AUBURN, Ala. – One drove three-and-a-half hours north, the other traveled 13 hours south to arrive at Auburn's Plainsman Park.
Together, Chris Stanfield and Ike Irish represent the faces of the future of Auburn baseball.
For this precocious Tiger tandem, the future is now.
From Tallahassee, Florida, Stanfield attended Auburn's camp as a high school freshman, developing relationships with the Tigers' coaches that proved instrumental in his college baseball decision.
"I just knew this was the place to be," Stanfield said. "My parents were comfortable with it, it was close to home, and playing in the SEC is second to none."
From Hudsonville, Michigan, Irish attended two years of prep school near Detroit, competing at a tournament in North Carolina where Auburn assistant coach Gabe Gross discovered Ike while scouting one of Irish's teammates.
"You never know who's watching," said Irish, who sought to escape the frigid springs of his high school seasons. "I wanted to get down here and play in front of a lot of fans. The SEC is the cream of college baseball and everybody wants to be there. There's where I wanted to be."
Double trouble: Ike Irish's 24 doubles are the most by an Auburn Tiger since 2005
Auburn's leading hitter with a .364 batting average, Irish has 24 doubles, an Auburn freshman record and the most by a Tiger since 2005.
"I still have two more years to prove it all," said Irish, who's hit six home runs and ranks second on the team with 50 RBI. "It's not a finished product yet."
While Irish started since opening day, primarily at designated hitter, Stanfield gradually won the starting position in left field.
"I persevered," said Stanfield, who learned a new position after playing center field in high school. "That was my first time actually sitting on the bench. That was something I needed, a time to reflect.
"I believed in myself from day one but I needed to work and get better. Eventually I got there, being consistent and doing what they asked me to do and trying to help us win."
Auburn's leadoff hitter, Stanfield is batting .292 with 13 of his 45 hits going for extra bases. He's stolen a team-high nine bases, including a swipe of home, and sparked the Tigers with highlight-reel catches in left.
"That's something I take pride in because hitting might not always be there but I know on the defensive side I can help save runs," Stanfield said.
Both freshmen have adjusted to the jump from high school to the SEC. Irish reminds himself to maintain his disciplined approach at the plate and not swing for the fence. Stanfield seeks to master left field while consistently facing elite pitching.
They've delivered huge moments for the Tigers, positioning Auburn to host a second consecutive regional. Stanfield tagged up from first on a popped-up bunt and ultimately scored the winning run in a 2-1 victory vs. Mississippi State on April 21 that ignited Auburn's second-half SEC surge.
Chris Stanfield's speed sparked Auburn's second-half SEC rally
Irish produced the game-winning hit in a five-run rally May 20 vs. Missouri that allowed Auburn to conclude the regular season with eight consecutive SEC wins for the first time since 1995.
They've watched Auburn's legacy leaders – Kason Howell, Nate LaRue and Bobby Peirce – lead the Tigers with an even keel during the valley of the first half and the peak of the second, knowing it won't be long before a new group of Tigers looks to them for leadership in seasons to come.
"If that happens, Chris and I and a few other freshmen would take a lot of pride in that," said Irish, who earned SEC All-Freshman Team honors. "We want to set the table for the people who come behind us. At some point, we want to become the leaders that Kason, Bobby, Nate and Bryson are."
"I want to help lead this team as much as I can," Stanfield said. "In the future, those new guys will look up to guys like Ike and I to be a great example like Kason, Bobby and Nate. I've watched them lead and I think about how I'm going to do it when I'm in that position."
2024 and '25 will be here soon enough. The 2023 NCAA Tournament comes to the Plains this week. The leaders of tomorrow can contribute today.
"It's going to be pretty special," Irish said. "Every opportunity we have to play in this park in front of our home fans is going to be a huge advantage for us. It's awesome, all the support we have from our community."
'A huge advantage': Chris Stanfield and Ike Irish look forward to Auburn hosting an NCAA regional
"Chris is one of the most explosive players in college baseball."
— Jeff Shearer (@jeff_shearer) May 30, 2023
"(Ike) is one of the most impressive hitters I've ever seen."@AuburnBaseball freshmen @ikeirish18 & @_chrisstanfield give their takes on each other's games.
Ike: .364 BA*
Chris: 9 SB*
(* leads team)#WarEagle pic.twitter.com/9EjAkt8SR7
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer