Feb. 16, 2018
By Greg Ostendorf
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. -- Auburn baseball hasn't played a game yet, but the players are already bringing up Omaha. That's the goal. Make it to the College World Series.
Last year, the Tigers were one strike away from taking down Florida State and advancing to the Super Regionals. That Florida State team went on to play in the College World Series while Auburn was left thinking about next year, eager for the chance to get back.
"When I first got here, of course you dream of something, and you have a vision of going to Omaha," Auburn coach Butch Thompson said. "That is why we signed up. But it seemed like more of a pipe dream. Now, as heart breaking as it was not to acquire one more positive pitch in a regional last year, I do believe that vision changed from a pipe dream to something tangible. We can see it and taste it and touch it and believe in it."
This year's group is different. There are plenty of knowns on the roster beginning with the one-two punch of Casey Mize and Davis Daniel at the top of the rotation. In total, there are 17 players back from a year ago. But with 18 new players and three new assistant coaches, there are plenty of unknowns as well.
When Auburn opens the season this weekend against Longwood, expect the coaching staff to experiment with different lineups, use multiple position players and give innings to all of their pitchers to see how they respond in a game.
The one known is that Mize, a preseason All-SEC selection, will get the ball Friday night. The junior went 8-2 a year ago with a team team-best 2.04 ERA. Despite missing three starts with an injury, he totaled 109 strikeouts in 83.2 innings pitched -- the most strikeouts by an Auburn pitcher since 1999 -- and only walked nine batters. His 12.11 K-BB ratio led the NCAA.
Many have predicted the Auburn ace to be a top pick in June's MLB draft.
"People ask me a lot if any of the (preseason attention) is affecting me. It's not," Mize said. "I just have to keep a team mentality. I think I've done a pretty good job of that. That's way up on my priority list over something that's honestly uncontrollable. How I interact with my teammates and how I perform for my team is definitely controllable.
"The draft and my future after Auburn is going to play out how it will, but while I'm here, I'm going to give Auburn and this baseball team everything I've got because they've earned that."
Mize's pitching counterpart, Daniel, will open as the Saturday starter for Auburn this season. As a freshman, he went 4-3 with a 5.89 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 70.1 innings. His best outing came against Tennessee when he threw eight scoreless innings.
After those two, there's less certainty on the staff. Reliever Calvin Coker was recently named to the Stopper of the Year Watch List, and he and Andrew Mitchell bring experience. But the coaches are also excited about a pair of freshmen -- Tanner Burns and Cody Greenhill -- and think they can make an immediate impact.
As for the players in the field, there's no lack of experience. Seven of Auburn's nine position players returning made 30 or more starts a season ago. The group is anchored by senior leaders Dylan Ingram, Luke Jarvis and Josh Anthony. The three infielders hit 15 home runs and drove in 105 runs between them last year.
In the outfield, the coaches will have to replace the team's top hitter from a year ago in Jonah Todd. But the hope is that by moving Jay Estes and Conor Davis to the outfield, it will allow for a more potent offense by getting extra bats in the lineup.
Freshmen Steven Williams and Edouard Julien could also make an impact early for the Tigers. Williams, in particular, was on Baseball America's list of Top Freshman Prospects.
So like any season, there are knowns and unknowns. The difference between this year and last year is that the players tasted success last year. They led the SEC for seven weeks and nearly made it to the Super Regionals. They now know what it takes to get to where they want to go. They can use that experience this year and build on it.
"Nobody knows what's going to happen throughout the year," Ingram said. "We still don't know that this year, but we have a good idea of how the season goes, how long it is and how much of a grind it is. We're just ready to go out there and compete every day."
Greg Ostendorf is a Senior Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @greg_ostendorf