Auburn ace Tommy Vail 'couldn't be happier' with season on the Plains

AUBURN, Ala. – An injury to his pitching arm limited Tommy Sheehan to only 2.2 innings this season but he still contributed mightily to Auburn’s success by recruiting another left-handed Tommy – his former Notre Dame teammate Tommy Vail – to the Plains.

After they graduated from Notre Dame in 2021, Sheehan came to Auburn and helped the Tigers reach the 2022 College World Series while Vail transferred to Texas Christian after missing the 2021 season recovering from Tommy John surgery. 

“I was pretty disappointed that I didn’t get to go out on my own terms,” said Vail, who made 13 relief appearances last season at TCU. “I felt like I had more left in the tank.”

After going home to Seattle for the summer, Vail consulted with family and close friends before reaching a unanimous conclusion.

“’You’ve got to give this thing one more shot,’” they told Tommy. “So I entered the portal, told Tommy Sheehan and that’s how I ended up here.”

Reluctant to start completely anew at a third program, Vail appreciated the opportunity to reunite with Sheehan at Auburn.

“There’s not many guys left my age,” said Vail, who turned 24 on May 18. “It just seemed like it was the perfect fit for me. The older guys were welcoming and they made the transition really easy. The young guys are awesome and they came here wanting to learn. The support from the people around us, the town and the students, it’s been a really cool experience.”

A reliever for all but three of his 62 appearances from 2018-22, Vail began in the bullpen for the Tigers but made his first start against Florida A&M on March 17 and remained in the rotation throughout the SEC season, making a team-leading 13 starts.

“I couldn’t be happier with how our team is playing and the role I’ve settled into as the year has gone on,” said Vail, who leads Auburn in ERA (3.46), strikeouts (77), innings pitched (65) and batting average against (.181).

Transitioning from reliever to starter tested Vail’s endurance.

“For a little bit there, I would get to the third or fourth inning and be like, wow, I’m not even halfway done with the game yet,” he said. “That was a little bit of a transition but I feel like I’ve done a pretty good job with that. I love pitching in general, so the more I can be out there, the better.”

Vail, who struck out a career-high 10 in Auburn’s win vs. Mississippi State on April 21, attributes much of his success to catcher Nate LaRue.

“I would credit him with over half of what I’m doing this year,” Vail said. “He’s awesome with pitch calling and keeping runners from running. The defense is unbelievable. When you get eight, nine, 10 runs a game, that helps too. I can’t take all the credit.”

At 6-0, 195 pounds, Vail doesn’t try to overpower hitters. He keeps them off-balance by changing speeds and locating pitches on the corners of the strike zone.

“Learning how to pitch rather than throw,” he said. “Especially with the pitch clock now, you have a lot more tools to mess with hitters’ heads. Even if you don’t hit your spot, it’s about limiting bad misses.

“I always had a high spin rate fastball. Growing into a starter, I realized if I want to go deeper into games, I’ve got to show different pitches in different counts and develop some new pitches to help me get there.”

A veteran of three of the Power Five conferences, Vail wanted to compete in the SEC out of high school but his Pacific Northwest roots were considerably outside the conference’s traditional recruiting ground.

“I’ve been thoroughly impressed with every lineup in this league, top to bottom,” he said. “The pitchers are impressive to watch and it’s definitely been a step up. I knew I could have success at this level.”

Auburn has won 14 of the 16 games in which Vail has pitched this season, including the past eight. Not even SEC Pitcher of the Year Paul Skenes, whose LSU Bengal Tigers are 12-3 in his appearances, can equal that winning percentage.

Vail’s consistency helped Auburn overcome a 5-10 SEC start to finish a league-best 12-3 in the second half and earn a second consecutive home NCAA regional for the first time in program history. The No. 13 national seed, Auburn hosts Penn Friday at 6 p.m. CT and will play either Samford or Southern Miss on Saturday.

“It shows our resiliency, our ability to stay in the fight,” said Vail, whose record is 5-1. “I know every guy in our locker room is really excited for the opportunity.

“It’s going to be unbelievable. We’ve had a great crowd all year and I think we’re going to be really hard to beat at home. It’s going to be a great environment.”

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