AUBURN, Ala. – With a historic home super regional at stake, No. 4 Auburn’s fabulous freshmen aced their biggest test yet. 

In the Tigers’ NCAA Auburn Regional-clinching 11-1 win Sunday over NC State, Chris Rembert, Bub Terrell and Chase Fralick combined for 10 hits, seven RBI and six runs, while winning pitcher Andreas Alvarez threw five scoreless innings and fellow freshman Christian Chatterton waited his in turn in case a winner-take-all Monday matchup was needed. 

The Fab Five. 

Arriving amid fanfare last summer on the Plains, the newcomers quickly earned key roles. 

“I had a feeling how really good these players are,” Auburn coach Butch Thompson said. “These guys have gotten a huge opportunity. This is a top-five recruiting class and it’s because of these five guys and what they’ve been able to do, especially Alvarez and Terrell in this biggest moment.” 

Next year, the Fab Five will see more members of their class contributing. Auburn fans should prepare for the Super Six, Sensational Seven, Electrifying Eight, Noteworthy Nine or Talented Ten. 

“We’re seeing five who had the biggest impact on the team,” Thompson said, “but there are six or seven more who are going to be sincerely valuable to this team over the next two or three years.”

THE FAB FIVE

 

Andreas Alvarez, pitcher: A self-described “late recruit,” Alvarez visited the Plains as a high school senior in late-summer 2023, a week before football season. 

“I went to Coach Teaford’s daughter’s birthday,” Alvarez said, drawing laughs in the post-regional press conference while recounting his non-traditional visit. “It felt like home. The coaching staff made it feel like a family. It was a special place to be. I went to three other schools, and I was like, Auburn is the spot to be at. That’s my home.”

Making eight starts among 13 appearances, Alvarez has a 3-1 record with 33 strikeouts in 41 innings and a 5.27 ERA. His regional start propelled Auburn within two wins of the College World Series. 

“It’s kind of surreal,” he said. “You don’t really see it when you’re in the moment but when you take a step back and see all the history that’s being made, it’s a nice feeling to know that you’re a part of it too. It’s inspiring and it gives you hope for the future, too.”

Christian Chatterton, pitcher: Earning a spot in Auburn’s weekend rotation from the beginning, Chatterton’s 14 starts trail only Samuel Dutton’s 15. The 6-foot right-hander from Killen, Alabama, has posted a 4-1 record with a 4.47 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 52.1 innings, second most on the team behind Dutton.

“This class is special,” he said. “All these guys are super talented but at the end of the day, this coaching staff being able to get us mentally prepared to play in this league has definitely been huge. Of all the years I’ve had playing baseball, this is the most I’ve learned in a matter of six months.” 

The Fab Five have helped Auburn host a super regional for the first time in program history. 

“This is great for the team, the coaching staff and the fans,” Chatterton said. “It’s putting us in a good spot for next year and years to come after that.” 

Chase Fralick, catcher: Nationally ranked in tennis growing up in Peachtree City, Georgia, Fralick earned more than 60 D-I tennis scholarship offers before deciding to play baseball at Auburn.

“The coaching staff, plain and simple,” Fralick said. “The campus was beautiful. Everybody I met was incredible but the way the coaching staff talked about growing as a person, growing in your faith and growing as a player, all three of those things were something I wanted to get better at.” 

Playing a premium position that typically requires several seasons of development to master at the college level, the 6-foot-2 Fralick became Auburn’s everyday catcher when Ike Irish transitioned to right field after an early-season injury. 

“I was more than grateful,” Fralick said of his instant impact behind the plate. “I’ve been trying to keep up with everybody else in the field. I feel like my approach has stayed the same the entire season, which has led to some success at the plate.”

Fralick’s .340 batting average ranks third on the team, trailing only Ike Irish (.362) and Rembert (.347). He’s hit four home runs and driven in 40 runs. 

“I don’t think there’s any other team in the country that has had five freshmen play at the level we’ve been playing. We’ve definitely had an impact on the team but we’ve been led by some amazing upperclassmen to get us where we are. I think we’ll have a great impact next year and we’ll have that experience under our belt from this year and be even better than we were this year.”

Chris Rembert, infielder: Auburn’s leadoff hitter, Rembert sailed through his first SEC season. Heading into Friday’s super regional against Coastal Carolina, Rembert has a .347 batting average with 10 home runs, 45 RBI and nearly as many walks (35) as strikeouts (36), extraordinary numbers for a freshman. 

“I knew I had it in me from the beginning,” Rembert said. “It’s awesome that I have coaches and teammates who believed in me, too.”

“One of the quickest bats I’ve ever coached as a freshman,” Thompson said. “He’s grown defensively, especially at second base, as we’ve gone through a year.”

Like his fellow freshmen, Rembert points to the coaching staff as the main reason he chose Auburn.

“The coaches, for sure, 100 percent,” he said. “It’s like family. They always showed interest in me, and I really appreciate their loyalty.”

Rembert repaid that loyalty by becoming the program’s first true freshman to earn All-SEC first or second team honors since Hunter Morris in 2007. 

“It’ s awesome to know that we work together,” Rembert said of the Fab Five. “We’ve been able to produce for our team and win games. We still have some time to grow and get better.”

Two wins away from a trip to Omaha, Rembert and the rookies make program history this weekend on the Plains.

“I have nothing to compare it to,” he said. “Hearing from other guys, I know this is an awesome place to be in right now.”

Bub Terrell, outfielder: The state’s top prospect at Thompson High School in Alabaster, Alabama, Terrell held no D-I offers until Auburn assistant coach Karl Nonemaker called in October of his senior year. 

“Right after Auburn called me, that’s when other schools started to hit me up,” Terrell recalled. “From day one, I knew that’s where I wanted to go. The coaching staff showed that they care. When someone reaches out with interest, it feels like that’s the smartest thing to do.”

 A fan favorite, Terrell was named the MVP of the NCAA Auburn Regional, in which he batted .727 (8-for-11) with eight RBI to help the Tigers host the program’s first super regional.

“We just keep pushing,” Terrell. “These four other freshmen, they’re amazing. They make it feel like we’ve been here for so long.”