AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn baseball program appeared at No. 23 in the Collegiate Baseball Fabulous 40 preseason poll while sophomore pitcher Tanner Burns was named a 2019 Collegiate Baseball Preseason Third Team All-American.
Auburn is one of nine teams from the Southeastern Conference to appear in the poll. The Tigers are coming off a record-setting season in which the team went 43-23, won the Raleigh Regional by outscoring its opponents 40-12 and advanced to the second super regional in program history and the first since 1999.
Auburn started the season 15-0, marking the second best start and third longest winning streak in program history, and ultimately notched its highest win total in a season since 2010. Last season also marked the first time the Tigers advanced to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments since 2002-03.
Burns played a big part of Auburn's success and is coming off a Freshman All-American and SEC All-Freshman Team campaign. A native of Cullman, Alabama, and the 2017 Collegiate Baseball National High School Player of the Year, Burns turned in a 7-4 record with a 3.01 ERA as a mainstay in the team's weekend rotation. The right-hander ranked second on the team in strikeouts (77) and innings pitched (86.2). His strikeout total was the most by an Auburn freshman since 2008 and his ERA ranked 12th among freshmen nationally.
In his final four outings of the season, Burns went 3-0 with a 2.16 ERA and pitched 6.0 or more innings in each outing. He picked up a win against No. 4 Ole Miss in the SEC Tournament and became the first Auburn freshman pitcher to start a NCAA Tournament opener since 1998, ultimately earning the win in 6.0 innings vs. Northeastern.
The Tigers begin the 2019 campaign with a three-game series against Georgia Southern from Feb. 15-17. Season tickets, which cost $195 per seat, cover Auburn's 32-game home schedule and include 15 SEC contests. Fans can reach the Auburn ticket office by phone at 1-855-282-2010 or by emailing tickets@auburn.edu. To order tickets online, visit www.aubtix.com.
Auburn ranked No. 23, Burns tabbed preseason All-American by Collegiate Baseball
