#43

Richard Fitts Season 2021

#43

Richard Fitts Season 2021

PositionRHP
Weight215 lbs
Height6-3
ClassJunior
HometownHelena, Ala.

HONORS AND AWARDS
SEC Pitcher of the Week (May 24, 2021)
Second Team Preseason All-America (2021 - D1 Baseball)
Third Team Preseason All-America (2021 - Baseball America)
Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List (2021)

2021 – JUNIOR YEAR
Made 13 appearances and eight starts at pitcher … struck out 41 batters and allowed 15 walks in 41.1 innings … picked up a win and earned the first save of his career on the season … made his season debut vs. Presbyterian (Feb. 20) and allowed one run on one hits with six strikeouts in 5.0 innings … missed time with an injury following a start vs. Boston College (Mar. 5) ... pitched 2.0 hitless innings of relief and struck out three while recording the save at Lipscomb (Mar. 16) … pitched 4.1 innings of relief and struck out a season high seven at Alabama (Apr. 15) ... pitched 6.0 innings and allowed one run on one hit while matching a season high with seven strikeouts vs. LSU (May 8) … pitched a career-high 8.0 scoreless innings, allowing only one hit and striking out seven batters without issuing a walk in his first win of the season at Missouri (May 21) … retired the first 14 batters he faced and ultimately set down 24 of 25 ... his 8.0 innings were the most by an Auburn starter since 2019 ... was named the SEC Pitcher of the Week for his performance … was named Preseason All-America by D1 Baseball (second team) and Baseball America (third team) and earned a spot on the Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List ... named to the 2021 Spring SEC Academic Honor Roll ... selected by the New York Yankees in the 6th round of the 2021 MLB Draft. 

2020 – SOPHOMORE YEAR
Made six appearances, including one start … turned in a 1-0 record and 2.77 ERA … pitched in a pair of the team’s shutouts … struck out 16 batters and issued five walks in 13.0 innings … earned the win in his season debut and lone start of the season vs. Illinois-Chicago (Feb. 15) … pitched 5.0 scoreless innings and allowed just two hits with three walks and seven strikeouts … didn’t allow a run in three combined appearances and 4.1 innings against Alabama A&M, Wright State and Chicago State (Feb. 25 – Mar. 7) … faced the minimum and struck out three batters in 2.1 innings vs. Wright State … pitched 2.2 innings and struck out four against Georgia Tech (Mar. 10) ... named to the 2020 Spring SEC Academic Honor Roll. 

2019 – FRESHMAN YEAR
Ranked second among Auburn freshmen with 21 appearances and five starts … posted a 5-3 record and 5.31 ERA … his five wins were the second most on the team … struck out 47 batters in 62.2 innings pitched … went 5-0 with a 3.47 ERA in 16 relief appearances … made his Auburn debut and allowed one run in 2.1 innings vs. Georgia Southern (Feb. 17) … picked up his first career win in 2.0 innings of relief vs. UT Martin (Mar. 5) … made his SEC debut in the series finale vs. Tennessee (Mar. 17) … pitched 3.2 scoreless innings of relief in the Capital City Classic vs. Alabama (Mar. 26) … followed it up by turning in 5.0 scoreless innings and earning the win in the decisive series finale at South Carolina (Mar. 31) … made his first career start vs. Arkansas (Apr. 6) … pitched 4.1 scoreless inning of relief and earned his third win of the season vs. Ole Miss (Apr. 18) … made three straight starts at Vanderbilt (Apr. 26), vs. Alabama (May 5) and vs. Georgia (May 11) … turned in a season-high 6.1 innings and struck out eight batters in relief vs. North Alabama (May 14) … struck out five batters in 4.0 innings vs. Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament (May 22) … was named to the Atlanta Regional All-Tournament Team after pitching 6.0 scoreless innings and earning the win vs. Georgia Tech (Jun. 1) … pitched 5.1 innings and picked up the win in the decisive game three of the Chapel Hill Super Regional (Jun. 10) … made a pair of appearances in the College World Series, allowing one run in 2.0 innings vs. Mississippi State (Jun. 16) and one run in 3.1 innings vs. Louisville (Jun. 19).

HIGH SCHOOL
Played for P.J. Guy at Helena (Ala.) High School … rated the No. 27 player and No. 11 right-hander in Alabama by Perfect Game … 2018 Rawlings-Perfect Game Honorable Mention All-American … has 102 strikeouts as a senior with an ERA of 1.68 … also named a 2017 Perfect Game Underclass High Honorable Mention All-American … missed most of the 2017 season with an injury, but Helena won the AHSAA 6A State Championship and finished No. 1 in a national poll … was named All-Shelby County Honorable Mention as a sophomore.

PERSONAL
Served as the SGA President of Helena High School … son of Danny and Angie Fitts … has two brothers, Trevor and Nathan … Trevor played baseball at Mississippi State and is currently an assistant coach at Austin Peay ... enrolled in College of Business.