K Korner: 'A special tradition of Auburn baseball is gladly restored'

K Korner: 'A special tradition of Auburn baseball is gladly restored'K Korner: 'A special tradition of Auburn baseball is gladly restored'
Zach Bland / AU Athletics

Butch Thompson with Auburn's K Korner

AUBURN, Ala. – While Tim Hudson pitched and hit Auburn to the College World Series in 1997, an enthusiastic group of Tiger fans tracked each strikeout on the road to Omaha.

Standing on scaffolding beyond the right field wall at Plainsman Park, they hung signs featuring the letter that corresponds with a whiff in the scorebook each time an Auburn pitcher recorded a strikeout.

Thus was born the K Korner.

Concerned that the weight of the fans' pickup trucks would damage an underground water line, then-athletics director David Housel suggested the scaffolding as a compromise.

"So, we put it on our t-shirts, 'If you come, they will build it,'" recalled William Allbrook, who cofounded the K Korner with his wife, Leigh.
 Each K represents a strikeout by an Auburn pitcher; backwards Ks signify a called third strike
"We found a way to save K Korner," says Housel, "and I'm glad Butch Thompson and John Cohen appreciate Auburn traditions and are able to save it again."

An Auburn baseball tradition for more than two decades, the K Korner returned this season for the first time since 2019, a hiatus necessitated by the construction of the Auburn Baseball Player Development Center near the space the corner occupied.

"We talked to Butch about how we missed it," Leigh Allbrook said.

"He's promised me since day one, we'd be back sooner or later," William Allbrook said. "He came through."
 Founded in 1997, the K Korner returned this season after a three-year hiatus
The K Korner returned when Auburn hosted Southeastern Louisiana on March 10, with bright blue foam board Ks hung from a string connected by silver poles when Tanner Bauman ended the first inning with a strikeout.

Thompson, with assistance from Rhett Hobart, Auburn's deputy AD for external relations, delivered on that promise, welcoming the return of one the baseball program's signature fan groups.

"It's a big deal," said Thompson, who visited the K Korner and its dedicated membership before the first game of the Southeastern Louisiana series. "I tip my hat to those people. This is an easy win. I know they love Auburn baseball.

"They didn't leave us. When they had the opportunity, they came back in full force. They have my utmost respect. I'm trying to get every person who wants to be part our program to be involved."

"We're absolutely ecstatic," William Allbrook said as the first K was hung for all to see. "Rhett Hobart and Butch Thompson are the best. This is going to be perfect."

"We just can't believe it," Leigh Allbrook said. "I love this area. It's beautiful."
 'An easy win': Butch Thompson delivers new Ks to fans
Like the corner for which it is named, the Ks too have evolved from their humble beginnings.

"We first bought little black magnetic Ks," Leigh said. "That's when the wall was metal."

"Tim Hudson was the first K we ever put up," William said. "We've been out here forever. When Butch got here, we were the only area in the park that had a waiting list, and now he sells out every seat."

At the conclusion of each season, members of the K Korner present keepsake Ks to the seniors on the team, a tangible token of gratitude from a group that's been with Auburn through thick and thin for more than a quarter century.

"That group gets close to our seniors," Thompson said. "A special tradition of Auburn baseball is gladly restored."
 'Back in full force': Auburn baseball's K Korner returned when the Tigers beat Southeastern Louisiana on March 10

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