Auburn Tigers
Overall Rank: #24
Conference Rank: #7 SEC
Auburn continued its ascent backs towards the elite of college baseball in 2018 as they made their way to Super Regionals and won 43 games. Head Coach Butch Thompson and his staff have done a great job of establishing a winning culture along the Plains and the future looks bright for the Tigers.
2018: 43-23, 15-15
2018 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Butch Thompson
Key Departed Players:
Jay Estes, OF, .329 BA, 0 HR, 33 RBI, 13 SB
Brendan Venter, IF, .307 BA, 12 HR, 45 RBI
Josh Anthony, IF, .301 BA, 4 HR, 40 RBI
Casey Mize, P, 3.30 ERA, 10-6 W/L, 114.2 IP, 16 BB, 156 SO
Corey Herndon, P, 2.87 ERA, 1-0 W/L, 15.2 IP, 11 BB, 13 SO
Key Returning Players:
Will Holland, INF, .313 BA, 12 HR, 52 RBI
Steven Williams, C/OF, .291 BA, 12 HR, 51 RBI.
Edouard Julien, IF/OF, .275 BA, 17 HR, 69 RBI, 7 SB
Conor Davis, OF, .268 BA, 2 HR, 34 RBI
Cody Greenhill, P, .2.30 ERA, 6-3 W/L, 58.2 IP, 19 BB, 50 SO, 5 SV
Elliott Anderson, P, 3.64 ERA, 5-0 W/L, 29.2 IP, 15 BB, 32 SO
Davis Daniel, P, 4.86 ERA, 3-4 W/L, 66.2 IP, 32 BB, 70 SO
Tanner Burns, P, 3.01 ERA, 7-4 W/L, 86.2 IP, 37 BB, 77 SO
Projection:
Will Holland is a highly touted MLB Draft prospect and strong candidate for the SEC Player of the Year honors this season. Holland hit.313 in 2018, while hitting 12 homeruns and driving in 52 runs as well. Tanner Burns will anchor the starting rotation taking over the Friday night starting spot from Casey Mize, who was the number one pick in the 2018 MLB Draft. Burns put up very nice numbers in 2018 as he won seven games, threw 86.2 innings and had an earned run average of 3.01. Those numbers should improve for Burns as he heads into his sophomore season. Steven Williams and Edouard Julien put up big numbers at the plate in 2018 and they will be cornerstones in the everyday lineup this spring. Williams hit 12 homeruns and drove in 51 runs while hitting .291 in 2018. Williams also drew 45 walks, while striking out 50 times and those numbers should improve with more walks and fewer strikeouts as he goes about his sophomore season. Julien hit 17 homeruns and drove in 69 runs and stole seven bases in ten attempts last season. Cody Greenhill and Elliot Anderson are back on the mound, along with Davis Daniel. Greenhill should be the closer in 2019 after collecting five saves, while Anderson will provide quality depth in the bullpen. Davis Daniel will need to take a step forward in the weekend rotation in order for the Tigers to stay in contention during the SEC race. Look for Auburn to get back to the NCAA Tournament and threaten to get back to Super Regionals.
Projected Postseason: NCAA Baseball Tournament
