Birmingham, AL- Auburn Baseball needed to improve to compete in the SEC in 2025. Coach Butch Thompson first wanted to fix the pitching staff, as last year Auburn was middle to bottom of the SEC in several pitching statistics.
Auburn’s pitching staff had 9.5 strikeouts per 9 innings. That sounds good, and was 42nd among all D1 Baseball teams, however, it was 11th in the SEC. The staff also had 4.25 walks per 9 innings, which was 82nd in NCAA and seventh in the conference. Auburn gave up 517 hits, which averages out to 10.31 hits per nine innings. This ranked 198th nationally and 14th in the SEC.
The focus for Coach Thompson is to have the team throw 68% strikes with swing-and-miss stuff. The big acquisition was Florida freshman Cade Fisher. Fisher started the 2024 campaign as the Friday Night starter, but ended up in the bullpen, due to inconsistencies. Cade is a 6’3, left-handed junior who was a freshman all-American in 2023. The Tigers also brought in LSU veteran starter Samuel Dutton and Creighton right handed reliever, Mason Koch. All three have had good falls. Unfortunately, Mason injured his wrist which required surgery. The hope is that Mason will return in time for the conference schedule.
Offensively, Auburn landed several players of need and depth through the portal. First was Samford’s Lucas Steele. Lucas is a power-hitting catcher that could spell Ike Irish behind the dish. Steele could also see time as the designated hitter if Butch feels like he can’t take his bat out of the lineup. In 2023, as a freshman at Samford, Steele hit .315 with an on base percentage of .404, while slugging .635. He hit 16 home runs with 51 RBI’s in 61 games. Last year, Lucas went .245/.364/.520. He slugged 13 home runs and drove in 61 runs in 56 games. This shows he’s durable and has consistent power.
Three other notable transfers are Jett Johnson, Bristol Carter, and Eric Snow. Johnson could give reliable relief to Cooper McMurray at first base or throw a few innings out of the bullpen. Johnson saw significant playing time last year as Texas A&M and went to the College World Series Finals. Bristol Carter out of East Carolina could be the starting center fielder, pending on where Butch wants to play Cade Belyeu. Lastly, Eric Snow, who could be the best defensive shortstop out of all of the infielders, will give Coach Thompson plenty of options in the infield, especially up the middle.
All in all, Auburn has brought in the number four transfer class in the country. They will be vital to the success of the Tigers in the 2025 season.
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