'Incredible': Football’s John Samuel Shenker debuts for Auburn baseball

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Matthew Shannon/Auburn Athletics

John Samuel Shenker Matthew Shannon/Auburn Athletics

AUBURN, Ala. – During Tiger Walk before each Auburn home football game, tight end John Samuel Shenker walks past Plainsman Park on his way to Jordan-Hare Stadium.

This spring, he'll spend time at both iconic venues.

A high school teammate of outfielder Steven Williams in Albany, Georgia, Shenker made his Auburn baseball debut during the Tigers' season-opening sweep of Illinois-Chicago, going 3-for-7 (.429) with a double, three runs scored and two RBI.

"I had confidence in myself that I could do it," said Shenker, who originally committed in 2016 to play baseball at Auburn for Butch Thompson before focusing on football. "I didn't know how long it would take, but I knew it was something I thought I could overcome, being that delayed for so long. It was just a matter of time and how much I wanted to put in the work. Starting to see some success, but hopefully that continues."

After a two-and-a-half year layoff, Shenker quickly regained his batting stroke while playing designated hitter and first base.

"It's definitely something I had to get used to after being gone for so long, just getting back in the groove, getting my timing down," he said. "I'm still working on that to this day. It's a work in progress, every day trying to fine tune it a little bit more."

After redshirting in 2017, Shenker caught touchdown passes in each of his first two seasons on the Plains. During breaks in spring practice, he often visited Plainsman Park to check in on Williams and the Auburn baseball team.

"When I stopped and the first year I came over here it really hurt to watch the guys play. That was tough on me," said Shenker, who says his "love of the game" motivated him to add another SEC sport, now that he's in his fourth season in Auburn's football program.

"I prayed about it and told my parents and tried to figure out the best time to do that and felt like this year was the best time, figuring out the whole football thing," he said. "I already knew my place there. I knew that it was a time that I could try and do both."

After mentioning his desire to play baseball to Auburn football coach Gus Malzahn last summer, Shenker took batting practice for Thompson and assistant coach Karl Nonemaker, who invited him to try out for the baseball team after the 2019 football season.

"It's a little different than Jordan-Hare, the environment, but I love it over here," Shenker said.

At 6-3, 248 pounds, Shenker, who wears No. 34 in baseball and No. 47 in football, will be easy to spot at Plainsman Park. While bulking up to prepare for the rigors of SEC football, Shenker played golf to keep his swing limber.  

"If it wasn't for that, maybe I would have been a little tight, but it felt pretty natural coming back," he said. "Just took a little bit of time to figure out my swing."

Next month, Shenker's commitment to the two-sport shuffle will be tested, when he juggles spring football practice and scrimmages with baseball games in the same week, and potentially, the same day.

Malzahn's hiring of offensive coordinator Chad Morris pleased Shenker, who noted Morris' penchant for including tight ends in the passing game.

"I talked to him a pretty good bit about it, trying to pick his mind, see how he thinks through things, plays and such," Shenker said. "I'm hoping that's how we work this spring and we'll see as we get into fall."

In playing football and baseball, Shenker joins an exclusive fraternity that includes some of the biggest names in Auburn history: Bo Jackson, Frank Thomas, Jimmy and Billy Hitchcock, Frank Sanders, Fred Baxter, Erk Russell, Larry Blakeney,Trey Gainous, Duke Donaldson, Scotty Long and Auburn assistant baseball coach Gabe Gross.

"It's a very special feeling for sure," Shenker said. "I looked up Coach Gross before I got here. Looking at his background, how he did it. He's a very special athlete, of course. I know it's a blessing. You have to take every day for what it's worth. It's really awesome."

One of the first players to commit to Thompson shortly after his hiring, John Samuel Shenker was the one who got away. Now, he's the one who came back.

"He's not just up there flailing," Thompson said. "I have so much respect for him because this is a guy, two plus years, hasn't had a competitive at-bat, much less college. It never existed for him. This is a guy who's been doing this five weeks, and hasn't had at-bats in that long of a period of time and you're playing Division I baseball.

"I think anybody that's played the sport or understands college baseball would tip their hat to him. We think he's pretty good at first base, too. It took a minute to see that live arm and get his timing down. I thought his at-bats were really competitive for a first weekend. It's kind of incredible, actually."

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