Auburn Baseball: 2017 Season Opens in Renovated Park

Here we preview the debut of the 2017 Auburn baseball season and recent renovations made to Samford Stadium-Hitchcock Field.

The Auburn baseball team opens its 2017 season on Friday at 2 p.m. in the first of four games against George Washington University, hoping to improve on its 22-33 record last year.

Auburn plays its first 22 games of the season at Plainsman Park, not leaving their home field until a March 21 game against Georgia Tech in Atlanta and then three games the following weekend against Georgia in Athens.

Gone from the lineup are the top three batting averages — outfielders Joshua Palacios (.385) and Anfernee Grier (.366) and first baseman Niko Buentello (.332) — from the 2016 team, as well as pitcher Ben Braymer (4-4 with a 3.56 ERA). All four were drafted by the major leagues.

Utility infielder and catcher Kyler Deese will also not be back. Deese, who played in 40 games last year, was dismissed from the team in January after a public intoxication arrest.

Returning, however, is right-handed pitcher Keegan Thompson, who sat out last year due to injury and who didn’t sign with the Detroit Tigers after they drafted him in the 33rd round. Thompson went 7-3 with a 3.10 ERA in 2015.

A key addition to the pitching staff is right-handed pitcher Davis Daniel from Montgomery.  He was the No. 2 high school player from Alabama, according to Perfect Game, and a 34th round selection of the Chicago Cubs in the 2016 draft. In his senior year in high school, he went 10-1 with a 0.65 ERA

Junior college transfer Josh Anthony from Columbus, Ga., has been added to the roster and is expected to bolster the offense. Anthony played at Western Oklahoma State and hit .444 with 25 home runs, 84 RBI and 49 stolen bases as a sophomore.

The team is playing in a renovated Samford Stadium-Hitchcock Field. Among the changes and additions are:

• One of the largest video boards in a college baseball stadium to go along with the video board in Jordan-Hare Stadium.
• A state-of-the-art sound system.
• 3,800 chair back seats throughout the ballpark were replaced.
• A TrackMan system. that uses video and 3D Doppler radar to measure baseball data such as spin rate, speed,  and exit velocity.
• New flags in the outfield representing Auburn’s SEC titles and College World Series appearances.

On the concession side, new this year is the Right Field Grill, which will sell chicken tenders, sausage hoagies and barbecue sandwiches.

This is head coach Butch Thompson‘s second year running the team. He spent three seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Auburn from 2006-08, returning to the Plains after seven seasons at Mississippi State as associate head coach and pitching coach.

Next: All-Time Auburn Baseball Rotation

In addition to Friday’s tilt, Auburn and George Washington will play a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 11 a.m. and a Sunday game beginning at noon.