloSports.
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Dylan Fox, Junior in Civil Site Design Engineering, joined The Plainsman as a sports writer in Spring 2020. From Geneva, IL.
