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Tigers’ offense gets hot, downs Alabama State

(02/25/15 11:52pm)

Since coach Sunny Golloway’s second season began, he’s preached to the team about adversity and toughness. For a few innings Wednesday night, it looked as if the Auburn Tigers might fall victim to that adversity, but the offense got rolling to hold off the Alabama State Hornets at home, 7-5, and bounce back from a disappointing loss the night before in Mobile.

https://www.theplainsman.com/article/2015/02/tigers-offense-gets-hot-downs-alabama-state

Auburn pitching unravels in loss to South Alabama

(02/23/15 9:44pm)

Auburn raced out to an early 4-1 lead, but the pitching staff unraveled late and the visiting Tigers fell to South Alabama 7-4 in Mobile. After South Alabama starter Jared Gates was pulled from the game following a 3-run first inning, Austin Bembnowski came on in relief and threw eight scoreless innings to secure the victory. In his second start of the season, Keegan Thompson (1-1) pitched 5.1 innings, but was pulled after allowing five runs on eight hits. Anfernee Grier went 3-for-4 and reached base four times, but the rest of the Tiger offense couldn't string enough hits together to build a rally. With the loss, Auburn drops to 2-2 on the season. The Tigers return to action Wednesday, Feb 18 at 3 p.m. at Plainsman Park, where they will face Alabama State.

https://www.theplainsman.com/article/2015/02/auburn-pitching-unravels-in-loss-to-south-alabama

Tigers' bullpen struggles in loss to Binghamton

(02/24/15 12:13am)

A solid Tiger bullpen kept Binghamton off the scoreboard Friday, Feb. 13, but it was a short leash for Auburn's pitchers Saturday, Feb. 14, at Plainsman Park. Auburn went through six pitchers in its 11-5 loss to Binghamton in the second game of the weekend series. Trey Wingenter allowed five hits and two runs; Kevin Davis, two runs; Jacob Milliman, three hits and two runs; Will Thompson, one hit and one run; Dalton Rentz, three hits and three runs; Issac Yarborough, two hits and two runs. Auburn's offense had 11 hits, but 10 strikeouts with four strikeouts in the six hole. Binghamton pitching kept Auburn in check for the most part and showed what they can do at the plate. "I think we loss some focus on the mound," said head coach Sunny Golloway. "When you're behind, I think it is easy to lose focus. We've got to develop some maturity on the mound and not lose focus. It's going to take games to do that." Trey Wingenter pitched four innings, the most for the Tigers Feb. 14, but allowed two runs to open things up for the Bearcats in the first inning. "I still think our guys are really special," Golloway said. "I think (Trey) Wingenter starting it out was just a little nervous, but settled in really well." Auburn was able to keep the scoreboard tied at 2-2 until the Bearcats pulled away in the fifth. "That's what we tell the guys," Golloway said. "Don't let that scoreboard keep you from being able to focus both on the mound, at the pate or defensively." Auburn's right-hander Kevin Davis only stayed in the game for five pitches after throwing four straight balls to his first batter and hit the second one with a pitch in the fifth inning. Jacob Milliman took the mound with runners on first and second and no outs after Davis was pulled. The senior gave up a three-run homerun over the left field fence on his second pitch to give his opponents the 5-2 lead, but settled down and struck out his second and third batters to close out the inning. Auburn had a good start in the fifth inning offensively, but the offense missed some big opportunities to score. With the bases loaded and only one out, JUCO transfer Bo Decker and redshirt sophomore Ben Craft could not deliver, and left three runners stranded on the base path, but the Tigers did came away with a point. "I thought we had some good at bats," Golloway said. "We struck out too many times clearly. We just can't do that. We've got to cut down and make two strike adjustments and put the ball in play. You can't have that many strikeouts and find success." Tigers chipped away at the Bearcats with right-hander Kevin Davis, who kept the Bearcats scoreless in the sixth inning. Auburn's offense got going in the bottom of the sixth after a sophomore Damon Haecker ripped a pitch down the first base line and junior Sam Gillikin hit a hot shot off the pitchers glove for a close call single. Gillikin hit a sac fly to drive in Haecker, but Auburn was still behind. The Tigers went to the bullpen once again in the top of the seventh inning and put in left-handed pitcher Will Thompson, who had a short leash like the other five pitchers and wasn't productive. With one out, and Bearcats at the corners, Auburn put in right-hander Dalton Rentz in the sixth. Binghamton started to close the book as sophomore Brenden Skidmore smashed one of Rentz's pitches into center field to drive in two runs and extend their lead to 7-4. The damage was done, but the Bearcats weren't. Rentz gave up a single and walked one hitter to start a tough eighth inning, which ended in another Bearcat scoring off a bad throw to home plate from Decker. With men on second and third, left-hander Issac Yarbrough took the mound for the Tigers. The first Binghamton batter that the junior faced smoked a triple to right field, bringing in two more runs. "Yarborough pitched well for one inning and when he fell apart, he had trouble getting his focus back," Golloway said. Auburn didn't get out of the inning before giving up four more runs to the Bearcats. The Tigers managed to make it a six-run affair in the bottom of the eighth. After a sliding triple from Haecker, Gillikin drove in the sophomore to make it 11-5. It was a 1,2,3 inning for Yarborough in the top of the ninth, but the Tigers' offense could not make anything out of their last chance to score. Auburn will have a rubber match with the Bearcats Sunday, Feb. 15, in the final game of the weekend series at Plainsman Park.

https://www.theplainsman.com/article/2015/02/tigers-bullpen-struggles-in-loss-to-binghamton

Tigers' bullpen shuts out Binghamton in first game of the season

(02/24/15 12:15am)

Auburn's pitching staff dominated Binghamton Friday afternoon, Feb. 13, as the Tigers shutout the Bearcats 2-0 at Plainsman Park. The Tigers stranded a few key runners who were in position to score, but the bullpen took control after an early homerun from a returning star. Sophomore ace Keegan Thompson settled in early and retired the first 11 batters after junior right fielder Jordan Ebert hit a deep shot over Plainsman Park's green monster in the first inning to give the Tigers momentum on opening day in front of 2,705 fans. "We pitched the ball really well," said head coach Sunny Galloway. "I thought all three of them were really efficient. We didn't want to over evaluate. We wanted to come out and find victory, and we did." Thompson had a no-hitter through the first three innings, but allowed his first hit in the top of the fourth inning to senior outfielder Jake Thomas. "I felt good," Thompson said. "I kind of struggled at first on my fastball command. It's the first game so not everyone is on their game every time." Junior college transfer Bo Decker started out dangerous at the plate in his first appearance for the Tigers, finishing 2-4. The newcomer was Auburn's designated hitter, but Galloway said he has a chance to start at left field. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Decker ripped a slow-hanging curveball to left field for a double and was eventually drove in to score by sophomore catcher Blake Logan to extend the Tigers' lead to 2-0. "We had some quality left-handed hitters that we could of hit," Galloway said. "We knew there guy was a slider guy. Bo did a good job. He stayed on some balls and swung it pretty good." Decker wasn't the only Tiger hitting attacking the ball at the plate. Besides Ebert's bomb over the green monster in the first inning, sophomore center fielder Anfernee Grier hit a hot shot off left field wall and slid in safely for a double in the third inning, although the Tigers couldn't score from the play. "I thought we hit some balls hard early," Galloway said. "The first two batters hit the ball hard. Jordan (Ebert) got it out of the yard." It was the most strikeouts for Auburn's pitching staff since they had 16 against Florida Atlantic in 2010. While Thompson recorded the win after finishing with five strikeouts and no walks, other pitchers stepped up to maintain the victory. The Tigers decided to save Thompson's arm in the fifth inning and replaced him with Cole Lipscomb, who finished with eight strikeouts. The four-inning relief appearance was the redshirt sophomore's longest outing of his career. Lipscomb was tested in the top of the sixth inning when the Bearcats had their first runners in scoring position with two outs. After a brief settle-down from new pitching coach Tom Holliday, the right-handed pitcher struck out junior Reed Gamache to end the inning. Junior right-hander Justin Camp closed things out for the Tigers as he struck out two Bearcats in the ninth to get the save and give Auburn their first win of the season. "Keegan was very efficient with his pitch count," Galloway said. "Cole Lipscomb had to get out of jam. Camp just came in on the back end. He's a max effort guy. He fits that role really well."

https://www.theplainsman.com/article/2015/02/tigers-bullpen-shuts-out-binghamton-in-first-game-of-the-season

Golloway hopes 'Alabama Trio' will lead baseball

(02/23/15 10:31pm)

A strong bullpen led by sophomore Keegan Thompson and new pitching coach Tom Holliday could provide some cushion for the offense, but a cohesive outfield is what the Tigers might find themselves leaning on in 2015. Junior right fielder Jordan Ebert, junior left fielder Sam Gillikin and sophomore center fielder Anfernee Grier could be as valuable for keeping runners from crossing home plate as they will be for driving runners in this season. Head coach Sunny Golloway calls the Foley, Hoover and Phenix City natives the "Alabama Trio." "I've said going in that the Alabama Trio will be the starting outfield," Golloway said. "It's a pretty neat thing, pretty special." The Trio has shifted positions this year to upgrade Auburn's defense. Ebert moved from left to right field to take advantage of his strong throwing arm. Gillikin moved from right to left field and Grier, who played on both sides last year, will learn the walls at center field. "We feel like they settled in to where they are at now," Golloway said. "They feel more comfortable in those positions." The team is looking for another great year from Ebert, who led the team with a .351 batting average last season. The SEC's top returning hitter could have tried his hand in professional baseball, being draft eligible, but decided to take another swing at Auburn after going 28-28 last season and missing the SEC Tournament. "(Ebert) had a really good year last year," Gillikin said. "He's going to have to be a guy that steps up and wins games for us, and he knows he is that guy." Gillikin, who hit .214 with five doubles, four RBIs and was perfect in 30 outfield chances through 24 games as a sophomore, may have as much potential as anyone on the team, according to Golloway. "(Gillikin) is someone that professional baseball has talked a lot about," Golloway said. "He's got no ceiling. The sky is the limit for him." Grier missed 16 games last season after injuring his hand in the Missouri series. Sitting on the bench with his hand wrapped dealt a huge blow to Auburn's offense, but he returned strong and hit .255 with one home run and 11 RBIs to finish the season. Golloway has preached "Omaha" since he was named Auburn's 17th head baseball coach June 14, 2013. The Tigers did not even reach the doorstep of a championship last year, but the "Alabama Trio" has the potential on offense and defense for a turnaround season. "Our expectations are try to get to 40 wins and get to postseason," Golloway said. "That is what it is going to take to get to Omaha. We got an Alabama trio out there and they all need to step up and play well, and potentially they can."

https://www.theplainsman.com/article/2015/02/golloway-hopes-alabama-trio-will-lead-baseball