April 20, 2018
By Greg Ostendorf
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. -- Cody Greenhill will be sitting in the dugout and if fellow freshman Judd Ward is at the plate, he'll lean over and tell his teammates when Ward is about to bunt. He can see it in Ward's stance. He just has a sense. It's no different when Greenhill is on the mound. Ward knows when his pitcher is about to pick somebody off.
That's what happens when you've been playing with somebody since the time you could pick up a bat.
Greenhill and Ward grew up together in Russellville, Alabama. They began playing on the same travel team, the North Alabama Sharks, when they were eight years old, and the duo went on to win back-to-back-to-back state championships in high school.
"Everywhere that I went, he went," Greenhill said. "Where he went, I went. We've done national showcases together, tryouts, just everything."
It was no surprise that the two ended up as roommates at Auburn together. Greenhill was the first to commit, and then a few months later, Ward -- an Alabama football fan growing up -- got an offer from Auburn following one of its camps and jumped at the opportunity to join his high school teammate and childhood friend. He committed that same weekend.
Needless to say, Ward is no longer an Alabama fan.
"It's changed," he said. "I joined the good side."
This first year at Auburn hasn't been easy for Ward or Greenhill, though. Ward was used to starting and playing every game, so when he struggled to get regular playing time early in the season, it was a major adjustment for the freshman outfielder.
"It was tough not being able to play because I've never had to sit out," Ward said. "I knew the only way I could get on the field was just working harder and showing that I could play and taking advantage of every opportunity I get. Just staying patient."
"It was hard on him," Greenhill said. "I know it was because I could tell."
Ward has since seen an uptick in playing time in recent weeks, and he's taken advantage of the opportunity with 10 hits in 34 at-bats, including three extra-base hits. He's also one of the team's better fielders in the outfield and has yet to make an error this season.
Greenhill got off to a quicker start for Auburn, settling in as the team's closer early on, but he missed the first three weekends of SEC play after he was diagnosed with mononucleosis. He had to watch from home when the Tigers blew a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the ninth inning at Kentucky to begin that series.
"You don't realize how hard it is, "Greenhill said. "I hear people talking like once it ends, it's really hard because you miss it so much, and I didn't realize that until it was taken away."
Despite missing those three-plus weeks, Greenhill has still pitched in 10 games for Auburn and leads the team with a 1.42 ERA. The freshman right-hander has struck out 27 batters in 25.1 innings, and though he's second on the team with three saves, he's in the mix to take the mound Sunday and start series finale at Alabama.
How fitting would it be to have Greenhill on the mound and Ward in the outfield Sunday, starting against the in-state rival that they grew up 100 miles from? There's already been some trash-talking going on this week between Greenhill and Ward and some of their former teammates who will be in the opposing dugout this weekend.
But more than anything, the two freshmen know this is a huge series for an Auburn team looking to gain some momentum heading into the final month of the regular season.
"We need this," Ward said.
"We definitely need to win the series," added Greenhill. "We got the ball rolling, swinging the bats. I feel like this will be a big step."
Greg Ostendorf is a Senior Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @greg_ostendorf
Cody Greenhill admits that Judd Ward got the last laugh the last time the two faced each other.
Ward hit a double off Greenhill during a scrimmage in HS. pic.twitter.com/mK3IqhON3x- Greg Ostendorf (@greg_ostendorf) April 20, 2018