AUBURN, Ala. – Bottom of the 10th. Down a run. Series on the line. In steps Matt Scheffler to face Ole Miss All-American closer Parker Caracci for the second straight day. The Kirkland, Washington native came to Auburn for moments like this.
Scheffler quickly falls behind 1-2, but this was nothing new. He was down 0-2 the day before, and he hit a single to right field on the 14th pitch of his first matchup with Caracci. He fouls a pitch off. Then another. And another. This is who he is. He's had to fight for everything he's earned, and he's going to compete until they turn off the lights.
"I've always been kind of overlooked a little bit," Scheffler said. "I've always kind of played with a chip on my shoulder. I'm just a competitor, someone that always wants to win and will do almost anything to get the success that I deserve."
On the next pitch, Scheffler delivers with a single up the middle that ultimately sets the stage for Auburn to walk off and clinch the series against the Rebels.
As it turns out, the final piece of the 2018 recruiting class might have been the biggest one for Auburn head coach Butch Thompson and his staff. Thompson brought Scheffler in for his defensive skills behind the plate, but Scheffler has proven to be as good at the plate as he is behind it. He delivered another clutch hit Saturday with a home run to help Auburn win the series finale at LSU, and he's currently tied for fourth on the team with a .274 batting average.
"It's been an extra bonus to his game, but I think part of it is that toughness, that competitiveness," Thompson said. "He's just translated it into his at-bats. He's evaluated pitches, doesn't show a lot of fear, and he's just invested in every game that he plays. I think that's helped him to be successful offensively as well as we knew we were getting a good defensive catcher."
The offensive prowess is nothing new for Scheffler, who hit .384 with 17 doubles, three triples, three home runs and 37 RBIs in his first of two seasons at Pierce Community College. He was named the Tacoma Athletic Commission Player of the Year following that season.
However, Auburn didn't discover its starting catcher until late in the process, and it might not have happened if not for a connection to current Auburn assistant coach Karl Nonemaker.
Scheffler's brother, Tom, is currently a pitcher on the baseball team at Old Dominion – the school Nonemaker coached at before Auburn. The Monarchs head coach knew Matt because of his older brother and sent his name to Nonemaker after learning that Auburn might lose their catcher to the draft. Nonemaker flew out to Washington for a workout, and just like that, Matt became the crucial missing piece.
"He was the last guy that got signed," Auburn pitching coach Steve Smith said. "Where would we be without the last guy that we signed? We'd be in a mess."
As the team's catcher, Scheffler loves being involved in every pitch and knowing that he can't take a pitch off. He's stepped up as injuries to the pitching staff have forced younger pitcher into more prominent roles, and his goal is to develop those players as much as possible.
As for his success as a hitter, Scheffler credits Auburn hitting coach Gabe Gross and the plethora of knowledge Gross has from his seven-year MLB career. It's no surprise that Scheffler, who set a team high this year with a 14-game hitting streak in conference play, has moved from the bottom of the batting order to the five spot in recent weeks.
With the SEC tournament beginning this week for the Tigers and the postseason to follow, Scheffler is going to continue to do what he's done all season. Battle.