Legacy leaders help resilient Auburn return to NCAA regional

AUBURN, Ala. – Fifty-six games into a grind that began on Valentine’s Day and continues past Memorial Day, Auburn senior Parker Carlson knows the value of remaining steady amid the season’s ups and downs.

“Consistently every day doing the same thing,” said Carlson, a relief pitcher in his fourth season on the Plains. “You can’t get too high or too low in this league. The best players stay even keel throughout the whole thing.”

One of No. 4 Auburn’s five legacy leaders, along with seniors Deric Fabian, Cooper McMurray, Ben Schorr and junior Ike Irish, Carlson tries to lead by example, especially in his preparation.  

“Even though I’m not out there every Friday throwing six innings,” he said. “Showing up every day and getting my work done and showing them what it looks like to be a professional or an older guy in college baseball is what I try to do every day.”

Auburn’s captains’ leadership helped a trio of Tigers adjust quickly to the rigors of the Southeastern Conference. Catcher Chase Fralick, outfielder Bub Terrell and infielder Chris Rembert each earned SEC All-Freshman Team honors.

“The seniors have done a great job leading us and showing us how the season goes, especially for how long it is compared to some of the other ball we’ve played,” said Fralick, who takes a .339 batting average into Friday’s NCAA regional at Plainsman Park. “Everyone’s done a great job preparing us.”

Fabian, a shortstop, takes pride in how Rembert, Auburn’s first All-SEC first or second team freshman since 2008, has made the jump to college baseball look easy.

“One of the greatest guys I’ve ever met,” Fabian said. “Every day he attacks. He works and has fun, that’s what makes him the same dude every day. I’m really happy for him and looking forward to watching the rest of his career play out.”

Mentoring matters, says Schorr.

“When other people instill confidence in you, that builds over time,” Schorr said. “It’s crucial when you get your chance out there knowing that the guys behind you and the guys in the dugout have confidence in you and they care. That leads to success.”

One of only seven programs to host a regional in three of the past four seasons, Auburn improved dramatically from last season, going from 8-22 to 17-13 in SEC play against the nation’s toughest schedule. The nine-game turnaround in the league marks the largest by an SEC team in the last decade.

“Tough times create tough men,” Auburn coach Butch Thompson said. “That happened with the returners on this ball club. We added some really good pieces that have helped this team. There’s been a good level of perseverance over a year’s time to get us to this point.”

Fueled by the disappointment of missing out on the postseason a year ago, Auburn’s captains are determined to extend the season as long as possible with the prospect of hosting the program’s first super regional still in play.

“It gives testament to the returners, the guys who came back and wanted to get the ship going again, and the love that we have for this program,” said McMurray, who’s belted 14 home runs in each of his three seasons at Auburn. “Putting our head down and going to work this week and buying time to hang out with our buddies in the locker room. None of us want this run to end.”

The only junior among Auburn’s legacy group, Irish credits the Tigers’ seniors and coaches for the quick turnaround.

“Our coaching staff has been huge,” said Irish, a First Team All-SEC standout. “The legacy guys coming back, Cooper, Deric, Parker and Ben, they all play big roles for us on and off the field. The core of our program stayed together and that’s what’s allowed us to rebuild pretty quickly.”

In their final seasons, Auburn’s captains hope to add to their legacy by taking the Tigers back to Omaha for the College World Series, something Carlson and Schorr experienced as freshmen in 2022.

“I grew up dreaming of being an Auburn baseball player,” Schorr said. “That meant the world to me when the guys on this team voted me as one of our captains.

“The legacy of this group is hard working. It’s the best group I’ve seen at showing up early, wanting to be here and wanting to be around others consistently. Everybody always wants to be together, and I think that’s helped build a team. I would also say resiliency is a huge piece to this team.”

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