AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn baseball’s exhibition against Florida State Saturday in Pensacola marks the next opportunity for the Tigers to make their case for playing time.
A fall ball roll call to help determine who will line up where in 2025.
“We’ve got to put the best guys out there,” said Butch Thompson, who enters his 10th season leading Auburn’s program.
Twenty-three new Tigers – 14 freshmen in a class Baseball America ranks No. 3 nationally, the highest in program history, and the No. 4 transfer class of nine newcomers – have joined Auburn’s returners.
“These guys are going to be great, going to play past this level, that’s the kind of talent we acquired,” Thompson said of the freshmen. “They know there’s opportunity now.”
Thompson quoted his friend, former Auburn football coach Pat Dye, a frequent visitor to Thompson’s baseball practices before his passing in 2020.
“’The less I say, the less I have to take back,’” Thompson said of his preference to focus on preparation during the five weeks of fall practice while avoiding predictions or pronouncements about what 2025 might bring. “This is time for us to be quiet. We need to work for five weeks here and see where we’re at. I think that’s our best directive.”
While construction continues at Plainsman Park, Thompson and the Tigers are looking to construct a contender in the 16-team SEC that welcomes new members Texas and Oklahoma.
“These five weeks are huge,” he said. “We’re putting in some urgency but trying to get the guys to play with freedom at the same time. Can we push each other? Can we get closer? How close can we get this team, and how much can we drive each other?”
Looking to rebound after missing the NCAA Tournament in 2024, Auburn continues to trend upward, Thompson says, noting the promotion of former Tigers to the big leagues and the team’s recent postseason resume.
“This is still a program that’s hosted a regional two of the last three years,” he said. “This year, we’ve had 11 former Auburn baseball players play in a major league game. We’ve had 11 former Auburn players have their major league debut since 2020, which is second in the Southeastern Conference.”
Auburn’s pitchers will have the opportunity to, as Thompson puts it, “run their own show” by determining which pitches to throw, a rarity in college baseball where coaches generally call pitches from the dugout.
“Putting conviction and ownership back in our pitchers,” said Thompson, who has recruited and developed 16 future MLB pitchers in the past decade. “I think they grow more when they have to own it. I think they prepare better when they know they’re going to have a say in what they’re doing.”
The Tigers play the Seminoles Saturday at noon CT at Blue Wahoo Stadium in Pensacola, Florida, a traditional ACC powerhouse in the fall to prepare for SEC showdowns next spring.
“The Southeastern Conference is the best amateur baseball on earth,” Thompson said. “Whether you’re a freshman or no matter what you were ranked, you must earn it. We’ll start doing that today.”
“You must earn it, & we’ll start doing that today.”@AuburnBaseball starts five weeks of fall ball Friday — the debut for the highest-rated recruiting class in program history.
— Jeff Shearer (@jeff_shearer) October 4, 2024
“In this new world you need absolute help. We got it.”@3strikes_AU previews ⤵️#WarEagle pic.twitter.com/6nsKnfTlzZ
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer