'This is a great moment': Casey Mize celebrates MLB Draft with family, teammates

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June 4, 2018

By Jeff Shearer
AuburnTigers.com

AUBURN, Ala. -"With the first selection of the 2018 MLB Draft, the Detroit Tigers select Casey Mize."

While his teammates cheered loudly and his parents applauded, Casey Mize leaned forward for five seconds, his head resting on his hands, an emotional mix of relief and jubilation.

The best moment in his life, Casey said a few minutes later, after hugging each family member -- first his dad, Jason, then his mom, Rhonda - who gathered at the Auburn Athletics complex.

"I was kind of sweating it a little bit all weekend, but we did our job and the team did a good job of getting me back here," said Mize, Auburn's first No. 1 overall pick. "I was very glad to have my family here, but my teammates as well. I wanted them to be a part of it because they are such a big part of it. They helped me get through this year. It was a tough one."

After conducting a live interview with MLB Network, Mize stood and thanked his supporters, beginning with his teammates, Auburn's baseball staff, coach Butch Thompson, and Casey's family.

"Your support my whole life has been unreal," Mize told his family. "I really couldn't have done it without you guys. I love y'all so much, and I'm very thankful."

Mize thanked his parents ("It starts with y'all"), his girlfriend ("You've helped me get through a lot this year") and his older brother, Cody ("You've motivated me my whole life. You're the best big brother I could ever ask for").

It was a remarkable, unscripted, display of poise and class from a lifelong Auburn fan who skillfully navigated the intense scrutiny that accompanies being the presumptive No. 1 pick for much of the season.

"This place has been so good to me," Mize said. "This place has had a ton of good athletes and hopefully I've fallen in line with those guys. It means a lot to bring pride to this university because they've done so much for me."

Watching from the third row, Thompson said, "We love you," when Mize addressed Auburn's coach.

"Just to see a young man get rewarded, and that anything is possible for an Auburn student-athlete," Thompson said. "He told his mom he wanted to be an Auburn Tiger when he was 7 years old. To see him come undrafted from Springville High School in state, come three years at Auburn and be claimed as the first pick overall in the Major League Draft, it's just special.

"For Casey to have the wherewithal, thinking of his teammates, and for wanting all of his teammates to be with him, it's one of the most special events and evenings I've ever seen."

After leading Auburn to its first regional championship in 19 years, Mize will pitch for the Tigers this weekend in a Super Regional.

"It's going to make it easier to focus," Mize said. "This is a great moment, but it's a big relief, too. I'm excited to go out and put this behind me a little bit, and just focus on what we're trying to do for the Super Regional. I was waiting on this day for a long time, and now that it's finally here, we can move forward. We've still got a lot of ball to play so I need to be focused."

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @jeff_shearer