'Petro' powers No. 6 Auburn with poise, perseverance

AUBURN, Ala. – When a series is on the line, Auburn hands the ball to Petro.

Alex Petrovic, No. 6 Auburn’s game three starting pitcher, brings a winning combination of mindset and metrics to the mound.

Leading Auburn to three consecutive series wins, Petrovic earned victories over No. 15 Arkansas and Kentucky before pitching seven strong innings in the Tigers’ game three victory Sunday at No. 7 Florida. 

The 6-5, 235-pound right hander pitched a complete game shutout against Kentucky, earning SEC Pitcher of the Week honors.

“This is our field,” Petrovic said after powering Auburn to its 14th win in 15 regular season home series. “We’ve got to win here. That’s what I love about it, being competitive and having an opportunity to win a series on my back. The defense played a great part, offense, too.”

What Petrovic did against the Gators might have been even more impressive. It’s one thing to win at home, another to do it on the road against a top-10 team when you give up a three-run homer in the first inning. 

Retiring the last eight batters he faced, Petrovic shut out the Gators and allowed only two baserunners over the next six innings, positioning Auburn to take the series with an 8-5 win. 

“The self-confidence, the poise,” Auburn coach Butch Thompson said. “To be that young and that stoic, you can’t rattle him. You cannot affect him, and I think it’s an unbelievable skill that he has. If it’s not for the quiet confidence and the poise of Alex Petrovic, I don’t know if we get that storybook series winner because his effort was absolutely amazing.”

Petrovic brings a 6-1 record, 2.82 ERA and 58-to-11 strikeout-to-walk ratio into this weekend’s series against No. 9 Oklahoma.

“It’s something I’ve dreamt of,” he said. “Every kid wants to come and play at a phenomenal SEC school.”

Petrovic’s path to Auburn from Cypress, Texas, a suburb of Houston, began when his summer ball team played in Hoover after his sophomore season of high school. Petrovic’s coach played professionally with Auburn associate head coach Karl Nonemaker, who invited Alex’s family to visit the Plains.

“Absolutely loved it,” Petrovic said. “All of the coaches were amazing, the whole staff. I love this campus and the field was phenomenal. It made me feel at home. I love the decision I made.”

“They absolutely liked what Auburn was all about,” Thompson said. “When you know that these people are you, and fit and match your program, that’s why we took the long road.”

After a big high school junior season, Petrovic was riding high. Then in February of his senior season, his pitching elbow started hurting. 

“I’ve never felt anything like that,” said Petrovic, diagnosed with inflammation.

Petrovic didn’t pitch the rest of high school career, resting his arm until he arrived at Auburn in the summer of 2023. 

“I threw my first bullpen here in the fall, and I could not even bend my arm after,” Petrovic recalled. 

Inflammation remained the diagnosis. After three months of rest and rehab, Petrovic resumed throwing. After a promising start to his freshman season, the pain soon returned, this time accompanied with the unwelcome news of a fracture, which required surgery. 

The pattern returned in Petrovic’s sophomore season. He started strong, earning a midweek start.

“I felt great, until I didn’t,” he said. “It happened again, same thing, just a little different area of my elbow. I thought that was going to be the end of my career.”

After shutting down for three months, Petrovic visited the Florida Baseball Armory last summer, where he made a post-release mechanical adjustment that has allowed him to pitch pain-free this season. 

“That changed the trajectory of my career,” Petrovic said. “Being able to find something to work on was huge.”

Healthy during fall ball for the first time in three seasons on the Plains, Petrovic pounded the strike zone, earning a weekend rotation spot. 

“Trusting the process instead of the results,” he said. “It’s a huge blessing to be out there every week, and not just to have to watch and cheer.”

Throughout two injury-plagued seasons, Petrovic remained loyal to Auburn and Auburn remained loyal to him.

“I can’t name another coach who would keep a guy around who’s been hurt for two years,” Petrovic said. “The coaches have been absolutely unbelievable for me and my family. Even though I’ve been hurt, they’ve seen glimpses, they believed in me. Great coaches but greater people.”

For Thompson, Petrovic’s intangibles made Alex worth the risk. 

“We’re not only getting what he’s doing on the field, he’s impacting the other players,” Thompson said. “I never knew if his arm would come back, I never knew if we would see what we’re seeing currently. But the quality of character, I think it still means something.”

During a team meeting last fall, Thompson asked the Tigers who stood out to them as leaders. A freshman teammate mentioned Petrovic, an enlightening experience for Alex.

“I’m now in the spotlight of guys looking up to me,” said Petrovic, whom Thompson challenged to lean into leadership. “Now I have to embrace that role. That was a huge eye-opening moment for me.”

Being the only pitcher among Auburn’s captains – legacy leaders as Thompson calls them – comes with added responsibility. 

“They see the work ethic, and they know I love being here,” Petrovic said. “They know I love the coaches and I love the guys.”

Now comes the final month of the regular season, a gauntlet that sees Auburn play four opponents ranked in the top 13. 

“If we keep playing like we are, keep being ourselves and be present day by day, I think we’re going to be a super successful team this back half of the SEC,” Petrovic said. “This is where great teams are made.”

“Every day he’s able to go out there and pitch like he does today is a lesson of perseverance he can take for the rest of his life,” Thompson said.

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