July 9, 2018
AUBURN, Ala. - Auburn freshmen Tanner Burns, Cody Greenhill, Edouard Julien and Steven Williams have been named 2018 D1 Baseball Freshman All-Americans.
The Tigers four honorees are the most in the country this season and the most in program history. Burns, Greenhill and Julien were named to the first team, while Williams earned second-team recognition. The same four Tigers were also named to the SEC All-Freshman Team and Freshman All-Americans by both Collegiate Baseball and Perfect Game/Rawlings. Additionally, Julien and Greenhill were also honored by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
Burns started the season in the weekend rotation and capped off his freshman year with a 7-4 record and team-best 3.01 ERA, good for sixth in the Southeastern Conference. The Decatur, Alabama, native who was named the 2017 Collegiate Baseball National High School Player of the Year, ranked second on the team with 77 strikeouts, marking the second most by an Auburn freshman since 1998, and 86.2 innings pitched. In his last four starts, three of which came in postseason play, Burns went 3-0 with a 2.16 ERA and pitched 6.0 or more innings in each appearance.
Despite missing nearly four weeks at the beginning of conference play with an illness, Greenhill led the team with a 2.42 ERA in SEC play. A product of Russellville, Alabama, he posted a 6-3 record with a 2.30 ERA while picking up five saves his freshman season. Greenhill didn't allow an earned run in the first 10.1 innings of his collegiate career and also didn't allowed an earned run in 11 of his 21 trips to the mound. He earned a trio of postseason wins with one coming in each of the SEC Tournament, Raleigh Regional and Gainesville Super Regional.
Julien turned in one of the best freshman seasons from the plate in program history as he led the team with 17 home runs and 69 RBI, which broke former Auburn great and National Baseball Hall of Famer Frank Thomas' freshman program record. His 69 RBI were also good for the SEC lead and were tops among all freshmen nationally. Additionally, his 17 home runs were tied for the second most among freshmen nationally, third most by an Auburn freshman in program history and sixth most in the league.
Williams totaled 12 home runs and 51 RBI this season, ranking tied for second and third on the team, respectively, in the categories. His 12 home runs are the fourth most by an Auburn freshman in program history, and his 51 RBI are the sixth most. After beginning his Auburn career with a home run in his first collegiate at-bat and totaling seven RBI in his debut, Williams turned in a .291 batting average and led the team with a .409 on-base percentage. Williams also finished the season second on the team in runs (54) and fourth in hits (71).