Auburn pitcher Samuel Dutton: 'He's been our ace'

AUBURN, Ala. – Week after week, Samuel Dutton gives No. 2 Auburn a chance to win, a key reason why the Tigers have claimed seven of nine SEC series.

“It’s been awesome,” said Dutton, a senior right-handed pitcher. “One of the most fun teams I’ve ever been a part of. It’s the most fun I’ve had playing baseball in my college career.”

Quite a statement from someone with a national championship ring. 

After three seasons at LSU, Dutton returned to his home state to play for Auburn, joining his brother Andrew Dutton, a graduate student who played the previous four seasons at Birmingham-Southern. 

“How it felt like home,” Dutton said of his reason for choosing Auburn. “One of the biggest things I was looking for in the program was something that feels right. This felt right. It’s like home and it’s everything I could have ever imagined.”

Dutton takes a 6-2 record into his final start of the regular season Friday at Ole Miss, leading the Tigers in victories, strikeouts (85) and earned run average (2.86).

“Sam Dutton has experience. He’s an amazing human,” Auburn coach Butch Thompson said. “I’ll give some credit before he was here. He sat there with Paul Skenes, the first pick of the draft, saw how he worked and went about it.

“He’s a won a championship. He’s basically come home. All he’s done is add to his repertoire, be a great teammate, and arguably be one of the best pitchers in the Southeastern Conference this year. He’s made a huge difference. He’s been our ace.

“For him to do that on the field is awesome. It’s really hard in this new world to be somewhere one year and forge so many good relationships. Sam Dutton has been able to do that.”

A state champion at Westbrook Christian School in Rainbow City, Alabama, Dutton earned a spot in LSU’s weekend rotation as a true freshman. 

“It was fun,” Dutton recalled. "It was a great challenge for me. I enjoyed my time and experiences there. They helped me become a better baseball player, better person.”

One of six members of the 2025 Auburn Tigers with College World Series experience – along with 2022 Auburn team members John Armstrong, Parker Carlson and Ben Schorr, and Florida transfers Cade Fisher and Deric Fabian – Dutton faced Fabian in the 2023 championship series in Omaha.

“That place is awesome,” Dutton said. “Getting to share the experiences I’ve had with this team is huge because we have a chance to do that as well.”

The Dutton brothers’ arrival coincided with Auburn’s season attendance record of 163,797.

“The biggest crowds ever in Auburn history,” Dutton said. “They definitely showed out. I’ve really enjoyed all the new features here. I think it’s helped attract more fans. Pitching in front of these fans, this atmosphere, it’s been awesome.”

In a league filled with future major leaguers, the 5-foot-11 Dutton stands out, not by towering over hitters or overpowering them, but by keeping them guessing.

“I’ve never been a believer that you have to throw hard to have success,” said Dutton, who says his best pitch is a cut fastball, or cutter. “If you actually pitch instead of throw, it’s amazing how you can get guys out based off of timing and locations.”

Thompson’s commitment to empowering pitchers to “run their own show” as he calls it – to call their own pitches rather than rely on coaches to signal what to throw – enhanced Dutton’s development. 

“A lot of credit to Coach Thompson, Coach Fox (Scott Foxhall) and Coach Teaf (Everett Teaford) this fall.” Dutton said. “I’ve never called my own pitches before in a game. Them teaching the whole staff how to do that has been amazing and I’ve learned a lot.

“It has a lot to do with the scouting reports and it’s about reading the hitters while you’re in the game. Scouting reports can say so much but when you actually watch the hitters during the game, it tells you a lot too.”

One semester away from graduating from Auburn University with a degree in interdisciplinary studies, Dutton aspires to play professionally before sharing his knowledge and love of the game with others. 

“I’ve been to a lot of these training facilities to help me become a better player,” he said. “That’s what I want to do too.”

At Auburn, Dutton says he’s improved beyond his pitching arsenal.

“Being aware of what’s going on with the game,” he said. “Managing the game, finding ways to be better and help my team win.”

Dutton credits Auburn’s coaches for helping him grow on and off the mound.

“How to be a better person as well as a baseball player,” he said. “How good of people they are, and how I’ve taken that into account as a baseball player, too. It’s probably the most important thing I’ve learned in my college career so far.”

With one national championship ring already earned, Samuel Dutton hopes to conclude his college career with another title, sharing this one not only with his brother, but also with the brotherhood he’s built during one special season on the Plains.

“That’s the goal,” he said.

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