Nov. 16, 2016
AUBURN, Ala. - Butch Thompson cared more about the person than the pitcher.
In 2014, Thompson was the pitching coach at Mississippi State. Tanner Burns was an up-and-coming baseball star at Decatur High School in north Alabama, receiving interest from several SEC schools.
When Burns called Thompson to say he would not be joining Butch's program, Thompson's response differed from other coaches Tanner contacted.
"That was unbelievable," says Mike Burns, Tanner's dad. "Some were good about it. Some were terrible about it. And then you've got Coach Thompson, who actually took the time and sat down that day and wrote a letter to tell Tanner, 'Good luck.' And if there was anything in the future that he could do for him to please let him know."
The interaction made an impression.
"It shows how good of a person he is," Tanner says.
"That speaks volumes for Coach Thompson to sit down and write a note to a kid who just said he wasn't coming to play in his program and tell him, 'Good luck,''' Mike Burns says. "He's just a class act."
Much has changed in the ensuing two years, for Thompson and Burns. Last fall, Thompson became Auburn's head baseball coach. This fall, Burns, a right-handed pitcher and infielder, signed with Auburn.
"I knew Coach Thompson was who I wanted to be with and who I wanted to play for because of all the good stuff he's done," Burns says. "It goes back to all of the hard work I put in. All the trips, the camps, the time we went to the gym on early mornings. Just all of that put together on that piece of paper. It felt pretty good, you could say."
Burns, one of the top high school players in the country, struck out 80 last year in 50 innings, with a 1.11 ERA.
"I like to compete," Burns says. "I'm a bulldog. I like to win. I'm going to try to win as many games as I can at Auburn, and hopefully take them to Omaha."
The baseball coach at Calhoun Community College, Mike Burns is uniquely qualified to evaluate his son.
"He's got God-given ability. That's No. 1," Mike says. "And 2, he works at it. You've got a lot of kids who are very talented who don't work at it. I played with some in pro baseball who were very talented, they just didn't work at it. They never made it. And then you've got some who aren't very talented, but they work their tails off. And Tanner's kind of in a good situation. He's got a lot of ability, plus he works at it. That's basically what makes him special."
A nationally ranked pitcher, Burns also swings a mean bat. In 2016, he was Alabama's 6A Hitter of the Year.
"Every time I see Coach (Brad) Bohannon, he says, 'Have you been swinging it?'" Tanner says. "So I guess they're going to try to let me hit, too. That's a plus I get to look forward to."
When Tanner decided last summer to reopen his commitment, his first call was to the coach who had sent that note two years earlier.
"It's a Butch Thompson thing," Mike says. "Coach Thompson and his whole staff, Brad Bohannon, Coach Sis (Doug Sisson), Coach (Greg) Drye. They talk about, 'Welcome to the family.' It really is a family atmosphere. The whole university was a family atmosphere. And it didn't take long for us to feel like we were a part of it. And we're just really excited."
As their allegiance changed, so did their attire.
"Since we've been down there, now we're big Auburn fans," Mike says. "I've got a whole new wardrobe."
"If you look in my closet, it's all orange and blue," Tanner says.
All because Butch Thompson cared more about Tanner the person than Tanner the ballplayer.
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @jeff_shearer