BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Sophomore pitcher Tanner Burns has been voted by Southeastern Conference head coaches as a Preseason First Team All-SEC selection, the conference office announced Thursday.
Burns is one of two starting pitchers named to the 12-man first team and joins former Tigers Casey Mize (2018) and Anfernee Grier (2016) as one of three Auburn players to earn preseason all-conference honors, which is in its fifth year of existence.
Burns has also been named a preseason All-American by D1 Baseball (second team) and Collegiate Baseball (third team).
A native of Cullman, Alabama, Burns is coming off a Freshman All-American and SEC All-Freshman Team campaign in which he turned in a 7-4 record and 3.01 ERA as a mainstay in the team's weekend rotation. The right-hander ranked second on the team in strikeouts (77) and innings pitched (86.2). His strikeout total was the most by an Auburn freshman since 2008 and his ERA ranked 12th among freshmen nationally.
In his final four outings of the season, Burns went 3-0 with a 2.16 ERA and pitched 6.0 or more innings in each outing. He picked up a win against No. 4 Ole Miss in the SEC Tournament and became the first Auburn freshman pitcher to start a NCAA Tournament opener since 1998, ultimately earning the win in 6.0 innings vs. Northeastern.
Coming off its first super regional appearance since 1999 and second in program history, Auburn was picked by the league's head coaches to finish fourth in the SEC West. The Tigers picked up a first-place vote and totaled 57 points, falling two points shy of Arkansas for third place and eight points behind Ole Miss for second place.
2019 SEC BASEBALL COACHES PRESEASON POLL
Eastern Division
1. Vanderbilt (9) – 87
2. Florida (4) – 81
3. Georgia (1) – 68
4. South Carolina – 53
5. Tennessee – 40
6. Kentucky – 30
7. Missouri – 26
Western Division
1. LSU (10) – 88
2. Ole Miss (1) – 65
3. Arkansas (1) – 59
4. Auburn (1) – 57
5. Texas A&M (1) – 48
6. Mississippi State – 47
7. Alabama – 21
SEC Champion: Vanderbilt (6), LSU (5), Florida (2), Arkansas (1)
2018 SEC BASEBALL COACHES PRESEASON ALL-SEC TEAMS
First Team
C: Philip Clarke, Vanderbilt
1B: Cole Zabowski, Ole Miss
2B: Austin Martin, Vanderbilt*
2B: Noah Campbell, South Carolina*
3B: Aaron Schunk, Georgia
SS: Casey Martin, Arkansas
OF: Heston Kjerstad, Arkansas
OF: Dominic Fletcher, Arkansas
OF: Jake Mangum, Mississippi State
DH/UTL: T.J. Collett, Kentucky
SP: Tanner Burns, Auburn
SP: Zack Thompson, Kentucky
RP: Matt Cronin, Arkansas
Second Team
C: Mason Meadows, Georgia
1B: Tanner Allen, Mississippi State
2B: LJ Talley, Georgia
3B: Tyler Keenan, Ole Miss
SS: Braden Shewmake, Texas A&M
OF: JJ Bleday, Vanderbilt
OF: Antoine Duplantis, LSU
OF: Daniel Cabrera, LSU
DH/UTL: Aaron Schunk, Georgia*
DH/UTL: Chase Cockrell, Ole Miss*
SP: John Doxakis, Texas A&M
SP: Tyler Dyson, Florida
RP: Parker Caracci, Ole Miss
*Tie (ties are not broken)
The Tigers begin the 2019 campaign with a three-game series against Georgia Southern from Feb. 15-17. Season tickets, which cost $195 per seat, cover Auburn's 32-game home schedule and include 15 SEC contests. Fans can reach the Auburn ticket office by phone at 1-855-282-2010 or by emailing tickets@auburn.edu. To order tickets online, visit www.aubtix.com.