Captain Coop: McMurray leads No. 4 Auburn to historic Super Regional

AUBURN, Ala. – Minutes after the Tigers completed their three-game sweep of the NCAA Auburn Regional, Cooper McMurray and fellow captain Ike Irish stamped the bracket that leaned against the Hal Baird dugout.

Three years of work symbolized in seconds.

“That’s why I came back,” said McMurray, a redshirt senior from Tulsa, Oklahoma. “I owe this university everything for giving me a chance. A pretty cool moment to do that with Ike. This was our goal coming into this year, getting this program back to where it deserves to be.”

Transferring from Kansas after his redshirt freshman season, McMurray has provided consistent power in his three seasons on the Plains, hitting 14 home runs each year while steadily increasing his batting average from .272 to .296 to .329.

“A lot of it goes to Coach Gross and Coach Nonemaker,” McMurray said. “Getting in that cage and trying to work every day to get a little bit better. You either get better or you get worse every day. Capturing the days and not letting them slide has been a big thing for me.”

Diligent weight room work with director of sports performance Chris Joyner helped the 6-foot-4 McMurray drop 30 pounds leading into his final season.

“I realized I needed to be the best version of myself for this team,” McMurray said. “A change I wanted to make. I felt like it was the best for myself and for the team for my performance. Eating right and doubling down on the work ethic in the weight room with CJ. CJ deserves the credit; he helped me a ton.”

Big, agile and now quicker, McMurray saves runs in addition to producing them, thanks to his fielding skills and large catch radius.

“The other three guys on the infield look for me to be a safety net at first,” McMurray said. “It goes to being a team guy and wanting my infielders to feel comfortable throwing me the baseball.”

A team guy, he is.

Last summer when McMurray was deciding whether to pursue professional baseball or return for a final season, Auburn coach Butch Thompson paid him the ultimate compliment.

“I said, ‘Coop, I’m not going to fight you,’” Thompson recalled. “’I would never want to coach another team the rest of my career without you on it.’”

McMurray chose Auburn because he connected with the coaching staff.

“I wanted somewhere that was going to help me in baseball but also help me in life,” he said. “I can’t thank Coach Thompson and this staff enough for everything they’ve done for me these last three years. It’s changed my life.”

“He’s a great first baseman,” Thompson said. “The production has been so consistent. Behind the scenes and as a leader, he’s just as consistent as a human, as a teammate. He’s been a joy to coach. That model of consistency has been amazing for a lot of our players who connect with him. I’ve been thankful to have him for three years in the program.”

McMurray, who earned his Auburn University interdisciplinary studies degree this spring, wants baseball to be part of his career path, first as a player, then perhaps in coaching.

“I’m going to try to play ball as long as I can,” he said. “Until someone tells me I’m not good enough anymore.”

Teammates elected McMurray, Irish, Deric Fabian and pitchers Parker Carlson and Ben Schorr as captains.

“A dream come true,” McMurray said. “The ability to try to lead and help these guys with whatever it is on or off the field, it’s why I play baseball.

“I’m trying to enjoy these last couple weeks with the guys. None of us want it to end. This whole season has been special. It’s shown how close we are as a team and in college baseball, team chemistry is one of the most important parts.”

With 154 Auburn games on his resume, McMurray prepares to leave on a historic note in the first super regional on the Plains this weekend against Coastal Carolina.

“To host the first super regional at Plainsman Park is pretty special,” he said. “This fanbase deserves it. This place is unreal. I’ll forever be in debt to Auburn University.”

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