ATLANTA – While the Auburn Tigers were sweeping the Atlanta Regional at Georgia Tech in early June, Josh Donaldson was 12 miles away at SunTrust Park, helping the Atlanta Braves take two of three from Detroit.
"I watched it all," said Donaldson, Atlanta's cleanup hitter. "I watched the entire postseason run."
As Auburn heated up, so did Donaldson. On Sunday, June 16, he homered for the third straight game to lead Atlanta to its ninth win in 10 games before settling in to watch Auburn play its first College World Series game in 22 years.
"Had a little ESPN thing on my phone in the clubhouse," he said. "It was a great ride."
When Donaldson starred for the Tigers from 2005-07, Auburn head coach Butch Thompson was an assistant on the Plains.
"I had so many conversations with him, day in and day out, to really grow as a person and as a baseball player. I know what their vision is," Donaldson said. "Butch has done such a great job with turning the program into being a consistent winner, and turning these boys into men.
"I'm very proud to be an Auburn Tiger, and I'm proud to have Butch Thompson as our head coach and this staff, and how hard the kids have worked."
Josh Donaldson's advice to Auburn Tigers with MLB dreams: 'listen and continue to work hard'
To Auburn's current players who hope to join Donaldson in the big leagues, the 2015 American League Most Valuable Player offer this advice:
"First off, you need to make the grades to be in position to go to Auburn. Second thing I would say is, I feel like Butch has done such a great job not only helping these kids learn how to win at the college level but develop into professional athletes as well. You look at Casey Mize. My biggest thing would probably be: listen and continue to work hard."
As the MLB season enters its final two months, the Braves (62-44) boast the second best record in the National League at 18 games over .500 and lead the NL East by 5.5 games.
"The team is super exciting to be a part of, and for fans probably to watch, too," Donaldson said. "We've got a lot of different guys who can do a lot of special things.
"Every day we're trying to continue to get better. Every day we're going out there expecting to win. More importantly, I think we're having fun. In order to have as much fun as we're having, you need to win ballgames."
Donaldson, a three-time All-Star selection who played in high school at Mobile's Faith Academy, signed a one-year contract with the Braves last November.
"Being back home, it's been nice to be able for my friends and family to come and see us, too," said Donaldson, who has hit 23 home runs with 62 RBI so far for Atlanta.
Bringer of Rain: Josh Donaldson ranks third on Atlanta with 23 home runs and 62 RBI
"It's been great. I put in a lot of work this offseason, a lot of preparation. Finally starting to get adjusted to the league, starting to have success."
Donaldson recently invested in Auburn's baseball program by making a leadership gift through Auburn Athletics' Fearless and True campaign.
"The people they have as their staff right now, and I know the vision they have, and I know the type of men they are, and what they want to accomplish," he said. "For me to be in a position to help them, it's one of those things where I've been able to have some success in my career and to be able to give back to the program that got me started on the right path means a lot to me."
Congrats to @AuburnBaseball for a heck of a season. You all played your hearts out. You all are changing the legacy of AU baseball. #WDE
— Josh Donaldson (@BringerOfRain20) June 19, 2019
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer