No. 4 Auburn baseball overpowered NC State 11-1, setting up a date with No. 13 Coastal Carolina next weekend at Plainsman Park in the Super Regionals.
“Thankful for being able to get through this tough regional, that was a grind for us,” said Auburn Head Coach Butch Thompson. “Our guys didn’t play perfect for three games, but I don’t think we trailed in this regional, and they fought pretty hard.”
Tonight, the Tigers offense was led by their trio of freshmen and who else but projected first-round draft pick Ike Irish.
Chris Rembert, Bub Terrell, Chase Fralick, and Irish combined for 13 hits and 10 RBIs, powering Auburn to its first Super Regional appearance since 2022.
“Yeah, it’s unbelievable, not just for me, but for our coaching staff,” Irish said. "They put so much time and effort into us. I think it’s huge for guys like Cooper McMurray, Parker Carlson, and Ben Schorr who’ve been in the program so long, and who’ve seen the ups and downs. And to know that their last years going out on a high note is pretty amazing.”
On the mound, freshman Andreas Alvarez gave the orange and blue five scoreless innings of work and secured the victory.
“Alvarez has a ton of confidence,” Thompson said. “He’s got some energy in his fastball. And I thought he may have had his best game for us, and it comes in the postseason.”
The defenses dominated in this one until the fourth inning when the Tigers were poised to break the stalemate. After loading the bases, starter Dominic Fritton’s night was over and the Wolfpack turned to their bullpen, bringing in lefty Cooper Consiglio.
The southpaw was greeted rudely as Auburn’s trio of freshmen in Fralick, Terrell, and Rembert all recorded singles, giving the Tigers a 4-0 lead.
Auburn’s offensive barrage didn’t stop there. With two runners aboard and one away, Irish launched a 420-foot bomb, his 18th of the year, extending the Tigers’ lead to 7-0.
“I was just trying to take a fastball to left-center field, and he hung it,” Irish said. “I did my job. I put a barrel on it and it happened to get out.”
The No. 4 team in the land didn’t take their foot off the gas in the fifth, plating three more runs. Rembert drove in Deric Fabian and Fralick with a double to right center field, pushing the score to 9-0. He finished the night with four hits and four RBIs.
Auburn All-Regional Team MVP Terrell followed that up with a double of his own, extending the lead to 10-0. He finished the weekend with eight hits and eight RBIs.
“I mean honestly nothing right now because we got one goal in mind,” Terrell said on what being recognized as the regional MVP means to him. “Job’s not finished.”
In the bottom of the sixth, NC State was able to get back-to-back base runners aboard for the first time on the night. This prompted Thompson to make a move to his bullpen bringing in Cade Fisher and ending Alvarez’s night.
“It was amazing,” Terrell said on Alvarez’s outing. “I even told him when he got done with his outing, I’m proud of him because he’s been struggling lately. I think as a whole team we’re proud of him seeing he stepped up in a big-time situation.”
Fisher was able to escape the jam without surrendering a run, keeping Auburn on top 10-0.
In the eighth, Auburn was able to tack on one run, extending their lead to 11-0 via a bases-loaded walk by Lucas Steele. The Tigers offense was able to keep Plainsman Park rocking all night with their 15 hits. All nine players in the orange and blue reached base at least once.
“It was unbelievable,” Irish said on playing in front of 22,000 fans over the weekend. “From seeing stands half filled last year because we weren't so good to seeing lines outside, it’s truly amazing. It’s a testament to our family here at Auburn, the fans, and the city. Auburn-Opelika, they got behind us this weekend.”
In the bottom half of the eighth, the Wolfpack were able to muster across their first run of the ball game with a sac fly by Justin DeCriscio.
In the ninth, Fisher sat down the Wolfpack in order, clinching the Tigers’ fourth regional championship under Coach Thompson, the most by a head coach in program history.
Auburn will face Coastal Carolina next weekend with a trip to the College World Series on the line. Dates and times are expected to be announced on Monday.
“They’re a good team. They beat power five teams throughout the year even though they play in the Sun Belt,” Irish said. “It’s going to be electric. I think the fan base is going to get behind us again.”
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Rory is a freshman majoring in journalism sports production. He started with The Plainsman in the spring of 2025.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @RorymGarvin
