June 7, 2018
AUBURN, Ala. - A quick glance at the numbers for the 2018 Auburn softball team does not tell the whole story of just how successful a season it was for first-year head coach Mickey Dean's squad. The team finished with a 41-17 record, just the eighth 40-win season in program history, and advanced to the NCAA Regionals for the fifth-straight season before falling to the eventual national champion for the fourth-straight year.
Unfortunately, the Tigers fell victim to being on the wrong end of one-run contests - a trend that carried from the regular season into the NCAA Tallahassee Regional. Auburn finished 4-10 in such games, including both losses in a doubleheader against Florida State and Jacksonville State in Tallahassee that ended the season.
Despite the disappointing end, Dean believes that the season had many positives that should serve as a big stepping stone toward getting back to an elite level, and a further look into the numbers shows he is correct. The Tigers' pitching staff in particular excelled at a level unseen before in program history. The tandem of Kaylee Carlson and Makayla Martin paced the staff to a collective 1.37 ERA, the lowest in school history. Individually, Martin and Carlson tallied the second and fourth-lowest ERAs in single-season history at 1.36 and 1.37, respectively.
Additionally, Auburn's pitchers posted top-five marks in program history in lowest opponent batting average (fourth with a .204 mark) and fewest walks allowed per seven innings (second with a 1.53 total). The Tigers issued a program-low 87 walks while allowing just 295 hits, fourth-lowest in school history. Their 93 runs allowed, 73 earned, are also the best marks in school history.
"I thought that we improved," Dean said of his pitchers. "I thought we improved and had really good numbers there with the ERAs and such, so that's something that we can build on. Also, our aggressiveness on offense. The number of stolen bases, 99, you normally don't see that in the SEC and we were able to take advantage of some situations."
That tally of 99 stolen bases finished just seven shy of tying the total of the previous four seasons combined and stands as the second-most in school history. It was also 10 more than the next-closest SEC team had in 2018 (Georgia, 89). Leading the way on the base paths was senior Victoria Draper, who entered the season with just 18 stolen bases to her name. The Moulton, Alabama, product swiped a school-record 38 bases to finish her career second in program history with 56 total.
Draper was not the only individual to make her mark on the record books as Carlson, a fellow senior, picked up 21 victories to bring her Auburn career total to 67, the most in school history.
"We had some kids that had some standout years," Dean said. "Kaylee broke the career wins record, Victoria set the single-season stolen base record, and I think we finished second in school history in stolen bases at a time when in the SEC you're not supposed to be able to steal bases, so I thought our team did a good job there."
Carlson, Draper and Courtney Shea became the second-winningest senior class in program history with 204 collective wins. Two of the three, Carlson and Draper, picked up NFCA All-Region honors while Carlson was tabbed to the All-SEC Second and All-Defensive Teams. Freshman Shortstop Taylon Snow was also an All-SEC selection, being tabbed to the All-Freshman squad.
The Auburn offense saw an increase in total batting average from their 2017 total with a .281 clip, which ranks as the fifth-best in school history. The Tiger batters also struck-out a program-low 221 times. Draper led the charge at the plate with a .373 average overall, while junior Casey McCrackin batted .318 in conference play to pace in that category. Sophomore Alyssa Rivera belted a team-high nine home runs, six of which came in SEC play, which finished in a tie for second among all SEC batters.
"We had some kids that stepped up offensively," Dean said. "Casey McCrackin, I thought, had a breakout year, which was nice to see, and it took Alyssa a while to get it going, but if you take a look at her last 15 games or so, she did a really nice job. She ended up tying for second in the SEC in home runs in conference games, which I believe she did in the last 15-18 games. Things like that are what you can build on."
Auburn's defense excelled at backing up their pitchers, boasting a .978 fielding percentage, the second-best in program history. Shea also locked down opponents attempting to steal, limiting the opposition to just 20 stolen bases, fewest allowed in school history. Shea, a senior from Mountain Brook, Alabama, cut down 11 runners on the base paths.
"Defensively, you have a lot of young kids out there, especially on the left side of the infield, and anytime you can finish a season fielding above .970 team-wise, that's a big year," Dean said. "We were able to do that with a lot of young kids in the infield. Of course our outfield - you could put together a top-10 ESPN highlight reel with some of the plays that were made out there. We are looking to build on those things and we are excited where we are headed."
It's no surprise that Auburn put up big numbers at home in 2018. The Tigers posted a 29-3 mark in games played at Jane B. Moore Field, including a 9-3 record vs. SEC teams. Auburn won all four SEC home series, each against ranked opponents. Two-thirds of the team's stolen base tally came at home (66-of-78) while the pitchers shut down opponents' bats with a 0.68 ERA. The reasoning behind that success is no secret, Dean believes. It's all about the fans.
"I say it all the time, but I really don't know if the fans understand the appreciation that we have for them," Dean said. "I think it shows when you go through an entire season and only lose three games at home. That vibe and electricity that allows us to do that comes from the fans. We are also able to do some things, facility-wise, for our players with their locker room and team room to really enhance their experience, and the fans are the ones that give us that opportunity. They give our student-athletes the ability to really experience what it's like to be a part of the Auburn Family."
What all this means - the lights-out pitching numbers, putting up historical stolen base numbers, a sneaky increase in offensive production and locking down defensively, is that the future is bright on the Plains as attention turns toward the 2019 season. Dean makes it clear that he believes things are heading in the right direction, and that a disappointing end to this season shouldn't deter fans from being excited for the things to come. He has challenged the team to take their game to the next level and is already pleased with the response he's been given.
"Moving forward, we want to build on the foundation, especially when it comes to the defensive side of it," Dean said. We talked about benchmarks and challenges with the team over the summer and into the fall, and the team has been very receptive of some of the things we need to work on as individuals, such as getting faster and stronger. We're excited to see those young kids build that up, and it's only going to make us better moving forward, not just individually but as a team. The kids came here for a reason and the coaches came here for a reason, and that reason is to bring a SEC and National Championship to Auburn, Alabama. That's our purpose."