AUBURN, Ala. – After recently completing their sixth seasons with Auburn baseball, assistant coaches Gabe Gross and Karl Nonemaker have been elevated to associate head coaches, Butch Thompson announced Monday.
"Gabe and Karl have been instrumental in the success of our program during their time on the Plains," Thompson said. "They have been consistently dedicated and loyal. The intention of the new titles is a desire to reflect their value to college baseball and our program. I look forward to continuing the momentum our program has created with these amazing coaches leading our student-athletes."
In six years and five full seasons with the program, Gross and Nonemaker have been a part of 196 wins, four regionals, three super regionals and two College World Series. Under the duo's guidance since 2018, 11 position players have been drafted and three have earned All-America honors.
Following Auburn's most recent run to the College World Series, Nonemaker was named the 2022 America Baseball Coaches Association Division I Assistant Coach of the Year and Gross earned 2022 Alabama Baseball Coaches Association Division I Assistant Coach of the Year honors.
In Gross' six seasons as the hitting coach, the Tigers have turned in a .282 combined batting average with 625 doubles and 381 home runs in 325 games. With 86 home runs in 2021 and 84 home runs in 2023, two of the program's top six home runs totals have come under his guidance. The team led the SEC in doubles at the conclusion of the 2023 regular season.
Nonemaker's main on-field duty includes working with the Auburn infielders, a group that has highlighted the team's collective .977 fielding percentage in his six seasons. Prior to the 2018 season, Auburn recorded a fielding percentage higher than .971 on just two occasions. Since Nonemaker's arrival, the Tigers have hit that mark in every season and have turned in five of the top seven fielding percentages in program history.
With Nonemaker serving as the recruiting coordinator and Gross assisting in his recruiting efforts, Auburn has signed four top-15 recruiting classes, including the No. 5 class for 2022 and No. 7 class for 2023.