New pitching coach Everett Teaford is a game changer for Butch Thompson’s coaching staff, bringing his professional experience and new-age pitching with him to the Plains.
After parting ways with former pitching coach Daron Schoenrock, Auburn opened its arms to the new age of baseball by hiring Teaford. Before Auburn, Teaford pitched in the big leagues and helped develop professional pitchers, enhancing Thompson’s program.
“He is a new age pitching coach,” Director of Player Development Scott Foxhall said. “That’s why Butch brought him here. We’ve had technology around for a while that old school coaches – and I’ll put myself in that category – maybe didn’t know how to teach from it. Teaford is an expert at using technology, and he’s great at teaching the technology, so I’ve benefited from learning from him.”
Since his hire, Teaford’s primary initiative has been utilizing the analytics from systems, like Raspsodo, KinaTrax and Trackman, to help his players grow on the mound.
“I really think it’s just utilizing all the information to try to make them understand why they are who they are and what their strengths are,” Teaford said.
Teaford emphasized that his job is to help take the analytics and turn it into useful information pitchers can use.
“It can be hard to coach, but at least we’re taking all the information and trying to get the best out of players and get them to understand why they are here and try to build the confidence within themselves,” Teaford said.
Thompson has previously mentioned the importance of assigning each of his pitching staff a role, and Teaford stated that giving the pitchers roles builds their confidence.
“We kind of have a little bit of a toolbox, where we got a little bit of everything that we can, you know, matchups in different situations to try to keep everybody fresh throughout the year,” Teaford said. “We’ve got a lot of guys who feel confident, and they can pitch at the back end of the game, depending on your lineup construction.”
With opening weekend under a week away, Thompson and Teaford begin to narrow down the Tigers' rotation.
“I would say the strength of our staff is our depth, and I think we’ve got a lot of different guys that are gonna contribute in big ways,” Teaford said. “We haven’t necessarily set anything in stone, but I think we’ve got a lot of guys that can handle a lot of roles, so I think we’re very lucky in that sense.”
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Caitlyn Griffin is a sophomore from Huntsville, Alabama, majoring in journalism. She started with The Plainsman in fall 2022.
Twitter: @caitlyngrif99
