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2/02/24

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH
FOR THE OBSERVER

AUBURN -- The well ran dry on the road for No. 16 Auburn University men's basketball (16-4), as it ended its 11-game win streak with the first pair of consecutive losses this season in its past two games.
After falling short of a comeback against Alabama in a thriller in Tuscaloosa, the Tigers continued their offensive slump in a hard-fought loss at Mississippi State on Saturday. Auburn fell eight spots in the AP Poll and are now tied for third in the SEC after the losses.
"There's something to be said for beating the people you're supposed to beat, and we've done that. Not many people are going to come in here and beat (the teams we played)," said head coach Bruce Pearl. "We'd like to think that we had a shot at it, but we didn't get enough step up. You have to step up and be able to make plays."
Following are some highlights from Auburn's two most recent matchups.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 24:
AUBURN 75, ALABAMA 79
Just when Auburn looked unbeatable, Alabama handed Auburn its first loss since Dec. 3 inside a rowdy Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa.
The Tide shot the lights out in the first half with eight 3-pointers to take a 14-point lead to halftime - the first time Auburn had trailed at the break all season. Auburn turned the game in its favor in the second half, but it got too reliant on Johni Broome, its senior leader.
When Broome fouled out with 8.6 seconds left in the game, he had his eighth double-double of the season behind 25 points and 14 rebounds. His foul sent Alabama's Mark Sears, the SEC's leading scorer, to the free-throw line, where he splashed both shots to make it a four-point game. Alabama then sealed the win with a stop on the other end.
Auburn fought back to outscore Alabama in the second half, 45-35, but it failed to limit the opportunities for Alabama's high-flying offense. Offensively, Broome seemed to be Auburn's only answer, and Auburn was left asking what could've been after missing a few free-throws in the final moments of the game.
Sears led Alabama with 22 points, but he was just one of four Alabama players to score in double figures, including a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double from Grant Nelson. Broome was the highest scorer and rebounder in the game, but Auburn's next-highest scorer, Chad Baker-Mazara, was Broome's only teammate to reach double-digits in scoring with 11 points.
With a deep bench and no one averaging more than 24 minutes per game, the Tigers are not often reliant on a single player for production. However, the last two times Auburn has lost, Broome has tallied a 20-point game with no other starters with 10 or more points. In 25 minutes of play, Broome was also busy defensively, with five blocks before reaching five fouls.
Broome even opened the game by making a 3-pointer, but Auburn missed on its next nine threes and went 5-for-25 from beyond the arch in comparison to Alabama's 11-for-30.
Although Auburn limited Alabama to three 3-point makes in the second half, the Tide created just enough behind 16 offensive rebounds and 16-of-19 makes from the free-throw line, while Auburn left two crucial points at the line in crunch time - one of which would've tied the game with 13 seconds remaining.
Despite a comeback bid from the Tigers, Alabama hit its final six free throws, along with an emphatic put-back dunk by Nelson, to sink the Tigers and set up a rematch between the two in Auburn on Feb. 7.

SATURDAY, JAN. 27:
AUBURN 58, MISSISSIPPI ST 64
Auburn had its worst offensive performance of the season in its first back-to-back loss of the season to Mississippi State (14-6) in Starkville.
The Bulldogs outrebounded the Tigers, 45-30, and Auburn shot its worst percentage of the season - 33.9% on field goals - by nearly 5%. Auburn changed up the starting five, where K.D. Johnson and Tre Donaldson replaced Aden Holloway and Denver Jones. No lineup change could overcome the tight Bulldog defense, though, as the result was a new season-low 58 points.
Neither team shot particularly well, and the game was tied at just 21 at halftime. The teams shot a combined 11-for-45 on 3-pointers, and Mississippi State only made 9-of-18 free throws. Ultimately, the Bulldogs' 14 offensive rebounds and 43.9% on field goals gave them the advantage.
In the defensive battle, Mississippi State's Cameron Matthews had an impact all around the floor with a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double along with two assists, two blocks and a steal. Matthews was one of three double-figure scorers on the team, while Auburn had just two.
For the second game in a row, Johni Broome led Auburn in scoring despite finishing under his average with 14 points. Jaylin Williams joined him with 10 points but continued his cold shooting. The senior finished the week 6-for-20 from the floor and 0-of-7 on 3-pointers.
A diamond in the rough in a matchup of tough defenses and struggling offenses, Mississippi State's Josh Hubbard led his team in scoring for the second straight game with 17 points, highlighted by 3-for-9 from beyond the arch.
A late, 3-point dagger from Hubbard helped clinch a huge win for a Bulldog team that entered the game in the "Last Four In." Mississippi State denied Auburn of its first quadrant one win, instead handing it its third loss to an unranked opponent.
Looking to return to its winning ways, Auburn will take a sigh of relief as it returns to Neville Arena for a rematch with Vanderbilt (5-14) at 8 p.m. CST on Wednesday.

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Auburn men fall in back- to-back SEC games

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BY NOAH GRIFFITHFOR THE OBSERVER AUBURN -- The well ran dry on the road for No. 16 Auburn University men's basketball (16-4), as it ended its 11-game win streak with the first pair of consecutive l...

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1/25/24

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Auburn men’s basketball team breaks into AP Top 10

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Victories over Vandy, Ole Miss extend winning streak to 11 BY NOAH GRIFFITH | FOR THE OBSERVER AUBURN –– With 11 wins in a row, No. 8 Auburn Universit

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1/15/24

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH | FOR THE OBSERVER

Auburn -- No. 16 Auburn men's basketball (14-2, 3-0) won its ninth consecutive game with a 93-78 win over LSU on Saturday.

The victory over LSU (10-6) was its eighth in that stretch by 15 points or more - all of which have come by double digits. It was its third straight win to start SEC play, while previously unbeatens Kentucky, Georgia and LSU went down. That leaves Alabama and Auburn as the only teams without a loss in conference play.

"I feel like every game we're clicking even more on and off the court," said junior guard Chad Baker-Mazara. "I'm still trying to get a little bit more, but it will come."

LSU went on a 9-0 scoring run to bring the game within single digits with 5:34 left in the game, but Baker-Mazara quickly turned the tides with his third 3-pointer of the night and Auburn ran away with the win.

Baker-Mazara notched his season-high in scoring with 19 points off the bench on 5-for-10 shooting, and he led the swipe party with six of the team's 16 steals. The team forced 17 LSU turnovers and turned them into 26 points.

"Chad's length and his IQ - he's a problem out there," Pearl said. "He's so versatile, offensively. The fact that he knocked down three threes tonight, shot a good percentage, I trust him as a playmaker and obviously trust him defensively."

Following Baker-Mazara's lead, Johni Broome dropped 18 points, capitalizing on his three steals and seven rebounds. Joining the big men in double figures, Aden Holloway splashed three more 3-pointers to notch 13 points on the night.

Auburn was hot from the start, jumping out to a 17-point halftime lead after Holloway got the game started with two threes in the first 2:23. LSU showed some fight, but it couldn't keep up with Auburn without its top scorer in the last 16 minutes of the game.

LSU's leading scorer, Jalen Cook, scored seven points in the first 3:28 of the game but didn't score again, as he left the game after the first four minutes of the second half and didn't return.

In his absence, Auburn limited the prolific guard duo of Cook and Jordan Wright to 25 points combined. While Wright and Trae Hannibal each put up 18 points and Tyrell Ward hit four straight shots from beyond the arch, LSU's offensive explosiveness was dampened by the constant turnovers.

After Baker-Mazara's 3-pointer extended Auburn's lead to 12 with just over four minutes to play, Auburn's sound shooting from the free-throw line propelled it to the buzzer. It went 27-for-31 from the free-throw line, led by a perfect 6-of-6 from Baker-Mazara to close out Auburn's third straight win over LSU.

With Pearl's 187 th win at Auburn, he moved into second in all-time wins as a head coach for Auburn basketball. He surpassed Cliff Ellis (1994-04) and now trails only Joel Eaves (1949-63), who has 213 victories.

Pearl will go for win No. 188, his tenth straight, in Nashville on Wednesday, January 17, when it takes on Vanderbilt (5-11) at 8 p.m. CST.

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Auburn MBB Extends Win Streak to Nine With Defeat of LSU

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH | FOR THE OBSERVER Auburn -- No. 16 Auburn men's basketball (14-2, 3-0) won its ninth consecutive game with a 93-78 win over LSU on Saturday. The victory over LSU (10-6) was its ei...

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1/06/24

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH | FOR THE OBSERVER

PHOTO BY ZACH BLAND | AUBURN TIGERS

AUBURN - The start of SEC play didn't slow down Auburn University men's basketball one bit.

Arkansas fans stormed the court after beating No. 1 Auburn the last time the Tigers visited Bud Walton Arena. This time, Auburn (12-2) came out on top, 83-51, to extend its winning streak to seven games. Auburn has won each of those seven games by 15 points or more, and the 32-point win was the sixth win in that stretch by 20 or more. Not to mention, it was the biggest deficit the Hogs had ever lost by inside Bud Walton Arena, which dates back to 1993.

"That history does matter," said head coach Bruce Pearl. "Doing it at a place like this, or if you could do it at (Kentucky) or if you could do it at Tennessee, it does mean more because those are some of the toughest places in the SEC to play."

Both offenses got off to a slow start before Chad Baker-Mazara scored seven points in the final four minutes of the first half to give Auburn a 37-30 lead going to halftime.

The Tigers took over from there. Auburn outscored Arkansas, 46-21, in the second half as Auburn rode Baker-Mazara's second straight 16-point effort off the bench to the win. Johni Broome (14), Jaylin Williams (11) and Tre Donaldson (11) all joined Baker-Mazara in double figures in scoring as it shot 48.6% as a team while holding Arkansas to 31%.

With a dominant win over Arkansas (9-5), Auburn continues to build an impressive resume that only consist of two losses by a combined six points. It looks to continue that on Tuesday, as it returns home to face Texas A&M.

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Auburn MBB Carries Win Streak Into SEC Play

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH | FOR THE OBSERVER PHOTO BY ZACH BLAND | AUBURN TIGERS AUBURN - The start of SEC play didn't slow down Auburn University men's basketball one bit. Arkansas fans stormed the c...

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1/06/24

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER

AUBURN - Auburn University men's basketball (11-2) is riding a six-game win streak into conference play with double-digit wins over Chattanooga and Penn to finish out its non-conference slate.
The Tigers have won five of those six games by 20 or more points and each of them by double digits. Auburn finished its 2023 slate, which dates back to last season, with a 20-13 record before starting 2024 with a victory over Penn.
Next up for the Tigers is SEC play, and they are jumping straight into the fire with a game at Arkansas on Saturday before returning to host Texas A&M on Tuesday.
"It's not the easiest way to start the conference, but we're playing well right now," said head coach Bruce Pearl. "Last time we were at Arkansas, they stormed the court. It'll be everything we want and then some."
Here's some highlights from each of Auburn's wins inside Neville Arena.
Saturday, Dec. 30: Auburn 101 - Chattanooga 66
Auburn closed out 2023 with its second 100-point scoring performance of the season behind another stellar showing from Jaylin Williams against the Mocs (8-5).
With his third 20-point performance in the last five games, Williams' 21 points led the Tigers' trio of double-digit scorers. That was his third time leading the team in scoring this season, and he did it behind a 9-for-9 shooting night from the floor - including 2-of-2 on 3-pointers.
After the contest, the graduate senior had tallied 87 points, 21 rebounds, 14 assists, five steals and five turnovers over the previous five games. He rose to second on the team, behind Johni Broome's 15.1 points per game, with 11.8 points a game in his final year on The Plains.
Because the game was just hours after Auburn football's bowl game in Nashville, there was no band and no cheerleaders cheering on the Tigers in this one. Nonetheless, Auburn got out to a 12-0 lead to start the game and never looked back. The student section, along with the rest of Neville Arena, still had enough firepower after the football team's loss earlier in the day.
"The Auburn family, the Jungle always does its job," Broome said. "It was enough."
Tuesday, January 2: Auburn 88 - Penn 68
Broome notched his seventh double-double of the season, and Chad Baker-Mazara put up a season-high 16 points to propel the newly-ranked, No. 25 Tigers to a 20-point win over Penn (8-7).
Auburn got out to another scorching start with 10 3-pointers in the first half, and Broome made a season-high three of them in the game. Despite going 2-for-16 from beyond the arch in the second half, Auburn found its rhythm behind a spark from K.D. Johnson and the bench.
Williams cooled down after making his first two threes for just eight points in the game, but Broome dropped 24 and the bench went off for 43 points.
Led by six assists from Aden Holloway, Auburn guards continued to feed the hot hand and hold the advantage in assists (19-11) as it has in every game this season. Johnson, along with 13 points, tallied four assists along with three from Donaldson, while those three guards combined committed just one turnover.
The Tigers stayed hot, getting its second straight fast start heading into its SEC opener at Arkansas (9-4) on Saturday at 1 p.m. CST.

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER AUBURN - Auburn University men's basketball (11-2) is riding a six-game win streak into conference play with double-digit wins over Chattanooga and Penn to finish ...

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12/26/23

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My 2 1/2 years at Auburn flew right on by, and I walked across the Neville Arena stage on Dec. 9 with purpose I never would've known had I not stepped into The Plainsman' s interest meeting on the first day of the 2021 fall semester.

After I was diagnosed with a progressive, neuromuscular disease called Friedreichs Ataxia (FA) toward the end of my high school days, I went through community college with little excitement, much less a plan, for my future.

But in my time with The Plainsman, I quickly stumbled upon the power of journalism in a way I never imagined. I discovered the platform to help spread empathy and speak up for those who don't have the platform to do so themselves - even through something as simple as sports.

My entire outlook on life changed for good in the spring of 2022. It began as an e-mail to former Auburn University President Jay Gouge, but it ended up as a column about my experiences with Auburn basketball games as a disabled student. Little did I know it would put accessibility in the spotlight and spark change toward a more inclusive student body.

My dad, who I asked to proofread the "letter," urged me to get it published in the student newspaper instead, and the rest is history. The column got thousands of likes and shares on social media. I received messages from Auburn alumni and professors. The script flipped, and several media outlets did stories on me and even Paul Finebaum took notice and had me on his show to talk about my story and the power of student journalism.

That sparked my journalism journey, and from there, I got to cover a ton of historic sporting events - everything from Cadillac Williams' first game as head football coach to Auburn baseball's 2022 run to the College World Series. Then, I finished my Plainsman tenure by switching things up from sports and instead, helping other minority students find their voices in my student etiquette series.

None of that would've been possible without the people I had the pleasure of working with at The Plainsman, believing in me before I believed in myself.

Without the encouragement from former sports editors Mattison McWhorter, Caleb Jones and Henry Zimmer, I might have quit after a horrendous first story on Auburn's volleyball game versus UNA. Instead, my name appeared on seven stories during my first semester, and I ended up writing more than 130 stories for the Plainsman.

Without the unrelenting support of Kristen Carr, then podcast editor and now editor-in-chief, helping me find the confidence to speak on a podcast for the first time, I would've fainted in my three appearances on the Paul Finebaum Show. I stumbled over my words on more occasions than a few that first time, but she never gave up on me.

Without Evan Mealins and Destini Ambus, former Plainsman editor-in-chiefs, having more confidence in me than I had in myself, I never could've imagined rising from nervous writer to sports reporter after one semester, then to assistant sports editor not even a full semester later. They have been incredible examples for me to look up to and have gone on to be remarkable reporters.

Without the ever-helpful and diligent Callie Stanford, who I served under as assistant sports editor, I wouldn't have such fond memories at the maze that was the 2022 SEC Football Media Day. We went on probably 200 elevators, but we still made it in time to star on the Paul Finebaum Show that afternoon. We ran an incredible sports section, and no one can tell me otherwise.

Without the photography mastermind, Larry Robinson, former Plainsman photo editor, I'm convinced nobody would've batted an eye at the 100+ sports stories I wrote. I don't know that I would have survived Auburn basketball's first-round exit in the 2022 SEC Tournament after traveling to Tampa over spring break, either.

Without the unwavering friendship and mentorship of Daniel Schmidt, former assistant news editor, I would've lost myself in the dark times that life brought my way last year.

Without all those people (and many more I could mention), I wouldn't be leaving Auburn the confident, passionate and hopeful man I am today. I'm forever grateful to you, The Auburn Plainsman.

To everyone who has read my stories, I deeply appreciate you - you have given me the platform to find my voice.

The Plainsman is old, 130-years-old in fact, but it has so much more breath in its lungs. Keep reading. Thank you and goodbye.

Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.

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COLUMN | Goodbye, Plainsman - The Auburn Plainsman

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One Plainsman writer recounts his experience at the newspaper and all the ways he has grown since his start. As he graduates with a degree in journalism, he thanks everyone who believed in him and the people who read and listened to his words throughout the years.

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12-27-23

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Jaylin Williamsand K.D. Johnson both broke 1,000 in total career points at last Friday's game against Alabama State. Williams scored 20 points in the game, while Johnson added 13. PHOTOS BY ZACH BLAND AND JAMIE HOLT | AUBURN TIGERS

BY NOAH GRIFFITH | FOR THE OBSERVER

AUBURN -- Seniors K.D. Johnson and Jaylin Williams notched 1,000 career points inside Neville Arena on Friday night, as Auburn University men's basketball (9-2) topped Alabama State, 82-62.
With 20 points, Williams also led the team in scoring for the second time this season and the first time outright. During Auburn's four-game win streak, he's scored 66 points with 16 rebounds, 13 assists, four steals and four turnovers.
"Congratulations to Jaylin Williams," said head coach Bruce Pearl. "What a great game he had on both ends of the floor. He has been tremendously consistent over the last couple weeks. It was also great to see K.D. - that ball going in for him. I thought K.D. brought great energy into his rotation at the start of the first half where it really kind of ignited our defense."
Along with Williams' second 20-point scoring performance of the season, Johnson tallied 13 off the bench, thanks to a 3-for-5 shooting night from 3-point range.
Starting his career in 2020 as a Georgia Bulldog, the Atlanta native transferred to Auburn as a sophomore. After going back-and-forth between starter and bench player in his first two years at Auburn, he has settled into a role off the bench in his senior year and has sparked the Tigers with 7.5 points per game.
Known for his energetic, aggressive defense, Johnson added a pair of steals to his career night on Friday while racking up his third double-digit scoring performance of the season. However, he only needed a pair of three balls to go down to surpass the 1,000 mark. He put up just two 3-pointers in the first half, and - to the enjoyment of his teammates - he did just that.
"I was trying to see what they were jumping on me for," Johnson said. "But they hadn't turned around, and then I heard it on the intercom. It kind of lit me up going through that. I appreciate that moment."
As a fifth-year senior, Williams has been "Mr. Consistent" in his time at Auburn. He's never been the standout or the flashiest player on the floor, but he knows how to show out when the team needs him.
After breaking out with 10.9 points a game in the 2020-21 season, he took a back seat to Jabari Smith Jr. and Walker Kessler the next season with 5.6 a game before averaging 11.2 points a game last season and again 10.9 in his final campaign on The Plains so far.
The Newnan, Georgia, native notched 1,000 career points after Johnson in the second half on a lay-up in transition before putting his versatility on display with a monstrous alley-oop slam on the ensuing possession.
"I have to say: it's about time," Williams said with a smile. "I've been around a little while."
Along with the individual accolades, the Tigers continued to out-rebound (41-27) and tally more assists (14-7) than opponents. Despite turning the ball over 18 times, they forced just as many turnovers and shot 7% better from the floor than Alabama State.
With his sixth double-double of the season, Johni Broome returned to form with 16 points and 13 rebounds along with three steals and three blocks.
While the big men led the scoring drive this time, Aden Holloway and Tre Donaldson continued to move the ball with flair - racking up four assists a piece. That, along with Johnson's 13 points, led another impressive outing from the Auburn guards.
Auburn dominated all areas of the court in Auburn's 50th consecutive nonconference win at home, dating back to 2015. Auburn is now 5-0 at home this season with its fifth win by 20 or more.
The Tigers continue to roll through its non-conference slate, improving to 9-2 with its fourth consecutive win. They will look to stay hot as they return home to take on Chattanooga on Saturday, Dec. 30, at 8 p.m. before wrapping up non-conference play the following Tuesday.

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Pair of Tigers claim milestone in recent win

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Jaylin Williamsand K.D. Johnson both broke 1,000 in total career points at last Friday's game against Alabama State. Williams scored 20 points in the game, while Johnson added 13. PHOTOS BY Z...

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12/13/23

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Holiday Hoopsgiving BY NOAH GRIFFITH | FOR THE OBSERVER PHOTOS BY JAMIE HOLT AND ZACH BLAND | AU TIGERS Aden Holloway was named SEC Player of the Week for the second time this season. Graduate seni…

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Student etiquette part 5: the importance of etiquette in college

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Student etiquette part 5: the importance of etiquette in college

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12/9/23

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Let’s talk about etiquette: The importance of etiquette in college - The Auburn Plainsman

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The fifth and final piece in this semester’s student etiquette series displays the importance of etiquette on a college campus. Here are some takeaways from the series that show the impact proper etiquette can make.

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Student etiquette part 4: student-athletes

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Student etiquette part 4: student-athletes

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11/24/23

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If you're connected to Auburn in any way, it's virtually impossible that you haven't heard of Dylan Cardwell.

He's everywhere on the Plains: guarding the rim on the court of Neville Arena, flexing on the video board in Jordan-Hare Stadium, parading campus during the week, all while interacting with just about everyone he passes. And as the tallest player on the current Auburn basketball team at 6-foot-11, he's not hard to find.

Cardwell loves the camera, and he said he makes it his mission to take pictures with fans and make their day. In the end, though, it's important to remember that college athletes, like Cardwell, are also students like any other. Whether they love fan interaction or not, there comes a point where it can take away from their ability to enjoy the student experience on the Plains.

"I've only got to roll Toomer's one time in my four years here because everyone is stopping me for pictures," Cardwell said. "After the Samford game, it took me an hour and a half to get to Toomer's Corner from Jordan-Hare Stadium. I don't mind [taking pictures], but by the time I get to Toomer's, it's a ghost town."

They are called student-athletes for a reason; there's a time when they act as athletes and a time where they act as students. While most student-athletes embrace their platform and like to be recognized on campus, there's a time and place for everything, and there's a line to be crossed.

I had conversations with several student-athletes at Auburn from different sports to find out where those lines are and how to respect them. Here are some tips I compiled following those conversations on how to improve etiquette for interacting with student-athletes on campus.
Talk about a topic besides sports
Athletes who are routinely on national television and get regular media exposure are more likely to shy away from talking about sports outside of athletic settings. Usually, they would rather talk about something different than what they spend so many hours a week doing, according to Auburn football team captain Luke Deal.

"I think some [student-athletes] can shy away from student interaction on campus just because they don't always want to talk ball," Deal said. "They'd rather have just normal interactions as human beings, and that's something that I love about being an athlete: just talking to people and embracing the community."

However, that can be much different for athletes on teams that traditionally have a smaller following.

Auburn volleyball senior Jackie Barrett said that with her team being ranked for the first time in program history this season, they rarely shy away from opportunities to build their fan base by interacting with fans. Even so, those student-athletes have a lot of experiences at school outside of athletics, as all students do, so athletes appreciate when people talk to them like they are "one of them," because they are.

"I think it's great if they're like, 'Oh my gosh, they're on the volleyball team' - it's awesome, it really is," Barrett said. "But also I feel like sometimes, instead of asking about [their sport], ask them like, 'Hey what major are you?' or, 'Are we in the same major?' Stuff like that that's not necessarily athletic-based."

Read the room

As a general rule, treat student-athletes like a student when in classroom settings and like an athlete in sport settings. Of course, there are exceptions to that, but use your best judgement whether their mind is in a state for learning, performing or for socializing.

"Pregame, anything that's close to the actual game, please respect the game," Cardwell said. "We have a timer that starts 60 minutes from game time when we start warming up with our teams. Then, it's like 'All right, let's lock in for this game...' Anything after the game is fine."

While athletes are generally more free after games, Deal brought up the fact that some athletes need more space than others after a loss. Athletes put a lot of time and effort into their sport, and fans should be conscious of that and respect athletes' emotional state before approaching them.

All that said, consider your environment and the situation, respect the athlete's privacy and be aware of an athlete's need to focus during and before competition.
Remember, they are humans too
Seeing student-athletes perform can make it hard for other students and fans to relate to them - a lot of times, that carries over to social media. Their performance is the part of their lives available to the public, and people are often too quick to criticize them for it.

"I think [X, formerly known as Twitter] is one of the main problems with collegiate sports," Barrett said. "When you see bad stuff online about yourself, it's almost demeaning. Like, 'Am I good enough to play this sport? Am I good enough to be at this university?' The Auburn family is amazing, but there's always going to be those people anywhere you go."

It's easy to think of student-athletes like celebrities since they're on TV and their physical build might make it hard to view them as a college student. However, these athletes are in their early 20s, if not still teenagers. Remember that they're college students with feelings like any other.

At the end of the day, student-athletes are in college to help improve their teams and schools. You can better interact with student-athletes by viewing them as part of the student body instead of above it.

Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.

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Let's talk about etiquette: Student-athletes - The Auburn Plainsman

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Seeing a student-athlete on campus often feels like spotting a celebrity, but it is important to address them as a student and not just an athlete. Here are some tips on how to improve etiquette for interacting with student-athletes on campus, compiled following conversations with several student-athletes at Auburn.

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11/16/23

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER | PHOTO BY STEPHEN LEONARD, AUBURN TIGERS

SOUIX FALLS, S.D. -
It goes down as a loss in the record books, but Auburn University men's basketball returns home from South Dakota with high hopes for the future despite falling 88-82 to No. 20 Baylor to open the 2023-24 campaign on Tuesday, Nov.7.
Auburn's top two scorers came into the game with their health in question, but freshman phenom Aden Holloway and junior Johni Broome ended up looking like a force to be reckoned with. Holloway led the team with 19 points and six assists in 27 minutes in his debut, and Broome posted a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Despite a valiant effort from Auburn's duo against ranked competition, they failed to secure a win late in the game. Holloway's third turnover with 3:19 left in the game led to a 3-pointer from Baylor's RayJ Dennis to tie the game. Baylor outscored Auburn 11-5 from there, while Broome fouled out with 27 seconds on the clock.
Auburn led 43-34 at halftime, but ball control and putting Baylor at the free-throw line 34 times caught up to the Tigers, allowing Baylor's 5-star freshman, 6-foot-5 guard Ja'Kobe Walter, to rally for 28 points in his college debut.
The turnover battle was in the Tigers' favor all game long, but it ended in a 15-15 tie, allowing the Bears to seize control late in the game and force 32 fouls from Auburn. The Bears took advantage of it, shooting 79.4% from the free-throw line and converting on 10 more opportunities than the Tigers.
Although Auburn struggled with fouls, it was the more efficient team offensively.
For a team that ranked 320th in the nation in 3-point percentage and 151st in points per game last season, Auburn saw an offensive renaissance to start its season with four new guards. Behind seven combined made 3-pointers between starter Denver Jones and Holloway, Auburn tied Baylor at 9-for-19 from beyond the arch and shot 44.4% from the floor, a point better than Baylor.
The efficient shooting started with swift ball movement. Auburn racked up 18 assists, nine in each half. Holloway led the team with six assists, followed by Cardwell with four, and eight different players assisted on buckets.
Bench play also allowed Auburn to stay fresh. The Tigers' bench put up 39 points, and Auburn rotated in 11 players. Led by 27 minutes from Holloway off the bench, five players played more than 20 minutes for Auburn, including starters Jones, Broome, Jaylin Williams and Chris Moore.
Defensively, Cardwell had a great impact with five blocks in 14 minutes, and Chad Baker-Mazara gathered two steals in 12 minutes. Despite a healthy guard rotation for Auburn, it was Walter who gave it fits. The Tigers struggled to contain him from any area of the court, as he was a perfect 10-for-10 from the charity stripe and 4-for-7 from 3-point land in 34 minutes.
Outside of the outstanding performance from Walter, only seniors Jalen Bridges and Dennis eclipsed 10 points for Baylor. Bridges had a solid all-around impact with 13 points, eight rebounds, two steals and a block, while committing no turnovers.
Improving free-throw output offensively and defensively is the main category where Auburn will need to improve going forward. Auburn made 17-of-25 free shots in addition to giving the Bears 34 tries.
However, the areas where it struggled are manageable, while the categories in which it saw improvement were the ones that led to an early exit in the NCAA Tournament last season. Baylor is the first ranked season-opener for Auburn of this decade, allowing Auburn to grow and adjust early in the season.
Auburn will go into its home opener on Friday, Nov. 10, against SE Louisiana already battle tested and with a concrete picture of its abilities.

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AU hopeful despite opening basketball season with loss

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER | PHOTO BY STEPHEN LEONARD, AUBURN TIGERS SOUIX FALLS, S.D. -It goes down as a loss in the record books, but Auburn University men's basketball returns home from S...

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11/16/23

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER | PHOTO BY JAMIE HOLT, AUBURN TIGERS

AUBURN - Auburn University men's basketball went as its bench went on Friday night as the Tigers secured their first win of the season at home over Southeast Louisiana, 86-71.
After shooting 4-for-18 as a team to start the game, Aden Holloway and K.D. Johnson came off the bench and wasted no time in providing a spark for the Tigers, as they led an Auburn bench that outscored the starting five 46-40.
With the offense struggling out of the gate, Holloway and Johnson scored 12 straight points for Auburn, increasing its lead from six to 13 with 3:18 left in the opening half. Including a pair of 3-pointers in that run, Holloway sank three shots from beyond the arch in the game to tally 11 points after scoring 19 in his debut versus Baylor.
Sparked by the bench, Auburn went on to shoot 41.4% from the field in the game, including 11-for-32 from 3-point range. The team eclipsed 80 points for the second consecutive game after ranking 151st in the NCAA with 72.8 points per game last season, and bench play is a big factor in the offensive improvement for the Tigers through week one of the season.
Starting center Johni Broome has made it tough with two double-doubles and a team-high 18 points versus SE Louisiana, but the bench has outscored the starting five through two games, 85-83.
Broome, Auburn's leading scorer from a year ago, was the only double-figure scorer among the starters on Friday, while Holloway, Johnson and Chad Baker-Mazara all scored double figures off the bench.
Just when starting forward Jaylin Williams looked like he was changing that trend with two consecutive swishes from beyond the arch, SE Louisiana went on an 8-0 scoring run to draw its deficit to seven with 7:30 left in the second half.
Again on their heels with a single-digit lead, the Tigers got a boost from their bench for the second time in the game and coasted from there. Right away, Auburn responded with a 9-2 run, capped off by a pair of 3-pointers from Johnson and Holloway.
It wasn't as easy as the score implies, but a Baker-Mazara dunk sealed Auburn's 46th consecutive non-conference win at home by 15 points.
While Auburn won decisively, it once again allowed more free-throw opportunities than it took. SE Louisiana got 22 shots from the charity stripe, while the Tigers went to the line 20 times.
Shooting 85% on free throws, out rebounding SE Louisiana 46-33 and leading 7-1 in blocked shots allowed Auburn to dominate the game, but the Tigers only forced one turnover in the second half, losing the turnover battle 11-9 and allowing the Lions to hang around and get their guards open looks in transition.
Auburn didn't face a 6-foot-5 guard like it did with Baylor's Ja'Kobe Walter, but SE Louisiana guards Roger McFarlane and Rosco Eastmond combined for 39 of its 71 points. McFarlane added 11 rebounds for a double-double of his own. However, the Lions struggled to find scoring options outside of those two, and Auburn locked down the perimeter, only allowing five 3-pointers.
Offensively, Auburn continued its impeccable ball movement, racking up 21 assists after recording 18 against Baylor. Starting guards Tre Donaldson and Jones led the way in that category with four apiece. Nine different players assisted on buckets, and Johnson and Holloway each added three.
11 players saw the court again for Auburn, but the same veteran-freshman duo continued their stealthy starts to the season. Broome recorded his second straight double-double after putting up nine total last season, and Holloway came off the bench for his second straight double-digit scoring performance to start his college career.
Auburn improved to 1-1 on the season ahead of a trip to Brooklyn, New York, to face Notre Dame on Thursday, Nov. 16, at 8 p.m. CST.

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AU Men's BB Rides Bench to First Win of Season

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER | PHOTO BY JAMIE HOLT, AUBURN TIGERS AUBURN - Auburn University men's basketball went as its bench went on Friday night as the Tigers secured their first win of th...

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130th anniversary tab story; throwback to former attempted censure of the Plainsman

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130th anniversary tab story; throwback to former attempted censure of the Plainsman

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11/16/23 (online publication)

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On the final Thursday morning of the 1998 Auburn University fall semester, students lined up to claim their copy of the latest release of The Auburn Plainsman - only to see a gaping, white front page that left campus buzzing.

"I really wanted people to think, 'Wow, they made a big mistake. They didn't hit paste. They didn't copy over their story. Look at those idiots,'" said Lee Davidson Holt, 1998-99 Editor-In-Chief of the Plainsman. "The headline and the pull-out quotes told the story."

The unfulfilled page was the product of 1999 Auburn journalism graduate, then known as Davidson, approaching Auburn Trustee Robert Lowder at two consecutive Auburn Board of Trustee meetings, shaking his hand, looking him in the eyes and politely asking him for an interview.

"Speak Lowder, we can't hear you" was the headline, and the pull-out quotes gave Lowder's response to Holt's sincere request.

"Until you learn some manners, I will not talk to you," Lowder replied at the Nov. 19 Auburn Commission meeting. "Young lady, I do not want anything to do with you."

Giving Lowder a chance at repentance before the Plainsman took action, Davidson inquired yet again at the board of trustees meeting the following night. - getting the same result.

"You have blasted my mother and my father, and you have been very discourteous, and I don't intend to speak to you," Lowder said.

Lowder granted interviews to other media outlets - The Birmingham News and Huntsville Times - but refused comment to Davidson and the Plainsman staff as a result of previous reporting and editorial content published by the Plainsman that Lowder didn't like.

In the name of transparency, Davidson outlined the exact dates and times when they asked Lowder for interviews in an editor's note at the bottom of the page. In a story later in that Dec. 3 paper, Davidson fully outlined her encounters and mannerisms in dealing with Lowder and formatting that issue's cover page in a story titled "Blank space emphasizes importance."

Holt recalled doing previous reporting on then-Auburn University President William Van Muse and his intention to merge the nursing school, the degradation of the aviation management program, Lowder's role in the 1998 resignation of head football coach Terry Bowden, running editorials on program cuts, publishing an editorial titled "Bobby Lowder: AU is not for sale" and a story written by Davidson in November 1998 titled "Lowder University crumbles."

These articles were critical, undoubtedly, but none of the content was legally punishable or defamous because it aired on the side of independence, transparency and truth. It was simply good, hard-hitting, clean journalism that people weren't accustomed to from student papers.

"The Auburn spirit represents truth, and we represent truth," Holt said. "We're not being down on Auburn by investigating Auburn, we're showing we love Auburn by investigating Auburn."

As Sallie Owen of the Dadeville Record wrote in her Jan. 1999 piece, "Newspapers are simply mirrors," the Plainsman's reporting held a mirror in front of Auburn - illuminating negatives that it didn't want to be publicized. That is a responsibility of the press, student or not, but Davidson was punished for it.

"Being irresponsible in several situations regarding the news and editorial content concerning Robert Lowder's role on the Auburn University Board of Trustees" was the reasoning given by the Auburn University Communications Board for the 5-4 vote to censure Davidson and remove her from office of Plainsman EIC, according to Ed Williams, who served as the Plainsman's faculty adviser at the time.

As it is now, The Plainsman was then a self-supporting, financially independent organization, which paid rent for its office space in Foy Student Union Building at the time. It had not received Student Government Association funding since 1984, Williams added.

Not only were they financially independent, but she and other staff members reported on fully staff-driven content - meaning they were not restricted, censored or advised by the University or even the Plainsman's advisor. In fact, Holt noted that Williams didn't read the paper until it was distributed on Thursday mornings "like everyone else." Williams agreed.

The communication board attempted to censor the Plainsman, an independent organization that they had little or no affiliation with. And truth was not at debate - it was simply that the board didn't like what Davidson said.

"And that's the cool thing about it - a lot of people said 'We don't agree with your opinion.' No one said 'Your facts are wrong,'" Holt said.

But there's a reason why the Plainsman abides by the motto "A spirit that is not afraid."

Davidson set an example for her student media successors. She fought back against the censure by bringing in legal help, and the board immediately reversed the vote.

"I do not think the five communications board members who voted for the censure had any idea of the furor that their actions would create," Williams wrote in a 1999 column in the Associated Press. "Never (in 23 years as faculty adviser) was I associated with college journalists with more maturity, drive, courage and conviction than that 1998-99 Auburn Plainsman editor and her staff.

"Lee Davidson was accompanied to the board meeting by Montgomery attorney Dennis Bailey, Auburn journalism graduate, hired by the Auburn Plainsman to represent her... The meeting was quickly adjourned when Lee walked into the room with legal counsel."

It is moments of bravery like these that have allowed the Plainsman to be what it is today. It was a scene of growth and learning for everyone involved, and it is one that keeps on teaching.

"Never in my 23 years as faculty adviser of the Plainsman did I experience a year that demonstrated so clearly the importance of student media and freedom of the press," Williams said. "Student discussions ensued on government censorship, freedom of the press, the protection that is provided by the First Amendment and the awesome responsibilities that come with that protection."

The Plainsman lived on to write about it, and it only got stronger because of the trying situation. The next month, the Plainsman wrote about the injustices of the attempted censorship in "Comm Board to crumble." This time, the front page was as full as ever, and people raided the newspaper racks to read it on that February Thursday morning all the same.

"Newspaper staffers wore t-shirts with the First Amendment printed on the back," Williams said. "Underneath, 'Read The Auburn Plainsman.'"

Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.

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COLUMN | When silence spoke 'Lowder' than words - The Auburn Plainsman

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The Plainsman is celebrating its 130th year of publication this year, but it didn't get here without trying times: such as the attempted censure of former Plainsman editor-in-chief, Lee Davidson Holt, in 1998.

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Kerry and Gary challenge brings Alabamians together to fight ALS

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Kerry and Gary challenge brings Alabamians together to fight ALS

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11/15/23

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Iron Bowl smack talk immediately ensued when two former athletes in the state of Alabama and current ALS patients, Gary Godfrey and Kerry Goode, first crossed paths in the Atlanta Emory ALS Clinic in 2019.

1986 Auburn University graduate, Godfrey was a walk-on basketball player at Auburn under head coach Sonny Smith, and he played alongside Charles Barkley, who is now a longtime friend of his. On the other hand, Goode graduated from the University of Alabama in 1987 and was a running back there before getting drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1988.

Leading up to the 88th annual Iron Bowl four years later, the smack talk hasn't stopped, but the two have united against a common rival: ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, which they both live with. They are gearing up to face off in the second annual Kerry and Gary Challenge, which is a fundraiser to see who can raise the most money for ALS - Godfrey and Auburn fans versus Goode and Alabama fans.

"The winning fan base, whether it's Auburn or Alabama, gets bragging rights and knowing that they, collectively, are helping ALS families right here in Alabama," Godfrey said. "Kerry and I are both very competitive and don't like to lose... After Auburn won last year, you can bet Kerry heard about it from me. Kerry will be gunning for me this year."

It is a friendly competition built around lighthearted joshing, but the matter at hand is as serious as it gets.

ALS takes a life approximately every 90 minutes, and the disease progresses at a variable but devastating rate. Just 18 months after Godfrey was diagnosed in 2019, he lost the ability to eat, speak and breathe without assistance. He now uses assistive technology to type and play his words, and the 60-year-old has required breath support to keep him alive since age 57.

The average cost for proper medical care for those living with ALS is $250,000 per year, while renovating a home to accommodate a wheelchair can cost up to $20,000. Nearly 30,000 people live with ALS, but many don't receive a diagnosis before passing away.

Meanwhile, the cause of ALS is unknown. There are no known treatments or cure, thus, Godfrey emphasized the need for help raising awareness for ALS as well as fundraising.

"For those who are unable to give to the Kerry and Gary challenge this year, they can post on their social media hashtag 'I'm with Gary' or 'I'm with Kerry,'" Godfrey said. "I am very grateful for everyone who gives to the Kerry and Gary challenge because you are helping ALS families in Alabama who don't have the money to care for loved ones. It's pretty special to have Auburn and Alabama fans give to something bigger than the rivalry."

Between the Tide and Tiger fans, they raised around $80,000 dollars last year, but they have some profound Alabama natives joining the cause this year to help them reach their goal of $250,000.

Auburn basketball head coach, Bruce Pearl, and Godfrey's former basketball teammate, Charles Barkley, are joining Godfrey on the Tigers' side, and Goode's former Alabama football teammate, Cornelius Bennett, and Alabama football head coach Nick Saban are joining Goode on the Tide's side. Meanwhile, Alabama governor Kay Ivey is joining both sides in uniting the state against ALS.

The governor released a statement in support of the challenge ahead of a public press conference on Thursday, Nov. 16 in the Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery to discuss the details and events for the challenge.

"I am proud to join the Kerry and Gary Challenge to defeat ALS, an incredible initiative that utilizes the spirit of the Iron Bowl to support those who are battling this devastating disease," Ivey said. "As Alabamians are gearing up for the fierce football rivalry that has defined our state for generations, I encourage all to join this challenge. Many families across our state are impacted by ALS, and it is certainly a cause worth fighting for."

At the conference, both sides will discuss the details of the challenge, including events both parties are holding to boost fundraising.

Along with the opportunity to donate at the Kerry and Gary Challenge website, Goode, Pearl and more community figures will join Gary and his wife, Carol, for a walkthrough event in downtown Auburn the day before the Iron Bowl, next Friday, Nov. 24, starting at 2 p.m. CST.

The afternoon of fun competition starts at Staks Pancake Kitchen for a pancake stacking challenge before going across the street to Hamilton's On Magnolia for a drink-making face-off, then finishing with a gift-wrapping challenge at Wrapsody.

Albeit a divisive game among Alabama residents on Iron Bowl Saturday, the Kerry and Gary Challenge gives Alabamians a reason to unite for Thanksgiving week and beyond, as the challenge runs through the Tuesday after the Iron Bowl, termed as Giving Tuesday, Nov. 28.

Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.

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Alabamians unite: Kerry and Gary challenge using rivalry to help defeat ALS - The Auburn Plainsman

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How two former athletes work together to raise awareness for ALS in the midst of one of sports' biggest rivalries.

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Student etiquette part 3: mental  health

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Student etiquette part 3: mental  health

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11/09/23

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Let's talk about etiquette: Students who deal with mental health struggles - The Auburn Plainsman

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Here are some tips to improve etiquette when interacting with students who deal with mental health struggles, compiled following conversations with two leaders from Auburn University's Active Minds chapter. We need to break stigmas and cultivate empathetic environments when considering the topic of mental health.

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11-08-23

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Newcomers shine at AU Men’s BB exhibition win

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BY NOAH GRIFFITHFOR THE OBSERVER AUBURN— It didn’t take long for several transfers to make themselves at home when Auburn University’s men’s basketball team invaded Neville Arena for the new …

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AHS ends regular season with win over Smiths

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AHS ends regular season with win over Smiths

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11-08-23

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH
FOR THE OBSERVER

SMITHS STATION- Auburn High sophomore running back Omar Mabson finished his sophomore year with 14 touchdowns and six consecutive 100-plus yard rushing games to end the season, including 136 yards on six carries in the regular-season finale win over Smiths Station on Friday night.
Mabson found the end zone three times, and Auburn compiled 285 yards on the ground as the Tigers spoiled Smiths Station's senior night with a 49-8 win to end its season at 8-2.
With two consecutive 40- and 56-yard touchdown runs to start the second half, Mabson's three TD scampers gave him five in the last two games. He accounted for four of Auburn's five second-half TDs in the last two weeks as the Tigers topped 40 points for the second straight week.
The Tigers averaged 33.8 points per game and scored above 40 points four times during the season. Oppositely, the defense only allowed 15.1 points a game and pitched two shutouts, while only Central scored 40 points on them.
With QB Jackson Kilgore back in the picture after an injury and splitting time with senior QB Henry Allen the past two weeks, Auburn has continued to utilize a plethora of backs. Adding onto Mabson's big night, senior Tyler Flakes scored twice for the second consecutive game and Mykel Ammons scored the first TD of his career in his final regular-season game as a senior.
The run game accounted for six of the seven scores. Kilgore accounted for the other one on a four-yard TD pass to senior Cody Palmer to end the first half up 28-8.
It was mostly all Auburn in this one, but not until Smiths Station enjoyed an opening-drive score and two-point conversion to start off senior night for the Panthers, who ended their season at 1-9. After that, Auburn scored 49 unanswered to notch the most points it has scored in a game all season.
The win helped Auburn finish the season as the No. 3 seed in Region 2. The Tigers will start their playoff schedule by going to Baker, which finished second in 7A Region 1 with an 8-2 record.
The only common opponent between Auburn and Baker this season was Dothan, who Auburn defeated 28-27 in week three. However, Dothan was one of Baker's losses, as it fell 35-14 to the Wolves at home. Both teams will enter the game coming off two wins in a row to end their seasons.
Auburn will embark on the path to its second straight state championship game after last season's title game loss to Thompson. The Tigers' postseason journey starts on the road in Mobile at Baker High School on Friday, Nov. 10.

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Mabson propels Auburn high to 49-8 win over Smiths Station

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BY NOAH GRIFFITHFOR THE OBSERVER SMITHS STATION- Auburn High sophomore running back Omar Mabson finished his sophomore year with 14 touchdowns and six consecutive 100-plus yard rushing games to end...

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8-03-23

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH

FOR THE OBSERVER

SMITHS STATION-

No one beat Lee-Scott last season, but no one came closer to doing it than the Glenwood Gators.

The Warriors beat everyone on their schedule by 30 points or more, but Glenwood was the exception which posed a threat to its rivals. Coming into Auburn in week four under first-year head coach Ryan Nelson, Glenwood put up a season-high 16 points on the Warriors in a 35-16 loss. The Gators improved on that in their second matchup with Lee-Scott, falling 35-21 in the AISA 3A State Championship in November.

Glenwood finished 8-4 in 2022, and the Gators encountered many setbacks along the way. Under Nelson, the team battled injuries and sickness while playing one of the toughest schedules in recent history, but instead of letting those be excuses, the Gators are using that for fuel in the chase to return to the Crampton Bowl for the title game this year.

"Last year, we went to the state championship, and it was a great experience for us, but it didn't come out how we wanted," said senior quarterback Dallas Crow at High School Media Day on Wednesday, July 26. "I think it gives us a chip on our shoulder to go back and work even harder ... I believe in our coaches and I believe in our players, and I think we're going to get it done."

Crow is entering his third season as starting QB, and as Nelson pointed out, he can enter this one a little more comfortably.

Crow's first two seasons at starter were spent adjusting, as he was operating under different head coaches with different offenses each year - Jason Gibson in Crow's sophomore year and then last season under Nelson. While the offense dealt with injuries early last season, Crow didn't hit his stride until the back end of the year. Glenwood started 0-2, and then 2-3, before winning six in a row leading up to the state championship.

This time around, the dual-threat QB with dynamic running ability can play more to his strengths with a system he understands and a coach who knows his skillset better.

"He went through some pains last season," Nelson said of Crow. "I'm not going to say that he struggled early but it's just, without experience [in a new offense], it's hard to get in ballgames and play at a high level. After the third or fourth game, Dallas played extremely well for us last year."

The Gators started out last season with two close losses to St. Anne-Pacelli and Brookestone - two talented teams out of Columbus, Georgia. Pacelli won the GIAA 4A State Championship, and it knocked Brookestone out in the semi-finals. Glenwood will have another tough start to this season with those same teams scheduled early, but it will be more prepared this time around.

The Gators have an experienced quarterback, but he also has plenty of skill around him. Despite losing its top running back duo of JT Banks and Aaron Burton, the Gators have sophomore running back Carter Judah, receivers Brandon and Mason McCraine and athlete Camden White, who plays all around on offense. Nelson said he expects all of those guys to contributed greatly over the course of the 2023 season.

Nelson compared White to Traveon Samuel, who he coached at Central before Samuel went on to play at Louisville, in that he can line up at running back, inside or outside receiver.

"You're gonna see number three (White) all over the field this year," Nelson raved. "Just a guy, when he's got the ball in his hands, he's dynamic."

Nelson also said the Gators have placed an emphasis on physicality up front on both sides of the ball after he feels they got dominated in the run game by Lee-Scott, and they have the tools for it.

Returning on defense to bolster Glewnwood's defense is R.J. Williams at defensive end, Marquel Robinson on the defensive line, Lamont Burton II at linebacker, Jaxson Griggs at corner and Thet Morris, who moved from receiver to safety.

Offensively, the Gators have three returning offensive lineman: Will Johnson at center, Wyatt Taylor at guard and senior Wesley Graham rotating between guard and tackle. Graham is the latest of his family to have big expectations at Glenwood, following his brothers Ben and Will who formerly started on the Gators' o-line.

"As I like to say, it's time for him to dominate football games up front," Nelson said of Graham.

In year two under Nelson, the Gators are confident in their leadership and look like a threat to make another run to the state championship. This time, it's about finding out how to win it.

"We're not changing a whole lot," Nelson said. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it. So, you know, we're just going to work and try to make this 2023 team the best team that we can possibly make. The goal hasn't changed. We're trying to win it all."

GLENWOOD FOOTBALL SCHEDULE:

- Aug. 18: vs. St. Anne-Pacelli

- Aug. 25: @ Brookstone

- Sept. 1: @ Fort Dale

- Sept. 8: @ Bessemer

- Sept. 15: vs. Lee-Scott

- Sept. 22: OPEN

- Sept. 29: vs. Valiant Cross

- Oct. 6: @ Monroe

- Oct. 13: vs. Autauga

- Oct. 20: vs. Morgan

- Oct. 27: @ Chambers

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State Championship Loss a Chip On Glenwood's Shoulder

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER SMITHS STATION- No one beat Lee-Scott last season, but no one came closer to doing it than the Glenwood Gators. The Warriors beat everyone on their schedule by 30 ...

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8-03-23

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Lee-Scott Football Playing Next Man Up in Mission to Repeat

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER OPELIKA –– Lee-Scott football has the task of replacing last year’s senior class of 18, including AISA Back of the Year George Myers, in its search for a second co…

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8-03-23

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH

FOR THE OBSERVER

SMITHS STATION -

After taking the head coaching job of Smiths Station football in February, Bryant Garrison is paving a new path forward for the Panthers.

In a tough 7A Region 2 consisting of powerhouses like Central, Auburn and Opelika, Garrison wants to instill in his players a mindset that they can compete with even the toughest competition. He said he knows it will take time, though, as the Panthers went 1-9 last season and haven't won multiple region games since 2018. They last defeated Auburn in 2013, while they last beat Central in 2008.

"The main thing I wanted to do when I come in, and the players can attest to this too, we wanted to change the culture and change the narrative about Smiths Station, who Smiths Station is and who Smiths Station is going to be going forward," Garrison said at High School Media Days in Opelika on Wednesday, July 26.

Garrison knows a thing or two about programs rising to prominence. He saw it happen as a graduate assistant at the University of Alabama, and he's looking to repeat that process at Smiths Station.

After graduating with a masters degree in kinesiology from Alabama, he became the equipment manager for the football team in 2004 under then-head coach Mike Shula. When Nick Saban took over in 2007, Garrison was promoted to graduate assistant and worked with the defensive backs alongside Kirby Smart, where he got his passion for great defense.

That was before it became "cool" to go to Alabama, but he was there when the Tide won its first National Championship under Saban in 2009, too. He said he is able to take bits and pieces of what Saban did and apply it in his own way, but he was able to work with Smart a lot closer.

"Coach Smart really helped me as far as safety play," Garrison said. "I've always been kind of a secondary guy, and especially with the safeties. But just learning how to build a program because I was there when Alabama really wasn't Alabama the way it is today. That's because of the foundation it built back in 2007.

"I think that [Saban] changed the culture there, too. That's the first thing he did - the weight room, the work ethic and the attention to detail, not only from a football standpoint but just going about your day-to-day business you have that sense of urgency to always want to do your job and make sure you do it right."

One way Garrison is instilling the value of hard work is by changing the work out routine.

Smiths Station built a new weight room in the offseason, and Garrison is preaching to his team the self-inflicted wounds that come from cutting corners in all areas of life - with the classroom translating to the weight room and vice versa. The new weight room also appeals to the players, who's faces lit up on stage at High School Media Day at the mention of it.

With Garrison's leadership, the Panthers look forward to seeing the product of their work on the field starting in August.

"I think we have a lot of maturity on the defensive side of the ball," said senior linebacker Lance Peterson. "Offensively, we're getting a new system and a new offensive coordinator, and we've really embraced his schemes. We've got a taste of what it's like to be elite this year, and I think it's safe to say we're definitely striving toward that and we're expecting good results."

Smiths Station's sole win last year was a 30-21 defeat of region foe Prattville in week three, which the Panthers are looking to build off of this year.

"The way we've been working all summer, I don't think nobody in our area works harder than us," said junior running back Quenton Brooks. "I will say that this year, we'll have a much better season than last year."

SMITHS STATION FOOTBALL SCHEDULE:

- Aug. 25: vs. Pleasant Grove

- Sept. 1: @ Central

- Sept. 8: @ Prattville

- Sept. 15: vs. Enterprise

- Sept. 22: @ Dothan

- Sept. 29: vs. Benjamin Russell

- Oct. 6: OPEN

- Oct. 13: vs. Opelika

- Oct. 20: vs. Jefferson Davis

- Oct. 28: @ Lee

Nov. 3: vs. Auburn

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Smiths Station Anticipates Year One Under Garrison

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER SMITHS STATION - After taking the head coaching job of Smiths Station football in February, Bryant Garrison is paving a new path forward for the Panthers. In...

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Lee-Scott Dashes Past Monroe for 15th Straight Victory

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9/07/23

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Lee-Scott Dashes Past Monroe for 15th Straight Victory

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BY NOAH GRIFFITHFOR THE OBSERVER AUBURN ––It looked different for Lee-Scott having last year’s AISA Back of the Year, George Myers, watching from the stands, but his brother was one of four backs t…

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AHS beats Prattville, secures playoff spot

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AHS beats Prattville, secures playoff spot

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11/2/23

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER
PHOTOS BY JERRY BALLAS

AUBURN - On the last home game of Auburn High's football season, the Tigers notched their largest victory of the season to lock up a playoff spot with a 48-0 win over Prattville (3-6).
Starting quarterback Jackson Kilgore, who was previously out since week two with an injury, returned and threw a pair of touchdowns, and the defense pitched its second shutout of the season in the regular-season finale at Duck Samford Stadium.
On senior night, the junior QB found senior receiver Cody Palmer on his first pass upon his return for a 52-yard TD. All seniors: QB Henry Allen, receivers Gibson Loughridge and Griffin McLean and running back Tyler Flakes also got in on the scoring, but one upperclassman in particular took center stage.
Senior kicker Towns McGough was honored with a jersey before the game for his selection in the Under Armour All-American game.
Pushing all the pre-game festivities to the side, he was locked in. He nailed an opening-drive field goal, another field goal before half to put the Tigers up 34-0, six extra points and knocked down two 60-yard field goals that were negated by timeouts before coming up just short on his third and final try.
QBs Allen and Kilgore each threw a pair of TD passes in the first half, and Flakes added on with a three-yard scamper into the end zone after his 45-yard run got Auburn inside the 10-yard line in the first quarter. It was 34-0 going to halftime.
However, it was sophomore running back Omar Mabson's show in the second half. He added on two TDs from 33 and seven yards out to account for all of the Tigers' second-half offense.
The offense lightened up in the second half, but they still tied their season-high in points. The defense, on the other hand, never took its foot off the gas.
Auburn started the game by forcing a Prattville three-and-out before a La'Mychael Gunn interception on the next drive, and the Auburn defense stood tall in the fourth quarter just the same. With Prattville on the Auburn goal line, the Tigers snuffed out three straight runs to force a turnover on downs and secure a win over Prattville for the 10th consecutive year.
This helped the Tigers improve to 7-2 and 5-2 in region play and solidify a spot in the playoffs. Auburn can lock up the No. 2 seed in its region with a win to end the regular season next week at Smiths Station (1-8).

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Auburn High shuts out Prattville, locks up playoff spot

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVERPHOTOS BY JERRY BALLAS AUBURN - On the last home game of Auburn High's football season, the Tigers notched their largest victory of the season to lock up a playoff ...

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AU baseball players named to ALL-SEC teams

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AU baseball players named to ALL-SEC teams

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5/23/22

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Originally predicted to finish last in the SEC West, a trio of Auburn teammates overachieved for the baseball team this season, earning them All-SEC honors, the league office announced on Monday.

Among the three, first baseman Sonny DiChiara was not only chosen for First Team All-SEC, but he was tabbed as a SEC Co-Player of the Year. No. 17 is just the third Auburn player to ever win the league's highest award, being placed beside the likes of Tim Hudson (1997) and Hunter Morris (2010).

The awards just won't stop rolling in for the senior transfer from Samford, and he has been named as a semifinalist for college baseball's most prestigious award, the Dick Howser Trophy .

This comes as a result of leading the conference in on-base percentage (.561) and slugging percentage (.782), while ranking second in the league in batting average (.382). His patience at the plate plays a big factor into this, as he drew the most walks in the country this season and the second most ever in program history with 62.

Not only is the native of Hoover, Alabama one of the best hitters in the conference, but his numbers put him among the best in the nation. His OBP is the best in the country, and his slugging percentage ranks fifth in the nation. He is also tied for third in career home runs (58) among active Division 1 players, with 17 dingers coming this season, tied with Edward Julien for the most by an Auburn player since 2010.

Earning All-SEC Second Team honors, Auburn closer Blake Burkhalter is the first Auburn reliever to join a first or second team honors since John Madden in 2005. The junior pitcher also put himself among the best in the conference and the nation, as his 13 saves are three more than any other pitcher in the SEC and matches the best total among Power Five pitchers.

Burkhalter was not an ordinary closer. He entered the game in a variety of situations, and got the Tigers out of many daunting situations this season prior to the ninth inning. He also worked for multiple innings in the majority of his team-leading 25 appearances.

When he entered the game, it was good news for Auburn. He earned a win or a save in 17 of his 25 outings, and finished the season with a 4-1 record to go alongside his 13 saves. He also had a 3.44 ERA and 55 Ks, giving up runs in just eight of his appearances on the season.

Last but not least, redshirt junior Blake Rambusch was named to the SEC All-Defensive Team. In his first season with the Tigers after transferring. in from junior college, the Texas native was one of two players to start every contest of the season. 51 of his starts came from the hot corner at third base, despite starting the season in right field where he got his other four starts.

One of the most reliable players in the nation, Rambusch recorded a .964 fielding percentage and initiated 12 of the club's 44 double plays.

While only getting a defensive honor, the leadoff hitter showed off his skills from both sides of play this year, turning in a .351 batting average after leading Grayson College with a .444 average in his sophomore year. He made teams pay when he got on base, too. While racking up a league-best 80 base hits, he also tied for third in the league with 16 stolen bases.

With the help of these three, Auburn started the season unranked and projected to finish at the bottom of its division, and ended things ranked No. 20 after getting inside the top 20 several times throughout the year. It finishes the campaign at 37-18 and 16-13 in SEC play and will begin its postseason run as the SEC Tournament as the No. 5 seed against Kentucky on Tuesday night in Hoover.

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Strong season earns trio of Auburn baseball teammates All-SEC honors - The Auburn Plainsman

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Three Auburn baseball players earned All-SEC honors.

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AU wins Corvallis Super Regional, advances to CWS

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AU wins Corvallis Super Regional, advances to CWS

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6-14-23

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Against all odds, No. 14 Auburn baseball went to Corvallis, Oregon and pulled out a win in the Super Regionals to claim a ticket to Omaha.

"Words can't describe how exciting that was, just out there in the moment living it up," said junior pitcher Blake Burkhalter. "It was amazing for the first three seconds until I was at the bottom of a dog pile."

After starting the season unranked and projected to finish next-to-last in the SEC, Auburn's trip to the College World Series will be the sixth in Auburn program history and already the second under the tenure of head coach Butch Thompson.

The old saying proves true again: "defense wins championships." Despite getting outhit 8-3, Auburn (42-20) played flawless defense in a 4-3 win to stun No. 3 Oregon State (48-18) and move on to the College World Series for the second time in three NCAA Tournaments.

The Tigers stuck out 15 Oregon State hitters and stranded nine men on base while committing no errors in a gutsy win.

Offensively, Sonny DiChiara made the difference. He recorded two of Auburn's three hits, going 2-for-2 and reaching in all four plate appearances, with a home run, single, walk and hit by pitch. His 22nd homer of the year in the third inning was Auburn's first hit of the game.

Closing the door and striking out five, Burkhalter delivered a gutsy, 2.2-inning save after taking over in a messy situation for Carson Skipper in the seventh inning. The reliever was as dominant as could be, retiring all eight opposing hitters for his 15th save of the season.

"I don't think [Burkhalter] is a closer or a set-up pitcher. He's a competitive moment pitcher," said head coach Butch Thompson. "I'm always wondering if Burkhalter is my last line of defense in the game too early. It was not today, and he was great."

After Mason Barnett began strong in his start, he ultimately gave way to the bullpen after 4.1 innings. He only allowed one run on five hits, walking three and sitting down five on strikes, but the Beavers' lefty-filled lineup forced Auburn to go to Carson Skipper with one out in the fifth inning.

Starting out on the right foot, Skipper fanned his first two batters and retired his first five hitters before getting into trouble in the seventh inning. Although he gave two two runs on three hits in the seventh, his two-inning, five-strikeout performance boosted him to 6-3 on the season and passed the baton to a lights out Burkhalter to seal the deal.

Although Oregon State starter Jaren Hunter had Auburn's offense out to a slow start with no hits through the first two innings, DiChiara got Auburn started in the third inning as he did in game one, with a two-run home run to make it 2-0 after Cole Foster's walk.

However, Oregon State got right back at Auburn and cut the lead in half in the bottom of the first when Justin Boyd came in to score on a groundout after his triple went over Bello's head and off the left field wall with one out.

With the Auburn bats quiet once again, the Beavers threatened to take over in the fifth. After Wade Meckler won the race with Barnett to first base for an infield single, a walk ended Barnett's outing.

Coming in with two on and one out, Skipper looked anything but intimidated in a win-or-go-home game. He struck out his first two batters he faced to end the fifth and give Auburn the opportunity to tack on to its lead in the sixth.

Even though he had retired the previous six batters via the groundout, Oregon State went to its bullpen in the sixth with Hunter at 75 pitches, and Auburn tacked on two more.

After DiChiara walked and Pierce doubled down the right field line to get runners on second and third, a Brooks Carlson ground ball to second was mishandled and, after the review overturned the call, Carlson beat the throw at first and everyone was safe.

Immediately looking to catch Oregon State off guard and add onto the damage, Brody Moore laid down a bunt to the right side. It was picked up by the charging first baseman and tossed to the plate too late. Pierce scored to put Auburn up 4-1.

With a three-run advantage and having retired the past five, Skipper returned to the mound for the seventh inning. Following up a leadoff single, Boyd launched his second extra-base hit of the game, but this time it went way over the fence for a two-run homer. The big swing made it 4-3, and after a walk a single ensued, Burkhalter took over for Skipper with two on and one out.

Burkhalter, who has not looked like his best self as of late, returned to mid-season form in the seventh inning and, like Skipper, punched out the first two batters he saw to strand two and send things to the eighth inning with Auburn up by one.

"We always say the relievers job is to get the first guy out," Thompson said. "Skipper did that, and Burkhalter did that when they first came in the ballgame. I thought that was a key."

He did not look back from there. No. 40 in orange made his name known with two more perfect innings to win the game, ending the ninth by getting Oregon State's top three hitters in the order.

In the end, Oregon State notched five more hits than Auburn. It even got more extra-base hits, but Auburn stranded nine Oregon State runners and committed no errors in the game, and it earned them a trip to the College World Series.

The one error in the game: the bobbled grounder at second base by Oregon State in the seventh inning, costed the Beavers a run and made the difference in a one-run ballgame.

In the end, veteran presence from guys who have been to the College World Series before helped Auburn have the calm, steady approach it needed to take down a team that thrives off of mistakes from its opponents.

"To be able to go back to Omaha so soon is kind of a testament to a few guys like Brody Moore, our shortstop, Kason Howell, our centerfielder, and Carson Skipper, one of our pitchers that was on that team in 2019," Thompson said. "They've done a great job. We have a good program."

As its first opponent in Omaha, Auburn will face a familiar opponent in SEC West foe Ole Miss, who it dropped two of three to to kick off SEC play this season. That game will take place at 6 p.m. CST on June 18th. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2, once again.

Those two aren't the only SEC West clubs to join the party. The Tigers and Rebels will join No. 5 Texas A&M and Arkansas in Omaha this coming week. Set to join the SEC in 2025, Texas and Oklahoma are making appearances in the College World Series as well.

"I just love these guys so much," DiChiara said. "And you know, we get two more weeks together, or however many games we have promised, that's how long we have together as a group ... We're just going to play to the best of our ability and live it up."

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Auburn marches into College World Series with gutsy win over Oregon State - The Auburn Plainsman

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Auburn claims spot in the College World Series with a win in game three over Oregon State.

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AU goes off on FSU, advances to regional final

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AU goes off on FSU, advances to regional final

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6-05-22

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The Tigers continue to show out in the Regionals with their eighth straight Regional win in a blowout over Florida State, 21-7, to send them to the Regional Championship game.

Auburn proved the lopsided victory on Friday night was no fluke with another explosive offensive showing in front of a sold-out Plainsman Park. It now owns a +26 run differential in its two Regional contests.

"The guys won a significant game tonight to put us in a position to compete for a championship," said head coach Butch Thompson. "We had so many guys contributing in so many ways. Played amazing team offense, just played together for these two nights."

Looking to end Auburn's hot offensive streak, All-ACC Second Team southpaw Bryce Hubbart started strong for FSU, ending the first-inning threat with two strikeouts. However, Auburn battled in every at bat and fought off pitches, forcing Florida State to go to its bullpen after 2.1 innings.

"We didn't score in the first inning, but our approach was still the same," Thompson said. "I like our chances if we stay with that same approach."

A night after scoring a season-high 19 runs, the Tigers notched a new season high, racking up 21 runs on 19 hits. Brody Moore and Kason Howell led the team's offensive explosion, combining to go 9-for-10 including four doubles and a triple with four walks, driving in six runs combined.

Moore had a career night and a perfect scorecard. He went to the plate seven times and reached every time, the first player in program history to do so, going 5-for-5 with a double, triple and two walks while recording five RBI.

"Those games are fun when everybody's linking it up out there," Moore said. "It really helps us when we have a pitcher like Joseph [Gonzalez] out there getting outs."

This allowed starter Joseph Gonzalez to cruise and pitch to contact. That he did, going six strong innings of three-run ball on just three strikeouts and three hits. His only downfall was the walk, as all three of the runs he allowed reached on walks. He allowed four free passes in the game, and three of them were in the seventh inning before he was pulled from the game.

"(Gonzalez is) the kind of guy you want to play behind as a defender," Moore said. "He's really fast-tempo, and we know he's going to get ground balls and popups, so we have to stay on our toes. We know he's going to go out there and compete for us and give us a chance to win."

Followed by Carson Swilling and John Armstrong, Gonzalez allowed the bullpen to only work three innings. Auburn has gone without using key bullpen pieces like Blake Burkhalter, Carson Skipper and Chase Allsup thus far in Regional action.

The bullpen allowed four runs, but it didn't matter as Auburn continued to tack onto its lead, recording only two frames without scoring a run. Gonzalez earned his seventh win of the season, after his previous two starts were shortened by rain.

The team got off to a slower start than the 11-run outpour in the first inning against SE Louisiana, but they still got on the board and built a 3-1 lead after three innings. Despite stranding five runners to that point, a Mike Bello sacrifice fly and a Brooks Carlson two-run bomb gave Auburn another early advantage.

Auburn looked to extend the lead off of FSU reliever Conner Whittaker with a double from Howell down the left field line, but the relay beat Moore at home. It seemed as if the catcher blocked the plate, but after review, it was ruled that the catcher was in legal position and Moore's hand missed the plate on his head-first slide around the catcher. A strikeout then stranded Howell at second.

The bottom of the third inning is when FSU threatened to take the driver's seat. After Gonzalez walked the leadoff batter, Alex Toral doubled over Bobby Pierce's head in right field to knock in the Seminoles' first run of the game.

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With a runner on second and no outs, catcher Nate LaRue got a much-needed first out for Auburn. Throwing behind Toral, he caught the runner off guard and forced Toral to scramble for third, where Blake Rambusch took the tag and got the first out.

From there, Gonzalez walked two more, and FSU was back in business. However, the threat was short-lived, as Moore snagged a hot shot right at him at short stop and tossed the ball to second for a double play to get the runner cheating off the bag for the third out.

"That (double play) was a big out," Gonzalez said. "I trust my defense a lot. That's why I can throw so many strikes and feel comfortable on the mound."

After two replay reviews went the Seminole's way in the first three innings, Auburn had an offensive explosion again in the fourth. Much like Friday's first inning, Auburn sent 14 hitters to the plate and pushed across seven runs. Although Auburn did its job and strung together five hits, FSU helped the Tigers out by handing out four free passes and making a pair of errors.

When Moore continued his hot hitting with a triple in the fifth, he extended Auburn's lead to 10 runs with an 11-1 lead. He drove in runs in both the seventh and eighth innings as well, along with a bases-loaded walk from LaRue, RBI fielder's choice knock from Bello and a bases-loaded HBP from Cole Foster made it 16-7 after eight innings.

Going into the ninth inning at 16 runs, Auburn launched two more homers, with Sonny DiChiara's 20th of the season and Cam Hill's first before a Bryson Ware triple scored a pair to get to a season-best 21 runs. Armstrong got the final three outs to end the game, and Auburn built on its 12-run victory in game one with a 14-run advantage over FSU.

With two lopsided wins, Auburn (39-19) is yet to use some of its key bullpen pieces, but it is also still yet to compete in a tight game in the Regionals, something Thompson said the team knows will happen.

Next up, Auburn will play again at 6 p.m. CST on Sunday against the winner of UCLA and FSU. Entering the championship undefeated, Auburn will now have to lose twice in a row to be eliminated from the Regional.

"We won't know who we're going to compete against until we get started in our pregame, so that's going to be a big challenge for us tomorrow whether it's Florida State or UCLA," Thompson said. "We'll have to wait a while to figure that out. Thankful for the significance of the standpoint we're at. "

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Auburn sets single-game scoring record, advances to Regional Championship Game - The Auburn Plainsman

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Auburn earned a blowout win over Florida State to advance to the Regional Championship game.

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6-11-23

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Auburn baseball came into the season with low expectations, but the team hopes to continue to prove they belong when they go to Corvallis, Oregon for a three-game set in the Super Regionals this weekend.

Picked to finish last in the SEC West in the SEC coach's preseason poll, all Auburn has done is overachieve. It ended the season at 40-19 and was selected to host a Regional for the for time since 2010 as the No.14 seed in the country.

"I think they have a plan and an understanding of where people forecasted them, and I think they've used it for fuel," said head coach Butch Thompson. "These guys have had a chip on their shoulder from day one."
Hot as can be
The Tigers put that fuel on full display last weekend, outscoring their opponents 51-18 in three games against SE Louisiana, Florida State and UCLA to sweep their way through the Auburn Regional. They set their season high in hits (21) against SE Louisiana before setting their season record in runs the next day with a 21-run game against FSU.

After getting shut out by Kentucky to end the SEC Tournament, the Auburn offense completely changed the narrative in the Regional, batting .395 as a team and slugging 11 home runs and 49 RBI. The team also showed great poise at the plate, earning 29 walks as opposed to only 24 strikeouts.

SEC Co-Player of the Year Co-Player of the Year, Sonny DiChiara, led the team in hits with nine, and Regional MVP Brody Moore followed with eight.

The Tigers benefitted from having second baseman Cole Foster back in the lineup in the Regionals. The switch hitter was inserted into two hole in the lineup and had six hits, including a four-hit game with three homers (two in one inning) in game one versus SE Louisiana.

The starting pitching was another strong point for the Auburn club last weekend, as all three starters picked up wins, going a combined 16.1 innings and giving up seven runs while striking out 23.

While the starters turned in strong outings and the offense went off, the bullpen wasn't put in any taxing situations. In fact, Auburn didn't turn to key bullpen pieces Carson Skipper or Blake Burkhalter until game three, when they were asked to keep a nine-run advantage. Chase Allsup was not called into action all weekend, and no reliever made more than one appearance on the weekend.

"We can't play better than we did last weekend. That's the biggest challenge for us is trying to maintain and stay there," Thompson said. "I think it's all mind. I don't think it's as much physical as anything else."
Unfamiliar territory
These two teams come from leagues that are not very familiar with each other. Before the Regionals, Auburn had not faced a Pac-12 opponent, while Oregon State had not faced an SEC opponent until last weekend. Auburn defeated UCLA of the Pac-12 11-4 in the Regional final, and the Beavers split two games in the final with the SEC's Vanderbilt, who Auburn took two out of three from.

Wile Auburn made light work of the Bruins, the Beavers struggled when going head-to-head with them this season, losing the last series of the season against them and splitting a pair of games with them in the Pac-12 Tournament.

Auburn will get the chance to prove it can play with the best of competition on the highest level this weekend. With a trip to Omaha and a chance to play in the College World Series on the line, Auburn will square up with No. 3 Oregon State starting on Saturday at 9 p.m. CST in Corvallis, Oregon.

While Auburn has shown promise this year on the road at 10-8 in away games, this will be its first trip to the West Coast this season. The games on Monday and Tuesday will start at 9 p.m. CST, Auburn's latest start time this season. Temperatures will also be much lower than Auburn is used to. After a weekend full of Alabama heat and 80+ degrees weather, Oregon expects temperatures to set around 50 degrees Fahrenheit each night.

"We're trying to stay up an hour later each night, which is a problem for me, it's not so much a challenge for these guys, probably," Thompson said.

Despite the odd circumstances for Auburn, Thompson remains confident in his team and their recent play. With the veteran presence of guys like Skipper and Moore, who played in the College World Series in 2018, he feels that the team has the maturity they need to put the distractions to the side.

The team will arrive to Corvallis a day early and practice on the field on Friday, which also instills confidence in the team that they can make those adjustments.

"This thing will come down to execution, whether we're playing here at Plainsman Park or a 41-hour drive away," Thompson said.
Scouting the Beavers
Oregon State, much like Auburn, didn't have the ending to its regular season that it would've hoped for. It dropped its last two series of the season to Arizona and UCLA. It then won two games in the Pac 12 Tournament before losing a 25-22 game to UCLA and then getting eliminated by No. 2 Stanford.

However, the Beavers have earned the right to host a Super Regional after beating New Mexico State, San Diego and winning a rematch with Vanderbilt 7-6 after losing the first.

Stealing 82 bases as a team, the Beavers have a talented offense that thrives on stringing together hits and using their speed and aggressiveness to take extra bases. They are the jack of their trade: playing small ball. They have five .300+ hitters, but the team has only hit 55 home runs (Auburn hit 70). Oregon State hitters also display great plate discipline with 376 walks as a club.

Leadoff hitter Justin Boyd leads the team in batting average (.366), OBP (.488), and steals (24-for-30) and is second on the team with 52 walks. It is key for Auburn to keep Boyd off the basepaths and attack the Oregon State hitters.

The majority of its power comes from center fielder Jacob Melton. He has 16 homers while knocking in 81 runs and leading the team with a .668 slugging percentage. He hit one of the Beavers' three dingers in game two against Vanderbilt.

On the mound, Oregon State has compiled a 4.19 ERA as a team compared to Auburn's 4.46. It has a 606-179 strikeout-to-walk ratio and has only given up 35 home runs.

The pitching staff is led by southpaw sophomore Hjerbe Cooper, who is one of three finalists for the Golden Spikes award that is given to College Baseball's top player. The California native posted a 2.40 ERA while amassing a 10-2 record in 16 starts. He racked up 155 Ks as opposed to 26 walks.

Although all 16 of his prior appearances were starts, he came up clutch in game two against Vandy, pitching two scoreless innings and striking out five in a one-run contest in his first save of the year.
Pitching matchups
Oregon State will go to its ace, Cooper, for game one, while the Tigers will give the ball to RHP Trace Bright (4-4, 4.80). Bright earned the win in game one versus SE Louisiana, going five innings and surrendering four runs despite striking out 10.

"(Getting the game one start) is a huge honor," Bright said. "We want to go out and set the tone early like we did this past weekend. Try and get away in that first game and then go from there."

Game two will feature Auburn's Joseph Gonzalez (7-2, 2.90) versus the Beavers' RHP Jake Phennigs (4-0, 2.94). Gonzalez earned the win in game two of the Regional versus Florida State with six innings of three-run ball.

If the series comes down to game three, Auburn will go to Mason Barnett (3-2, 4.13), who might have pitched the best game of his career versus UCLA on Sunday before the weather ended play for the night, ending his line at 5.1 shutout innings. He gave up a leadoff double but did not allow another hit from that point while striking out 10, matching his career high. Oregon State will go with freshman RHP Jacob Kmatz (8-2, 4.19).

The best of three series between No. 14 Auburn (40-19) and No. 3 Oregon State (47-16) will be played at 9 p.m. CST on Friday and Saturday on ESPN2. If necessary, game three's start time is undecided.

After making the Super Regionals in both 2018 and 2019, Auburn takes a 3-5 record in the Super Regionals, including 3-3 under Butch Thompson into the series.

"It was always in our minds that we wanted to go on this run and that we were going to do it," said center fielder Kason Howell. "We wanted to prove to everybody that we were going to be the team to make the run and win the National Championship. We're right where we wanted to be and right where we thought we would be, so we're just going to do what we know how to do best and play a good, high level of baseball."

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Auburn seeks to continue to prove itself in Super Regionals - The Auburn Plainsman

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Auburn will face Oregon State starting Saturday, June 11th with a trip to the College World Series on the line.

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6-18-22

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The lower seeds continued their College World Series dominance, as Ole Miss defeated No. 14 Auburn for the third time this season, 5-1. The lower seed won all four of the opening round matchups of the College World Series without trailing.

"I just think their approach created some fortune for them whereas ours did not," said head coach Butch Thompson. "Both teams struck out 13 times in the ballgame, but it just didn't seem like we were ever in an [advantageous] count... It seemed like the whole game we were trying to make contact more than just trying to get in some advantageous situations."

This game was a tale of one ace being dominant and the other being so-so. Ole Miss starter Dylan DeLucia shut down the Auburn bats for 7.2 innings, allowing just one run on four hits and striking out 10.

"I think the biggest thing was first-pitch strikes: not necessarily the fastball but the off speed," said junior Bobby Pierce. "He was just putting it where he wanted to today."

Auburn only recorded four hits in the game, while Ole Miss consistently found the outfield grass for 11 hits. The Auburn outfielders seemed to have issues picking up the ball in the game, as a plethora of pop ups fell to the ground in front of them into the shallow outfield for hits after a late break to the ball.

The Tigers also struggled fielding in the dimensions of the ballpark at Charles Schwab field, and left fielder Mike Bello crashed into the left field fence twice early on before Brody Moore was taken out by the tarp along the left field wall while trying to run down a foul pop fly.

Opposingly, Ole Miss' defense wasn't tested much as DeLucia operated through the first round of Auburn's batting order flawlessly. In fact, he was perfect through 4.2 innings, when Moore lined a single into right field, and he was pitching a shutout through his first six frames.

On the other hand, Auburn sinkerballer Joseph Gonzalez, who has been dominant closing out series' this season, was not as brilliant in the College World Series opener, as he falls to 7-4 on the season. Giving up two runs in the first inning, he bounced back and got through five innings, but the early deficit was too much as DeLucia shaved through Auburn's lineup early on.

Gonzalez didn't go down easy, striking out seven Rebel hitters as opposed to one walk and stranding four runners in his five inning, four-run outing, but the Rebels made it hard for him to get the weak contact that he thrives on.

When he allowed the first two batters to reach in the fifth inning, Carson Skipper took over for him on the mound and gave Auburn some valuable length out of the bullpen, finishing out the last four innings game and keeping things open for an offensive breakout.

However, Skipper failed to repeat his performance from game three of the Super Regionals where he fanned the first two batters he faced. He surrendered another run in the sixth and allowed Ole Miss to take a 5-0 lead despite hurler four strong innings and recording six Ks in relief to keep the Tigers in the game and allow the bullpen to stay rested.

Kicking them while they were down, the Rebels built on their two-out, two-run first-inning single from Kemp Alderman by stretching their lead to 5-0 over the Tigers after six innings. After a solo home run in the third inning from Kevin Graham, Ole Miss tacked on two more in the sixth.

When Skipper came in with two on and no outs, he looked to work around the threat and keep Auburn in the game. Following a single that loaded the bases, he induced a grounder to Blake Rambusch at third base that traded a run for a double play.

Skipper couldn't hold things there, however, as he allowed another to cross on a single from TJ McCants to cap off the Ole Miss scoring.

The Auburn offense, despite getting shut down by Rebel closer Josh Mallitz, got in the last punch of the night with a run on three straight hits in the seventh inning from Garrett Farquhar, Sonny DiChiara and then Pierce knocked a single through the left side for Auburn's one and only RBI of the game to finally get to DeLucia.

Auburn failed to keep it up against Mallitz for the final four outs, however, as he sat down three of four Auburn hitters on strikes to end the ballgame.

"One loss isn't going to kill us, and we're going to come back Monday fighting," Pierce said. "We're a team that's going to fight every game no matter what- if we're down five or up 10. Whatever it is, we're going to fight."

Pierce's teammates reiterated the notion that Auburn will fight to the end. Auburn was never swept in a series this season, and it only lost consecutive regular-season contest three times throughout the regular season.

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"Today wasn't really a true testimony to who we are," Skipper said. "Monday's going to be a different story. It's how you respond and bounce back that defines who you are."

With the loss, Auburn (42-21) will take tomorrow off before squaring up with No. 2 Stanford in an elimination game at 1 p.m. CST on Monday in Omaha on ESPN. Stanford is also looking to bounce back after it lost 17-2 to Arkansas on Saturday.

As the one team in Auburn's bracket that reigns from outside the SEC, the Cardinal of Stanford are foreign territory. However, Auburn did take out Stanford's Pac-12 foe Oregon State in the Super Regionals en route to Omaha.

"The SEC teams are familiar, but we still have to do a lot of work on each team," Thompson said. "36 of the last 40 [National Championship] winners have won that first game, so it's a tall order, but that's what's good about the way the tournament is set up... We'll spend a lot of time on Stanford tomorrow."

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Auburn outpowered by Ole Miss in game one of College World Series - The Auburn Plainsman

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A gem from Ole Miss starter Dylan DeLucia was too much for Auburn to handle in its loss in the opening round of the College World Series.

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AU baseball loses in College World Series

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AU baseball loses in College World Series

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6/22/22

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In a year where Auburn was projected to finish seventh in the SEC West, Auburn was among the final six teams alive in its unforeseen postseason run.

However, it was its own division that brought on its downfall. After losing to Ole Miss in game one of the College World Series, Auburn was dominated 11-1 by Arkansas to end its season.

"I didn't want this ride to end," said head coach Butch Thompson. "Hopefully we've stair-stepped this program to keep fighting and having a feeling that the best is yet to come."

Once again, Auburn was silenced by a division opponent's starting pitcher. For Ole Miss, it was Dylan Delucia who shut down Auburn. For Arkansas, Will McEntire and his breaking balls did the job.

"The two losses we had [in the College World Series], we scored one run in each game," Thompson said. "Down the stretch, we had to tip our hat to too many starting pitchers... Those third and fourth innings were too much to overcome."

He hit the strike zone early and often, notching nine Ks (eight swinging.) Six of his strikeouts came consecutively in the second and third innings following Arkansas' double play to end the first inning.

He lasted seven innings into the game and allowed just three Auburn hits and just one more base runner on a walk to earn the win and improve to 2-2. McEntire held Auburn hitless through three innings and didn't surrender an extra-base hit until Bobby Pierce stroked a line drive homer in the seventh inning to deny the shutout.

"(McEntire) had all of his pitches working for him," said senior Brody Moore. "Wherever Turner put his glove, that's where the ball was going. I thought he had great command and didn't make as many mistakes as a starting pitcher usually does."

Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn made a lineup change in an elimination game, and it paid off. He moved lefty Peyton Stovall to second in the lineup, and he exploded for a 5-for-6 performance with three RBI.

Stovall led the way, but the whole top of the Razorback's lineup came through with big nights. Arkansas had five guys with multi-hit games, and the team had 16 hits as a club.

Auburn starting pitcher Mason Barnett was not able to match McEntire's dominance. After pitching in wins in the final games of the Regional and Super Regional, Barnett's luck ran out against the disciplined Arkansas hitters.

He was able to survive an early attack from the Hogs in the first inning, but three more runs in the third inning ended his day. When he allowed back-to-back knocks to start off the game, a mound visit from pitching coach Tim Hudson allowed him to calm down and punch out two batters and retire three straight to end the inning.

However, while McEntyre held Auburn hitless through the first three innings, its only base runner coming from a questionable no-call on a full count pitch to Moore, Barnett ran into trouble again in the third inning, and this time he couldn't escape it. The Hogs pushed one across on a single before Robert Moore shot a double down the line in left field to score two more.

Mike Bello had no shot at making the play, but that might be a good thing. With the sun glaring right into his eyes in the first five innings or so, he struggled to see and track down fly balls early in the game, and it seemed like left field was Arkansas' happy zone.

A single that should've been an easy out dropped in front of Bello to get things going for the Hogs in a three-run third inning before a no-doubt homer in the fourth left him searching for a ball he never saw.

Barnett was not as efficient hitting the strike zone, and the Arkansas hitters did not help him out. He picked up his third loss of the season, exiting after 77 pitches and only getting eight outs.

After John Armstrong came in and struck out his first hitter to stop the bleeding in the third, he could not repeat his performance in the fourth, as Arkansas mounted another monster inning.

Following a single and a double to put runners on second and third, Armstrong induced a popup for the second out and looked to escape the jam. Arkansas then smashed two consecutive extra-base hits to score four runs. Michael Turner knocked home two on a double before a Chris Lanzilli homer made it 8-0.

With Auburn held to two hits, Arkansas tacked on another run, this time on senior Carson Skipper. Again with two outs, Skipper gave up back-to-back base hits that brought Casey Wallace home before another single chased Skipper after his two-inning performance in which he surrendered three hits while striking out two.

Finally ending the shutout in the seventh, Pierce notched double digits in homers on the year with a solo shot down the left field line for his tenth of the year.

This was just one of several opportunities for the right fielder to show off in the game. After Auburn lost its review in the first inning challenging an out call, Pierce gunned down a man at second in the fourth inning but he was ruled safe.

He was determined to throw someone out, though, and after spinning in a circle, he fired a ball to third to get a man going from first to third on a single in the eighth inning.

Other than a single from Kason Howell and two singles from Sonny DiChiara, however, Pierce's gems were the only excitement for the Tigers in the end of an unbelievable postseason run.

To wrap things up, Auburn went to a group of four relievers: Chase Isbell, Chase Allsup, Carson Swilling and Brooks Fuller for the last 4.1 innings. They got six strikeouts while surrendering two hits and two runs in the ninth.

Auburn pitchers ended with 13 strikeouts in the game, notching double-digit Ks in all three games at the 2022 CWS.

When McEntire exited after seven innings, the Arkansas bullpen shut things down with two scoreless innings, and the Razorback offense added two more runs in the ninth inning to make it a double-digit victory.

Arkansas (45-20) will advance to play Ole Miss in a rematch to see who goes to the NCAA Championship against the winner of Texas A&M and Oklahoma. Arkansas, already with a loss in the Colllege World Series to Ole Miss, will have to beat the Rebels twice to advance.

Despite a disappointing finish, this Auburn baseball team (43-22) will go down in the history books. They finished fifth in a loaded SEC, hosted and won a Regional for the first time since 2010, went to Oregon and defeated the No. 3 team in the country in the Corvallis Super Regional and got its first win in the CWS since 1997.

"A lot of people can say that coming to Omaha is a once in a lifetime thing, but me, Kason (Howell) and Brody (Moore) and all the other guys have been here twice," Skipper said. "It's incredible to come to a place that brings such joy and happiness to the college baseball world more than once."

Doubted from the beginning, this team overachieved all season in the senior class' second trip to Omaha. Seniors Moore and Skipper sat beside Thompson postgame and had nothing but praise for their ball coach.

"[Getting back to Omaha] is a testament to (coach Thompson)," Moore said. "He's a great leader. He's one of the best I've ever played for. I wouldn't have it any other way."

This is a team that has momentum going into the future. Being able to host a Regional and seeing the team be so dominant in it might have been exactly what Auburn needed to bring excitement to baseball on the Plains for years to come.

"I absolutely think we're on the cusp of doing amazing things consistently," Thompson said. "That'll be the driving force, trying to leave this program in a better place."

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Auburn's postseason run ended by division foes in Omaha - The Auburn Plainsman

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Auburn gets dominated by Arkansas to end its season in Omaha.

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6/04/22

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Auburn baseball was pumped up to host its first NCAA Regional in 12 years, and it proved it on Friday night with an explosive 19-4 win in its opening game over SE Louisiana.

In its season-high scoring effort (Auburn also scored 19 in a win over Ole Miss), every player contributed. All nine of the starters reached base, and only Kason Howell didn't get a base hit, although he reached twice on a walk and a hit by pitch and scored once. The team got a season-best 20 hits.

Six Auburn hitters notched multi-hit games, including three players: Blake Rambusch, Sonny DiChiara and Mike Bello, had three knocks. However, it was Cole Foster, who was making his return from an oblique injury, that led the club with four hits that all were extra-base hits. Nate LaRue and Brody Moore also had two hits a piece.

"Great night for us," said head coach Butch Thompson. "Everybody contributed from top to bottom... We've been looking for that. When you see them invest in something and then get rewarded for it, that's a good feeling."

The long ball was a frequent event for Auburn, as it blasted a program record-tying seven long balls in the game, and the pitchers fed off of the offensive energy and struck out 14 Lions.

"We stood in there and battled," Thompson said. "Power to all fields showed up tonight... It started off with Rambusch getting a hit with two strikes, and he just passed it down from there."

What. A. Night. ?

Same time tomorrow, Auburn Family?#WarEagle
- Auburn Baseball (@AuburnBaseball) June 4, 2022

The crowd showed up to Plainsman Park in bunches, but some not fast enough, as Auburn got off to an 11-0 advantage after just one inning. In fact, the Tigers compiled six hits and sent nine batters to the plate before an out was recorded on a sacrifice fly from Bello.

The Tigers weren't done there. The team batted around and sent 14 hitters in the first inning alone. They recorded eight hits and four home runs in the first inning for the first time since 2010, and Foster, who made his return to the lineup at second base after a seven-game absence, was at the head of it.

The switch hitter slugged not one homer but two in the home first and tallied six RBI in just one frame. At second in the order, Foster launched a no-doubt moonshot over the Green Monster from the right side to put Auburn up 2-0, but after a pitching change, Foster was forced to go to the left-handed batter's box in his next at bat.

It was no problem for Foster. He launched one over the right field fence that time for a grand slam to extend Auburn's lead to double digits.

Also joining the dinger party in the first was Bobby Pierce after DiChiara's single, making it 4-0. Next time DiChiara came up, he was following Foster's bases-clearing dinger, and he did it with style. Capping off Auburn's monstrous inning, DiChiara went back-to-back with Foster to the opposite field for his 19th home run of the season.

With such a demanding lead, the pressure was off of starter Trace Bright, but he was sharp nonetheless. He improved his record to 4-4, going five solid innings and striking out 10 while allowing four runs on six hits and two walks.

While Bright kept working, the bats kept producing. The Tigers scored eight more runs after the first inning on 12more hits.

"It's comforting to have 11 runs in the first inning," Bright said. "Kudos to Cole [Foster] and everybody else up and down the lineup. You've still got to stay locked in and stay focused. You've still got to treat it like a 0-0 ballgame."

Alongside Foster, LaRue also managed a multi-homer night with two towering long balls. His first extended Auburn's lead back to 11 in the second inning, and his second sent the crowd "oohing" and "aching" as a ball that seemed to defy gravity went a mile high and landed somewhere on the other side of the Green Monster in the sixth inning to put Auburn up 17-4.

On the topic of multi-homer games, Foster wasn't done hitting bombs after the first inning. He hit his third of the night with a three-run shot, again from the left side in the bottom of the fourth. This gave Foster nine RBI in just three swings of the bat.

"It's awesome, and it's a great feeling," Foster said. "I'm just glad we came out on top."

Relieving Bright was sophomore southpaw Konner Copeland. He had a 13-run advantage to work with and little pressure, but he still pitched like the game was on the line in his first collegiate postseason appearance. He was scoreless through his first two innings while only throwing 24 pitches, allowing Thompson to go to him again in the eighth inning.

He got into a jam in the eighth, but with a 17-4 lead, Thompson had the privilege of letting Copeland try to work out of it himself. However, after a two-out, bases-loaded double that allowed Copeland's third run of the inning, Thompson turned to senior Brooks Fuller.

Fuller walked his first batter, reloading the bases, but he struck out the next batter to end the inning and send the game to the bottom of the eighth with a 17-7 score.

Auburn then boasted a 10-run lead with only three outs to get for the win, but the offense didn't let up.

After senior Garrett Farquhar led off the inning with a walk after entering the game at third base for Rambusch in the previous frame, Foster nearly hit his fourth homer of the day, but the Green Monster was too tall this time, and it bounced off for a double. With runners then on second and third, DiChiara hit an RBI groundout, and Cam Hill knocked an RBI single into right field before SE Louisiana got the final out.

Returning to the mound for the ninth inning, Fuller recorded a three-up-three-down frame to finish the night with a 12-run win.

Next on the schedule, Auburn (38-19) will meet No. 3 seed Florida State (34-23) in the winner's bracket of the Auburn Regional on Saturday at 6 p.m. CST. The winner of that game will advance straight to the Regional Championship, while the loser will play the winner of UCLA and SE Louisiana in an elimination game.

With Auburn projected to finish last in the SEC West in 2022 and having not hosted a Regional since 2010, fans were eager for the opportunity to cheer on the Tigers in Plainsman Park to start the postseason. Fans filled Tiger Terrace down the left field line, packed out the section behind the right-center field fence and even filled each level of the parking deck.

This is a trend that Auburn looks to continue into the tournament, as Thompson warns that even with the big win against SE Louisiana, Saturday's game brings "different circumstances."

"Everybody's worked during our tenure here for seven years to create a night like that in our ballpark," Thompson said. "This is a tough tournament. Regionally, we're the ones hosting, and that's called a great opportunity."

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Auburn bats scorch SE Louisiana in blowout win to start Regionals - The Auburn Plainsman

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Auburn comes out hot, blowing out SE Louisiana to advance to the winner's bracket of the Auburn Regional.

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8/26/22

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Auburn added some depth to its 2023 football class on Friday, landing its eighth commitment and second receiver in the class with Daquayvious Sorey.

After initially being committed to play for Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs, Sorey selected Auburn over Alabama, Florida and Miami, but not without some trickery. He picked up and tried on Crimson Tide and Florida Gators hats before tossing them to the side and finally putting on an Auburn cap. Unlike the other ones, the Auburn hat was put on to a crowd of cheers behind him.

With receiver being a position in question for the Tigers in recent years, they have now added two receivers of good size to the 2023 class.

Storey, standing at 6-foot-1, joins Central-Phenix City's Karmello English at WR in Auburn's 2023 receiving core. English stands at six-feet-tall and both receivers weigh over 180. Both guys are also 4-star recruits, according to 247 sports.

This is also the second recruit Auburn has snagged from the state of Florida for the 2023 group, along with 4-star edge Willy Denaud.

Reigning from Chipley, Florida, the pass catcher hauled in 30 balls for Chipley last year, good for 546 yards and six touchdowns, but catching passes is only one facet of his skillset that he displayed.

Sorey knows what to do with the ball in his hands. Not only did each of his receptions go for 18.2 yards a piece, he carried the ball 16 times for 187 yards and took two of those to the house. He also racked up almost 200 additional yards last year on special teams and showed his ballhawking ability by grabbing four interceptions.

Not to mention, Sorey is a multi-sport athlete. He also participated in track and field last year. Auburn has added a multi-faceted athlete to next year's class.

With Storey's commitment, Auburn's 2023 class jumped from No. 68 nationally to No. 58, and wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard will have another big-play threat in the WR room next season.

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Auburn football gets deeper at receiver, picks up eighth 2023 commit in Sorey - The Auburn Plainsman

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Auburn lands 4-star wide receiver Daquayvious Sorey.

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Served on editorial board and helped with editorials, this one in particular

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Served on editorial board and helped with editorials, this one in particular

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11/09/22

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In July this year, a collective, "On To Victory," was launched to provide Auburn University student-athletes with the opportunity to profit off their name, image and likeness.

On To Victory bought out Auburn's previous leading collective, NIL-Auburn, and the key differences between the two might just change Auburn Athletics for the better.

On To Victory's distinction is that the leadership that created it has declared that 90% of the collective's proceeds will go directly to Auburn student-athletes.

The On To Victory pledge specifically states that "the members of the executive board have pledged to never take a profit from their work with On To Victory."

On To Victory also promises transparency in the collective's finances and activities. It will implement administrative cost controls to ensure maximum benefits for student-athletes.

In order to adhere to National College Athletics Association Name, Image and Likeness rules and guidelines, the collective will conduct its business independent from the University. They will do this by pooling funds from Auburn boosters and businesses along with Auburn fans and local citizens.

What this collective will do is decrease the number of bootleg merchandise sold, as fans will now-for the first time ever-be able to buy specific, individualized jerseys without breaking rules and laws.

It will help level the playing field for all Auburn athletes by providing walk-ons, graduate students, transfers and athletes in less recognized sports the chance to make revenue.

It will give athletes in sports without a professional level the opportunity to profit at the collegiate level.

Not only will these athletes be able to make revenue, but they will also have the chance to be counseled while doing so-an opportunity made possible by On To Victory's advisory committee of former athletes representing all levels of sport.

This will be especially beneficial to female athletes- as they rarely get as much recognition as male athletes- regardless of their sport. The On To Victory collective represents progress for gender equity in sports, and it gives Auburn women in all sports opportunities they have always deserved.

"For Auburn to remain competitive on the fields and courts of play, we need to compete-and win-in the NIL arena. We will continue to adapt and be aggressive as we forge into year two... It is going to take all of us working together to make this a success. After all, that is the Auburn way," said former Auburn University Athletic Director Allen Green in a one-year update video released in late July.

Green was right. In order for Auburn athletics to continue to better serve its athletes, it is crucial that the Auburn family remains involved, informed and excited.

It is crucial that the Auburn family understands the importance of name, image and likeness and a collective that all Auburn athletes can take advantage of.

It is crucial that the Auburn family understands that the On To Victory collective does something that should have been done a long time ago: take name, image and likeness to the next level to acknowledge, celebrate and expand opportunities to the overlooked and underserved athletes.
Editorials represent the majority view of The Plainsman's editorial board and do not necessarily represent that of the entire newsroom.
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Editorial Board | Fall 2022

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EDITORIAL | Auburn Athletics is "On to Victory" - The Auburn Plainsman

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It is crucial that the Auburn family understands that the On To Victory collective does something that should have been done a long time ago: take name, image and likeness to the next level to acknowledge, celebrate and expand opportunities to the overlooked and underserved athletes.

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11/19/22

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12/06/23

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The Tigers have are losing 87 games of experience up front on defense with junior defensive end Colby Wooden declaring for the NFL Draft and senior edge Derick Hall graduating.

Wooden went to social media on Tuesday morning to announce that his Auburn career is finished after 91 solo tackles, 30 tackles for loss, 15 sacks and three forced fumbles in 40 games played over four seasons. He shined late in his career, as he was named SEC Co-Defensive Lineman of the Week after his game-changing strip sack in the fourth quarter in the win over Texas A&M.

Junior defensive end Colby Wooden is declaring for the NFL Draft after 91 solo tackles, 30 tackles for loss, 15 sacks and three forced fumbles in 40 games played. https://t.co/evH9fmNkgk
- Noah Griffith (@NoahGG01) December 6, 2022

The Lawrenceville, Georgia native racked up six sacks and 11.5 tackles for a loss in the 2022 season. He kept the pressure on opposing quarterbacks this season with 10 QB hits and three forced fumbles, including two fumble recoveries.

After making his debut as a freshman against Kent State, Wooden became a staple for the Auburn defensive line, playing three games that season as a freshman. He then earned a starting spot in 2020 and only improved from there.

Wooden, 2022 Preseason All-SEC Second Team defensive end, ended his career with three SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week awards.

But on the other end of the defensive line, Auburn is losing a senior team captain with 47 games under his belt in senior Derick Hall.

When he broke into the backfield for the Tigers' first sacks of both 2021 and 2022, it was only a foreshadowing of things to come. The 2022 Preseason All-SEC Third Team pick erupted for 16 sacks and 24.5 tackles for loss in his last two seasons.

He was a consistent presence on the field for Auburn as well as other team's backfields in his four years at Auburn. He played in 11 games in both 2019 and 2020 before playing in all 13 in 2021 and all 12 in 2022.

The Gulfport, Mississippi native also had a knack for creating turnovers. While Auburn did not get a takeaway in the first three games of 2022, he snagged an early-game interception versus Missouri to set things in Auburn's favor in its first SEC game in 2022. While that was his only interception of his career, he also forced five fumbles and recovered one against Arkansas this season.

The duo of Wooden and Hall closed out their respective Auburn careers wit˙ two tackles a piece versus Alabama. Hall also registered a tackle for loss for a three-yard loss.

Behind Wooden on the roster at defensive end is Marcus Harris, who is a senior, and redshirt freshman Tobechi Okoli. Behind Hall at edge is senior Eku Leota, who is also going to the NFL, and redshirt freshman Dylan Brooks. While Okoli did not see the playing time, Brooks played in nine games this season, garnering six tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery.

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Auburn left with big shoes to fill as Wooden declares for NFL - The Auburn Plainsman

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Junior defensive end Colby Wooden announced he is declaring for the 2023 NFL Draft on Tuesday, leaving Auburn the task of replacing key play makers up front.

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1/08/23

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With its back to the wall and in danger of falling to last place in the final rotation of its' opening meet, sophomore Sarah Hubbard took on vault and began a rally for the Tigers.

The vault specialist tied her career high with a 9.9, starting a chain that consisted of Cassie Stevens, Sunisa Lee and fifth-year Derriane Gobourne, who each slammed the door on their first meet of the new season and year with scores of 9.9 or better.

Despite Gobourne's career-high matching 9.95 on vault and Lee's all-around winning performance, No. 5 Auburn finished behind reigning National Champion Oklahoma and No. 4 Michigan for third place in its' Super 16 meet in Las Vegas to kick off 2023.

However, its' final score of 197.350 not only topped No. 10 UCLA, but it also improved on every other season-opening meet in Auburn history, including a 196.050 start last year.

"It was about developing our depth and testing ourselves coming into this meet, and I was really happy with how the team performed under the pressure," said head coach Jeff Graba. "We beat our program record and were up against great competition, so I'm excited. It was a great start, and we wanted to kick off the season the right way."

While it came in third in its' session behind No. 1 Oklahoma's 197.925, Auburn finished in fourth out of the 16 teams in Las Vegas. Looking outside its own standards, Auburn competed against three top 10 teams, its star gymnast, Lee, recorded the best overall score in her session and the Tigers put themselves within .575 of the last year's National Champions.

Entering the new campaign, the Tigers didn't have much replacing to do, as they only lost bar specialist Drew Watson following last season.

Olivia Hollingsworth filled her role on bars and started Auburn off strong with a 9.85, leading to a team score of 49.400 after the first rotation.

As a team, Auburn took a step up from its' 49.367 average on bars last season. While Hollingsworth, Gabby McLaughlin, Sophia Groth and Stevens all earned scores under 9.9, Gobourne posted a 9.9 before Lee boosted Auburn to second overall after one rotation with a 9.95.

Hollingsworth, a junior, also expanded her role from beam specialist to all-around competitor to start the season, competing in all four events and earning scores of 9.85, 9.675, 9.775 and 9.8. Groth and McLaughlin also increased their roles by being penciled in the lineup for three of Auburn's four rotations.

It only took Lee two rotations to pull out a perfect score. Along with the 10, she tallied a total score of 39.750 to earn the top all-around score of the joint session.

"The team did really well and did a great job putting everything together," Lee said. "Personally, I feel like I did everything I could. I had a couple of hiccups and I'm still trying to figure out my routines, but I'm just taking day by day and am happy with tonight."

Despite missteps resulting in low scores for Hollingsworth and Stevens on beam, Auburn's best event in 2022 where it ranked fourth nationally, Lee performed a routine to close out the rotation with her first perfect 10 of the season. But it couldn't keep Auburn from falling to third place, where it remained for the final two rotations.

After it broke its early tie with UCLA in the second rotation, Oklahoma rolled the rest of the way to a seemingly effortless victory, but Auburn made plenty of noise on its way out of the building.

Groth posted a 9.825, Hollingsworth a 9.8, Hubbard a 9.9, Stevens a 9.925 leading up to Lee and Gobourne to drop the mic in the final event with a 9.9 and 9.95, respectively. Together, Auburn tied the vault corps record with a 49.500 unit score.

"It felt great to hit that vault," Gobourne said. "I messed up my steps a little bit, but we've done so much in training that I just trusted myself and everybody in front of me. Tonight was so much fun and I'm so proud of us."

While it was a historic meet that set Auburn off to its best start in program history, Graba and the Tigers know they can't let their guard down now. Competing with the No. 1 team in the nation won't get Auburn down time. The No. 2 Florida Gators lurk next on the schedule on January 13 in Gainesville, Florida.

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Auburn gym notches program-best opener behind Lee's all-around win at Super 16 - The Auburn Plainsman

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A program record-record season opener only earned Auburn a third place finish in its Super 16 meet despite an explosive finish.

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1/08/23

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Depth was a question mark coming into the new season for Auburn women's basketball, but it was confident in the fact that it could turn to one of the best veteran duos in the nation as the freshman class ripened.

Aicha Coulibaly (16.7 PPG) and redshirt senior Honesty Scott-Grayson (15.8 PPG) proved to be everything they were last season and more in Auburn's first 13 games, but once SEC play hit, it all fell apart. This has been a common theme for the Tigers, as they haven't notched a winning record in conference play since the 2018-19 season.

That trend continued versus Alabama in front of the largest crowd for women's basketball this season, as the Tide swept Auburn off the floor in an 88-57 win in which Auburn never held the lead. Alabama, who swept three games with Auburn last season, improved to 13-4 and 2-2 in SEC play, while Auburn fell to 10-6 and 0-4 in SEC play.

Scott-Grayson missed the first three games of conference play, and Auburn lost all three, but the team expected to pick up where it left off once she - one of two seniors on the roster - returned. But on Sunday when she returned to the court in the first quarter, it didn't complete Auburn's dynamic duo. Head coach Johnnie Harris found out the day of the game that Aicha Coulibaly - Auburn's top scorer this season and last - is out with a concussion.

"We had AC, and now we don't have AC," Harris said. "We had to play players out of position. We got a bunch of young players playing; I just have to simplify things for them and make sure- make them better."

Scott-Grayson, who Harris said isn't at full strength, made an immediate impact by dumping an assist to freshman Kharyssa Richardson - who also came off the bench due to struggles in the previous three SEC games - in her first offensive possession. However, she was limited to six points in 17 minutes.

Individual minutes were dispersed fairly evenly among the team, except for senior guard Sania Wells, who was a workhorse on the floor for 32 minutes. The production from her in those minutes was a sort of bright spot in what was a disappointing outcome for Auburn. She splashed a pair of 3-pointers on her way to 13 points, but otherwise, Auburn's shooting night was dry.

In opposition to Alabama's 8-for-16 performance from beyond the arc and 57% shooting from the field, Auburn shot 35% from the field and 5-for-16 on 3-pointers. While the Tide cooled down from deep in the second half after a sizzling first half from Hannah Barber and the Tide, they still outscored Auburn 48-20 in the paint while outrebounding the Tigers 39-27.

"We'd let them drive and penetrate, we'd come over to help and then they'd kick it. We just didn't have the rotation down that we were supposed to have," Harris said. "We worked on it in practice, but then again we had [Coulibaly] up until yesterday. We're relying on players that haven't been in this position (before)."

Besides being down a key player, Auburn didn't take advantage of opportunities it created as well as Alabama. Both teams forced 15 turnovers, but the Tide scored 20 points off those turnovers while Auburn converted them to just nine. Alabama also created better looks consistently throughout the night and got to the rim with 17 assists compared to Auburn's eight.

Auburn has lost three of its last four games by double digits, but the other two were on the road at now 15-2 Ole Miss and by 52 at reigning national champion and undefeated South Carolina. But a 31-point throttling by Alabama leaves Auburn questioning how it's going to move forward without its two star players at full health.

Richardson, Wells and Mar'Shaun Bostic provided some offensive life for the Tigers, each scoring in double figures. Freshman Sydney Shaw led the team with five rebounds with nine points while splashing two 3s in the starting effort.

All 10 of Bostic's points came in the second half, and the sophomore guard did it while adding three rebounds, a team-leading three assists and two steals. But her surge that helped the bench to 29 points wasn't enough to even chip away at a deficit that sat at 21 at halftime. Alabama outscored Auburn 51-41 in the second half to secure its first double-digit SEC win of the year.

The team has to find a way to build on those small bits of individual success. As Harris said, it will take a team coming together to make up for the missed production from Coulibaly and Scott-Grayson.

It won't have much time to readjust, though. Next on the calendar is undefeated No. 7 LSU in Baton Rouge. While this offers a tough, physical threat, it poses a big opportunity for Auburn to build some confidence in a young, growing team that is forced to find a new identity.

"I mean, this is what we have, and we got to get them ready to play," Harris said. "(Without key players) the entire game plan changes. So, that was a little tough, but that's just the way it goes. That can happen at any time. Somebody else has to step up, and I gotta get that person ready - or, those people ready. You won't replace (Coulibaly and Scott-Grayson's absences) with one person."

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SEC struggles continue for Auburn versus Tide - The Auburn Plainsman

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Down a top scorer for its fourth straight SEC game, Auburn failed to keep up with Alabama in a blowout loss.

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1/15/23

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Jaylin Williams tied his season-high in 3-pointers in a game in the first five and a half minutes against Mississippi State - three makes in a row.

In a rare night where Auburn was dominated in the paint, the Tigers relied on the long ball to sink the Bulldogs 69-63 and secure its 28th consecutive home win. The Bulldogs outscored Auburn 40-24 in the paint, outrebounded Auburn 38-32 and won the turnover battle 20-16, but Auburn's 11-for-25 from beyond the arc opposed to Mississippi State's 0-for-18 negated any area where it might have lacked.

Auburn kept its foot on the pedal from there, and Williams racked up a season-high 21 points on five 3s - just three shy of his career-high 24 against Ole Miss two seasons ago. Williams ignited the 3-point fire, and he nailed the 11th and final deep ball to give Auburn its season-high in 3s in a game this season (previous was 10 versus Colgate).

"Mississippi State is so big, so long, so athletic. The closer you get to the basket against them, the better chance you get blocked," said head coach Bruce Pearl. "So, we had talked a lot about just trying to get some open shots and taking those open shots... It was really good."

Auburn's 44% shooting from the field was enough to hold a seven-point advantage with 1:16 on the clock, but Williams had fouled out with 2:30 to go so clutch free-throw shooting from Wendell Green Jr. secured the win for Auburn. The Bulldogs only led for 56 seconds in the game, but they were able to keep it within single digits throughout by getting easy looks inside, winning the second half 41-39.

In a match between two of the SEC's most aggressive defenses, Auburn converted 10 steals to 14 points - including an emphatic Allen Flanigan dunk to put him in double-figure scoring for the fourth straight game. Flanigan shot 4-for-8 from the field while splashing two 3s, hauling in a team-best seven rebounds and three assists to help his team to a third consecutive win.

"It means a lot (to have Flanigan as a go-to scorer) because Al is a great scorer and he's a great defender, and like very underrated when it comes to rebounding," Williams said. "Very explosive, one of the best athletes on the team."

Green Jr. led the way with four steals, leading to easy opportunities for Auburn in transition. Along with his strong shooting, he displayed his top-notch floor vision with three assists in his team-leading 32 minutes on the floor.

"He's got a swagger and confidence," Pearl said. "He's able to make plays because he's not afraid of the moment. He's very experienced, and he's a really smart player."

While Auburn shot the ball with great efficiency from outside, avoiding Mississippi State's sure interior - which proved to live up to the hype with four blocks - it also looked made some lazy passes resulting in 20 turnovers, seven of those coming from Flanigan.

The Bulldogs benefitted from an off night from Johni Broome, who Pearl called Auburn's "most consistent player." Broome only managed six points and four rebounds while turning the ball over four times. Without Broome running the paint, Auburn - second in the nation in blocks - only denied one Mississippi State drive. That block was by Flanigan, but the singular effort wasn't enough to keep Tolu Smith from 20 points and Dashawn Davis from getting to the line 13 times in his 13-point performance.

Chris Moore, who suffered a separated shoulder in Auburn's last game, had an MRI procedure the following day but has yet to return to practice and spent his time on the Auburn bench with his arm in a sling.

While Auburn struggled in some areas, it found a way to win in a different way than it has all season, this time for its third straight SEC win.

Tied for second in the SEC, the Tigers will head into Baton Rouge on Wednesday for a 6 p.m. CST matchup with LSU (12-5, 1-4), a team looking to rebound from a 40-point loss at the hands of No. 4 Alabama.

"It's early, though," Green Jr. said. "You know, we still got to play some of the top teams. But, you know, we just take it one game at a time. We gotta go on the road two games in a row, but we feel better about how we're playing."

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Williams' season-high scoring elevates Auburn over Mississippi State - The Auburn Plainsman

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Jaylin Williams scored his season-high in points, and Auburn made a season-high number of threes in its 28th straight home win.

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3/08/23

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No. 9 Maddie Penta celebrates ending the first inning with a strikeout against South Alabama on Friday, March 3. BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER AUBURN — The Auburn softball field is …

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10/31/23

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Auburn wheelchair basketball had its best finish in school history last season, but head coach Robb Taylor and his team have sights set even higher when the 2023-24 season begins on Thursday, November 2.

After falling by one point to runner-up Arizona in the National Semifinals last season to finish at No. 4 in the country, Auburn is looking to take another step forward behind a talented incoming class meshed with six veteran leaders.

"Top four was great, but I think the guys have their eyes on the championship game this year," Taylor said. "I know everyone says that at the beginning of the year, but I can tell you that the feel of this team is different than any team we've had here at Auburn. That makes me excited for the future and what we can do this season."

At the start of their schedule is reigning National Champion and Auburn's biggest rival: the Alabama Crimson Tide. Taylor named last year's championship participants, Alabama and Arizona, as the two teams with the most returning talent.

With a young, talented roster that includes six freshmen and a transfer, Taylor is grateful for the opportunity to face top talent from the start and have a chance to test his best lineups early in hopes of peaking late in the season in March. He will also how the newcomers pair with veteran leadership like seniors Luke Robinson, Jake Eastwood and Joe Rafter.

"The first game for us on Thursday against Alabama is going to be a big game for us," Taylor said. "What better way to start your season than against the top team from last year to see where we measure up."

Auburn's schedule consists of three home tournaments: one a piece in November, December and February. In between the home slates are two tournaments in Tuscaloosa in January and March, one at Missouri to start December and a tournament at Edinboro University in February.

The team's fall semester schedule runs through December 16, and the season picks back up in 2024 on January 19 in Tuscaloosa, where Auburn will see the other four of the top five teams from last season with No. 3 Illinois and No. 5 UNC Whitewater in addition to the two championship teams.

That tournament will be a chance for Auburn to apply what it learns from the season opener and reevaluate after the freshman class has a semester under their belt. According to Taylor, the development of the freshman class brings a lot of new skillsets to the table, but the team has to learn to use them efficiently.

"One of our freshman, Ben Edwards, he's the tallest guy on our team and probably the tallest we've had in program history; he's going to give us the ability to play inside," Taylor said. "Another freshman, Jude Hiley, is a left-handed shooter and can stretch the floor with a three-point shot. We've got some freshman that are quick; they're going to allow us to push the tempo and, defensively, allow us to go into a full court press."

With a skilled team that's looking to bring another championship to the Plains, Taylor and the Tigers are hoping for fewer empty seats in Beard-Eaves Coliseum that holds 10,500 people. The Tigers will spend three weekends at home throughout the season, but each tournament consists of multiple games across multiple times.

Auburn has Alabama circled on the calendar, but another match for fans to watch for is on Saturday, November 4 at 6 p.m., a team from Tampa that's associated with the Wounded Warrior Ranch is coming to the Plains. On that team is Paul Schulte, three-time U.S. Paralympian and wheelchair basketball standout.

"If there's a game to come and watch, that would be the one to come to," Taylor said of the game with Tampa's Wounded Warrior Ranch.

Auburn wheelchair basketball begins its path to the National Championship Tournament starting on November 2 at 6 p.m. CST versus Alabama in Beard-Eaves Coliseum. The end destination is in Marshall, Minnesota, for the National Championships on March 13-16.

"Yeah, it'd be great to win every tournament we play in, but our goal is to win at Nationals, and we always do a good job of preparing our student-athletes to peak at that time," Taylor said. "We peaked when we needed to last year, but we just kind of ran out of time against Arizona."

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Auburn wheelchair basketball carrying big aspirations into new season - The Auburn Plainsman

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Auburn wheelchair basketball had its best finish in school history last season, but head coach Robb Taylor and his team have sights set even higher when the 2023-24 season begins on Thursday, November 2.

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9/27/23

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH / FOR THE OBSERVER
AUBURN -
Rebounding from a loss the prior week is something Lee-Scott Academy had not done since week four of 2021, but senior Jake White and the Warriors got back in the win column on Friday after a loss to rival Glenwood the week before.
Behind five scores and 215 all-purpose yards from White, Lee-Scott got the bad taste out of its mouth by channeling its energy into a dominant 56-7 win over Macon-East Academy. The win on homecoming night over the winless Knights helped the Warriors improve to 4-1 and reestablish themselves as AISA powerhouses.
"Man, we were really angry this week," White said after Lee-Scott lost its first game in two seasons the prior week. "We wanted to come out and show everyone, like, 'Hey, we're a dominant football team and [last week's performance] was a fluke.' I think we're going to see [Glenwood] again in state and we're going to take it and win state."
Head coach Buster Daniel said his team had a rough first practice following the loss on Monday but that the team has responded with much better energy and cohesion since then.
The Warriors' energy resulted in their second-biggest win this season. They held a 42-0 lead at halftime, and after White returned the kickoff back for a touchdown to begin the second half, he and starting quarterback Pelzer Reeves - along with many other starters, did not return to the game.
But that wasn't until White had trotted into the end zone five times. He ran for TDs on both of the Warriors' opening drives - the latter a 57-yard run on the first play of the second drive. He also caught a 22-yard TD pass from Reeves, the lone score through the air, and returned a kickoff to the house to give Lee-Scott a 49-0 lead to open the second half.
"What's not to say [about White]; he's a special young man, and he's a special player," Daniel said. "He's just ... he's really good, and he's fun to coach."
The starting defense also had two interceptions in the first half, including a 20-yard pick six from junior Tripp Vaughn. Reeves also threw one INT, but the Warriors ended up winning the turnover battle 3-1. The only Macon-East score came on a kickoff return score in the second half directly after White began the half by returning one of his own.
The Warriors, without junior running back Parker Wright and senior receiver and defensive back Miles Zachry due to injury, saw a variety of players touch the ball in addition to White. Jonathan Myers had several long carries (and got to show off his leg on the final kickoff), junior Tyler Kennedy ran for a nine-yard TD in the first quarter, junior Banks Sims got a few carries and freshman RB Braxton Cox capped the win off with a rushing TD.
The second half was all about the underclassmen and getting young guys in the game. Sophomore QB Ethan Hardee led a TD drive, capped off by Cox, and Lee-Scott sealed the deal with an interception in the end zone.
"It's been a while since we've been on the L side, but it's great to get back, and we're happy to win again," Daniel said. "I just enjoy watching the young guys get a chance to play."

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Lee-Scott Warriors Rebound With Big Homecoming Win

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH / FOR THE OBSERVER AUBURN -Rebounding from a loss the prior week is something Lee-Scott Academy had not done since week four of 2021, but senior Jake White and the Warriors got bac...

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Follow-up on career bests in 2023 season

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Follow-up on career bests in 2023 season

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10/04/23

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Sports Illustrated Atlanta Braves News, Analysis and More

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Matt Olson etched himself into Atlanta Braves history with a franchise record 54 homers and 139 RBI; Ronald Acuña Jr. did the same with 73 stolen bases. But the Braves' historic season was a result of the club cohesively rising to the occasion and putting together career seasons.

Yes, there were guys who stood out, but the Braves led the MLB in players with 40 or more homers (three), 30 or more homers (five) and 20 or more homers (seven) this season in route to tying the 2019 Twins for the most ever homers in a single season with 307.

There were team records set, but it is the result of a strong season from each individual. No one in the Braves starting lineup hit fewer than 17 homers this season, and no qualified Braves starter hit under .250 this season.

The Braves will have a lot of Silver Sluggers this year, but I think every hitter in the Braves lineup can walk away from this season satisfied with their individual performance. It's hard not to when they set this many individual career highs.

Home Run Kings

With the Braves home run totals, it shouldn't come as a surprise that five Braves set career highs in homers this year: Olson (54), Marcell Ozuna (40), Ozzie Albies (33), Sean Murphy (21) and Orlando Arcia (17).

Acuña also matched his career high of 41, and Austin Riley (37) and Michael Harris (18) both fell one shy of their bests.

The MLB home run king, Olson, blew his previous PB of 39 homers out of the water, while the others edged out their best toward the end of the season.

Ozuna hit three dingers in the last two games to surpass his previous best of 37. The Big Bear not only set his PB, but he reached 40 homers for the first time ever and hit 30 or more for only the second time in his 11-year career and first time since 2017 with the Marlins.

Albies eclipsed his previous record of 30 from 2021 by three, Sean Murphy hit 20 homers for the first time ever and, despite not hitting a homer since September 2, Arcia eclipsed his previous PB by two homers - his most since 2019.

Acuña and Olson have completely rewritten the history books in Atlanta and across the MLB, and I think it's safe to say their strong careers leading up to 2023 just leveled up.

Why not say it again? MLB leaders in both categories and now Atlanta king of both, Olson slugged a career best 54 homers and 139 RBI.

You could basically go through every hitting stat and, yep - career best. While playing every single one of 162 games two years in a row, he notched his best in runs (127), hits (172), triples (three), extra-base hits (84), total bases (367), walks (104), batting average (.283) and OBP (.389). His slugging percentage and OPS are his best while playing a full season (.604 and .993). His 7.4 WAR is 1.6 higher than his next highest in 2021.

For Acuña, 159 games played are the most in a season, and he set a PB in runs (149), hits (217), doubles (35), RBI (106), walks (80), steals (73), batting average (.337), OPS (1.012), and his 8.1 WAR is 2.6 higher than his next best in 2019.

The right fielder also matched career highs in slugging percentage (.596), HRs (41) and struck out fewer times than any other 162-game season, while recording his most ABs in a single season in 2023 (643).

Both guys also recorded their highest exit velocities throughout the season and recorded the hardest-hit ball of their careers, according to Stat Cast. Acuña's average exit velo was 94.7 MPH and his hardest-hit ball was 121.2 MPH - the hardest-hit ball in the MLB this season. Olson's average exit velo was 93.7 MPH, and his hardest-hit ball was 118.6 MPH.

Bottom feeders?

Atlanta had questions at the bottom of the order coming into the year, but Arcia and Harris made the bottom of the order a strength for Atlanta all year.

Despite going through some sophomore slumps coming off his 2022 Rookie of the Year campaign, Harris still improved in quite a few areas in year two while playing 24 more games: runs (76), hits (148), doubles (33), walks (24), XBH (54) and total bases (241). He also tied last season's total in stolen bases (20), and finished just .004 under last season's .297 batting average and .008 under his .339 OBP.

Spending the year in the eighth hole, Arcia rose to the occasion to put up PBs in: runs (66), XBH (42), homers (17), doubles (25), RBI (65), slugging percentage (.420) and OPS (.741).

More All-Stars

All-Stars Murphy, Riley and Albies need some love, too. Murphy struggled after the All-Star break, but these guys quietly raked while their teammates took the spotlight.

Earning his first All-Star selection in his first year in Atlanta, Murphy set PBs in: homers (21), RBI (68), HBP (18, team high), batting average (.251), and his .365/.478/.844 line was the best in a full season in his career, as was his 3.9 WAR.

Riley fell three games shy of s perfect attendance in the lineup this season, but he set career highs in: runs (117), triples (three), total bases (328), walks (59), steals (three), while tying his career total with 179 hits.

Albies had a huge power surge this year, not only setting a PB with 33 HRs, but in RBI (109), HBP (eight) and slugging percentage (.513). Meanwhile, his 4.7 WAR is his best since his 4.8in 2019.

Reflecting

When three of your top four hitters set career highs in both runs and RBIs, you're going to score a lot of runs. Harris increased his hit and XBH-hit rate at the bottom of the order, and the rest of the guys filled in. There was truly nowhere for pitchers to turn to get outs against Atlanta this season.

The two starters mentioned the least above, Eddie Rosario and Ozuna, have served 10 and 11 seasons in the MLB, respectively. Notching a career high in their illustrious careers, not to mention in the back half of them, would be extraordinary - which is why Ozuna's 40 homers is incredible. There's also the fact that he only had two HRs and five hits at the end of April.

It's the contributions of all these guys that helped Atlanta lead all of baseball this year in batting average (.276), homers (307), RBI (916) and hits (1,543). Even the guys who didn't break franchise records rose to the occasion.
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One for the books: Braves hitters set many individual bests this season

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Braves hitters rewrote the history books in Atlanta this season, but which players redefined their own careers in 2023?

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10/07/23

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Sports Illustrated Atlanta Braves News, Analysis and More

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The circumstances look all too similar to last year's National League Division Series. The 104-win Braves enter with six straight NL East titles and the MLB's best regular-season record, but the 90-win Phillies are riding high off a Wild Card round win when these two teams meet for the second straight postseason.

The Braves enter as heavy favorites for the second year in a row. Yet again, they are the NL's top seed, and this year, they have the most wins in team history since 1995. But the Phillies are okay with that. They've been here before.

Last year, the Phillies sent the Braves home in four games on the way to their first World Series appearance since 2009. They would love nothing more than to make it to the big stage in consecutive seasons for the first time since that same year and win it all for the first time since 2008.

In those four games, the Phillies scored 24 runs despite being shut out in game two. The middle of the Philadelphia batting order was lethal, getting the Phillies on the board first in all three of their wins.

All three of those instances were in breathtaking fashion.

It started out with the Phillies scoring a pair of runs off Max Fried in the top of the first in game one, and they put off a late Atlanta rally to take that one. Kyle Wright silenced their bats in game two, but when the series went to Philadelphia, the Phillies restarted that trend of early momentum. They scored six early runs to put Atlanta in a huge hole in game three and again jumped out to a big lead with a Brandon Marsh three-run homer in game four.

This season, the Braves own the series record between these two division rivals, 8-5, and the team who has scored the first run of the game has won all but two of those games. One of the exceptions was an extra-inning Braves win, and a run wasn't scored until the fifth inning in a 4-2 Braves win in the other.

With .90 first-inning runs per game this season, the Braves have the best first-inning offense in baseball. Including a seven-run first inning in an 11-4 win over Philadelphia in May, they have tallied 13 first-inning runs versus the Phillies this season in as many games.

Obviously, Ronald Acuña's theatrics impact that offensive output, but another big factor in getting on the board first is silencing Phillies leadoff hitter Kyle Schwarber before you get to that daunting middle of the order that killed the Braves last October. It can be easy to fixate on Bryce Harper, who is notorious for killing Braves pitching (44 career HRs off Braves), but Schwarber ld the team with 47 dingers this season - including a 483-foot shot off Wright in September.

However, Schwarber can also be a rally killer, as he led the MLB with 215 strikeouts in the regular season. It will be key for the Braves to take care of him and minimize damage versus the middle of the order that consists of Trea Turner, Alec Bohm, Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto.

The Phillies will be without Rhys Hoskins this time around, who missed the season after tearing an ACL in Spring Training. Still, the Phillies' two through five hitters went 20-for-52 with four homers and 16 RBI in the three NLDS games they won last season. Oppositely, they went 2-for-15 in game two when they were shutout.

It will also be key for the Braves to keep their arms healthy. They were haunted last season by Fried and Spencer Strider, who were also on extended rest periods, being held back by injury and illness. Fried will have to deal with his left index finger blister and not aggravate it to have the possibility of starting more than one NLDS game if needed and into the NLCS, and Strider will look to stay on the roll that he finished the season on.

In order to reverse last season's outcome, the Braves need to punch out Schwarber, limit the damage done by the heart of the Phillies' order and get ahead early on the scoreboard.

Here are the pitching matchups for the best-of-five NLDS series.
Game 1 (Atlanta), Saturday at 6 p.m EST:
-Spencer Strider (20-5, 3.86) vs. Ranger Suarez (4-6, 4.18)

These two faced off in June, and it was the game mentioned earlier when neither team scored until the fifth inning. Austin Riley went deep for Atlanta's sole run off Suarez, and Strider allowed a run in six innings while striking out nine.

Despite getting tagged for five runs in 2.1 IP in game three of the NLDS last year, Strider has been lights out versus Philadelphia this year, going six innings against them twice and seven innings twice in four matchups. He struck out nine the first three outings, and then fanned 11 most recently in a win on September 19.

As Lindsay Crosby wrote, starting a lefty versus Atlanta is a bold move. There's good reason why few teams start lefties against them. (link to story)

Although the Phillies won Suarez's game one start in the NLDS last season, he earned a no-decision after 3.1 innings of one-run ball with three hits and five walks versus Atlanta. He also got a no-decision in his one start against the Braves this season - allowing one run on four hits over 6.0 IP.
Game 2 (Atlanta), Monday at 6 p.m. EST:
-Max Fried (8-1, 2.55) vs. Zack Wheeler (13-6, 3.61)

Again, Fried got roughed up in game one of last year's NLDS, allowing four runs on eight hits and a walk in 3.1 IP. However, he should be in much better health this time around as long as his blister doesn't get unexpectedly worse. He went five innings and allowed one run in a no-decision in his lone start versus the Phillies this season, and the Braves have won his past five starts, including that one.

With Wheeler, it depends what version of him shows up to Atlanta.

Wheeler also started that September game against Fried, which ended in an extra-inning Braves win after Wheeler surrendered six runs in five innings. He also lost game two of the NLDS last season despite allowing just three runs across six innings, but his first of three starts against Atlanta this season was eight shutout innings, so he has had some highs and lows against the Braves.

He was masterful in 6.2 IP of one-run, eight-K ball in game one of the Wild Card round against the Marlins, so if that version of Wheeler shows up and Fried stays healthy, runs will be hard to come by in this game.
Game 3 (Philadelphia), Wednesday at 5 p.m. EST:
-TBA vs. Aaron Nola (12-9, 4.46)

The Braves have not announced a starter for game three, although it is being reported that Wright will be left off the roster. That leaves Bryce Elder (12-4, 3.81) who has struggled as of late with a 5.86 ERA with 28 hits and four homers allowed in five September starts, and rookie A.J. Smith-Shawver (1-0, 4.26) who made six starts this season, as the likeliest options for game three.

On the other side, Nola will start after dazzling in seven scoreless frames against the Marlins in game two of the Wild Card round. Like Wheeler, he has been up and down against the Braves, but being at home might play in his favor.

He spun six shutout innings at home in last year's NLDS game three, and he did the same in his lone home start against Atlanta this season. However, he allowed seven runs and 14 hits over his two starts in Atlanta, so the Braves have had success against the 30-year-old righty. If the Braves want to jump on him, they'll want to do it early in the game and let Atlanta's game three starter work with a lead.
Game 4 (Philadelphia, if necessary), 6 p.m. EST
-starters TBA
Game 5 (Atlanta, if necessary), 6 p.m. EST
-starters TBA

Splits and Trends

The Phillies swept a best-of-three series with the Marlins in the Wild Card round on Tuesday and Wednesday, while the Braves haven't played another opponent since their regular-season finale on Sunday.

The Phillies looked dominant against the Fish, outscoring them 11-2 in two games. Second baseman Bryson Stott hit an electrifying grand slam in game two along with a long homer from Realmuto, and everyone in the Philadelphia starting lineup notched a hit in game one.

The Philadelphia bullpen did not allow a run until the ninth inning of game two, while working 4.1 innings in the series, and Wheeler and Nola both eased through quality starts.

In an effort for the Braves to stay in tune, Atlanta held public workouts and scrimmaged each day Tuesday through Thursday, but the week void of games is going to be a challenge the Braves face for the second year in a row. They ended the season by dropping two-of-three to Washington, so the question will remain until Saturday: Do the Braves have enough juice left to take down the surging Phillies?

Not until the Saturday night lights in Truist Park shine bright will the answer be revealed, as the past two National League Pennant winners show down on TBS with revenge and repetition at stake.
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NLDS series preview: Braves get shot at redemption versus Phillies

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Atlanta's the heavy favorite...again. Can they stop a Phillies squad that tore through them last year?

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Glenwood HS stays undefeated on senior night

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Glenwood HS stays undefeated on senior night

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10/25/23

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH
FOR THE OBSERVER

SMITHS STATION -
A week after clinching the top seed in its region, Glenwood honored its seniors before giving way to the program's future in a 49-8 victory over Morgan Academy on senior night.
Three senior receivers hauled in touchdowns for the Gators within the first four minutes of the game - the first six offensive snaps. On the third play of the night, senior Eli Bankston snagged his first career TD catch before seniors Griff Garner and Brayden Gooden followed - hauling in passes from three-year starter and senior quarterback, Dallas Crow.
"I'm blessed to be their coach, and thankful that we have 20 seniors that are phenomenal kids, great character guys and great players," said head coach Ryan Nelson. "It's been a fun bunch to coach ... I can't say enough about them and how tight they are and how much of a family culture we have in our locker room."
While Crow and the starters improved to 9-0 and continued their undefeated season in dominating fashion, their nights ended before halftime. Up 42-8 going to the break, Glenwood showed off a glimpse of the program's future in the second half, playing mostly all freshman, junior varsity and underclassmen to wrap up the win.
After sophomore running back Carter Judah pounded one in from 10 yards out and senior Levi Pinder hit junior River Baker for a TD to make it 35-0 after a quarter, freshman QB Trey Claridy and freshman RB Josiah Clark first appeared in the second quarter.
Claridy, who "has a little Crow in him" with his shifty running and ability to throw on the move, started his night by leading a scoring drive. The drive included a few long QB keepers and was capped off by a TD scamper from Claridy to end the half with a 34-point lead. The Gators held onto that lead and tacked on in the third quarter with a Clark rushing TD.
The young defense also kept Morgan scoreless for the remainder of the game, marking two weeks in a row where the Gators have surrendered just one score. More importantly, Nelson said everyone was able to stay healthy and rested after blowout wins in two straight weeks.
"We came in here tonight and did what we wanted to do," Nelson said. "We're 9-0, and you know, we're looking forward to a big one next week."
Looking to stay undefeated in the season finale, however, will not be an easy task. Glenwood will go on the road to Chambers Academy (8-1), who hasn't lost a game since a week one loss to Lee-Scott, 14-6.
With the region title and first-round playoff bye already secured, Nelson is looking forward to the final test of a clean slate in his second year leading the Gators. This would be Glenwood's first undefeated regular season since 2020.
But Glenwood's hopes go beyond the regular season. It is vying for the program's first ever state championship victory in what is set to be its final year in the AISA.
Glenwood's playoff race all starts in the semi-final round at Glenwood on Thursday, Nov. 9, but not until the Gators go for an undefeated season next Friday.

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Undefeated Glenwood strolls past Morgan on senior night

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BY NOAH GRIFFITHFOR THE OBSERVER SMITHS STATION -A week after clinching the top seed in its region, Glenwood honored its seniors before giving way to the program's future in a 49-8 victory over Mor...

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10/26/23

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Little did he know, when Wes Byrum nailed a 35-yard field goal in the second quarter of Auburn's 2008 SEC season opener, it was an all-time great Auburn moment in the making.

It was the moment that delivered then-No. 9 Auburn a 3-2 win a mere 15 years ago in Starkville, Mississippi. Flash forward a decade and a half, and two more struggling offenses are getting ready to go head-to-head in the 96th edition of Auburn versus Mississippi State.

As the clock churned under eight minutes in the fourth quarter of that 2008 contest, the Auburn defense was shutting out the Bulldogs and had forced nine punts along with a missed field goal. Head coach Tommy Tuberville's Auburn already pitched a shutout in week one against Louisiana-Monroe, and it only allowed 13 points the prior week against Southern Mississippi - making Auburn 2-0 heading into its week three battle.

The early-season defensive slugfest turned out to be no fluke. Auburn only allowed 18 points a game that year, but just like this 2023 matchup is set up to be, Auburn and Mississippi State was a battle of two underproducing offenses.

Auburn, who ended up going 5-7 in 2008, scored its fewest points per game this century that year, averaging 17.33 points per game. Oppositely, the Bulldogs went on to score 15.25 points per game while going 4-8 on the year.

In that 2008 matchup, there wasn't as much as a touchdown. All it took was one good swipe of Byrum's right leg to silence the cowbells, but the Auburn offense made the second scoring play of the game in the fourth quarter - for the other team. This came after another clutch kick put Auburn with its backs against the wall.

Mississippi State's Blake McAdams lined up to punt for the 10th time from the Bulldog's 45-yard line with 7:49 on the clock. It was a beauty, and the Bulldogs hustled downfield to down the ball at the Auburn 3-yard line.

After a 1-yard run by Auburn running back Ben Tate and an incomplete pass from quarterback Chris Todd, Auburn faced a third-and-9 from its own 4-yard line. Todd took the snap, rolled out to his right and delivered another incomplete pass. He hustled off the field, and punter Clinton Durst prepared to punt for the eighth time in the game - this time, out of his own end zone. But Durst never got the opportunity.

Instead, a flag was thrown for holding against Auburn's offensive line. The holding took place in the Auburn end zone - therefore giving Mississippi State a safety and two points.

It was a 3-2 game, and that's how it fizzled out. The only two highlights from the game were a field goal and a safety. Auburn missed two additional field goal attempts, and Mississippi State missed one.

From there, Auburn's Tate fumbled twice, making it three lost fumbles in the game for Auburn, and Mississippi State answered with a turnover on downs and an interception. Tate redeemed himself on the final drive with a 39-yard third-down run to seal the win for Auburn. Todd kneeled three times, and Auburn escaped with a win for the ages to stay undefeated for the time being.

This year might be a similar low scoring duel, as both offenses have proved scrappy at best.

Last week, Mississippi State edged out a 7-3 victory over Arkansas with a sole second quarter TD. The Bulldogs rank 11th in the SEC with 26.86 points per game and 11th with 351.86 yards per contest.

On the other hand, the 2023 Tigers come in 12th in the conference in the category with 26.71 points a game. The Tigers also rank 13th in the SEC in total yards per game, while they are last in the conference and 121st in the FBS with 151 passing yards a game.

Although the teams are further into the season this time around and this game is taking place in Jordan-Hare Stadium, the circumstances are all too familiar for this year's matchup between the two division foes. Fifteen years ago doesn't seem so foreign with this game up on deck for the Tigers.

Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.

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Reminiscing on 3-2 game as Mississippi State comes to town - The Auburn Plainsman

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With this week's matchup versus Auburn and Mississippi State featuring two struggling offenses, here's a throwback to the game between the two that ended in a 3-2 score 15 years ago.

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Student etiquette part 2: international students 

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Student etiquette part 2: international students 

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10/19/23

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On Friday at 4 p.m., Pakistan Student Association President Zubair Khalid addressed a room full of Auburn students from all around the globe while they chowed down on a popular Pakistani dish.

He was preparing to give a presentation to educate others on Pakistani culture at the International Student Organization's weekly social hour event. This event features a different country each week - including a popular dish from that country and a presentation on the country from a student who comes from there - creating a room where students of different cultures mesh.

Events like these give international students a platform and create a welcoming environment for them at Auburn University, according to Khalid.

"I think it all comes down to exposure," Khalid, a veterinary medication graduate student, said. "The more interaction there is [between international and domestic students], the more you tend to know about them, and then you tend to find similarities rather than differences. That's how you come together."

Even with Auburn's required diversity and multicultural training, interacting and working directly with students with unfamiliar backgrounds can be perplexing. Comfort zones are challenged and awkward situations are often in play when international and domestic students interact because of all the unknowns and differences.

Most international students that I interviewed reported that they were pleased with their experience at Auburn and with the student body in general, but they did acknowledge some areas where change is necessary.

I sat down with several different international student groups at Auburn to get a better understanding of international students' experience on campus. Here are some tips I compiled from those conversations on how to improve etiquette toward international students on campus.
Be understanding of imperfect English
I think most people know how difficult it is to learn a new language. Remember what it was like learning Spanish? French? German? It's tough, but now picture everyone around you speaking it fluently.

English is taught in many other countries like how a secondary language is offered in high schools in America. However, several international students said the quality of English they were taught was inadequate for living here. Many of them said they were taught overly formal, "robotic" English, and Southern jargon and accents were not taken into account. Words like "y'all," "for sure," "bet" and "slay" were puzzling the first time they heard them.

"The fact that we're not fluent in English doesn't mean we're not trying, and it doesn't mean we're not intelligent compared to domestic students," said Mason Nyew, an Auburn student from Malaysia. "I feel like because of the lack of communication skills, people sometimes take us less seriously, but we have the same capabilities as domestic students."

ISO President Hannah Hong said because international students' imperfect English and accents might create misunderstandings, they're often hesitant to get out of their comfort zone and interact with domestic students. This communication barrier can lead to misconceptions because these topics aren't talked about.

Breaking this communication barrier is a learning curve that simply requires understanding and patience from domestic students. Empathy is a big part of that.

While some international students might not be fully accustomed to Southern small talk or jargon, it still helps for domestic students to initiate interaction. Even small, positive interactions to start out helps break the ice and open a line of communication with international students.
Don't assume wealth status
A common assumption that several international students mentioned is that people think international students are wealthy since it takes a lot of money to come here from overseas and because some international students buy cars or expensive housing. Similarly, some of them also noted experiences where domestic students assumed they were poor because of the lack of those things.

While some come from wealthy backgrounds, international students as a whole come from many different countries and circumstances. Insos Mayor, a business analytics student from Indonesia, said she and many other international students she knows have on-campus jobs to help provide financially.

"The financial burden definitely puts more pressure on us to do better in school because of the investment that our parents, or, like, the institution, has put into us," said Jeevalraj Aulakh, an Auburn student from Indonesia. "If [Auburn] would provide better opportunity for scholarship for us, that would be great... Like for me, I do pay with my parents' money, but they've actually worked so hard and put aside a certain amount of money just for school."

Instead of assuming, showing interest in the needs of others is key in building a positive relationship. Whether an international student is rich or poor or somewhere in the middle, it feels good to know that other students care and are willing to step in and offer a hand wherever needed.

This is something people are known for in the South, and most international students agree that "Southern hospitality" is a real thing. Aulakh and others expressed their gratitude toward domestic students' for their generosity with their resources: offering to give rides, welcoming them into their homes, cooking for them, etc.

That type of kindness is being noticed and is improving relationships among domestic and international students.
Pursue practical activity
ISO's social hours each Friday are helping promote diversity and bringing students of different cultures together, but the bridge between domestic and international students can't be closed without involvement from domestic students.

Even domestic students are welcomed and encouraged to attend ISO's events.

"A lot of people think, because of our name, International Student Organization is only for international students," Hong said. "But we are part of student government, so we consider everyone a part of ISO. Our events are open to every student."

ISO Vice President of Communications and Marketing, Bren Wells, is an American student, but she said being a part of ISO has been one of the best parts of her time at Auburn.

"I think it's so important for [domestic students] to get involved and learn about all these different experiences at Auburn," Wells said. "Meeting international students has been one of my greatest honors and privileges here. I've learned so much and gained so much perspective, and my empathy has only grown for other people."

Breaking the barrier between international and domestic students means both parties shifting their comfort zones to the side. The ice takes time to melt, but take it from Wells: Auburn and beyond will be better places because of it.

Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.

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Let's talk about etiquette: International students - The Auburn Plainsman

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Several international students addressed some underlying misconceptions domestic students have about international students. Here are some tips to help clear those misconceptions and improve etiquette for interacting with international students.

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10/6/23

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Auburn adaptive athlete headed to Powerchair Soccer World Cup - The Auburn Plainsman

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Zach Dickey, an Auburn University graduate student and adaptive athlete, is representing Auburn in the U.S. Powerchair Soccer World Cup starting Oct. 14. 

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(Freelance) Former state champ wrestler returning for more with OHS

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(Freelance) Former state champ wrestler returning for more with OHS

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9/28/23

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Auburn High Bounces Back in Dramatic Fashion With Win Over Dothan

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9/13/23

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER
AUBURN -
It seemed as if last week was repeating itself as Dothan lined up for a game-winning field goal with 20 seconds remaining in the game, but Auburn High blocked out the past.
This field goal was no good. Auburn blocked Dothan's 37-yard field goal and forced overtime, where the defense stood up to give Auburn (2-1) its first region win of the season after losing a heartbreaker to Enterprise last week.
But one overtime wasn't enough. After the Tigers and Wolves traded touchdowns in two straight OTs, Dothan opted to go for a two-point conversion for the win, but Auburn stuffed the attempt well short to secure the 28-27 win on the road.
With each team starting on the opponent's 10-yard line, the Wolves and Tigers both scored TDs in the first OT, with quarterback Henry Allen bulldozing his way into the end zone for Auburn to force a second OT. Senior Tre'Marcus Webb started off the frame with his second rushing TD of the night, and Dothan responded by running it in for its own score. Instead of kicking it for the tie, the Wolves tried to steal the win with a two-point attempt and failed on an outside handoff.
The game-sealing stop was just one of many defensive highlights of the night for the Tigers, but without starting QB Jackson Kilgore, who suffered an injury in last week's game, it was rough riding at times for the offense that only put up 14 points in regulation.
With senior Ean Nation at QB in the first half, Auburn racked up two rushing scores and, more importantly, did not commit any turnovers in an offense with no experienced QBs behind Kilgore. Allen took snaps at QB for most of the second half, and despite being blanked in the second half, he also didn't turn the ball over. He led the OT charge, scoring his first TD of the season in the first OT to keep the Tigers alive.
The defense gave Auburn momentum from start to finish, as defensive back Jace Williams snagged an interception on the game's opening drive that he returned back to the Dothan 10-yard line. However, the Tigers failed to take advantage and turned it over on downs at the 1-yard line.
But after forcing Dothan's first punt of the night on the next drive, Webb punched it in from nine yards out to put Auburn in front. Webb's two scores were his first of the season, as he came into the game with no previous touches in the first two games of the season.
Dothan quickly answered with a rushing TD of its own, but Auburn punched right back with a 52-yard breakaway rushing TD from sophomore running back Omar Mabson. That marked the biggest offensive play of the game and gave Auburn a 14-7 lead going to halftime.
The Tigers got nothing going on offense in the second half, and it nearly resulted in a comeback win for Dothan.
Dothan forced an Auburn punt to start the second half and drove the ball into Auburn territory, threatening to tie the game. Then came Akeem "Deuce" White, out of nowhere. He put a commanding end to the drive with three consecutive sacks to continue the scoring drought into the fourth quarter.
Auburn punted to the Dothan 10-yard line, and the field seemed a mile long for the Wolves the way the Tiger defense had been playing. But Dothan found some juice left, and it drove down for a TD with 4:51 left in the game and again forced an Auburn punt.
The Wolves' offense was rolling again, and QB Sam Broadaway completed a pass to the sideline to set up a game-winning field goal - just like the field goal that Enterprise sunk Auburn with in week two.
Down to the wire, Auburn stood tall, blocked the kick and outlasted previously-unbeaten Dothan (2-1) in a 2OT thriller to avoid consecutive losses for the first time since the 2016-17 season. Auburn, who will likely still be without an injured Kilgore, will stay on the road next week to take on region foe JAG High School (0-3) at 7 p.m. CST.

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Auburn High Bounces Back in Dramatic Fashion With Win Over Dothan

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER AUBURN -It seemed as if last week was repeating itself as Dothan lined up for a game-winning field goal with 20 seconds remaining in the game, but Auburn High bloc...

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Glenwood HS defeats Lee-Scott in championship rematch

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Glenwood HS defeats Lee-Scott in championship rematch

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9/20/23

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH
FOR THE OBSERVER
SMITHS STATION -
On Friday night, Glenwood reversed last season's narrative with a 42-31 win over reigning state champion Lee-Scott Academy, ending the Warriors' 18-game win streak and three-game series streak.
The win was Glenwood's first over Lee-Scott since 2020, which includes a state championship loss to its rival last season. While snapping the Warriors' win streak, the Gators extended their dominance in the swamp with their fifth straight victory over their rivals at home.
Not only was it the first rivalry win for Glenwood head coach Ryan Nelson, it was the first for senior Dallas Crow as starting quarterback. In his third year as starting QB, he and the Gator offense scored on all but three drives to put up the most points of any team against Lee-Scott since Bessemer scored 43 on the Warriors in October of 2020.
"It feels great to get a win either way - starter or not," Crow said. "It's a team game. I'm just here to win for this team."
Coming in with Glenwood as the No. 1 seed in the region and Lee-Scott No. 2, the win helped Glenwood improve to 5-0 and take sole possession of the lead in the AISA 3A region, while Lee-Scott falls to 3-1 and hopes for a chance at a rematch with the Gators in the postseason, as was the case last season.
While Nelson said he was enthused about the win, it wasn't necessarily because it was over Glenwood's rival. The Gators have taken care of business early this season against stout competition, and the win gives the team confidence that it can beat the best going into its bye week.
Nelson started his postgame talk by telling his team they were off until the end of the day on Tuesday. That got a barrage of cheers.
"It's been a long five weeks," Nelson said. "People don't understand: that was a state championship football team (in Lee-Scott), Pacelli is a state championship football team, Brookstone was a final four team, so three of our first five opponents - a lot of people in Alabama don't know what we played over in Columbus. So, we are thrilled to be where we're at right now."
The two high-flying offenses put together a lot of big plays and enjoyed a majority of success through the air, while chunk plays were plenty.
Glenwood's Crow and Lee-Scott QB Pelzer Reeves combined for seven TDs through the air - four by Crow and three from Reeves. Four of those scores went for 60-plus yards, in addition to Lee-Scott running back Parker Wright opening the scoring with a long rushing TD before senior Jake White caught a 75-yard TD on the first play of the second half.
Each team only punted once, but the difference was a pair of Glenwood interceptions by seniors Jackson Griggs and Camden White, who also had two receiving TDs on the other side of the ball. White said that was his first multi-score game, his first game with a TD and an interception and maybe the most he's ever played on defense in a game.
Lee-Scott kicked a field goal to make it a 21-17 Glenwood lead going to halftime and scored on the first play of the second half to take the lead. Those turnovers, the first followed by a Glenwood score and the second ending with Glenwood running out the clock, helped the Gators pull ahead and seal the win.
"You can't make mistakes against a really good football team, and that's what we did," said Lee-Scott head coach Buster Daniel. "They took advantage of it - that's what you're supposed to do. So we've got to clean all that up and, you know, keep fighting because you got all season ahead of you."
With Glenwood going into a bye week and Lee-Scott returning home to face Macon-East Academy this week, both teams have a good idea of what they need to improve on after facing each other. Nelson said Glenwood is going to have to work on minimizing the big plays it allows on defense. For Lee-Scott, its limiting turnovers.
Nonetheless, both coaches were encouraged by the play of their QBs. Reeves aired it out more than he's had to all year and found junior Brady Cegielski for a pair of TD passes as well as the one to White.
Crow also made some big plays with his arm, but converted several big third and fourth downs with his legs, including a rushing TD on fourth down in the first half and another score on the ground after converting a 4th-and-8 in the second half. He spread the ball to seven different Glenwood receivers, including an 80-yard TD to White and a 75-yard TD to junior Mason McCraine.
Glenwood challenged Lee-Scott more than anybody in 2022, being the only team to come within 20 of the Warriors, but it still resulted in 19 and 14-point wins for Lee-Scott. This time, Glenwood found the recipe to outduel its rival.
The season is still young, but it wouldn't be a shock to see these teams have a rematch for the state championship again in 2023 - this time, with Lee-Scott looking for revenge.

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Glenwood Avenges State Championship Loss, Takes Down Lee-Scott

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BY NOAH GRIFFITHFOR THE OBSERVER SMITHS STATION -On Friday night, Glenwood reversed last season's narrative with a 42-31 win over reigning state champion Lee-Scott Academy, ending the Warriors' 18-...

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Spencer Strider strikeouts - Braves Today

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Spencer Strider strikeouts - Braves Today

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9/13/23

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Sports Illustrated Atlanta Braves News, Analysis and More

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Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Spencer Strider has quickly become a strikeout king early in his career, but how far can the 24-year-old go on the all-time strikeouts leaderboard?

The righty from Ohio has ranked top 15 in the MLB with over 200 Ks in both of his first two full big-league seasons, and he's running away with the MLB lead in 2023. He's entering tonight's start with 250 Ks and 13.9 K/9 - 23 Ks and 2.2 K/9 higher than any other pitcher this season.

He's struck out 452 batters in 61 career games - 48 of them starts. That gives him 13.7 K/9 for his career, and he shows no signs of slowing down, as he has 51 Ks in his last seven starts. But in order to rank among the strikeout greats, that's going to have to continue.

Nolan Ryan is the MLB career Ks leader, with 5,714 across 27 MLB seasons. He led the MLB in Ks in 11 of them and pitched until he was 46. He accrued over 300 Ks in six of those seasons.

So yeah, I'd have to have my head in the clouds to predict that record to be broken. The closest to him is Randy Johnson at 4,135. However, Strider's first two seasons have given plenty of reason to expect him to crack the leaderboards.

There are only four currently active pitchers in the top 50 all-time in strikeouts: Max Scherzer (311th, 3,367), Justin Verlander (13th, 3,322), Zack Greinke (20th, 2,966) and Clayton Kershaw (21st, 2,930). At age 38, Scherzer needs five more Ks to move past Greg Maddux into the top 10. Greinke is in his 20th season, while the other guys are hovering just under that mark.

If Strider matched his strikeout average between this season so far and last season (226 Ks) every year until he's 40 years old, he'd strike out 4,068 batters over 18 seasons, which would put him below Steve Carlton at fifth on the all-time list. If he can reach 20 MLB seasons and went at that pace, he'd get to 4,520 Ks, just behind Roger Clemens for fourth all-time.

20 seasons and beyond is quite the rarity, especially in this day and age, but every player in the top 10 of the strikeouts list has pitched at least 20 seasons (Scherzer would change that, with this being his 16th year).

Strider hasn't missed any extended period since being with the Braves, but he did undergo Tommy John surgery in 2019 before Atlanta drafted him in 2020 out of Clemson. Then again, stars like Verlander have also had Tommy John, and he's coming off a Cy Young Award season and is pitching in his 18th MLB season. He has 8.1 K/9 this season and is now 19 Ks away from passing Phil Niekro for 11th all-time.

However, Strider will need to avoid a second Tommy John surgery. The second Tommy John surgery, which Jacob DeGrom recently underwent this season, is known to have a longer recovery timetable and a more drastic effect. According to SI's Tom Verducci, recent studies say the average rehab time from a second Tommy John is 20.76 months, and only 29% of those players lasted more than two further seasons in the MLB.

Therefore, it will take longevity and a continuation of his current dominance to crack the top 10 in all-time career strikeouts. Career longevity might be even more important, however, as not even Scherzer or Verlander have struck out batters consistently at Strider's pace.

In fact, Scherzer's career K/9 is just 10.7, while his career high was 12.7 in the Nationals' World Series year. Ryan's career 25.3 K% doesn't touch Strider's 37.7%. It wasn't until the end of Verlander's third MLB season that he reached 452 Ks, and he has a 9.0 career K/9. Kershaw has a 9.8 career K/9, and Greinke's is just 7.9.

Strider is going at an elite pace. He's recorded 10 double-digit strikeout games this season, giving him 16 such performances in his career already. Two of those are against the Phillies, and he's fanned nine both times he's faced Philadelphia this season.

The sky's the limit for Strider, and his career-high is 16 Ks in a game (last September against the Rockies). The only question seems to be how long he can keep it up.
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Strider looks destined to be among strikeout royalty

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Spencer Strider is striking out batters at a higher rate than several all-time strikeout leaders early in his career, but how far can he go?

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Student etiquette part 1: disability etiquette

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Student etiquette part 1: disability etiquette

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Date: 9/18/23

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Let’s talk about etiquette: Students with disabilities - The Auburn Plainsman

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For many students, moving to college might be the first time interacting with people with disabilities or dealing with a person that has a type of disability they’ve never seen or heard of before. 
With no guidance, disability etiquette can seem tough, but it is more simple than people think. H…

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Braves will help decide NL Wild Card race – Braves Today

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Braves will help decide NL Wild Card race – Braves Today

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8/25/23

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Sports Illustrated Atlanta Braves News, Analysis and More

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The Braves have a 13.5-game division lead on the road to their sixth consecutive division title, but they will be one of the most influential teams in this year's Wild Card race.

Just as the Giants could taste a playoff spot amidst a madhouse race for an NL Wild Card spot, the Braves have jumped out from behind the corner, making a .5-game deficit in the Wild Card look like it might be a September full of playing catch-up.

The Braves took two-of-three from the Giants last weekend, and they'll haunt the Giants for three more games this weekend. This just begins the run of Wild Card contender opponents the Braves will run through to end the season as six teams are all within 4.5 games in that race.

The Braves have 16 games and face four of those opponents, including the Giants, throughout the rest of the season: seven games versus the Phillies (2.5-game lead with the top WC spot), three games with the Marlins (2 GB) and three games with the Cubs (.5-game lead with the second WC spot).

The Braves are 24-10 against the six Wild Card contenders in the NL this season already, and they're 27-8 against the NL East. As the race comes down to the wire, the MLB's best team will make life hard on these teams trying to climb the ladder. The Diamondbacks and Reds, who are currently in the middle of a four-game set with a .5-game disparity between the two (D-Backs claim third WC spot as of now), have the benefit of avoiding the Braves down the stretch. Although, the Diamondbacks have the tougher draw of the two, facing the AL-leading Orioles and NL-West-leading Dodgers in September.

The Braves know the role of spoiler too well, and even with a commanding division lead, they maintain the opportunity to crush some hopes, nonetheless, and six of those games are in Truist Park. They also have a rematch with the Dodgers after being swept earlier this season.

Atlanta went 18-8 last September on the way to swiping the Mets' division lead, including a three-game sweep of the Marlins, taking five-of-seven with the Phillies and dropping two-of-three in San Francisco.

Even as the stakes feel low with a commanding division lead, the Braves will play a big part in some of the MLB's biggest drama, the NL WC race, to end the season as well as fending off the second-place team in the NL East for two series'.
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Don't fall asleep yet, Braves fans - this team still has a lot of influence on how several NL playoff races shape out down the stretch this season

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8/30/23

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH

FOR THE OBSERVER

SMITHS STATION --

Year two under head coach Ryan Nelson for Glenwood is off to a strong start with two season-opening defeats of Georgia opponents - most recently, a 38-17 win at Brookstone on Friday night.

"I'm proud of our guys, you know, two very tough contests for us - one at home, one on the road," Nelson said. "Very, very happy with the way our guys prepared the last two weeks. Also, the effort we played with - it's been two hot, physical ballgames, and we've responded the way I knew our kids would. Just happy with where we're at right now."

In year three at starting quarterback for the Gators, senior Dallas Crow has settled in nicely to begin this season. He led the Gators' offensive effort against Brookstone by rushing for four touchdowns and leading scoring drives on five of seven of the Gators' offensive possessions of the night. He broke off several long runs late in the game, including a 51-yard score to end the third quarter.

After Brookstone ran for a quick score on the opening drive of the night, Crow and Glenwood answered with scores on all four of its first-half drives to take a 24-10 lead to halftime. The first two TDs were Crow runs, but they were both set up by throws to senior wide receiver Camden White for big gains, getting the Gators down near the 5-yard line both times before scoring on subsequent runs.

As Nelson said before the season, Crow found his stride late last season in year one in a new offense, and for the first time as the starter, he's entering year two in the same system.

"I think you could see (Crow settling in) tonight," Nelson said. "He was able to get the ball pumping early in the game, on the perimeter, through the air and then use his legs. He's a dual-threat guy and can do it both, but he's not the only one."

In addition to two big catches to set up house calls on the first two drives, White accounted for the other TD in the game with a nine-yard rush in the second quarter. He also broke up a pass in the end zone late in the game and dove to down a punt on the Brookstone 1-yard line.

Kicker Griffin Montroy made the punt that White downed just before it rolled into the end zone and also hit a field goal in the second quarter. Senior receiver Brayden Gooden also made some big catches alongside White, helping open up the run game for Crow and sophomore running back Carter Judah.

"It's kind of an offense by committee," Nelson said. "We don't want to have just one bullet, we want to have a lot of them. Just trying to stick to our system and our pace and have a lot of fun with the kids."

Brookstone junior linebacker Mercer Hudson was a one-man wrecking crew, blowing up running plays and getting a sack, but otherwise, the Gators got just about whatever they wanted on offense. Friday night's win marks two straight weeks they've put 38 points on the board.

Defensively, the Gators got the game's sole turnover on a first-half interception, and they forced turnovers on downs on the Cougars' final two drives. However, Brookstone had some success running the football, and Glenwood had some self-inflicted penalties which it will look to clean up before heading into road matchups with Fort Dale and Bessemer the next two weeks, before returning home to face Lee-Scott.

"Kind of disappointing that we didn't get it out of the locker room," Nelson said, referring to Brookstone touchdowns to open each half. "But I'm proud of the way they played. We've faced two different styles of offense, so, [it was a] good challenge for us. But I'm happy with how our guys responded."

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Glenwood Continues Hot Start Roaring Past Brookstone

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER SMITHS STATION -- Year two under head coach Ryan Nelson for Glenwood is off to a strong start with two season-opening defeats of Georgia opponents - most recently, a 38-17 win at Brookstone on Friday night.

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Braves players personal bests watch - Braves Today

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Braves players personal bests watch - Braves Today

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9/4/23

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Sports Illustrated Atlanta Braves News, Analysis and More

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It is well-known that the Atlanta Braves lead almost every major hitting category in baseball: homers, average, hits, RBI, to name a few. This is one of the best offenses in Braves history, and several individuals on this team are putting together career years and are set to surpass career marks.

It's getting to the point where it's almost unfair to compare this lineup to others, unless you're comparing the bottom of the Braves lineup to other team's top hitters. So, I thought I'd compare them to themselves.

From one to nine, this 2023 Braves line up flat out hits the ball hard. In fact, five guys in the starting lineup have hit the hardest balls of their career this season: Ronald Acuña Jr (121.2 MPH; hardest-hit ball in the MLB this season), Matt Olson (118.6 MPH), Austin Riley (116.1 MPH), Eddie Rosario (110.4 MPH) and Sean Murphy (114.7 MPH).

But that is just the start of the year of bests for Atlanta this season. Here are some Braves hitters who already have or are looking to surpass career marks.

Home Run Kings

Three Atlanta sluggers have already set career bests in homers. Olson's career-high 44 is tied with Shohei Ohtani for the MLB lead, and Orlando Arcia 's 17 and Murphy's 20 dingers are both personal bests.

Atlanta's MLB-leading fifth hitter with over 25 homers, Ozzie Albies, is two dingers away from his career best of 30, which he set in 2021 en route to winning a Silver Slugger award. He is on pace for about 34 homers, although he hasn't hit one since coming off the IL, so his last bomb was on August 12.

After setting his personal best with 38 homers in 2022, Austin Riley is on pace to match that total. Like Marcell Ozuna, he has 32 home runs. But Ozuna's career-high is 37 in 2017 with the Marlins. He has already hit his second-most homers in his 11-year career and has eight in his last 12 games, so hitting six more in 26 games to set a personal record seems probable.

Michael Harris, Rosario and Acuña are the only starters not projected to surpass their single-season home run record, but Harris only trails his rookie year total of 19 by six. With Acuña hitting three homers in the Dodgers series, he sits at 32 homers - nine shy of his 2019 total.

Both in the top five in the NL MVP race, Acuña and Olson are shattering personal records left and right.

Olson not only has his most ever homers in a season, 112 RBI this season is already his career high. In the eighth year of his career, Olson also has a personal best three triples and .373 OBP. His .581 slugging percentage and .953 OPS are also his best in a full season. He's on pace to break his personal bests in hits (needs 17 more) and walks (needs two more).

It would be fair to say Acuña's 2023 season will go down as one of the best ever. If he doesn't reach his homer total, it might be the only thing he doesn't set a personal record in. He already has his personal best in hits (leads MLB with 184), extra-base hits (67) and steals (leads MLB with 63), and he's working on his highest average (.335), OPS (.994), BB/K (0.95) and WAR (7.0). He's on pace to match his 2021 total of 101 RBI, while surpassing his highs in walks (needs six more) and runs (needs five more).

Bottom feeders?

Arcia and Harris have occupied the bottom two spots of the lineup throughout the majority of the season, but their success has been crucial to Atlanta's dominance this year.

In a breakout season where he garnered his first All-Star appearance, Arcia already has his most homers (17), runs (57), and doubles (18) in a single season in his nine-year career. His .280 average and .334/.450/.785 batting line are all career highs, while he is on pace to eclipse his career highs in RBI (needs five more) and finish just below his total of 140 hits in 2017 (currently has 113).

Harris has gone through growing pains at times in his sophomore season, but his next stolen base will set a new personal best, as he currently sits at 20. His next game will be his 114th this season, the same amount he played in his Rookie of the Year campaign. He sits with as many triples as last year (three) and already has his career high in walks (25) and an improved BB/K (0.30). He is also on pace to surmount his total in hits (needs seven more) and doubles (needs five more).

The Newcomer

In his first year in Atlanta, Murphy is also finishing off his first All-Star campaign and already has personal bests in homers (20), RBI (67) and HBP (17) in 95 games. Despite sharing time with Travis D'Arnaud, Murphy is also set to surpass his career best in runs (needs eight more), while he has his best average (.268) and WAR (3.7) in his fifth year in the big leagues. His .377/.515/.893 batting line is also his best in a full season (disqualifying 2019, when he played 20 games).

Looking Forward

These sluggers have 26 more games to chase down personal bests this season. While Acuña, Olson and Riley have played all 136 games this season, Arcia, Ozuna and Albies are also everyday players when healthy. Murphy will continue to split time behind the dish, and Atlanta might choose to rest some guys down the stretch with a commanding division lead.

If two personal bests look most feasible to be surmounted, it's Albies' 30 homers and Acuña's 127 runs. However, Olson's chase to 154 hits and Ozuna's chase for 38 homers are two intriguing races to watch for in the final month of the regular season.
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Their own competition: Which Braves will set personal bests this season?

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Several Atlanta Braves position players have already met or exceeded personal bests at the plate this season

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7/27/23

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH

FOR THE OBSERVER

BEAUREGARD --

Beauregard high school football coach Justin Jones has set a blueprint for his team: "Go hard, do right and expect to win."

The Hornets only won six games total from 2019 to 2021, but after a 10-2 season and a trip to the playoffs in Jones' first year at Beauregard last season, the team is believing those words. At Tuesday's High School Media Day in Opelika, the Hornets echoed their coach's belief.

"I think our confidence level has stayed the same, if not more confident, because we've looked at what we've done, and we know we can do it again," said senior offensive lineman Dustin Tarvin. "I know that we're not going to be satisfied until everyone in that class, or anyone on the team, has a ring for a state championship this year."

Last season, Beulah opened with a 21-16 win over Selma, and it stayed undefeated until week eight, when it failed to find the end zone in a loss to Central of Clay County. The Hornets went on to lose to UMS-Wright Prep in the second round of the playoffs in its first playoff appearance since a first-round exit in 2018.

After opening with Selma again, Beauregard has some big games on the schedule this season, including a rematch with CCCHS. For the first time in four years, Beauregard will face its region foe at home.

But three of the Hornets wins last year were decided by single digits, and they won't take any opponent for granted.

"We won't circle any opponent on our schedule," Jones said, stepping in to answer for his players. "We just made one big circle over the whole schedule. That's how we approach it."

Behind the jump from 4-6 in 2021 to 10 wins under Jones last year came a culture change. It all started with the blueprint that he teaches that began to show in the dedication the players show each day in their work.

"I think just understanding that there is a process to winning, and us trying to live to that standard and that blueprint every day is the biggest turnaround," Jones said. "I was taught by a coach - that is now coaching college football - early in my career, if you want to change a culture of a place, you have to change the faces. Sometimes assistant coaches, but it's the growth of young men."

Along with the culture shift, the Hornets are returning their top rusher and receiver from last season. Both entering their senior year, running back Jacori Tarver carried the ball for 1,309 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2022, while wide receiver Javonn Holman hauled in 35 catches for 784 yards and 12 TDs.

Beauregard will kick off its season versus Selma in Montgomery's Crampton Bowl on Aug. 24, but not until after the annual kickoff camp, which has featured guest speakers such as Beauregard graduate and Baltimore Ravens cornerback Lardarius Webb. This event has helped the players grow in confidence and believe that they can win, just like Webb did.

"[Lardarius is] no different than these young men sitting here [his team]," Jones said. "He came from our neck of the woods and was able to play some college football and had some success in college and turned that into an NFL career. ... We want our kids to have a mindset through the growth of our program and our infrastructure that they can walk on the field and expect to have success."

BEAUREGARD FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

- Aug. 25: vs. Selma (Neutral: Montgomery)

- Sept. 1: vs. Central-Haynesville

- Sept. 8: vs. Valley

- Sept. 15: @ Tallassee

- Sep. 22: vs. Charles Henderson

- Sept. 29: OPEN

- Oct. 6: @ Sylacauga

- Oct. 13: vs. Elmore County

- Oct. 20: vs. Central-Clay County

- Oct. 27: @ Jemison

- Nov. 3: vs. Lincoln

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Jones Has Beauregard Believing Again After Strong Debut Season

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER BEAUREGARD -- Beauregard high school football coach Justin Jones has set a blueprint for his team: "Go hard, do right and expect to win." The Hornets only won six games total from 2019 to 2021, but after a 10-2 season and a trip to the playoffs in Jones' first year at Beauregard last season, the team is believing those words.

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Riley following in Chipper's footsteps vs Mets - Braves Today

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Riley following in Chipper's footsteps vs Mets - Braves Today

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8/14/23

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Sports Illustrated Atlanta Braves News, Analysis and More

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As the Braves showered 40 runs in last weekend's four-game series on the Mets, Austin Riley bashed the ball all around Citi Field - bringing flashbacks of Chipper Jones hushing Shea Stadium in his days as Atlanta's third baseman.

11 years after Jones hung 'em up, Riley is cooking up something similar against Atlanta's division foes in his fifth season in the MLB. Last weekend, he went 6-for-17 with seven runs scored, two homers, two walks and five RBI.

Mets fans aren't chanting Austin's name yet, as they chanted "Larry! Larry! Larry," Chipper's birth name, as he walked to the plate. Those days might be coming, though, if he keeps tormenting the Mets at this pace.

Jones hit .309 with 265 hits, 99 extra-base hits, 49 homers, 159 RBI and 265 runs scored with a .406/.543/.949 slash line in 245 career games against the Mets. 19 homers in Shea Stadium, the Mets' home before Citi Field, was the most for Jones in any road ballpark.

On the other hand, Riley is just getting started with a .297 batting average, 69 hits, 18 homers, 38 RBI and 49 runs scored with a .364/.582/.946 slash line in 63 games versus the Mets. What draws such comparison, though, is the moments the two Atlanta third baseman have come through in to help drown the Mets.

The Division Race

"We're coming for 'em," Riley famously said in a post-game interview last September before hunting down the Mets for the team's fifth consecutive NL East title in 2022.

We all know the story. The Braves trailed the Mets by 10.5 games in the NL East to begin June 2022, and the Braves marched all the way back to snatch their fifth consecutive division title. The glorious run was capped off by a sweep of the Mets in the next-to-last series of the season before the Braves clinched the title versus the Marlins in the coming days.

In that series, Riley went 4-for-8 while scoring a timely run in each game, and it was Riley who got the party started in that huge sweep of the Mets in Truist Park. In the second inning of game one, Riley answered the Mets' run to open the scoring with a 422-foot, solo blast off of Jacob DeGrom to even the score.

Olson followed Riley by going 430 feet for a back-to-back shot, and the next day, Olson drove in Riley in the fourth inning to answer a Mets first-inning run. In game three, Riley scored the decisive go-ahead run on a Travis D'Arnaud single to seal the sweep.

Jones sparked his team over the Mets the same way.

"Now all the Mets fans can go home and put their Yankees stuff on," Jones famously said in a post-game interview in 1999 after sweeping the Mets.

When he said that, he had just completed a four-homer series that helped the Braves sweep the Mets and extend the division lead to eight games with nine games remaining in 1999. The lead had been one game just 10 days earlier, but the Braves took five-of-six from the Mets and swept Montreal to put it out of reach for New York.

But before they were bona fide Mets slayers, the two third baseman jumpstarted their careers against the Mets.

Making a Name

Jones became a Mets tormenter early in his career. His first career homer was a game-winner off of the Mets in 1995.

After missing the 1994 season with a torn ACL, Jones had to reintroduce himself to the MLB after making his debut at the end of 1993. He did so accordingly, leading off the ninth inning by crushing a Josias Manzanillo fastball from the left side, resulting in a 3-2 Braves victory in the 13th game of the season.

Before he had even cemented himself as the Braves' third baseman, he was filling in in the outfield, just like Riley did in 2019.

In his first Citi Field at bat in June 2019 after debuting in May, Riley launched a 98 MPH DeGrom fastball far into the left field seats for a two-run shot in a game one win. The very next day, he hit a go-ahead solo homer in the eighth inning off Seth Lugo to give the Braves a 5-4 lead and a series win.

The World Series Runs

There is no bigger stage than the World Series. Jones and Riley both paved the way for the Braves to get there in Atlanta's two most recent titles, and that meant trucking the Mets in the process.

Riley has put up some great numbers versus the Mets, but none better than in the 2021 season en route to the World Series. In his first full season as the Braves' third baseman, he took the Mets deep seven times with 19 RBI, going 23-for-67 with 49 total bases in 19 games. This includes a two-homer game with a grand slam in a 12-5 win in July. He slugged an insane .731 against the Mets that year. He has only further cemented his starting job since then.

Chipper's 1995 season was remarkable and the start was historic, but his 1999 season really stamped him as a villain in New York. Along with his four-homer, division-sealing series, he slugged 1.000 with seven homers and 16 RBI while going 16-for-40 with 40 total bases against the Mets that year leading up to the Braves' World Series loss.

Jones exemplified consistency in his 19-year MLB career, and now the shoes are Riley's to fill. He has things down pat against the Mets, and his dominance in division play is helping him find consistency early in his career.

Upcoming Showdowns

In his fourth season as the starting third baseman, Riley is 15-for-41 with three homers versus the Mets, tying the Marlins for the second-most he has against any team this year (four versus Phillies, Brewers and Diamondbacks).

The Braves only see the Mets for one more three-game series this season. After hosting the Yankees and Giants, the Mets will be the finale of a nine-game homestand for the Braves, starting next Monday, August 21.

Sitting at 28 homers after he hit 38 and 33 the past two seasons, there is reason to expect more in that series. His best months have been in July and August, when he has posted .962 and .982 OPS' with nine and four homers so far, respectively.

His recent success, along with two homers in the recent series with New York, gives a glimpse of things to come for the newest Mets slayer.
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Riley carrying Chipper's legacy as Met killer

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Eleven years after Chipper Jones retired, Austin Riley has picked up the mantle as Destroyer of the New York Mets

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7/27/23

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH

FOR THE OBSERVER

BEULAH -

Beulah's high school football team hasn't made the playoffs since 2018, and it has posted a losing record every year since. The Bobcats are ready to put those years behind them.

According to head coach Matthew Johnson, and his players at High School Media Days in Opelika on Tuesday, this year's team has built an identity around the gym. That has come with Athletic Director Adam Johnson requiring athletes to work out over the summer in hopes of setting a new standard of mental toughness around Beulah athletics.

"Adam Johnson is the principal and also the athletic director, and we're very aligned in our thinking and our beliefs of what we need to do to have a successful year," Matthew said. "He allows us to stay in the weight room - he's big on that. If you play a sport [at Beulah], you're required to work out. Coach Arnett is our strength and conditioning coach, and he's done a wonderful job."

Matthew talked about his team having a united goal, mental toughness and being bought into the plan to "flip the script." The Bobcats only have three wins in two years under Matthew, going 2-8 in 2021 and 1-9 last season.

However, Beulah, led by 14 seniors out of 35 players, is confident that 2023 will be a year that stands out from the past several years.

"My experience the last five years has been a lot of losses and not too great of seasons," said senior Ethyn Prestridge. "This year, I'm very excited because I think we're going to do the best we've done in many years."

As a result of the increased time in the gym, Matthew sees more confidence in his players as opposed to past teams who often felt outmatched and outsized by opponents before the game even started.

That newfound mental toughness, confidence and swagger, accompanied with the talent on both sides of the ball, gives him reason to believe his team can put together a year similar to the 8-3 team in 2018. Matthew was serving as the offensive line coach at Beulah at the time.

"That team (2018) is so similar to this one, and this year's team is senior-heavy," Matthew said. "They genuinely love to play with each other. When week three comes and then week seven and it's hot or you know, whatever, these guys are going to be there like it's week zero. It's just a bond they have, so it's very similar in that aspect.

"Another very similar aspect is the type of quarterback we have. Demarion Foreman is one of the most athletic players I've been around. He not only has a strong arm, but he has speed. He's very dynamic. So a lot of stars are aligning - you know, very similar to that team that made a playoff run."

Matthew also listed senior Bronson DuBose, who led the team in tackles last year, senior right guard Josh Jarrell and senior wide receiver L.J. Fitzpatrick, who was a state placer in the long jump, as players to watch this season.

He listed the team's depth on defense as another strength for the Bobcats.

"We have eight defensive backs that we can rotate in, and that's the same with our defensive line," Matthew said. "Our defensive line is going to be really tough this year. I'm excited about it."

Starting Aug. 17 with a home tournament versus Woodland and Gaylesville, Beulah will go for its best season in recent history in Matthew's third season at head coach.

BEULAH FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

- Aug. 17 (Tournament): vs. Gaylesville & Woodland

- Aug. 25: @ Abbeville

- Sept. 1: vs.Loachapoka

- Sept. 8: vs. Saks

- Sept. 15: @ Walker Wellborn

- Sept. 22: OPEN

- Sept. 29: vs. Prattville Christian

- Oct. 6: vs. Dadeville

- Oct. 13: @ Childersburg

- Oct. 20: vs. Randolph County

- Oct. 27: @ Weaver

- Nov. 3: @ Horshoe Bend

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Senior-Heavy Beulah Football Ready to 'Flip the Script'

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER BEULAH - Beulah's high school football team hasn't made the playoffs since 2018, and it has posted a losing record every year since. The Bobcats are ready to put those years behind them.

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Acuña takes MLB lead in steals - Braves Today

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Acuña takes MLB lead in steals - Braves Today

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7/18/23

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Sports Illustrated Atlanta Braves News, Analysis and More

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With his 44th stolen base in the sixth inning of tonight's shootout with the Diamondbacks, Ronald Acuña has taken the MLB lead in stolen bases.

He's already surpassed his previous career high, he's bested last year's major-league best 41 steals in the entire 2022 season and now Atlanta's All-Star has zoomed past Esteury Ruiz to take the league lead for the first time this year.

Acuña has stolen seven bags in seven attempts in July, while Ruiz of the A's is currently in the middle of a stint on the 10-day IL. After Ruiz, there is a huge gap before the third-highest base stealers, Wander Franco of the Rays and rookie Corbin Carroll of the Diamondbacks, who have just 28 a piece. Carroll has also stolen two bags tonight off the Braves to get to 28.

It has only taken Acuña 51 tries to get to 44 steals, as he has only been caught seven times - giving him an 86% success rate.

In an MVP-caliber year thus far, Acuña is now on pace to steal around 76 bags. That is not only likely to give him the MLB lead, that would be a modern-day franchise record - overtaking Otis Nixon's 72 steals in 1991.

The all-time record for the Braves franchise is held by King Kelly, who stole 84 bases in 1887 at the age of 29 for the Boston Beaneaters. We don't know how prolific a basestealer he was in his career, however, as he debuted in 1878 and stolen bases weren't an official statistic until 1886.
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Ronald Acuña Jr becomes new MLB stolen base leader

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Ronald Acuña Jr passes Oakland's Esteury Ruiz for the stolen base lead

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Eddie Rosario key to D-Backs series - Braves Today

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Eddie Rosario key to D-Backs series - Braves Today

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7/18/23

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Sports Illustrated Atlanta Braves News, Analysis and More

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The Braves were at their lowest point last time Atlanta saw the Diamondbacks. Then, "West Coast Eddie" stepped to the plate in the midst of an 0-for-4 day in Arizona - with Atlanta one out away from losing its second straight series.

"Smith's at the wall... grand slam!" Eddie Rosario slapped Eric Young's hand and skipped over the first base bag, circling the diamond and putting the Braves up for good in an 8-5 win. That decided the series for Atlanta in the rubber match, and it went on to win the next 11 series after that, too.

Eddie has a chance to spark the Braves once again when the Diamondbacks come to Atlanta for a three-game series starting Tuesday, but they will need him to return to health after he exited Saturday's game and sat out Sunday with hamstring tightness.

When Rosario hit the game-winning slam in Arizona, the Braves were coming off a series loss to the lowly A's to end May - their last previous series loss before this past Sunday, when they lost the series to another faint American League squad, the 40-55 White Sox.

Backed by a 6-for-13 performance, three homers, seven RBI and a game-winning grand slam from Rosario in the rubber match, the series win versus the Diamondbacks sparked a team coming off an embarrassing loss to an MLB-best 23-4 month of June.

Now, Rosario has an opportunity to start a new streak and prove he's not just a "Dodger killer." He's West Coast Eddie. This series might not be on the West Coast, but Rosario loves hitting versus NL West opponents. The 2021 NLCS MVP is 14-for-45 with eight homers and 20 RBI versus that division this season, and he helped start the Braves' undefeated series run in June versus the Diamondbacks.

Facing the Snakes might be just what he needed to find his stroke again. Just like he rebounded from a .239 average at the end of May by hitting .325 in June, he'll need to find himself in this series after batting .156 with only one homer in 32 at bats so far in July.

By getting himself out of a slump, he'll be getting his team hot again after briefly being pacified to start the second half. Atlanta came storming out of the gates after the break, winning 9-0 in game one, but then the offense went quiet in game two after Lance Lynn exited and only scored one run on five hits in game three's 8-1 defeat.

Losing the final two games of the series to the White Sox, the Braves' series winning streak ended at 12, the 28-game homer streak is over and Atlanta needs a spark heading into a series with a club fighting for revival in the NL West - 2.5 games back of the Dodgers and now a half game behind the Giants - while going 2-8 in its last 10.

Rosario could just be that guy, and the Braves seem hopeful to have him back in the lineup after exiting the game Saturday with hamstring tightness. He didn't play at all in Sunday's disastrous finale, and he benefitted from an off day on Monday.

Also in Rosario's favor, the Diamondbacks are set to start three right-handers: Zach Davies, Ryne Nelson and All-Star starting pitcher Zac Gallen. The latter two the Braves saw in the June series in Arizona, and Rosario went 2-for-3 with an RBI off Nelson but was held to 0-for-4 off Gallen before blasting a walk-off grand slam to end the series.

If not for Rosario's heroics last month, it would be hard to say the Braves would be 61-31 heading into the home series with Arizona. Nonetheless, they boast a season-high 10-game lead in the NL East, and though not desperate for a series win this time around, that loss to Chicago sure was annoying.
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Healthy Eddie can revive Braves, play hero again versus Diamondbacks

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Left fielder Eddie Rosario might be the key to a victory over Arizona in the series

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Current AU softball paint positive light on program

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Current AU softball paint positive light on program

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7/13/23

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER

AUBURN -

There's two sides to every story.

Several days after 2023 Auburn University graduate and former softball player Carlee McCondichie tweeted about her displeasure with the softball program's leaders, which was supported by transfers Bri Ellis and Denver Bryant, three current players took to Twitter to shine a positive light on the coaching staff.

Junior catcher Aubrie Lisenby, senior pitcher Maddie Penta and sophomore infielder Millie Roberts, without referring specifically to McCondichie's posts, took to Twitter last Tuesday to voice their support for the team's leadership and coaches in general.

"Auburn softball holds a special place in my heart," Lisenby said to start her thread. "I am beyond grateful for every opportunity I've received here. This sport and this program have given me so much. There's not enough positive words to say. I love these girls I play with and there is no other coaching staff I'd rather play for."

Lisenby, while rock solid defensively behind the plate in 31 starts at catcher for Auburn, saw some dips in her offensive numbers from her freshman season when she started 40 total games - three more than this year's total (She had six starts as designated player as well as catcher in 2023.).

Her batting average went down from .269 to .234; her OBP fell from .353 to .324; and she struck out five more times with six fewer hits in 10 fewer at bats. However, her effort never wavered, and her contributions were staunch defensively, as she recorded a perfect fielding percentage after committing just one error in her freshman campaign.

Despite her struggles at the plate, Lisenby never felt overlooked or mistreated.

"It is no secret that I got the yips this year," Lisenby continued via Twitter. "It would've been easy for the coaches and my teammates to write me off, but instead I received nothing but love and support. I am lucky to have such caring coaches regardless of performance. I am lucky to have coaches who push me to grow everyday. Being a college athlete is hard, and the job is to win.

"Instead of getting angry about the yips, he supported me and told me he didn't care as long as I was okay. I haven't been a 'star' of this program, yet I am given the same respect as everyone else day in and day out."

In the end of her thread, she mentions her coaches by name, while specifics had previously not been used by anyone.

"[Assistant coach Eugene Lenti] looks for me everyday before practice to smile, say hello, and ask me about my day," Lisenby said. "[Assistant coach Emily Carosone] has always been there for me to learn and grow. [Head coach Mickey Dean] has done so much for me. He has gone out of his way to make sure I am doing okay as a person and in softball."

After earning 2023 SEC Pitcher of the Year, First-Team All-SEC and NFCA First-Team All-American honors and climbing several program leaderboards in her third season on the Plains, Penta added her support by retweeting Lisenby and adding her own message with a red heart emoji at the end.

"So proud to call myself part of the Auburn Softball program," Penta said. "The opportunities and achievements that have been given to me by this program and coaching staff would have made my younger self so happy and proud. See y'all next year ... War Eagle!"

Finally, Roberts gave her input after a freshman year where she played in 25 games with no starts and only got four hits in 17 at bats. She responded by quote tweeting Penta's tweet and ending with a pink heart emoji.

"I am so happy to call these girls and this coaching staff my family!!!!" Roberts said. "No one else I would rather spend every single day with playing the game that we love. Auburn softball has done so much for me in the last year. Couldn't be more thankful."

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AU Softball Players Answer With Positive Viewpoint of Coaching Staff

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER AUBURN - There's two sides to every story. Several days after 2023 Auburn University graduate and former softball player Carlee McCondichie tweeted about her displeasure with the softball program's leaders, which was supported by transfers Bri Ellis and Denver Bryant, three current players took to Twitter to shine a positive light on the coaching staff.

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OHS basketball players make college commitments

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OHS basketball players make college commitments

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7/12/23

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER

OPELIKA --

Opelika High School's standout basketball duo is staying inside state lines at the next level.

After stellar senior years, 2023 graduates Isaiah Knight and Mekhiron Brock both recently locked in college commitments. On May 16, Brock committed to go to Wadley to play for Southern Union Community College, and Knight committed to Birmingham Southern College (Division 3) on June 29.

Knight, an Opelika lifer and three-year contributor on varsity, scored 16 points per game and hauled in five rebounds a game in his senior year, while Brock transferred in from Florida for his junior year and became a key player for the Bulldogs, ending his high school career with 18 points per game and 15 rebounds per game in his senior year.

According to OHS boys basketball head coach Wesley Button, the duo's mental and physical determination puts them in position to succeed at the next level.

"Those guys have set a standard, as far as work ethic goes, for what we need in this program going forward," Button said. "They're both very, very competitive. Isaiah's role has been to come in and work: lead by example in practice. Brock holds everybody to a high standard, and if you don't meet that standard, he was going to let you know."

Both do more playing than talking, and their resiliency shows itself in their physical styles of play.

Brock, naturally more of a guard, played the four and five spots in the rotation for the Bulldogs. He is listed at 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, and he got in top shape after "falling in love with the gym" before his senior year, Button said. The work he has put in, combined with his high-energy, high-motor play, sets him up to be a key addition to a Southern Union team that is built on toughness.

"Energy, leadership and good basketball" are what Brock listed as his contributions on the court.

Standing at 6-foot-4, 160 pounds as a guard, Knight is set up to thrive in an BSC offense that spreads the floor and gets good looks for its shooters. Button said Knight's aggressiveness and heads-up play are something that have stood out about him in his years in the program.

Early on in his high school career, Knight learned the value of hard work. Not playing on varsity his freshman year motivated him to be a better player and pushed him to train harder. He made varsity in 10th grade, but was in the "sixth man" role before earning a starting spot in his junior year. That process of climbing the ladder has paid off with a commitment to a four-year school.

"This opportunity means a lot to me because I didn't expect to be at a four-year program out of high school," Knight said. "On my visit [to BSC], I just liked the environment, the coaching staff and playing with the players there. It was a fun environment."

Simply put, Knight and Brock are excited and thankful for the path that led them to earning college scholarships around the same time, they said.

Having a pair of teammates in the same class helps put Opelika basketball on the radar, but Button accredited the accomplishment to the hard work of Knight and Brock. They set an example of the dedication it takes to get to the next level for younger players in the program through their relentless play.

"[Knight and Brock] went out and earned this; they left it all on the floor," Button said. "I couldn't be more proud of these two. I'm very close with them. I was Isaiah's freshman coach, so we've been through a lot in this program together. Definitely going to miss them; they had a great attitude off the floor, then they were all business on the floor."

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Opelika's Knight, Brock Commit to In-State Basketball Programs

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER OPELIKA -- Opelika High School's standout basketball duo is staying inside state lines at the next level. After stellar senior years, 2023 graduates Isaiah Knight and Mekhiron Brock both recently locked in college commitments.

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AU softball players speak out about program on Twitter

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AU softball players speak out about program on Twitter

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7/6/23

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER

AUBURN -

After several players entered the transfer portal following Auburn softball's end of the 2023 season, four-year player and recent Auburn graduate, Carlee McCondichie, took to social media to voice her displeasure with the program Monday night.

McCondichie, who played in 166 games and started 121 in four years at Auburn, clarified her love for Auburn and her teammates, but said she has "no desire to play a fifth year" after graduating in May. This comes after she was benched midway through her senior season while going through a batting slump.

"It is sad when a young girl who has played the sport for 18 years of her 22 year life has no interest or desire in playing a fifth year," McCondichie said via Twitter. "That's what happens when you play for a program where when you fail, you are immediately benched. A program where you aren't pursued. A program where you are only looked at from an athletic perspective, not a personal perspective."

Going into his seventh year as the head coach at Auburn, Mickey Dean has now completed 17 years of coaching college softball. He has been successful at Auburn, leading the Tigers to five NCAA Regional appearances along with a 206-109 overall record. His coaching success is not what's in question, though, it's his ability to build relationships with players.

McCondichie was no doubt a key player, and reigning from Birmingham, she became a fan favorite. After leading the team with a .338 batting average in 56 starts in 2022, McCondichie again started out with a hot bat in 2023, going into conference play batting .431.

Her bat went cold at that point, however, and after 13 at bats across seven games in March and April, she was replaced in the starting lineup by sophomore Rose Roach in the LSU series. McCondichie made nine more starts after that series, but was again benched on Senior Day and didn't make another start until the regional after that.

"For me, I can stand here confidently and say I gave my absolute all to the Auburn softball program," McCondichie continued in her Twitter thread. "In return, I got benched as a starter on SENIOR DAY. This isn't for attention, this is for athletes to come. THEY DESERVE BETTER. STUDENT-ATHLETES ARE MUCH MORE THAN STUDENTS AND MUCH MORE THAN ATHLETES. They are human beings."

Auburn's had its second straight 40-win season in 2023 and ended with the same result as the year before: a season-ending loss in the Clemson Regional. It was a strong season with many great performances, but what followed raised some eyebrows.

Four veteran players and key offensive contributors transferred to other major Power 5 programs, including: former SEC Freshman of the Year, junior Bri Ellis (Arkansas); senior third baseman, Denver Bryant (South Carolina; junior catcher and designated hitter); Jesse Blaine (Mississippi State); and graduate outfielder Lindsey Garcia (Clemson).

Those players have combined to make 443 starts at Auburn and have hit 78 homers all together. Between those losses and not returning McCondichie, Auburn softball has four starting spots to fill going into 2024 and will lose a lot of depth and experience as well.

Starting on May 22, when Ellis announced her decision to enter the portal, the exit of such valuable, respected players has been puzzling to many fans. So, McCondichie's statements might be shining some light on the situation. None of the other former Auburn players made statements regarding displeasure with the program, but Ellis and Bryant did retweet McCondichie' thread with words of support.

McCondichie has the option to transfer elsewhere and use her fifth year of eligibility, but after her experience at Auburn, she said she is done with softball.

She ended by reiterating her appreciation for Auburn, but explained her disappointment with her experience in college softball. Her use of bolded words reiterates that it's only the coaching that she is displeased with.

"With that being said, I will always continue to support Auburn Softball PLAYERS," McCondichie said to end her Twitter thread. "But for me, my softball career is OVER and the thought of even playing one game brings me much anxiety, sadly."

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McCondichie Voices Displeasure With AU Softball Coaching Via Twitter

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER AUBURN - After several players entered the transfer portal following Auburn softball's end of the 2023 season, four-year player and recent Auburn graduate, Carlee McCondichie, took to social media to voice her displeasure with the program Monday night.

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7/6/23

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER

OPELIKA -

About two months after Brady Campbell became the first male to win a 7A State Championship at Opelika in February, Opelika hired a new wrestling coach in Lee Simpson.

Campbell, who was just a sophomore last season, has two more years as a Bulldog. Simpson will have the task of getting him, as well as the other seven guys he'll have who competed in the state tournament last year, back for a chance to repeat. And he said he likes what he sees in his team for the upcoming season and hopes to have even more make it to state this season.

"They qualified nine for state last year and eight of them are returning," Simpson said. "That's a pretty strong lineup with eight guys that qualified for state out of a 14-person lineup. [We are] hoping to continue that. Hopefully those eight qualify for state again and then we can continue to push more and eventually get the full lineup in there."

Bringing in 11 years of coaching experience, Simpson is just what Opelika was looking for to take this program to the next level, according to Athletic Director Jamie Williams.

A lifer and graduate at Smiths Station High School, Simpson has been around the Lee County area for a long time. He was a part of the Panthers' first ever wrestling team, and after graduation, as he has been a community coach in Russell County, as well as being head coach at Central Phenix-City, Shaw in Columbus, Georgia, and most recently, Hardaway in Columbus.

Simpson will coach boys and girls wrestling at both the varsity and junior varsity levels in addition to teaching health at the high school in his first year in 7A. While he is dealing with deeper rosters on both sides of the mat this season after coaching in 4A at Hardaway, his approach will stay the same.

"I've coached All-Americans," Simpson said. "I've coached state champs. I've coached state finalists, placers and qualifiers, but when it all comes down to it, the main thing is trying to set people up to succeed not only on the mat but off the mat as well. The goal behind everything I do is to set people up to succeed when they leave high school."

In order to set his players up for future success, one of Simpson's main priorities is building a team culture built around hard work. Some qualities that he aspires to teach are perseverance, integrity, grit and determination. According to Simpson, those skills transfer into any situation the players encounter after high school.

While Simpson wants the lessons he teaches to go beyond wrestling, they are all tools that will bolster Opelika wrestling and help it continue to climb the ladder.

"I'm a big fan of kids working hard, and the harder they work, the harder I have to work," Simpson said. "I don't look at the success of a season based off wins and losses; I look at the success of a season a couple years down the road when people come back and tell me all the things that they were able to do because of what we were doing. By default, you end up with a pretty good wrestling team."

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Simpson Looks to Continue Program Success as Next Opelika Wrestling Coach

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER OPELIKA - About two months after Brady Campbell became the first male to win a 7A State Championship at Opelika in February, Opelika hired a new wrestling coach in Lee Simpson. Campbell, who was just a sophomore last season, has two more years as a Bulldog.

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Braves vs. Rays series preview - Braves Today

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Braves vs. Rays series preview - Braves Today

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7/7/23

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Sports Illustrated Atlanta Braves News, Analysis and More

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It's the last series before the All-Star break, and the Atlanta Braves (58-28) and the Tampa Bay Rays (57-33) are the best teams in their respective leagues and have 11 combined All-Stars (Braves-8, Rays-3). Ending a remarkable April with a 23-6 record, the Rays were the best team in baseball for almost the first three months of the season - all the way until Sunday, July 2.

Then came the undeniable Braves, who have won their past 10 series dating back to May and 18 of their past 20 games. The Braves, since overtaking the Rays on Sunday, lead the MLB with a .674 winning percentage.

While the Braves are up on cloud nine, the Rays have come back down to earth lately, as they are coming in on a five game losing streak after being swept by the Phillies at home and dropping the last two games of a series with the Mariners.

Trends aside, these two clubs rank top five in every major offensive stat category: batting average, home runs, RBI and hits, but the Braves' late surge - including 61 homers in June and 13 more in six games so far in July - has them rocketing past the Rays.

In the last week, the Braves have posted a .368/.657/1.025 slash line with a team average of .319 and a mere 11.4 at-bats per homer. This is led by Matt Olson, who has a 1.599 OPS, three homers, .556 OBP, is slugging 1.043 with 11 hits and six extra-base hits in the last seven days. Strikeouts have been Olson's sole weakness this season, but he only struck out three times in that stretch.

But Olson is only one of four Braves with an OPS over 1.0 in the past week, as Sean Murphy owns a 1.689, Ozzie Albies has a 1.260 and Ronald Acuña has a 1.208 OPS. Several of those guys continued the slug fest last time out versus Cleveland, as Olson went 3-for-4 with a dinger and Murphy went 4-for-5 and was a triple shy of a cycle with two singles.

On the other hand, the Rays are 4-6 in their last 10 and have lost their past two series. They are batting .242 in their last seven games with a .300/.444/.744 slash line.

While the Braves have certainly been on top of the world lately, the Rays have maintained the upper hand on the base paths all season, leading the MLB with 106 stolen bases. Living in two hole of the Rays' lineup, Wander Franco leads the way with 28 stolen bases, followed by Josh Lowe with 19 and Taylor Walls with 18.

It will be key for the Braves to pay close attention to the running game in this series and force the Rays' bats to straight up outduel the Braves. The combination of Braves catchers Travis D'Arnaud and Murphy have caught 22% of stolen base attempts against them this season.

Opposingly, while the Braves have the second-leading stealer in the MLB in Acuña, who is 41-of-47 in stolen bases, the team ranks seventh in that category with 69 swipes as a team. Trying to stop them is the catcher duo of Christian Bethancourt and Fransisco Mejia, who have cut down 15% of attempted stealers this season.

On the mound, both teams are full of top-notch arms from top to bottom, and there will be a lot of strikeouts in this series. The Rays rank fifth in ERA (3.75) and fourth in WHIP (1.22), while the Braves are third in ERA (3.63) and fifth in strikeouts (808).

The Rays are sending three guys who combine for 12 quality starts to the mound in this three-game series, while the Braves are set to start two All-Stars who are coming off strong outings of their own. All starters in this series are right-handed throwers, meaning the Braves will see a lineup that includes Brandon and Josh Lowe, and the Rays will see plenty of Eddie Rosario.

Here are the pitching matchups for this weekend's three-game series with the Rays:

Game 1, Friday at 6:40 p.m. EST:

- Charlie Morton (8-6, 3.57)vs. Tyler Glasnow (2-2, 4.50)

Matchup rundown: Game one features one of baseball's most reliable veterans in 39-year-old Morton versus his former team, who is throwing talented, but injury-plagued, Glasnow.

Morton has been just what he's supposed to be as of late: solid and consistent, allowing the offense to cook. He hasn't gotten a loss since June 2 versus Arizona, and he has pitched five or more innings in all but one of his 16 outings this season (4.2 IP vs. Mets).

The hard-throwing Glasnow is making his eighth start since returning from an oblique strain in a rehab start this season after only making two starts in 2022 while recovering from Tommy John. He's been solid outside of allowing six runs in 4.1 IP versus the Orioles. He has six or more Ks in every start, including 11 and 12 in his last two appearances.

Game 2, Saturday at 7:15 p.m. EST:

- Spencer Strider (10-2, 3.66)vs. Taj Bradley (5-4, 5.27)

Matchup rundown: Atlanta has to feel like it has the upper hand in this one, with Strider leading the league with 155 Ks and Bradley struggling in his last two starts.

Strider is coming off three consecutive starts of six innings or more with nine Ks or more. The All-Star went 6.2 innings, allowing two earned runs on six hits and a walk last time out versus the Marlins. His increased usage of the changeup is getting him strong results.

Bradley has thrown a combined 7.1 innings while giving up five and seven runs in his last two starts. The rookie allowed four homers versus Arizona, which is recipe for disaster against the Braves. The 22-year-old has only pitched as much as six innings one time this year.

Game 3, Sunday at 1:40 p.m. EST:

- Bryce Elder (7-1, 2.45) vs. Zach Eflin (9-4, 3.24)

Matchup rundown: If the series comes down to it, this sets up to be a true rubber match. These two pitchers lead their teams in quality starts: Elder with 11 and Eflin with 10.

Elder is making the start two days before he appears in Seattle for his first All-Star game. He has been great on the road, holding opponents to a .206 batting average and giving up only eight runs in seven starts - most recently, two runs in 6.2 IP on only one K in Cleveland.

Eflin has been a key pickup for the Rays after they got him from the Phillies this offseason. He's currently carrying his career-best ERA and already has 100 Ks in 16 starts. His last two outings have each been 7.0 IP, and he got a tough-luck loss after giving up two runs and striking out nine last time out versus his former club.

Down on the Bay

The Braves have proven to be road warriors all season, boasting a 28-13 record away from Truist Park. However, the Rays have one of the best home-field advantages at Tropicana Field, where they own a 34-13 record despite getting swept by the Phillies at home this week.

After winning 2-of-3 versus Cleveland, Atlanta is coming in following an off day on Thursday with a healthy and rested bullpen that has given up two runs over the last three series (all in the last two games), while the Rays played in an 11-inning affair with Philadelphia on Thursday after throwing a bullpen game on Wednesday.

The two best teams in baseball are set to square off for the first time this year, and they won't meet again this year if it's not for the World Series trophy. Game one can be seen on AppleTV+, game two will be nationally televised on FOX and game three will be broadcasted on Bally Sports.
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Scorching Braves head to Tampa for matchup of MLB's top teams

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Could we have a World Series preview down in Tampa this weekend?

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Acuña set to break stolen base records - Braves Today

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Acuña set to break stolen base records - Braves Today

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6/24/23

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Sports Illustrated Atlanta Braves News, Analysis and More

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Acuña matata. Okay, I might have added a teeny little accent mark, but it's for good reason.

The Lion King taught us that the saying means no worries for the rest of your days. Well, when Ronald Acuña Jr. is on base, it's opposing defenses who are doing the worrying.

75 games into the season, the leading NL All-Star vote getter has swiped 33 bags, 2nd most in the MLB and four under his career best single season mark. And he's only been caught six times.

This has him below just the A's Esteury Ruiz (39) for the MLB lead in steals, and he's looking like a potential candidate to challenge Otis Nixon's franchise record 72 steals in a season that hasn't been contested since it was accomplished in 1991.

With this year's introduction of bigger bases, increasing from 15 to 18 inches square, there has been an obvious increase in aggressiveness from the already-dynamic Acuña. The rule change has been seemingly synchronized with his return to full health this season.

While those factors seem like fine print compared to Acuña's hot bat this season, his baserunning has made him a gamechanger in ways that stats can't fully explain. But I'll give it a go anyway.

Combined with a .403 OBP, 16 home runs and 171 total bases, the leadoff hitter's ability to swipe the extra bag has put him at the top of the MLB in runs scored with 66. At 100 hits with a .329 batting average, he already makes a great case for being the most explosive leadoff batter in the game. Add in 33 stolen bases and three times this season snatching third base and catching a defense napping, there really is no resting when he's on base. Even in the case that he stays put, his threatening presence is taking extra attention from the infield to hold him where he is, making the two hole in Atlanta a money hole.

The Braves have had Matt Olson and now Ozzie Albies following Acuña in the lineup this year, and both sluggers are top 10 in the MLB in RBI, with 55 and 53, respectively. Those guys are also the Braves' top two home run hitters, with Acuña nipping at Albies' heels.

Not only is the distraction of Acuña on the base paths helping get them good pitches to hit, it's getting himself good pitches to hit. Who would want to walk a guy who is a constant threat to steal? His 37 walks and 62 singles this year all seem like potential doubles or triples. And he's only struck out 45 times.

So pick your poison, pitchers. No matter what they throw him, he's going to make his way around the bases. He trails only Shohei Ohtani in total bases by four, walks by two and has 17 more hits and 26 fewer strikeouts.

I don't bring up Ohtani to start debates but to show that Acuña changes the game in ways even the most daunting hitters don't.

He accounts for over half of the Braves' 54 stolen bags - which ranks 15th in the league as a team. And he is leading a charge for a Braves team that ranks third overall in runs with 414 (Rangers- 455, Rays- 444), as well as first in homers with 134 and first in the NL in hits (693).

At 48-27, the Braves have the best record in the NL and rank second in the MLB to the Rays. This isn't just good - it has potential to be historic. Acuña is on pace for about 71 stolen bases, and the Braves are on pace to win 104 games - both ranking just below franchise records. Atlanta's stolen base record is 72, held by Otis Nixon in 1991, and the franchise's most regular-season wins was 106 in 1998.
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Ronny rocketing around the bases at historic rate

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Our Noah Griffith has thoughts on Ronald Acuña Jr's prolific baserunning this season

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Braves vs Twins series preview - Braves Today

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Braves vs Twins series preview - Braves Today

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6/26/23

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Sports Illustrated Atlanta Braves News, Analysis and More

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After smacking 10 home runs in three games in Cincinnati, the 50-win Braves are running away with the major league lead with 138 homers, but that will be put to the test when the Minnesota Twins come to Atlanta to face the Braves for the first time since 2019.

Winning the homer battle will be key in this series, as the Twins live and die by the long ball. Not only do they hit them, they are one of the best teams at keeping the ball inside the yard.

The Twins lead the lackluster AL East division with a 40-39 record, and they feature some of the best starting pitching in the game, as they rank third in the MLB with 37 quality starts and a 3.67 team ERA.

They do it by keeping the ball in the park and striking out batters by the ton. Second to only the White Sox, the Twins pitchers have recorded 739 Ks in 2023, and have allowed just 77 home runs, fifth least in the MLB.

It will be key for the Braves to keep the ball on the ground, as the Twins offense is sluggish without the jolt of life from homers. Led by Byron Buxton (13), Joey Gallo (12) and Carlos Correa (11), they rank seventh in the major leagues with 102 homers.

But while the Braves are tied with the Rangers for the lead in team batting average at .271, the Twins are 25 th in the league with a .241 average. The Twins swing and miss more than anybody in the MLB, with 799 Ks as a team.

After hitting 25 homers in their last three series, however, no other team will be harder to keep inside the yard than Atlanta. The Twins starters will be up to the challenge, nonetheless, as they allow just 1.05 homers per nine innings.

It will help the Braves to get past the Twins starters and into an injury-riddled bullpen.

The Twins are atop the MLB in starter's WAR at 9.2, but their relievers are 16 th in that category with a 2.1 WAR. Closer Jhoans Duran has been solid, converting on 11 of 13 save attempts with a 2-2 record and 1.45 ERA, but otherwise, they're crippled by injuries. Setup men Jorge Lopez and Caleb Thielbar, as well as middle relievers Cole Sands and Jorge Alcala all occupy the IL.

The Twins starters definitely have the edge in experience, as their projected starters combine for 440 career starts, while the Braves have announced two starters who are in their first full seasons in the starting rotation with 59 combined starts.

Here are the pitching matchups for the three-game series in Truist Park:
Game 1, Monday at 7:20 p.m. EST:
-Spencer Strider (8-2, 3.93) vs. Sonny Gray (4-1, 2.56)

Matchup rundown: Runs will be hard to come by in game one with these two aces on the mound.

The Twins lead the MLB in strikeouts, and they are facing the MLB leader in strikeouts on the mound. Strider has 136 Ks and fans 14.5 batters per nine innings. He rebounded from giving up eight and five runs in his two prior outings with nine Ks in six innings of one-run ball last time out.

Duncan Collins

Meanwhile, Gray has been one of the best pitchers in the AL this season and ranks fifth among all starters in ERA while only giving up two homers. At age 33, he has some of the best command in the game, as he strikes out 2.6 batters per walk and 9.3 per nine innings.
Game 2, Tuesday at 7:20 p.m. EST:
-Bryce Elder (5-1, 2.40) vs. Joe Ryan (8-4, 2.98)

Matchup rundown: Strikeouts might have a hard dropoff in game two, but both of these pitchers know how to go deep in the game. Ryan hurled a complete-game shutout last time out versus Boston, and Elder went seven shutout innings in a win over Philadelphia in his last start. Both pitchers lead their teams in quality starts - Ryan with 11 and Elder with nine. Elder has been one of the most pleasant surprises for Atlanta this season, owning the MLB's third-best ERA.
Game 3, Wednesday at 12:20 p.m. EST:
-TBA vs. Kenta Maeda (1-4, 6.86)

Matchup rundown: Rookie A.J. Smith-Shawver was previously scheduled to start the game for Atlanta, but his demotion to AAA following Sunday's game leaves the starting pitcher undecided for this game.

Maeda, 35, said he was back on track after his last start, his best so far in a poor season. He earned his first win of the season last time out after four consecutive losses. He went five scoreless frames with eight Ks against the Tigers, but he'll have to face a bit of a stronger lineup this time around.
The latest
Both teams are coming off hard-fought series wins. The Braves took two of three versus the Reds: all games decided by one run. Atlanta is now 9-1 in its last 10 contests. On the other hand, the Twins needed 10 innings to take two of three from the Tigers to improve to 5-5 in their last 10 games.

Game one and three will be broadcasted on Bally Sports, while game two will be on TBS for the series between the 50-27 Braves and the 40-39 Twins.
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Strikeouts, bombs galore to be featured when Braves host Twins

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Atlanta's got a test of their home-run hitting prowess this week versus Minnesota

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6/29/23

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Move to D1 Fuels Rivalries for AU Hockey Club

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER AUBURN - Auburn Hockey is moving up to the Amateur Athletics Union Division 1 level for the 2023-24 season, and it is prolonging its fiercest rivalries in the process. Auburn will join Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and the University of Tampa in making the jump to D1 in the same year, and they will form the South division.

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Robb Taylor wins wheelchair basketball gold medal

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Robb Taylor wins wheelchair basketball gold medal

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6/29/23

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH

FOR THE OBSERVER

AUBURN -

Auburn University and Team USA wheelchair basketball coach Robb Taylor has been coaching for over 20 years, and he has won a lot of gold medals in that time. Last week, he brought home his first ever physical gold medal.

He became head coach of the U.S. Paralympic basketball team in January 2022, and he led it to its first gold medal since 2002 at the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation World Championships in Dubai on June 20. Taylor redeemed the four silver medals in past world championships with a gold one, which is the first visible thing when you walk in his office in Beard-Eaves Coliseum.

After two and a half weeks in Dubai and several weeks at training camp in Turkey a few weeks prior, Taylor brought the gold home to his wife and children.

"I've been an assistant coach for a long time, and we've won a lot of gold medals: three Paralympic gold medals, three Parapan gold medals, but had never won gold at world championships," Taylor said. "Paralympic coaches don't get medals - athletes only. So I've come home from world championships with nothing but silver medals. I'll be honest, they don't ever come out of the closet. But this one, it'll hang out [in my office] with the trophy."

This win instilled a sense of pride not only for Taylor but for the entire USA team - ending a 21-year "curse" of no championships for the red, white and blue. No one on the current team had previously won gold at world championships, and this one took some extra blood, sweat and tears.

They stared into the face of defeat multiple times in the tournament, but the defense put the hammer down and led the team to two comeback wins over familiar foes.

After beating Argentina to start tournament crossover play, the USA faced Australia in the quarterfinals, who beat the American team a few weeks prior in a training camp in Turkey. It looked like history was going to repeat itself, but the USA rallied in a big way.

"Australia was dominating us most of the first half. Then our defense kicked in and locked them down," Taylor recalled. "I think they had four points in the third quarter and five or six in the fourth. But with 1:47 left, I look over at Australia's bench and their coach was starting to pack up his bag."

Next, the USA defeated the Netherlands in the semifinal to set up a rematch with reigning world champion Great Britain for the gold. Great Britain defeated the USA in the 2018 championship game, and they came out on top once again earlier in Dubai in pool play. This time, the American team was able to maximize their lineup and rally to take down Great Britain.

"We came in with our second lineup, and things started to click defensively," Taylor said. "We called it the Tokyo lineup because five guys who played with us in Tokyo were in that lineup. It was a lineup we knew wasn't going to get rattled."

It was that lineup that sealed the championship game after Great Britain had the ball down by one with 11 seconds on the clock. After the USA's Jorge Sanchez missed two free throws while up by one, Great Britain pushed the ball down the floor but ended up turning it over without getting a shot off, resulting in a USA victory.

"It was 67-66, I'll never forget it as long as I live," Taylor said while shaking his head. "I'm a pretty mellow coach; I don't show a lot of emotion, but that's the one time I did - double fists and started screaming. I right away looked at the bench and found my assistant coach, who had played for us through Tokyo, and just being able to give him a hug - It was everything we had worked for."

There's only one thing left on the to-do list for Taylor.

"Now, it's like I've achieved everything: I've won gold in every major competition, which is just an amazing achievement for me and this team," Taylor said. "Now, the challenge is can I win a national championship with the Auburn team?"

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Auburn Wheelchair Basketball Coach Leads Team USA to Gold Medal

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER AUBURN - Auburn University and Team USA wheelchair basketball coach Robb Taylor has been coaching for over 20 years, and he has won a lot of gold medals in that time. Last week, he brought home his first ever physical gold medal.

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Lee-Scott softball coach wins Coach of the Year

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Lee-Scott softball coach wins Coach of the Year

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6/29/23

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Deese's Expertise Earns Her AISACoach of the Year Award

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER AUBURN - In her 35th year of coaching softball and fourth year at Lee-Scott Academy, JV and Varsity head coach Tina Deese was named the 2023 AISA Coach of the Year by the Alabama Sports Writers Association (ASWA) after taking the Warriors to the state championship game.

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6/07/23

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH

FOR THE OBSERVER

AUBURN -

After blazing through three games and scoring 51 runs in last year's Auburn regional, the Auburn University baseball team couldn't find any juice in their bat in a season-ending regional loss last weekend.

The Tigers joined Oklahoma State as the only top 16 seeds to go two-and-done in this year's regional round - Auburn's first time doing so since 2002 in the Tuscaloosa Regional. Instead, the No. 2-seed Southern Miss Golden Eagles will travel to face Tennessee in the super regionals.

With five runs between an 11-inning, 6-3 loss to Penn and a 7-2 loss to Southern Miss, Auburn couldn't find the explosive bats that got it to the postseason as the No. 13 national seed. While 26 runners reached base, 21 of them were stranded. The Tigers only had three run-scoring hits, as two of their runs versus Penn came via bases-loaded walks.

"We pride ourselves on getting timely hits the past month or so," said senior third baseman Bryson Ware. "The past few games, for whatever reason, it hasn't been falling our way."

Leading the team with 63 RBI, 24 homers and a 1.169 OPS, Ware struggled to find any answers to get the team going at the plate. He struck out three times in the regional while going 1-for-7 with three walks.

Still, Ware reached base as much as any Auburn player in the pair of games. Cole Foster and Cooper McMurray also reached four times, while Foster and freshman Ike Irish were the only Tigers with hits in both contests.

Auburn was a big hit away from winning game one and posing a threat in game two.

Each of Auburn's 13 hits were singles, including nine in game two versus Southern Miss. Penn also gave Auburn eight free bases, and Auburn walked four more times against the Golden Eagles. However, the Tigers struck out 22 times and only stole one base while stranding 21 runners.

Auburn began to turn the tides with three hits and two runs in the sixth inning of game two, but it was too little too late as the Golden Eagles stranded runners on the corners with a groundout.

"I really felt like we were one or two swings away," said head coach Butch Thompson after the loss to Southern Miss. "I didn't think our approach started getting better until the sixth inning today."

Its opponents could not relate. While Auburn struggled to push across runs, Southern Miss homered four times, and Penn used two RBI doubles and a two-run bomb to advance in the winner's bracket.

The Auburn pitching staff wasn't exactly lights out, either. It allowed 13 runs on 20 hits in 20 innings. The Tigers conceded six or more runs in each of its final four games - all resulting in losses.

While the end of the season was when Auburn was playing its best ball, it didn't carry over into the postseason as it has in prior years. The early exit broke its streak of three consecutive regional sweeps in 2018, 2019 and 2022.

"I just felt like [in] the last three regionals, we were in such a good spot and they played such good baseball," Thompson said. "I did not get this team to the point of ready to compete for being able to be there in the last day of it."

Despite a strong ending to the regular season, the early exit means Auburn will potentially part ways with six seniors, including five-year center fielder Kason Howell; catcher Nate LaRue; Ware, who broke Auburn's single-season home run record with 24 in 2023; and outfielder Bobby Pierce. While it ended in disappointing fashion, the Tigers went out in front of sold-out Auburn crowd of 129,948, setting back-to-back attendance records.

"Being able to play in front of these fans is something I'll hang my hat on for years to come," Ware said. "I'm really happy that I was a part of that and could contribute. It's a really cool memory that I'll cherish for a really long time."

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Tigers Can't Escape the Den, Season Ends

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER AUBURN - After blazing through three games and scoring 51 runs in last year's Auburn regional, the Auburn University baseball team couldn't find any juice in their bat in a season-ending regional loss last weekend.

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Opelika coach wins "Making a Difference" award

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Opelika coach wins "Making a Difference" award

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6/07/23

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Opelika High's Massey Wins 7A 'Making a Difference' Award

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER OPELIKA - For Opelika High School coach Adam Massey, it all comes back to a singular verse he lives by. "My life verse is Colossians 3:23, which is, 'In everything you do, do it wholeheartedly, as for the Lord and not for men,'" Massey quoted.

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Glenwood baseball players win yearly awards

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Glenwood baseball players win yearly awards

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6/21/23

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH

FOR THE OBSERVER

SMITHS STATION -

The ninth-ranked high school baseball team in Alabama wasn't done winning when they lifted their state championship trophy.

After a 46-4 season that culminated in its ninth state title since 2000, Glenwood seniors Jaxon Milam and Jacob Page set themselves apart from even the top competition. Milam, the Gators' shortstop, was named AISA Player of the Year and Hitter of the Year, while Page was named Pitcher of the Year.

"It starts in the offseason with them - they never miss - that's the bottom line," said head coach Tim Fanning. "That kind of consistency is what it takes in baseball - the greatest players are the most consistent. They never wavered the whole time they were in the program. They committed to working hard."

The South Alabama Jaguars, whom Milam has committed to as he continues his playing and academic career, are getting a boomstick in their next season. As if 10 homers in his junior year didn't prove what he could do with the bat, he went on to break Glenwood's program home run record with 19 this season. He put together an impressive .394 average with a .518 on-base percentage and only 12 strikeouts while walking 29 times.

As head coach Tim Fanning noted, his game doesn't end with his power. Milam swiped 22 bags in 2023 and led the Gators with five triples.

"He has unlimited power and great speed to go along with that," Fanning said. "He can do more than just hit home runs, he's a constant threat on the base paths. He's a constant threat for extra-base hits. He had 10 home runs his junior year but like 17 doubles and nine triples, so he's always a threat for that extra base."

With the help of his coaching staff and his older brother, Hunter, who was drafted by the Phillies' organization in 2019, a change in mindset helped Milam turn on the jets toward the end of his senior year.

It's just playing ball, according to Milam. When he embraced his role in putting the team first, the results started pouring in. The awards are just reinforcements that the change in mindset is taking him in the right direction.

"Just not trying to force things, really [is what made it such a successful season]," Milam said. "I was just trying to hit line drives and go the other way - just help the team out as much as I could and get on base and the rest just took care of itself ... This award means all the hard work paid off and everything the coaches stressed to me worked."

Joining Milam as a First-Team All-State selection by the ASWA, Page won pitcher of the year while putting the team on his back from the mound. He went 12-0 in a team-leading 72 innings pitched, good for a 1.65 ERA. He struck out 84 hitters while only walking 14 and held opposing batters to a .181 ERA.

A lifer at Glenwood, dominance came to be expected from Page. He finished his last two seasons 21-1 and threw three complete-game victories in the playoffs this season, including a shutout in game one of the state championship versus Macon-East Academy.

"You gave him the ball and he'd give it back to you after the game was over," Fanning said matter-of-factly. "He's very rarely not going to pitch seven innings. Even if he didn't have his best stuff, he was going to keep us in the game - he's just very tough on the mound. For two of our best arms to not throw all season, having him as a constant was key for us."

Also hitting .435 and leading all starters with a .611 OBP, Page is going to Central Alabama Community College able to contribute from both sides of the plate. He will join former Gators Jake Smith, his former catcher, and Ty Smith in Alexander City.

"The coaching staff has really helped me jump to the next level and develop into a great pitcher," Page said. "I've got to thank my teammates, of course, that's probably the best defense I've ever had play behind me. My catcher too, Pierce Edwards, did an awesome job and I want to give them credit."

Page and Milam join Lane Griggs and Tyler Sykes as First-Team All-State selections, while sophomore Mason McCraine was a Second-Team selection and senior Wyatt Tharpe was listed as an honorable mention.

Coming off a tough state championship loss last year, Glenwood came together as a team this year, and many individual accolades were the result of a selfless team culture as the team ended its six-year championship drought.

"I don't think anybody on this team was in it for themselves," Milam said. "We did it for coach Fanning this year, and it wasn't about 'me,' and everybody came together and realized that."

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Gator Baseball Chomps On Individual Awards

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER SMITHS STATION - The ninth-ranked high school baseball team in Alabama wasn't done winning when they lifted their state championship trophy. After a 46-4 season that culminated in its ninth state title since 2000, Glenwood seniors Jaxon Milam and Jacob Page set themselves apart from even the top competition.

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OHS baseball player selected to all-state team

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OHS baseball player selected to all-state team

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6/22/23

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Austin Riley records 500 career hits - Braves Today

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Austin Riley records 500 career hits - Braves Today

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5/23/23

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Sports Illustrated Atlanta Braves News, Analysis and More

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Just over a month after hitting his 100 th career homer on April 17, Austin Riley notched another career milestone on Monday night versus the Dodgers.

With his double in the fifth inning, he compiled 500 MLB hits in his 497 th career game. It took him 1,847 at-bats to reach the feat, making him a .270 career hitter at age 26.

It was his 47 th hit this season, as he surpassed Ozzie Albies to become second in hits on the Braves this season behind Ronald Acuña Jr. (64). It was also the 97 th double of his career in his fifth season in the Big Leagues.

After Orlando Arcia surpassed 500 hits in April, Riley became the ninth Brave to reach the milestone. He is the third-youngest player to do so behind Acuña, who reached 500 hits last season at 24, and Albies, who reached it in 2021 at 24. Marcell Ozuna, 32, leads the team with 1,210 hits, the only Brave over 1,000 career knocks.

However, Riley is only the seventh Brave with 500 hits and 100 homers, along with Ozuna, Kevin Pillar, who hit his 100 th career homer on May 6 of this season, Eddie Rosario, Albies, Matt Olson and Acuña.

Despite a relatively slow start to the season, Riley has been a consistent presence in the middle of the lineup. He is 7-for-24 with a homer, a double and just five strikeouts in his last six games. While he is only batting .256 this season, he has consistently churned out hard-fought at bats. He ranks third on the team in at bats (182), walks (24) and second in hits (47).

Just a few years ago, it was a debate whether Riley was the Braves third baseman of the future. Then, in 2021, he helped the team to a World Series. In 2022, he made his first All-Star game. As he continues to rack up career milestones, the debate now is how many are to come.
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Report: Dodgers are calling up top pitching prospect Bobby Miller for Tuesday's start in Atlanta
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Austin Riley surmounts another milestone versus Los Angeles Dodgers

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Just over a month after hitting his 100 th career homer on April 17, Austin Riley notched another career milestone on Monday night versus the Dodgers. With his double in the fifth inning, he compiled 500 MLB hits in his 497 th career game.

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Ozuna's unreal turnaround in May- Braves Today

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Ozuna's unreal turnaround in May- Braves Today

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5/25/23

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Sports Illustrated Atlanta Braves News, Analysis and More

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It all started with a liner on the second of May that dropped in front of Jazz Chisholm Jr. a hair to the right of the second base bag.

Believe it or not, that was Marcell Ozuna's first hit not to his pull side all season. It's not so hard to believe considering he only had five hits on the year up to that point - two of them homers out to left field.

In April, Ozuna hit .091, struck out 18 times, grounded into three double plays, walked eight times and slugged .218 in 55 at bats. It was either a rope to left field or a swing for the left field fence and a massive whiff. Pitchers knew that, and he was getting pounded low and away.

Ozuna has seen 140 pitches low and outside the zone this season, per StatCast. 42 pitches have come to him in the lower-outside third of the plate, the most of any portion of the zone except the very middle portion. He has barreled up 0% of pitches in either of those areas.

However, four days after his knock to center field and three days after his multi-homer game - both versus the Marlins - Ozuna launched his first true opposite-field hit into the seats in right field versus the Orioles.

The use of the opposite field has continued as the two-time Silver Slugger's bat has come to life. After his 452-foot blast on Wednesday night versus the Dodgers, Ozuna has 21 hits in May - a third of them to right field.

Four of them have come in the past two series versus the Mariners and Dodgers, with Ozuna mashing an RBI double down the right field line in game two versus the Dodgers. If it wasn't Mookie Betts with a hose of an arm in right, who knows, maybe the "Big Bear" scampers down to third for his first triple of 2023.

But what we do know for sure is Ozuna's approach is paying off. He entered Wednesday night's contest batting .328 in the month of May with a .406/.656/1/062 slash line. His slugging percentage is more than .400 higher than in April.

After Wednesday's 1-for-3 night, he's mashed seven long balls in May with 18 RBI and 40 total bases in 61 at bats. His walk-to-strikeout ratio hasn't changed much at eight walks to 16 Ks, but he's scored 11 runs and, not to mention, even drew an intentional walk to set up Michael Harris' walk-off hit on May 7.

His opposite-field hit percentage is up to 24.1%, up near his 2020 total of 24.3%, and his chase rate has fallen down to 26.5%. This has led to a hard hit percentage that's in the 77th percentile in the MLB and an exit velocity that is at the 64th percentile in the league.

Ron Washington called Ozuna one of the hardest workers on the field, and it is looking like his persistence through the onslaught of "boos" he got in April is paying off.

The Braves' patience with the slugger is starting to pay off for them as well. It was an ugly April, but there is hope that Atlanta can get production from Ozuna in the final two years of his 4-year, $65 million contract.
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Change in approach has Marcell Ozuna returning to form

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It all started with a liner on the second of May that dropped in front of Jazz Chisholm Jr. a hair to the right of the second base bag. Believe it or not, that was Marcell Ozuna's first hit not to his pull side all season.

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20-year old completes miraculous rise to the majors - Braves Today

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20-year old completes miraculous rise to the majors - Braves Today

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5/30/23

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Sports Illustrated Atlanta Braves News, Analysis and More

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Alexa, play "Started From The Bottom."

Play it loud because AJ Smith-Shawver just rose from High-A ball to the Atlanta Braves roster in one season.

Around this time two years ago, that song might've been appropriate for Smith-Shawver because he was graduating high school. Before tonight's matchup versus the A's, it's far more appropriate because the Braves announced they are promoting their 2021 seventh-round draft pick to the major league club after only 110 IP in the minors.

To make room for him on the roster, Atlanta designated left-handed reliever Lucas Luetge for assignment. After acquiring him from the Yankees this offseason, he produced a 10.24 ERA in 9.2 IP for the Braves this season. That leaves AJ Minter and Jared Shuster as the only lefty arms on the Braves.

All of Smith-Shawver's seven appearances this season have been starts, and after the Braves promoted starter Michael Soroka from Gwinnett yesterday, it means the Braves have six starters on their roster if they intend to use Smith-Shawver to start games.

The Braves could either be bringing him up to bolster a struggling bullpen or in the continued search of another reliable starter. Soroka gave up four runs in six innings to the A's last night, and Shuster has allowed 15 ER in 25.1 IP this season with 15 walks and 20 strikeouts. Soroka's outing looked encouraging, and Shuster has done enough to keep himself on the club, but a red-hot Smith-Shawver has made it way too easy of a choice for the Braves to give him a shot.

Even if he starts out in the bullpen, so did Spencer Strider. He was so effective out of the pen that it made the decision to give him starts debatable. Look how that has turned out.

However they use him, he has been lights out in his bolt up the ladder. It only took Alex Anthopolous watching him start two games in Gwinnett to convince him a promotion was in order. In his latest start, Smith-Shawver completed seven innings, allowing two runs on four hits with three walks and eight Ks.

His fastball-slider combo continued to dazzle, as his heater averaged 95.1 mph while he continued to pound the mitt until the end. His next-to-last fastball registered at 96.1, and hitters still have to account for his hard slider and the possibility of a curveball - which he used sparingly in his start at AAA, just twice.

Gwinnett was just the culmination of a strong season for the 21-year-old, who will wear No. 62 with the Braves. Among three single-A, two double-A and two triple-A starts, he's amassed a 2-1 record, 1.09 ERA, 45 Ks and 0.94 WHIP in 33 IP.

He's made 28 career minor league appearances, and he struck out 164 in 110 innings. His rise is one of the most improbable, but if the Braves have learned anything from the past two years, the decision to promote Smith-Shawver was a no-brainer.

If you thought Soroka Shove Day or even Shuster Shove Day was fun to say, get ready for Smith-Shawver Shove Day. Don't be surprised if tomorrow comprised of two of those shove days. Shuster is listed as the starter for game three in Oakland, but the Braves might be using this series with the MLB's worst team to roll out all the young guns.

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Smith-Schawver completes rapid climb to majors

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Alexa, play "Started From The Bottom." Play it loud because AJ Smith-Shawver just rose from High-A ball to the Atlanta Braves roster in one season. Around this time two years ago, that song might've been appropriate for Smith-Shawver because he was graduating high school.

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5/17/23

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH

FOR THE OBSERVER

SMITHS STATION -

As if it couldn't wait another second, the Glenwood baseball team lined up like an Olympian preparing for a race on the third base line, and then junior Brandon McCraine bolted and snatched Glenwood's first AISA State Championship trophy since 2017.

After a few jumps and cheers among the team, several team captains hauled the trophy over to head coach Tim Fanning.

It was Fanning's first title in six years. But it isn't a first for the 20-year coach - not even close. It's his ninth state championship as the Gators' head coach, but it will be one he remembers forever.

The triumph over Macon-East Academy might not have been his first rodeo at Paterson Field in Montgomery, but it was Fanning's first since he was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in July 2019. The Glenwood faithful showed up in bunches, and many were wearing shirts that read "Fight like Fanning."

Fanning was "not surprised at all" that the Glenwood crowd flooded the stands at Paterson Field, but he didn't foresee the overwhelming support they showed their baseball coach and current Glenwood athletics director.

"I didn't know it was coming," Fanning said. "They actually had shirts made, and I showed up at the field Wednesday morning and they all had them on. I started crying - you know, I had no idea. It's just a testament to how good of kids they are and how much the program means to them and them being selfless.

"This wasn't about them. As a coach, that's the biggest thing that you can try to do for a group of young men is get them to understand that, and obviously they get it."

In a year where Glenwood was loaded with talent, the Gators finished 45-4, winning 29 of their last 30 games. They finished ranked No. 15 nationally by Collegiate Baseball Magazine and No. 10 in the state regardless of classification, and several individuals broke program records.

"There's a lot that makes this team special," Fanning said. "Talent is one; I mean, they're super talented. Their work ethic and commitment is another, and then their pure love for each other and playing baseball."

The talent was, in fact, historic.

Senior Jaxson Milam broke the program single-season home run record (with 19) while playing a solid shortstop, and senior third baseman Lane Griggs broke the program record in at-bats (152), runs (68), doubles (23) and RBI (73). Along with those two, senior Jacob Page dominated on both sides of the ball, leading the team in on base percentage (OBP; .611) while only striking out eight times in 131 at bats and going 12-0 on the mound with a 1.65 earned run average (ERA) in 72 innings' pitches.

Page, a lifetime Gator, pitched complete games in the semifinals versus Lee-Scott and again in game one's five-inning, 11-1 state championship win over Macon-East. He capped off his time at Glenwood boasting a .181 opponent batting average and 84 strikeouts opposed to 14 walks on the mound in his senior season. At .435, he was also one of four batters to finish with a batting average above .400, along with McCraine (.435), Milam (.430) and Griggs (.487).

"I remember him as a skinny seventh-grader making his way into the program," Fanning reminisced about Page. "He's served this team well, and he's done it for a long time. I think he won 11 games as a junior but had his only loss up in the state playoffs. Just coming back and finishing, plus doing what he did on both sides, makes him a really special player."

Before the season even started, nine seniors - including Milam, Griggs and Page - inked college commitments, along with the McCraine brothers - Brandon and sophomore Mason - committing to Auburn University.

It didn't all go exactly as planned, but Glenwood displayed the "next man up" mentality while sweeping its way past Monroe, Lee-Scott and Macon-East in the playoffs, outscoring those teams 50-8 in six games.

The Gators had one of the deepest teams in program history, according to Fanning. Several of the team's top arms didn't even step on the mound due to injuries, but the team finished with a 2.32 ERA as a team, and sophomore Tyler Sykes became a dark horse go-to arm behind Page.

Fanning said he would never have expected it at the beginning of the season, but Sykes started game two of the state championship, going six innings and allowing three runs, with the 9-3 win making him 7-1 on the season. The week before, Sykes downed Lee-Scott, 1-0, with a complete-game shutout. He finished the season with 66 Ks and just 10 walks with a 1.68 ERA.

Before he hoisted the trophy, Brandon McCraine put the exclamation point on the Gators' season, just as he did with a game-winning buzzer beater to defeat Macon-East in the basketball state championship.

He didn't pitch all season due to arm soreness, but he took over for Sykes in the seventh inning of game two and pitched a scoreless frame that ensued in a dogpile, with Sykes being the cherry on top - jumping onto and sliding off his teammates with a smile stretched from ear to ear.

For Sykes, it's just the beginning, but for those 12 seniors, it was a matter of finishing unfinished business. Glenwood advanced to the state championship in 2022 but was denied by Pike Liberal Arts.

That dogpile meant finished business, but the Gators did it all for something bigger than themselves. The motto all season has been "23 for 23," and Fanning has written two books titled "Serve to Lead," which encapsulate the value of servant leadership.

After fighting through nearly a year of cancer treatments, Fanning rang the bell to signal his final chemo treatment in June 2020. But his journey didn't end there. He kept fighting - for Glenwood athletics, for Gator baseball and for another taste of a state title.

On May 10, 2023, Fanning's fight and the lessons of putting others above yourself that he's instilled in his team came full circle when his team captains marched toward him with the AISA State Championship trophy hoisted high.

"I feel like we did all this for coach Fanning," Milam said with a smile. "Every grind, every game was for coach Fanning. We had the talent and we put in the work. It means everything."

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Glenwood's State Title Bigger than Baseball

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER SMITHS STATION - As if it couldn't wait another second, the Glenwood baseball team lined up like an Olympian preparing for a race on the third base line, and then junior Brandon McCraine bolted and snatched Glenwood's first AISA State Championship trophy since 2017.

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AHS girls soccer loses state championship

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AHS girls soccer loses state championship

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5/17/23

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH

FOR THE OBSERVER

AUBURN -

Auburn High girls soccer was able to get revenge on Fairhope and advance to its first state championship since 2016, but the Tigers fell to Sparkman, 2-1, denying them of their first ever state title May 13.

The Tigers fought to the end, with a scoring opportunity inside the box with five seconds left in the championship game, but they couldn't find an answer for Sparkman's second-half score. Despite answering a Sparkman goal in the 12th minute with an Ellie Hammer shot that hit off the post and turned into a goal by junior Sam Reitz, Auburn was shut out for the remainder of the game. Meanwhile, Sparkman converted a penalty kick that turned out to be the game winner.

"First, I just want to say I'm just so proud of them," said Auburn head coach Bill Ferguson. "They were a true team in every sense. When we had players injured, others stepped up, and that just says a lot about the depth we had and their ability to play for each other and for this community. Excited to see what they can accomplish next year with that confidence they have from going and competing in the big game."

Despite falling short of a ring, the Tigers finished 14-6 and went undefeated in area play. They defeated Prattville, Dothan and Fairhope, who knocked Auburn out of the playoffs last season, before falling to Sparkman (21-4).

The team displayed its hunger, refusing to be denied in a semifinal 4-0 win over Fairhope. Reitz scored a goal in the first 90 seconds of play, and the Tigers kept their foot on the pedal. According to Ferguson, facing the team who prematurely ended its season in 2022 is just what Auburn needed to go light the team on fire.

"I don't think you need motivation to play in the Final Four, but when I found out that Fairhope won, I was eager and excited because I knew it would be additional motivation since they beat us last year," Ferguson explained. "To say that we were ready is an understatement. We came out hot from the whistle. There wasn't really a chance we were going to lose that game."

With what Ferguson described as a relatively young team, Auburn capitalized on key contributions from "everyone on the back line," plus two goals by Reitz, a goal from freshman Camilla Bosman, a goal from sophomore Meredith Martin, a score by seventh-grader Lula Hammer and seven saves from senior Ragan Ellis in its final two games in Huntsville.

Ellis combined with freshman Melissa Smith to pitch a shutout versus Fairhope, giving the Tigers 13 total shutouts on the season. The duo allowed just 11 goals this season in 20 games, and did not allow a goal in region play.

Auburn has a bright path ahead, with five seniors this year who acted as role models to young players. Ferguson mentioned seniors Hannah Arnoll and Caroline Hennessy as players who left their mark on the program. The team now has the experience of a path to the championship as well as a taste of what's to come.

"This senior class is phenomenal; they're a massive reason we had the success that we did," Ferguson raved. "As well as Lula Hammer scored in the semifinals and played every minute of the final. She came up big in a win over Spain Park, then-reigning state champs, and played every minute against Oak Mountain and pretty much took away one of their best defensive players.

"To do that as a seventh-grader is pretty ridiculous. It's just a testament to her mindset as a young person and her ability to play the game."

The future is bright, but Ferguson finished by expressing his gratitude for this year's graduating class. After the state championship, Ferguson said he sent an e-mail to all the parents in the program, expressing how proud he was of the way the team went out with class, even after a loss.

Even if they aren't remembered as state champions, that character is something that will live on in the program for years to come.

"I think this team's legacy is teamwork and kindness," Ferguson said. "This is one of the closest teams I've had the opportunity to coach, and they've really cheered for each other and shown up for each other. So, I think they did it the right way. They were a team that had class. They continue to show that this program can win it all, and I'm excited for the opportunity we get to bring a blue mat home to Auburn."

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AHS Girls Soccer Falls Within Goal of State Championship

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER AUBURN - Auburn High girls soccer was able to get revenge on Fairhope and advance to its first state championship since 2016, but the Tigers fell to Sparkman, 2-1, denying them of their first ever state title May 13.

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Central baseball falls short of repeating

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Central baseball falls short of repeating

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Date: 5/24/23

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH

FOR THE OBSERVER

PHENIX CITY -

The Central High School baseball team returned to its facilities around 4 a.m. on Friday after battling two elimination games in the state championship versus Vestavia Hills, falling a game short of becoming repeat champions.

"Looking back on it, it was a successful year," said head coach A.J. Kehoe. "Obviously, it didn't end the way we wanted it to end, but that's baseball. That's life in general, you know, but our guys are very resilient and they're going to be just fine. They're on to bigger and better things."

Despite falling short of a championship, Central posted a 35-10 record and punched its ticket to the state championship for the second consecutive year. The Red Devils defeated Daphne, Enterprise and Smiths Station in the postseason to reach the state championship at Jacksonville State University.

Walking off as winners in game two of the state championship, Central forced a rubber match game three versus Vestavia Hills that began at 10 p.m. CST on Thursday. But having to inch out a late win in game two after letting a 4-0 slip away in the seventh inning, Central ran out of magic in game three and fell, 4-1, ending their season.

Despite the "small disappointment" of losing the state championship, Central is proud of what its seniors have been able to accomplish in the last three seasons, as well as what the future holds, Kehoe said. The eight seniors on this year's team went 103-29 over the past three seasons, won three area championships and made three semifinal appearances with two state championship runs.

"The grit, the competitive nature of these guys [is what made them so successful]," Kehoe said. "It started their sophomore year, they did a great job of developing, and their competitive nature put them over the top. They're just all big-time competitors."

Among the eight seniors, Central returned the 2022 Hitter of the Year and State Championship MVP in UAB commit Jaxon Yoxtheimer, who became a huge leader for the Red Devils, as well as catcher and Auburn University commit Colton Wombles. Montevallo commit Preston Bedford was another key contributor, Kehoe said.

Those three are all leaving Central better than it was before, and the underclassmen below them now have a greater understanding of what it means to be a championship team.

"Outside of talent, the most important thing a team can have is that internal leadership," Kehoe explained. "They provided that for us. Going into next year, that'll certainly be something that we have to address. The character and gritty competitiveness is something they've instilled in our underclassmen."

In its chase for its second state title in school history, Central will not be shorthanded going into the future. Along with invaluable senior leadership, Central got remarkable contributions from three sophomores as well as a freshman in the state championship.

The team is also returning junior third baseman Hunter Wippert, junior first baseman and UAB commit Landon Beaver, along with starting second baseman Cason Page. Sophomores Cameron Briggs and Emory Yohn are returning in the outfield, and Cam Norton, who pitched 2.1 relief innings in game one versus Vestavia, is a freshman pitcher returning next season.

The Red Devils kept their hot region play going in 2023, going 7-2 in region play and sweeping Opelika in addition to series win versus Auburn and Smiths Station while winning its third consecutive area title. They once again established their area dominance by sweeping a pair of games with the Panthers, 8-4 and 8-1, in the semifinal.

This team is leaving behind a legacy of hard-fought success, but there is no reason to think that will change going forward. Kehoe and his guys will take some time to reflect and adjust, and they will return to working toward their third straight state championship appearance.

"We're highly optimistic going forward," Kehoe said. "The coaching staff will probably meet next week to go ahead and determine some of those things that we need to focus on program-wise. We'll make sure that we give the guys a few weeks off to rest and get away from us, then we'll get back to work."

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Central Baseball Nearly Repeats State Title, Dominates Region in 2023

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER PHENIX CITY - The Central High School baseball team returned to its facilities around 4 a.m. on Friday after battling two elimination games in the state championship versus Vestavia Hills, falling a game short of becoming repeat champions.

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OHS completes a year in new classification

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OHS completes a year in new classification

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5/24/23

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Auburn baseball announced as regional hosts

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Auburn baseball announced as regional hosts

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Date: 5/31/23

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH

FOR THE OBSERVER

AUBURN -

In April, Auburn University baseball was sitting at 20-15-1 after a series loss at the hands of the Crimson Tide, and it was
looking like a rebuilding year after last year's College World Series run.
Down 7-0 in the third inning in the rubber match after splitting the first two games with Mississippi State the next weekend, it
looked like the season was going downhill at a sprint. But Auburn rallied back to win, 12-11, fueling the fire for five straight
series wins to end the season and revive its playoff hopes.
Auburn ended the season at 34-21-1, and as a No. 13 national seed, it is now set to host its second consecutive NCAA
Tournament Regional for the first time in program history. The Tigers have hosted five regionals all-time in 1978, 1999, 2003,
2010 and 2022.
After winning last season's Auburn Regional in front of a record-breaking crowd at Plainsman Park, head coach Butch
Thompson is leading his club into his fifth regional bid in eight seasons as a head coach at Auburn, etching him at second all-
time program-wide in that category.
"Auburn baseball to host back-to-back regionals at Plainsman Park is a big, big deal," Thompson said. "A credit to our
assistant coaches, all of our staff and these amazing players of breeding some consistency in the program. Last year was pretty
special here. To be able to do it again, I'm looking forward to it."
Opening the regional as the top seed, Auburn will begin play on Friday, June 2, with No. 4-seed Penn (32-14). Also in the
field, No. 2 Samford (36-24) will take on No. 3 Southern Miss (41-17). The Bulldogs and Golden Eagles will kick off the action
at 1 p.m. CST on Friday, and Auburn will go to battle with Penn at 6 p.m.

The conference is setting the standard with eight NCAA Tournament hosts, doubling the number of teams from any other
conference (ACC- 4), and Auburn went 17-13 in conference play and finished by taking series over Mississippi State, then-No.
2 South Carolina and then-No. 1 LSU; then it swept reigning national champion Ole Miss and Missouri.
However, the other three teams in the field are a combined 0-13 against SEC competition.
Scouting the field:
Auburn's first opponent, the Penn Quakers, got swept in an early-season series with South Carolina, but it made the
Gamecocks fight for a season-opening sweep, losing by one in the final two games. It won the Ivy League Championship and
dominated league play in the regular season, going 16-5. Penn ended the season on an eight-game winning streak, led by five
hitters batting over .300 and Wyatt Henseler with 17 homers.
The only team in the field Auburn has seen this season is Samford, who Auburn took down 13-3 in eight innings back in
April. Samford won the SoCon Tournament, winning three games in one day to notch an automatic tournament bid, but it went
0-7 against SEC opponents in 2023.
The Bulldogs won their final nine games and are led by Jayden Davis, who is leading the team with a .363 average, 78 hits
and 47 runs and senior pitcher Jacob Cravey, who is fourth in the NCAA with 121 Ks in 98.2 IP.
Perhaps a dangerous team, Southern Miss, also won its conference championship in the Sun Belt. With a 22-8 conference
record, the Golden Eagles went 0-3 against SEC opponents, but beat some high-level competition. They took 3-of-4 from
regional-bound Troy, stole a game from No. 7 Coastal Carolina and swept a talented No. 17 Dallas Baptist team. They are led
by ace Tanner Hall, who owns a 2.23 ERA with 109 strikeouts and 30 walks in 97 IP.
The Home Team:
Winning its final eight regular-season games while shutting down top-notch competition, Auburn is as hot as any team in the
nation. Auburn has been able to solidify its pitching rotation that was a struggle early in the season.
In the absence of its only returning starter from 2022, Joseph Gonzalez, graduate lefty Tommy Vail has stepped up and led the
rotation with 13 starts and a 3.46 ERA, while sophomore Will Cannon, sophomore John Armstrong, junior Tanner Bauman and
senior Chase Isbell have each thrown 20+ innings out of the bullpen.
Meanwhile, senior third baseman Bryson Ware is putting the nation on notice, breaking the program record for home runs
with 24, which also ranks eighth in the NCAA this season. Junior shortstop Cole Foster, who had three homers and 12 RBI with
six hits in last year's regional, accompanied Ware on the SEC All-Tournament team, and the duo tallied averages of .356 and
.336, respectively, with both recording OPS over 1.0 this season.
Led by freshman Ike Irish at .364, the Tigers posted a team average of .291, good for fifth in the SEC. The Tigers are one of
the most dangerous teams offensively, and they'll have the luxury of starting a guy in center field who's already been to two
regionals and won them both: Kason Howell.
Losing eight players to the MLB Draft after last season, Auburn has been left filling in the gaps this season, but the Tigers
feel comfortable in the position they are in.
"It's a big step for this program," Howell said. "It's a milestone that this program has reached, and we couldn't be more
excited. This is the goal, to host regionals and for the road to Omaha to go through Auburn, Alabama, as many years as it can."

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Run it Back, Plainsman Park: AU Baseball Repeats as Regional Host

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER AUBURN - In April, Auburn University baseball was sitting at 20-15-1 after a series loss at the hands of the Crimson Tide, and it waslooking like a rebuilding year after last year's College World Series run.Down 7-0 in the third inning in the rubber match after splitting the first two games with Mississippi State the next weekend, itlooked like the season was going downhill at a sprint.

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5/10/23

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH

FOR THE OBSERVER

AUBURN -

With two wins over Smiths Station and two losses to Central in the AHSAA 7A Area 4 Tournament, Auburn High School softball will head to the Region Tournament as the Area 4 runners up.

After game one's 11-3 defeat of the Panthers, Auburn could not get anything going offensively and was shut out twice by the Red Devils, 3-0, then 15-0. While Central will advance as the area champions, Auburn took the win, 10-2, in the runner-up game with Smiths Station to advance to play in the Region Tournament on Thursday, May 11.

With the season on the line, the Tigers sent Abigail Helms to the circle. The sophomore picked up her 13th win of the season, going four innings and allowing just two runs (one earned) on four hits and three strikeouts.

Meanwhile, senior Ivey Davis continued to dazzle from the leadoff spot, going 3-for-3 with two runs and an RBI. This improved her season average to .353 with a team-leading .465 OBP.

Sophomore Daley Alsobrook added to the damage with a two-run homer, and sophomore Katie Johnson went 2-for-4 with three RBIs, increasing her team-leading batting average to .384.

Senior Allie Roberts had a comparatively quiet game at the plate, but the team's ace kept her arm hot as well, pitching the final three innings and only allowing a single base runner on a walk. The Huntingdon College commit didn't allow a run or a hit while tallying three Ks to tick her ERA down to 2.09.

After coming through with 12 hits and 10 runs as a team in the win-or-go-home game, the Tigers will look to keep the offense rolling against Enterprise (30-11), the Area 3 champion. Auburn only faced Enterprise once in the regular season on March 18 and lost, 2-0.

In the same double-elimination tournament, Central will face Area 3's runner up, Prattville. Auburn lost each of four matchups against Central this year, but it got the best of Prattville in both matchups, 6-0 and 4-3, in February and March. The Region Tournament will start at 9:30 a.m. CST from Lagoon Park in Montgomery, as Auburn High softball vies for its first ever 7A State Championship. Game 2 will take place at 1:45 p.m. and, if necessary, game three is at 4:45 p.m.

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AHS Softball Punches Ticket to Regionals

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER AUBURN - With two wins over Smiths Station and two losses to Central in the AHSAA 7A Area 4 Tournament, Auburn High School softball will head to the Region Tournament as the Area 4 runners up.

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AHS athlete signs to play college lacrosse

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AHS athlete signs to play college lacrosse

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5/10/23

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH

FOR THE OBSERVER

AUBURN -

At the age of 5, Graham Young was strolling through his neighborhood in Auburn when he noticed someone playing catch in a way he'd never seen before.

It immediately caught his attention, and he and his father stopped to ask what they were playing with. It was a lacrosse stick, something the boy had never heard of, but was fascinated by it. That Saturday, his father got him registered to play in a lacrosse league.

Now, Young is a multisport athlete at Auburn High School. He has also played football and basketball since kindergarten, but sitting in the gym alongside two football players as a senior, he signed his college letter of intent for a sport not sanctioned by the AHSAA.

"Lacrosse has always been my best and favorite sport," Young said. "When I was younger, I was always asked [Why lacrosse?], and my answer has always been the same, lacrosse is where my heart lies."

Young has played with the Atlanta-based Deep South Lacrosse league and the AU Club lacrosse team throughout high school. Over the years, he has seen firsthand the rapid growth of the sport across Alabama, but work is still in order for lacrosse to become an officially-recognized sport by the AHSAA. Young said he is hopeful that will change in the near future.

Lacrosse has grown to the point where finding competition was no struggle for Young, but in order to be recognized and have a better opportunity to play at the next level, he said that traveling was necessary. While he acknowledged the "rapid growth in popularity" of lacrosse in Alabama, the top-level talent is outside of the state.

"During the summer, depending on how much you want to get yourself exposed, is when traveling is very important," Young said. "While lacrosse is growing in the South, most of the better competition and opportunities to play in front of college coaches are up North. The way to grow the sport (in Alabama) is to make it available and known to more kids, the younger the better."

As a result of playing lacrosse, Young has paved the way forward for himself. He signed last week to play college lacrosse and study engineering at the University of Alabama at Huntsville.

His father, Mark Young, raved about how the sport has helped his son develop as an athlete but also as a man. He credited Graham's coaches, Ben Hunt and JJ Armino, for playing a huge role in his athletic development.

That is a sentiment that Graham saw in himself as a result of the life lessons lacrosse has taught him. And none of this would've been possible if the Youngs didn't discover a new way to play catch while walking through their neighborhood. "Lacrosse has taught me how to win and to lose, to step up as a leader when needed and to sit back and play my role," Young explained. "I've met some of my best friends and some of my greatest mentors (through lacrosse). I'm very thankful for this game and the things it has given me."

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AHS Athlete Shines Spotlight on Growing Sport With College Commitment

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER AUBURN - At the age of 5, Graham Young was strolling through his neighborhood in Auburn when he noticed someone playing catch in a way he'd never seen before. It immediately caught his attention, and he and his father stopped to ask what they were playing with.

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5/10/23

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH

FOR THE OBSERVER

AUBURN -

After both teams fell in the Round of Eight last season, Auburn High School girls soccer changed the narrative this year to advance to the Final Four, while the boys will keep searching for a way past the second round.

The girls defeated Prattville at home and Dothan on the road to begin the playoffs and will now get a chance at revenge versus Fairhope, who knocked Auburn out of the playoffs in the Round of Eight last season. The Tigers will match up with Fairhope in the Final Four on Thursday, May 11, in Huntsville at John Hunt Park.

"I think we're a completely different team than we were last year," said Auburn soccer head coach Bill Ferguson. "There's a different level of confidence in our ability to go into matches prepared. We don't look past anybody. We have experienced that any team can win a game on any given day, so I think we'll be ready for this team."

On the other hand, the boys defeated Enterprise, 3-1, in round one before their season ended at Dothan, 3-2. This is the second straight season the boys have lost in round two, but despite losing six seniors, 18 returning players will bring that experience back next year after going 11-8-2 this season.

"We ended up going to penalties at the end of the game at 2-2, and just fell short in penalties," Ferguson said. "It's a hard way to lose, but I was proud of the guys fighting back and being the aggressor against a very good team in a hostile environment. We've got a lot of hungry players. We have a solid core coming back. I think they'll be excited to get a chance to maybe correct the path and figure out a way to get past round two."

Ferguson expressed his appreciation for his seniors, but noted that there are plenty of positive takeaways from the season despite an earlier playoff exit than they hoped for.

"We're going to miss the senior class so much. Just a lot of experience and great, talented guys," Ferguson said. "I've had several players express to me how much fun they had this season, so there are a lot of good feelings that are coming along, even though we hate to lose."

Despite the boys' loss, the girls have a chance for revenge as confidence keeps brewing for the Tigers as they go. However, the team has learned not to let its confidence affect preparation after the loss to Fairhope last season.

Ferguson said the girls came in too relaxed last season and let Fairhope use their energy and aggressiveness to its advantage. Fairhope has already taught Auburn that lesson, and it has taught it to St. Paul's Episcopal and McGill-Toolen in the first two rounds this season.

As the No. 2 seed coming out of its region, Ferguson said Fairhope is not who he expected to see this late in the playoffs, but he and his team won't let their guard down this time.

"(Fairhope) already has two wins on the road, so they definitely have a fighting spirit to them," Ferguson emphasized. "As far as rankings and projections go, they've overachieved, so we'll be getting to work."

The Auburn girls will prolong their playoff journey into the Final Four for the first time since 2019, starting on Thursday at 3 p.m. CST. If Auburn wins, it will advance to its first ever state championship two days later on Saturday, May 13, at 11 a.m. at the same location in Huntsville.

"We definitely want to get two more wins under our belt and come home state champs, but right now we're just focusing on one," Ferguson said.

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AHS Soccer Girls Endure to Final Four, Boys Fall Short in Round Two

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER AUBURN - After both teams fell in the Round of Eight last season, Auburn High School girls soccer changed the narrative this year to advance to the Final Four, while the boys will keep searching for a way past the second round.

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5/11/23

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In a game she started, Maddie Penta exited during a disastrous third inning. In the end, she earned the save and gave No. 3 seed Auburn its first SEC Tournament win since 2019, defeating No. 11 Ole Miss, 8-7.

Struggling uncharacteristically with command, Penta allowed five runs on seven hits, four walks and three hit batters after only walking 41 to 279 strikeouts all season, but she kept her composure and re-entered the game for the first time this season and pitched a scoreless final two innings to earn her third save of the season.

In a game where its ace didn't have her best stuff, Auburn gave up six runs in the third inning and held a four-run deficit to Ole Miss, but in her first SEC Tournament game, Icess Tresvick erased it. She blasted her ninth homer of the year, a two-run blast, to kick off a three-run fifth where the Tigers recaptured the lead.

After her homer, Auburn kept the rally going by loading the bases, and Rose Roach punched a ball through the right side for a go-ahead RBI single. Looking to add on, Auburn extended the miscues in the game, as Makayla Packer ran into a double play at third base to end the inning before Aspyn Godwin could give Auburn an insurance run.

With Penta's fourth HBP with the bases loaded in the seventh, it looked like base running errors such as Packer's, along with Nelia Peralta being gunned down at the plate in the first inning and Roach running into a fielder's choice at third on a ground ball to shortstop, would sink Auburn.

The game was momentarily knotted at eight and the Auburn players were left covering their eyes, but the third HBP review in the game had a different result: the Ole Miss batter was sent back to the plate after it was ruled that she moved into the pitch.

There were two outs, but the bases remained loaded. Penta advanced the count to 3-0, and a walk meant a re-tied game, but Penta then remembered who she was and threw three straight strikes to get her fourth K of the day and seal Auburn's 40th win of the season - tying last season's total.

"I just had to remember who I am. The person that came out here today is not who I am. Just remembering that I'm Maddie Penta. I'm sorry, but I am," Penta said in her post-game interview.

Despite giving up her season-high five runs for the third time this season and the first time since March to No. 1 Oklahoma, Penta finished strong and earned her third save of the season.

Auburn gave up 11 hits and walked four while only striking out six, but despite the Tigers committing two errors, Ole Miss committed three in a game with plenty of hard contact. This allowed Auburn to get back in the game after giving up six in the top of the third.

The Tigers benefitted from putting the ball in play, only striking out twice in the game.

Auburn loaded the bases with one out in the third and Ole Miss committed two consecutive throwing errors, allowing two to score on a sacrifice fly from Garcia and another on a grounder to second by Aspyn Godwin. That gave Auburn life, putting it back within one after giving up six in the previous frame.

Keeping Auburn in the game, Annabelle Widra shut down the Ole Miss offense after allowing a homer to cap off the damage in the third. She went 2.2 innings, allowing one earned run on four hits and two Ks to earn the win and improve to 9-5 on the season. In a game where Penta struggled with command, Widra entered and hammered the zone, walking none and inducing 12 flyouts.

While the pitching worked around a lot of additional runs, stranding 12 Ole Miss runners, Auburn notched its fourth conference game of the season where it scored more than six runs. The Tigers poured on eight runs on eight hits and five walks.

Individually, sophomores Tresvick and Roach shined and put together the tying and winning hits. Tresvick went 2-for-3 in her first game from the clean-up spot, scoring three runs and knocking in a pair of runs with a walk. Roach added on in her first postseason start, going 2-for-3 with a double and the game-winning RBI. Denver Bryant tallied Auburn's third multi-hit performance and third extra-base hit, going 2-for-4 with a double.

The offense was hot as it has been in a while, but the pitching struggled and endured a large workload. Penta there 105 pitches while Widra threw 60, leaving Shelby Lowe as the Tigers' only untaxed pitcher going into Friday's game.

With its first SEC Tournament win since 2019, Auburn (40-16) advanced to the tournament semifinals against the winner of No. 2 seed Georgia and No. 10 South Carolina in Fayetteville, Arkansas's Bogle Park. Auburn will have a turnaround of under 24 hours, as the first pitch of that game will come at 3 p.m. CST on ESPN2.

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Auburn storms back to win first SEC Tournament game since 2019 - The Auburn Plainsman

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In a game she started, Maddie Penta exited during a disastrous third inning. In the end, she earned the save and gave No. 3 seed Auburn its first SEC Tournament win since 2019, defeating No. 11 Ole Miss, 8-7.

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Early Braves All-Star projections - Braves Today

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Early Braves All-Star projections - Braves Today

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5/08/23

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Sports Illustrated Atlanta Braves News, Analysis and More

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It's creeping up on us. We're over a month into the MLB season already and this year's Midsummer Classic is just over two months away.

The Braves had six All-Star participants last year, with Ronald Acuña Jr. earning a starting bid and William Contreras filling in as the starting DH for Bryce Harper, and they were joined by Max Fried, Travis D'Arnaud, Dansby Swanson, and late addition Austin Riley.

This year in Seattle, they might have just as many or more, if things go according to plan for the Braves. The team owns the best record in the National League entering Monday's off day, and there are several individuals who are making it possible.

Here are some Braves players who look destined for a roster spot in the 2023 All-Star game:

Starters:

Reserves:

As it currently stands, I think six Braves are in line to make the all-star roster - the same total as last season. But that leaves reigning all-star Fried on the table. With a 2.08 ERA and 25 Ks to six walks, he is definitely still in the running, but he has only started five games for a total of 26 innings and only one quality start. With his health being questionable so far this season, Fried hasn't proved himself all-star-worthy just yet.

Raisel Iglesias is another guy who's been brilliant, but the sample size is just too small. He has only thrown two frames since his return, but each batter he's faced has been an out - two on strikes. If he keeps shoving like that, the Braves closer has plenty of time to make a run.

It is still early. All-star voting doesn't start for nearly another month, so there's still time for guys like Austin Riley and Michael Harris to turn on the jets, but as it stands, these are the guys who look primed to star in the 93rd edition of the Midsummer Classic.
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It's creeping up on us. We're over a month into the MLB season already and this year's Midsummer Classic is just over two months away. The Braves had six All-Star participants last year, with Ronald Acuña Jr.

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4/26/23

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Auburn High Softball Ready to Ride Turnaround Season into Playoffs

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER AUBURN - With just one regular-season tournament left to play, Auburn High School softball has won 27 (update after Tuesday's game) games - 15 more than its 2022 season - with a record of 27-7-1.

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4/26/23

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH

FOR THE OBSERVER

SMITHS STATION -

Glenwood had the bar set high with 12 returning seniors this season, and the Gators justified the tall expectations with a 40-4 record: its most regular-season wins since 2016.

Glenwood also won state in its 46-win 2016 campaign, one of its three titles in the past decade. The Gators will look to make 40 wins a magic number in a chase for its first state championship in seven years beginning on Thursday, April 27, in a doubleheader at home against Monroe at 3:30 p.m. CST. If necessary, game three is on Friday.

"There's nothing we haven't seen, so there shouldn't be any surprises," said head coach Tim Fanning. "It's just really about us focusing and executing. ... We just need to be efficient on the mound - force contact, let our defense play. We're really athletic and really good on the bases, and we put pressure on people. That's what I'm expecting to see on Thursday."

Glenwood is riding high into the playoffs, winning its final two games over Macon-East and Bessemer, but a 5-4 loss to Macon-East last Tuesday might have brought it down to earth a bit. That loss not only ended Glenwood's 21-game win streak, but it counted as its only region loss of the season.

Along with a loss to Prattville's Autauga Academy at the beginning of March, the loss to Macon-East was only Glenwood's second loss to an in-state opponent this season. The Gators began the season with a tough run through West Georgia and came out with a two-run loss to Strong Rock Christian and a one-run loss to Calvary of Columbus.

Glenwood's latest loss was in heartbreaking fashion, as it entered the seventh inning with a 4-0 lead before surrendering five runs, allowing Macon-East to walk it off. However, it served as sort of a wake-up call that made itself prevalent in game two of the doubleheader in Montgomery. After falling down 7¬-2 early, the offense put together a storm and won 15-9.

"Maybe that's what we needed," Fanning said. "We've just got to get back to the basics. That's what we did at practice on Friday - just working on the little things, so that it doesn't come down to how big the stage is, it just comes down to how we're executing. That's what we're trying to hammer every day in practice."

Several arms have stepped up for the Gators outside of the senior class this season. Sophomores Tyler Sykes and Mason McCraine have proven to be go-to arms, adding to the team's depth. While seniors Jacob Page, Jackson Kennon, Lukas Holman and Wyatt Tharpe have been stellar arms for most of the season, Fanning said his team might get even stronger with some key additions in the playoffs.

With a week off from the regular-season finale to the playoffs, the Gators have the luxury of resting, but also continuing to sharpen its playoff sword. After months of rehab, senior right-handers Brandon McCraine and Jaxon Milam threw bullpens on Friday and Monday, and Glenwood will "feel it out" on when to ease them into game action on the mound.

In year 20 as Glenwood's head coach, Fanning is looking for his ninth state championship. He's no stranger to a championship team, and he said this team has all the motivation it needs to win its first varsity ring on the baseball field.

"At this point in the season, I don't know that there's any extra motivation; that should be internal," Fanning said. "With the seniors, this is an opportunity to finish what they started."

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Glenwood Baseball Posts Best Regular Season Since 2016

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER SMITHS STATION - Glenwood had the bar set high with 12 returning seniors this season, and the Gators justified the tall expectations with a 40-4 record: its most regular-season wins since 2016. Glenwood also won state in its 46-win 2016 campaign, one of its three titles in the past decade.

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5/04/23

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH

FOR THE OBSERVER

AUBURN -

Auburn softball has the stars, and now it will be shooting for the moon this postseason.

With 39 wins last season, Auburn won its most games in a regular season since a 40-win 2018, but an early exit in the Clemson Regional left Auburn soul searching.

Maddie Penta went 24-10 and led the SEC with a 1.76 ERA; Bri Ellis won All-SEC Freshman of the Year and swiped the program freshman home run record with 20; but Auburn ran out of star power when it came down to the wire. However, 2022's eight-player freshman class reset the standard and took home a better understanding of what it takes to get to dive deeper into the postseason after a season-ending, 4-3 loss to Louisiana.

"I think for us to get to where we want to go this year, which is obviously the World Series, we need to host a regional, and on top of that, we have every opportunity to win the SEC Tournament and be regular-season champs," Ellis said in an interview in February.

At 37-15, and 13-8 in conference play, the Tigers are in position to do just that at No. 13 in the country.

Not only that, but they have a chance to mirror last season's win total with a series win in their final regular-season series versus Mississippi State this weekend at home. Furthermore, with a sweep of the 27-22 Bulldogs, Auburn can match its 2018 regular season at 40 wins.

Looking for its first SEC Tournament win since 2019, Auburn will begin its postseason journey in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on May 9. It won't do it blindly, like it did last season, however. Not only is head coach Mickey Dean at 200 career wins, his team has adjusted and muscled up to top-notch competition this time around.

Coming off of three consecutive series wins and five of seven SEC series wins this season, Auburn is displaying a matured version of the team that exploded onto the scene last year, when it took four total conference series'. This year, the Tigers won back-to-back series' with No. 15 LSU and No. 14 Alabama, and it took extra inning-wins for No. 6 Georgia and No. 22 Florida to notch series wins over Auburn away from the Plains.

At third in the SEC, Auburn knows its identity and has built on star showings from last year. It has 77 wins and plenty of individual accolades to show for it, but Auburn needs to get some key contributions from its depth in order to fill in the gaps and avenge an early tournament exit last season.

Passing the Crown

In the circle, Penta is looking as close to an automatic win as there is, but one arm will only carry a team so far.

Somehow, the junior is putting her season where she set the program sophomore strikeout record in the shadows. She's 23-5 with a 0.96 ERA and is second in the nation only to Alabama's Montana Fouts with 261 strikeouts, eight shy of her 2022 total with three regular-season games remaining. She's nonchalantly thrown two no-hitters this season with 14 complete-game efforts and now ranks fourth on the program's all-time strikeout leaderboard.

But when she's asked to pass the crown, the Tigers have struggled. They have lost the last five SEC games she hasn't started, while Penta has won her last seven conference games - all complete games.

Behind the ace, Auburn has two other starters who boast ERAs under 3.00, sophomore Annabelle Widra and junior lefty Shelby Lowe, but both have been hit harder in conference play. They each have shown hints of success versus high-level competition, though.

Widra (8-4) picked up a win over Missouri, pitching 5.1 scoreless frames in relief of Lowe (5-5). On the other hand, Lowe got a win in relief in a nine-inning, walk-off win over LSU. Lowe also showed sharp stuff the day before that in a start against a lefty-filled LSU lineup, but a bloop and a blast by LSU's only right-handed batter was enough damage to pin her with a tough loss.

Penta will continue to get the vast majority of the workload, but at some point, she needs to be able to hand the ball to a reliable supporting cast. Auburn needs another go-to arm outside of Penta if it is going to be a persist in a long tournament with short turnaround periods.

No Easy Outs

On the offensive side, Ellis has continued to build on her dominant rookie showing. She's launched 12 "Bri Bombs," leading the club in homers, RBI (38), total bases (83) and slugging percentage (.638).

Last year, however, Auburn's lineup seemed to fizzle out toward the bottom of the order.

This year, the lineup has threats dispersed throughout. The first baseman is one of four batters hitting .300 or better, and only the leadoff batter, sophomore Nelia Peralta, comes before her.

Peralta leads the team in average (.346), OPS (1.108), hits (46) and walks (39) and has reached base multiple times in 30 games this season with 14 multi-hit contests. She has been an elite table-setter, but she is also tasked with driving in runs with last year's average leader, senior Carlee McCondichie, batting .310 out of the nine spot despite recent struggles.

Adding to the mix, junior Makayla Packer is second on the team with a .321 batting average at seventh in the lineup. She adds consistent hitting but also leads starters with nine steals.

This is a trend that Auburn will need to continue, as well as keeping the bats of Denver Bryant and Icess Tresvick hot.

Auburn boasts plenty of star power, but to reach the moon and return to the College World Series for the first time since 2016, it will need to fill in the gaps.

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Opinion: Auburn Softball Must Combat Star Power to Run Deep in Postseason

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER AUBURN - Auburn softball has the stars, and now it will be shooting for the moon this postseason. With 39 wins last season, Auburn won its most games in a regular season since a 40-win 2018, but an early exit in the Clemson Regional left Auburn soul searching.

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4/26/30

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Sports Illustrated Atlanta Braves News, Analysis and More

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COLUMN: Ozzie Albies needs to put switch hitting to bed

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Our Noah Griffith thinks that Ozzie Albies needs to stick to batting righty

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4/17/23

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Sports Illustrated Atlanta Braves News, Analysis and More

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Remember when Rays manager Kevin Cash notoriously strolled out to pull Blake Snell in game six of the 2020 World Series? It didn't get the results the Rays wanted, but Nick Anderson gave his manager a decent argument for pulling his ace.

In 19 appearances with Tampa Bay in 2020, the reliever owned a 0.55 ERA and was perfect on six save opportunities. Things took a dip after the loss in game six, however, as he spent the 2022 season recovering from an elbow procedure and then dealing with plantar fasciitis.

Now, the 32-year-old is making a name for himself early on in the Braves bullpen. Signed to a one-year, $875,000 deal with the Braves in November, he might be one of the top low-risk-high-reward signings in all of the offseason.

Anderson's signing likely saved the Braves from overspending on Luke Jackson, who inked a two-year deal with the Giants in January. While Jackson was a shutdown arm in the late innings in the Braves' World Series run in 2021, he missed all of 2022 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. With Jackson coming off a major surgery with a higher asking price, Anderson seems to be a safer option with guys like A.J. Minter, Collin McHugh and Raisel Iglesias (when they return) there as go-to guys if Anderson's comeback doesn't pan out.

Boasting a fastball sitting around 96 paired with a buckling curve, the Florida men in Miami and Tampa Bay turned a 32nd-round selection by Milwaukee in 2012 to a top-notch reliever. Anderson's heater velocity has dipped down to around 93-94 mph after his injury, but there's still late-inning potential left in him.

The Braves, in three one-run contests in the sweep of the Reds, called on No. 61 in the ninth inning to face three right-handed batters in a 5-4 game two. He quickly induced a one-two-three inning on 12 pitches, catching Wil Myers sleeping on the curveball in the process.

But before he manned the ninth inning, he played the set-up role for Minter, completing the eighth inning in game one against the Reds and the sixth and seventh innings five times prior.

That flexibility is what he will bring to the bullpen. At his best, he's a shutdown closer, but he only has nine career saves, with his most save opportunities coming in the shortened 2020 season. What the Braves will likely ask him to do in his return to form is play fill-in from the bullpen, allowing everyone to stay rested and healthy.

Only 13 of his 100 MLB appearances are save opportunities. He owns a 2.84 career ERA over 95 innings, and his 14.0 strikeouts per nine innings compares nicely with 2.2 walks per nine. He also brings a World Series victory and 14 playoff appearances to a team looking for a deep October push.

While Anderson is best known for who he replaced in the World Series, he has a chance for another go at competing for a contender in 2023.
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Why Nick Anderson could be a steal for the Atlanta Braves

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Remember when Rays manager Kevin Cash notoriously strolled out to pull Blake Snell in game six of the 2020 World Series? It didn't get the results the Rays wanted, but Nick Anderson gave his manager a decent argument for pulling his ace.

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4/19/23

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH

FOR THE OBSERVER

AUBURN -

Everyone loves a good underdog story, and Auburn football had one of its own come into the public eye during a rainy A-Day game Saturday, April 8.

After winning Scout Team Player of the Year last season as a first-year walk-on running back, No. 35 Justin "Ajax" Jones took advantage of his 10 carries during the spring game, going for 51 yards and capping it off with Auburn's only touchdown by a running back on the day. Jones reached the end zone along with the likes of quarterbacks Robby Ashford and Holden Geriner and wide receiver Landen King.

"Honestly, when I scored it's almost like it didn't register in my brain then and there," Jones said. "You see all those guys running it, like Robbie Ashford, Holden Geriner and Jarquez (Hunter), they got these nice little celebrations going. Me, I just scored and I was like, 'All right, next play.' I guess it's just been such a long time since I've gotten some type of exposure like that. But it felt great."

Hearing a crowd cheer as he bulldozed his way across the goal line and embracing his parents after the game is something he hasn't gotten to experience since his high school days at Bessemer Academy in Bessemer, Alabama. After graduating in 2019, he was recruited to the United States Naval Academy in Maryland, where he played for a year before coming back home to walk on at UAB.

Jones played a season with the Blazers and was nearing the end of his second spring with them when he received a call from his dad that fostered the move to The Plains.

"He was like, 'Son, I had a dream or something telling me that we need to take you to Auburn up with your brother, and you're gonna go up there and try out for the team and make it,'" Jones recalled.

Jones wasn't so sure, but he took a leap of faith.

"I was like, 'Uh, Dad, that's a little far-fetched, a little crazy.' Plus, I had a lot of financial things going on too, and I didn't know how we were going to handle that," Jones said. "He looked at me and said, 'God said that he will fix that.' So I just put everything in my dad's hands, and one thing led to another. I made the team, and it was an amazing experience, honestly."

He described it as amazing, but also scary. Battling feelings of self-doubt and feeling like he wasn't qualified, he said that he not only made the roster but that he thrived in his scout team role in his sophomore season. He survived the change in coaching staff from having Bryan Harsin leading the way, to his own running backs coach Cadillac Williams, to current head coach Hugh Freeze.

Although he loved the energy and change of pace Williams provided as head coach, Jones said he is appreciative of the way the coaching shuffle played out.

"As a walk-on, [a coaching change] is a scary process because so often, you really don't know what's next," Jones explained. "Like, when a new coach comes in, is he gonna kick all the walk-ons off? Every coach has their own agenda, things that they do, so it was kind of a stressful process, but thankfully Hugh Freeze came in and spared a lot of us, gave us some grace. He allowed us to come in and show him what we had to give, so we appreciated that opportunity. It was a good turnover process."

Known by his teammates as "Ajax," Jones is headed into year two as a Tiger not listed on Auburn's depth chart, but all he has done as an underdog so far is outperform expectations. Whether he reaches the field or not, Jones is already seeing his hard work pay off.

It took some time to see it come to fruition, but as he looks back on his TD run, it's obvious that his dad's vision wasn't so crazy after all.

"[Getting to where I am now took] not giving up," Jones said. "For someone in my position who didn't have all the offers from big-time schools and stuff, it can definitely get to you. But as long as you have a support system and believe in your goals and dream, you will get where you need to go.

"Keep God first, that's how you get to this position. ... And I just thank God I was chosen to come here and play."

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Auburn Football Walk-On Finds Spotlight at A-Day

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER AUBURN - Everyone loves a good underdog story, and Auburn football had one of its own come into the public eye during a rainy A-Day game Saturday, April 8. After winning Scout Team Player of the Year last season as a first-year walk-on running back, No.

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4/19/23

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Suns Out, Smiles Out: Miracle League Continues to Grow in Year 14

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER OPELIKA - The sun finally came out, and that meant a lot of joyful children, young adults and families at the ballpark on Saturday. After three rainy Saturdays in a row, Opelika's Miracle League of East Alabama got its 2023 season underway on Saturday, April 15, in what league director Michelle Dean described as the biggest Opening Day turnout that she can remember.

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4/15/23

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No. 13 LSU put big swings on two pitches in Saturday's game two, and that was all it needed to take down No. 25 Auburn, 3-2, and even the series.

Against an LSU lineup featuring eight lefties, lefty Shelby Lowe took the mound for her first start in conference play this season and turned in perhaps her strongest outing of the season. She did not allow a base runner her first time through the order, but in the fourth inning, LSU's sole right-handed batter did enough damage to hand Lowe a tough-luck loss, making her 3-4 on the season.

11 batters in, Lowe was perfect, but she met her pitch count after four innings and her day ended there. She went four innings, striking out five while allowing two runs on two hits.

"I thought Shelby had a great outing," said head coach Mickey Dean. "It's always the small things. It's tough as a pitcher. One batter, one pitch can change the outcome of a game. They gave us an opportunity to win the game. There's no doubt about that."

After Lowe allowed a bloop single with two outs, Georgia Clark, LSU's home run leader, came to the plate and launched her 10th of the season to put the visiting Tigers up 2-1. Furthering the damage just enough, McKenzie Redoutey lined a gapper into left-center for an RBI double off of reliever Annabelle Widra in the fifth inning to give LSU a two-run lead that Auburn couldn't surmount.

Preceding that double was a leadoff walk, and the runner came around to score from first after Nelia Peralta mishandled the relay throw from the outfield and was unable to make a throw home. That run ended up being the difference in a tight ballgame with talented pitching and top-notch defenses on both sides.

"In these games, it always comes down to the small stuff," Dean said. "The things that you don't recognize - like a leadoff walk or a bobble on relay all in one inning. That's the difference in the game. We also had some base running miscues, so it is the little things."

Although Lindsey Garcia hit her team-best ninth homer of the season in the bottom of the sixth, the offense struggled to get the ball off the ground versus drop ball pitcher Sydney Berzon. Auburn made solid contact throughout the game, ending with just four strikeouts, but Berzon (12-3) induced 14 groundouts while keeping Auburn to three hits in her complete-game win.

Garcia and Peralta put Auburn on the board for the second straight game. Following a night where they both hit homers, Garcia knocked in both runs, going 2-for-3 with a homer. Peralta scored one of those runs and collected Auburn's only other hit, a double, and added a walk. That puts their averages at .312 and .336, respectively, and boosted Garcia to a team-leading 35 RBIs in her senior season.

"Lindsey is doing a great job making adjustments," Dean said. "You just hope the younger players on our team follow along and notice the adjustments that Lindsey has been able to make in-game. That's part of the process."

While Auburn struggled to rally offensively, the loud contact from sophomore Rose Roach through two starts at second base combined with the return of Aspyn Godwin, who suffered a concussion at Florida last weekend, in a pinch-hitting role stood as encouraging signs going into decisive game three.

The re-emergence of Lowe along with the strong relief appearance by Widra gave Maddie Penta the game off after her complete-game win in game one, gearing Auburn up for a rubber match as it looks to climb in the SEC standings. It is currently tied with Alabama and Florida for fourth in the conference at 8-6 in SEC play, a half-game behind Arkansas.

Auburn falls to 31-13, but there is still another game to play. In all likelihood, Penta will get the ball as Auburn goes for its third SEC series win of the season on Sunday at 3 p.m. CST on ESPN2.

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Auburn softball drops middle game to LSU, sets up decisive game three - The Auburn Plainsman

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No. 13 LSU put big swings on two pitches in Saturday's game two, and that was all it needed to take down No. 25 Auburn, 3-2, and even the series. Against an LSU lineup featuring eight lefties, lefty Shelby Lowe took the mound for her first start in conference play this season and turned in perhaps her strongest outing of the season.

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4/12/23

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER AUBURN - Lee-Scott baseball is 18-8, and it has outscored opponents 81-8 during a torrid past week with a sweep of Southern Prep and a win apiece over Sherwood and Valiant Cross.

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4/12/23

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH
FOR THE OBSERVER

WAVERLY -

Guests can expect a good time out in the country, according to Standard Deluxe owner Scott Peek, at the 22nd annual Old 280 Boogie in Waverly, on Friday and Saturday, April 21 to 22.

The Standard Deluxe, which is about a 20-minute drive from Opelika, is an outdoor venue that is ready to present a weekend full of live music, Southern culture, art and a variety of food that will be available "rain or shine." Be prepared to bring your own lawn chairs, blankets, water bottles to be refilled at filling stations and umbrellas, if necessary, as the venue is not covered.

The all-day event on Saturday will be preceded by a "pre-night" show on Friday, featuring Birmingham soul band St. Paul and the Broken Bones, followed by special guest Resort Realism, an alternative band also based in Birmingham. This show is non-refundable and is $50 online or at the gate, while kids age 12 and under enter for free. The gates open at 5 p.m. CST and the show begins at 7.

This is a separately ticketed event from the main, beginning at noon on Saturday. Same rules apply to both, however: No outside alcohol allowed, no dogs welcomed and all tickets are general admission and are thus first-come-first-serve.

Tickets for the lineup consisting of The Pine Hill Haints (noon), Billy Allen and the Pollies (1:45 p.m.), The Heavy Heavy (3:30 p.m.), Aaron Lee Tasjan (5:15 p.m.) and Maggie Rose (7 p.m.) on Saturday are also $50 with kids 12 and under free. The gates open at 11 a.m., and veteran and student discounts of 20% can be applied at the gate, while online tickets can be picked up at will call.

There will be a variety of foods, and the music is also tailored to a variety of audiences. Ending with Nashville-based country artist Maggie Rose, The Pine Hill Haints return to the Boogie stage with its "Alabama Ghost Country" tune, The Heavy Heavy and Aaron Lee Tasjan are instrumental-filled artists with rock backgrounds, and Alabama's own Billy Allen and the Pollies might be "the best singer you have never heard," according to 256today.

Peek also added that the weekend would overflow with good vibes. As one of Southern Living Magazine's top 15 Alabama venues, the event will be sponsored by Opelika-Auburn News, Good People Brewing Co., Walton's Catering and Fig & Wasp.

Even for those not interested in the music options, there is more than plenty to keep you entertained and your hunger satisfied.

Vendors at the Boogie include only Alabama businesses: Wild Flour Bakery and Café, Jeanne Flint Art and Jewelry, Mighty Fine Print Shop, Ain't Ashamed jewelry company, Mama Mocha's Coffee Roastery, Buffalo Barnes ammunition, Stinky Signs, Against All Odds Tattoo, YES Glass Studio, Era Opelika, Charlie's Rocks and Minerals, Keen Zero art and pottery, reJENerate upcycled art, Hotbox Birmingham, Taqueria Durango and Chris' Hot Dogs.

The event will also have merch on hand with T-shirts and art goods.

Listed as a top 10 event not-to-miss by the State of Alabama Tourism, The Boogie has a reputation of kickstarting the careers of performers around the state and country, as they brought Jason Isbell and Alabama Shakes to the stage before they moved on to bigger venues.

One is sure to encounter more excitement than what a town under three square miles can hold on one April weekend at the Old 280 Boogie in Waverly, Alabama.

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22nd Annual Old 280 Boogie to Kick Off a Night Early

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BY NOAH GRIFFITHFOR THE OBSERVER WAVERLY - Guests can expect a good time out in the country, according to Standard Deluxe owner Scott Peek, at the 22nd annual Old 280 Boogie in Waverly, on Friday and Saturday, April 21 to 22.

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4/12/23

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH

FOR THE OBSERVER

AUBURN -

On Monday, April 10, the highly anticipated opening of Buc-ee's in Auburn lived up to all the hype.

Auburn Mayor Ron Anders prepares to cut the ribbon at the Buc-ee's grand opening.

Buc-ee the Beaver accompanied Auburn Mayor Ron Anders Jr. and company for a ribbon cutting that will change the Auburn landscape forever. Sitting beside the I-85 ramp that welcomes many from Montgomery and Atlanta to The Plains, the 53,470-square-foot building will be a one-stop shop for many on game days, road trips or, as shown by the opening-day frenzy, anytime people feel the craving for a fresh brisket sandwich, egg-and-cheese biscuit or any delicacy your mind can think of.

With 120 gas tanks, a store full of food and supplies, a spacious parking lot, clean bathrooms and much more, Buc-ee's is set to have an impact far beyond the store.

"Buc-ee's has established an anchor here that will spur growth and redevelopment in this area for years to come," Anders said. "When we have talked about Buc-ee's and the citing impact it will have on our community and Lee County in general, we really mean it. The property and sales taxes that will be generated from this establishment will boost the city services as well as public education in our city and across our county, touching the lives of all of Auburn and Lee County's children."

A Buc-ee's truck holds plenty of Buc-ee's plushies inside the new store.

In addition to the natural economic boost it will bring, Buc-ee's has agreed to donate $50,000 annually to community programs and activities that will be used at the discretion of the city. Buc-ee's will also provide hundreds of jobs to the community, something that Buc-ee's Owner Arch "Beaver" Aplin said he takes pride in.

"On the way in, I saw a billboard that said 'now hiring: $17-22 an hour.' That makes us very happy, and we are lucky to be able to provide those kinds of great jobs for communities," Aplin said. "The mayor mentioned 175 jobs - I can pretty much assure you there'll be a whole bunch more than 175 to take care of this location and to provide the services that we want to serve."

The city of Auburn and Buc-ee's both voiced their appreciation for one another and their willingness to work together to bolster an already-growing community. Not only are they looking to add life to a college town, their mission is to serve families, and as Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville said, bring the youth back to the community.

At the end of the day, Buc-ee's has something for everyone. It will fuel many tailgates, fill many tanks, charge quite a few Teslas - but at its core, it will put a smile on people's faces.

"It's family friendly, first and foremost," said Auburn City Council Ward 8 Member Tommy Dawson. "They really treat you nice when you walk in the door, and it's got a hometown atmosphere about it. And I really think it will be a nice addition to football Saturdays in the fall. It's a good place to pick up tailgating supplies and things of that nature."

Stay tuned for for a special twist to the Auburn Buc-ee's. As of now, it is selling its normal items, but as the merchandising team receives more data on what customers are buying in the coming months, the store will cater its supplies toward community demand, said a Buc-ee's estate advisor.

Scroll through more photos from the event below:

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The Wait Is Over: Buc-ee's Opens in Auburn

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER AUBURN - On Monday, April 10, the highly anticipated opening of Buc-ee's in Auburn lived up to all the hype. Buc-ee the Beaver accompanied Auburn Mayor Ron Anders Jr. and company for a ribbon cutting that will change the Auburn landscape forever.

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Athlete spotlight- Kade Hudson- The Auburn Advance

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Athlete spotlight- Kade Hudson- The Auburn Advance

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4/12/23

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Lee-Scott Academy's Kade Hudson plays third base, pitches, and catches for the Warriors. (Photo by Noah Griffith, The Auburn Advance)

At 9-years-old, Kade Hudson received a school excuse for the month of October to watch his father make a World Series run with the San Fransisco Giants.

Now, as a senior in high school at Lee-Scott Academy, his dad is his coach. As the son of Tim Hudson, a 17-year MLB veteran and Atlanta Braves Hall-of-Fame pitcher, baseball serves as a staple in Kade's life.

"In his early career I don't remember much, but like 2011 and 2012 - the last few years with the Braves - and then the World Series year with the Giants, I remember all that," Kade said. "I remember getting out of school for like a month to go watch the playoffs with the Giants and just travel with the team. That was always super fun. Especially hanging out with all those guys in the big leagues."

Kade watched his dad play while growing up. Now, Tim holds a front row seat to watch his son complete his final baseball season as a high school student athlete.

Formerly a pitching coach at Auburn University, Tim took the reigns as the Warriors' head coach last August after Auburn's College World Series run. Kade recalled hanging out with Braves catcher Brian McCann in his dad's clubhouse, and now he shares a clubhouse as a player with his father.

The Hudson boys share the same love for the game, but according to Kade, having his dad as his coach is about more than just baseball.

"To have my dad as my coach for senior year is like a cherry on top because it's my last year of (high school) baseball. It's been really fun," Kade said. "It's awesome having him as a dad and as a teacher of life things, not just baseball. But it's always good having him around."

Coming off a 14-18 season, Kade and his team are now 17-8. They have the benefit of working with not only Tim, but also MLB and Korean-League veteran Anthony Lerew, former Auburn University baseball player Dan Gamache, former Southern Union player and coach Patrick Reeves and four and six-year coaches at Lee-Scott Brian Cole and Clay Samford.

"They just really teach us how to play the game right," Kade said.

Playing with the well-known "Hudson" name on the back of his jersey has brought him some trash talking, Kade admitted, but at the end of the day, he will play ball at Tennessee Tech next year with a lot of familiarity with high-level baseball that many guys don't have coming out of high school.

With two homers and 20 RBIs this season paired with 17 strikeouts in 13.1 innings on the mound, Kade has mimicked his father's early days as a two-way player. Kade has been at both corner infield positions as well as on the mound this season. Tim was a heavy sinker-ball pitcher in his MLB career, but he also played first base at Auburn and slugged four home runs out of Atlanta's Turner Field, bringing on some comparisons between the two.

"Well, I'm gonna be honest with you, he has a lot more power than I did," Tim said with a grin. "I think I might have a little better of a sinker than he has. I'm trying to teach him that sinker. I think my daughter got my sinker genes; I think it might've skipped him. But his approach is a lot better than mine at his age because I didn't really get coached until I got to Auburn, honestly."

Nine years after Kade watched his father hoist a World Series trophy, he embarked on a baseball journey of his own. But as he grabs his glove and heads out to the hot corner, a man watches who's been in his shoes more times than he can count.

"The main thing is, have fun. This game will beat you down; there's a lot of disappointment in this game, and you can't expect to go out and be successful every time you have the bat in your hand or take the mound," Tim said. "The best learning opportunities is when you get your tail whipped, and (figuring out) how can you learn from it and get better."

- By Noah Griffith, The Auburn Advance

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Athlete Spotlight: Kade Hudson, Lee-Scott Academy

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At 9-years-old, Kade Hudson received a school excuse for the month of October to watch his father make a World Series run with the San Fransisco Giants. Now, as a senior in high school at Lee-Scott Academy, his dad is his coach. As the son of Tim Hudson, a 17-year

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4/11/23

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Sports Illustrated Atlanta Braves News, Analysis and More

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After the Braves signed outfielder Eli White from the Rangers in December, he has done nothing but sizzle. He'll get his first chance to earn a permanent spot on the roster on Monday night, as he is batting ninth and starting in center field in the absence of Michael Harris.

The 2016 11th round draft pick made his debut with the Rangers in 2020 and proved himself a defensive guru. After beginning his career as a shortstop out of his days at Clemson, he transitioned to center field due to his speed and strong arm.

However, he never could get the bat clicking in three seasons. He owns a .185 career batting average with 124 strikeouts compared to 65 hits. Elite defense and pinch running kept him in the Majors.

But White looked like a new man in Spring Training, forcing the Braves to make a tough decision to option him to Triple-A in March. He went 12-for-28 with three homers and six RBIs with only five Ks, good for a .500 OBP. He also stole a base this spring, and he swiped 17 bags with the Rangers.

White is known for an amazing home run robbery he made last May against the Rays. He leapt well above the wall in left to snag what would've been a three-run jack for Ji-Man Choi.

With a strong showing in spring ball and the injury to Michael Harris last week, White earned a chance to prove a change of scenery might play to the 28-year-old's advantage. He was called up to Atlanta on Friday, April 7, and struck out in his sole at-bat this season on Sunday versus the Padres.

His tear this spring hinted that he could be capable of being a table-setter again. In his senior season at Clemson, he sported a .380 OBP with a .297 average while batting leadoff.

He will come into a low-pressure situation, batting ninth in a strong Atlanta order. The Harris injury is coming along well, according to manager Brian Snitker, so White isn't expected to permanently fill in the role.

White will take the field next to Ronald Acuña and Kevin Pillar against Reds right-hander Graham Ashcraft (1-0, 1.29).
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Eli White to make debut with Braves after torrid spring

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After the Braves signed outfielder Eli White from the Rangers in December, he has done nothing but sizzle. He'll get his first chance to earn a permanent spot on the roster on Monday night, as he is batting ninth and starting in center field in the absence of Michael Harris.

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04/05/23

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH

FOR THE OBSERVER

OPELIKA -

Opelika High School Softball has all six of its seniors batting over the .300 mark, but the Bulldogs are still finding their identity as a first-year 7A team.

At 10-12, OHS is 0-3 in region play with two double-digit losses to Central and one to Auburn. However, head coach Jessica Thornton said she thinks the team's best play is yet to come. They're getting major contributions from their seniors, but the Bulldogs are still trying to piece that individual success together.

"I hope that we peak at the right moment and find [our identity] in the next couple of weeks," Thornton said. "We've learned that consistency really is key, and it's attacking each game with the same mentality rather than playing up or down to our opponents."

That individual success all starts with senior two-way player McKay Yountz. She leads the team, hitting for a .423 average, while striking out 66 batters across 65 innings.

But it doesn't stop there. Seniors Nylen Thomas (.407), Memoree Lyles (.319), Rylee Long (.312), KD Lee (.306) and Sanai Stringer (.304) have helped Opelika rally for five double-digit scoring games. In region play, on the other hand, Opelika has scored just six runs in three games.

The Bulldogs boast wins over Beauregard, Horseshoe Bend, Pike Road, Russell County, Eufala, BRHS and Dadeville, while they have fallen victim to Holtville, Brewbaker Tech, Moody, Marbury, Tallassee, Beauregard, Beulah, Central and Auburn.

"I think the biggest challenge [moving to 7A] is just that area games mean more, so where it used to just be a rivalry, now it really means something," Thornton said. "So, we're kind of just adjusting to that mentality."

Through a challenging season in a new division, Thornton noted that her team's strength is that they stick together "through thick and thin." With three area games remaining in a pair of matches with Smiths Station and a rematch on the road at Auburn, Thornton said she knows her team will continue to build on their glimpses of success to this point in the season.

"We want to attack each team that we come across," Thornton said. "So just getting that mentality down and taking each game head on."

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Opelika Softball Getting Tough First Taste of New Division

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BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER OPELIKA - Opelika High School Softball has all six of its seniors batting over the .300 mark, but the Bulldogs are still finding their identity as a first-year 7A team. At 10-12, OHS is 0-3 in region play with two double-digit losses to Central and one to Auburn.

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4/05/23

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Maddie Penta during the game between Auburn and Ole Miss at Jane B. Moore Field April 2, 2023.

BY NOAH GRIFFITH

FOR THE OBSERVER

AUBURN -

The No. 23-ranked Auburn softball team (28-10) has won its past two SEC series over Missouri and Ole Miss. Maddie Penta threw four complete game shutouts across those six games. In those 28 innings, she struck out 42 batters, allowed just seven hits and two earned runs while improving to 16-4 with four more wins.

Penta ran into some tough luck in three losses to No. 1 Oklahoma and a tough Northwestern team in Oklahoma City early in March, but this season has a chance to be her best yet. And she set the program sophomore strikeout record last season with 269.

Now fourth in program history with 557 career Ks, Penta is already at 183 Ks through 118.1 innings pitched with over 15 games remaining in the regular season. She sits at third in the NCAA in strikeouts, but where she has really improved her game from last season is command.

The junior already had a strikeout-to-walk ratio better than 5.0 last season, but now it's well above 9.0. Her 9.72 strikeout-to-walk ratio ranks sixth nationally, and only one pitcher above her has thrown more than 100 innings (Emma Lemley - Virginia Tech).

Getting out to a dominant start, Penta threw 62 innings and struck out 107 batters before giving up an earned run this season, and while the home run ball has been her one and only downfall in SEC play (eight homers allowed), she still ranks in the top 10 in the nation in ERA. Her 0.89 ERA is good for ninth in the NCAA, and again, only one pitcher ranked above her has tossed on the upside of 100 innings.

She led the SEC in ERA last season with a 1.76, but she currently sits fourth among SEC pitchers, trailing a pair of Tennessee hurlers and Ole Miss's Catelyn Riley, who has only thrown 22.1 innings this season.

She has given up less than half the number of hits she allowed last season (59) and is already over halfway to her number of complete games from last season with eight now. Four of those have been shutouts, already doubling the number of shutouts she recorded in 2022.

She has also proven herself more than capable of escaping danger. She hasn't gotten into much trouble this year, but on Friday versus Ole Miss, she escaped a bases-loaded, no-out jam by only allowing one unearned run to cross on a passed ball before inducing a pair of popups and a K.

With her escape-artist potential and her playoff experience from last season, she looks primed to lead the Tigers to a deep playoff run. She is never afraid of the big moment, as she showed in the Clemson Regional last season and as she has continued to prove this season. She not only has 16 wins, but No. 9 has two saves under her belt.

Sitting at fourth in the conference, series with Florida, LSU, Alabama, South Carolina and Mississippi State remain before going to the SEC Tournament in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on May 13. Penta will need to continue to be a workhorse for the Tigers if they hope to be a top-four seed and get a first-round bye.

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Maddie Penta during the game between Auburn and Ole Miss at Jane B. Moore Field April 2, 2023. BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER AUBURN - The No. 23-ranked Auburn softball team (28-10) has won its past two SEC series over Missouri and Ole Miss.