Auburn Baseball to Omaha: Destiny, Dingers, Doin’ It For Rod

Auburn baseball is officially heading to Omaha after defeating North Carolina 14-7 on Monday. This is the Tigers’ first time back to Omaha since 1997.

I was recently watching ‘Dodgeball’ when I caught Patches O’Houlihan’s famous quote, “remember the 5 D’s of dodgeball: dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge” and as soon as he hit one of those guys with a wrench it immediately reminded me of Auburn baseball. (RIP Patches).

I don’t associate Auburn baseball with getting hit in the face with a wrench, but I do think of this team as a team of underdogs that is often counted out before they’re even given a chance. In ‘Dodgeball,’ the dodgeball team from Average Joe’s Gym must master the 5 D’s of dodgeball to defeat Globo Gym so they can hang on to their cherished local gym.

The team miraculously defeats Globo Gym to keep their gym all while sharpening their skills and learning valuable lessons along the way. I couldn’t help but think about Auburn baseball so I came up with the 3 D’s of Auburn baseball specific to their advance to Omaha.

Destiny

The last time the Tigers made it to Omaha it was 1997. The Tigers came in 6th place that year and featured the talents of David Ross (2x World Series champion) and Tim Hudson (4x all-star and World Series champion). This year’s Auburn team is full of hard fighting talent that has showcased their grit in this postseason by defeating both the ACC regular season champion and the ACC tournament champion. After handedly defeating the Tar Heels 14-7 the Tigers proved to the college baseball world that they are destined to be in the postseason no matter what any Vegas odds say. The last time the Tigers made it this far Titanic was the hottest movie in theaters, George Clooney was the “Sexiest Man Alive,” and the Spice Girls were the biggest pop group in the world. This is a program overdue for Omaha and in the words of Auburn basketball, “why not us?”

Dingers

In the last 27 games of regular season play, Auburn averaged just 4.4 runs. Since beginning postseason play the Tigers are now averaging 8.5 runs per game. Steven Williams has hit 3 home runs in the postseason while Conor Davis, Ryan Bliss, Edouard Julien, and Judd Ward have each hit 1 a piece. While bats are heating up at the right time, more consistency is a must going into the field at Omaha. Prior to defeating North Carolina 14-7 the Tigers were shut out in game 2 and 13 of those 14 impressive runs were scored in the first inning. Let’s just hope the hits keep coming for the Tigers.

Doin’ It For Rod and Auburn

Six days after Auburn broadcaster Rod Bramblett and his wife Paula were tragically killed in an automobile accident the Tigers took the field in Atlanta. After Steven Williams hit a walk-off home run against Georgia Tech to send Auburn to the Chapel Hill Super Regional Butch Thompson said in a postgame interview, “there’s no question when that ball came off that bat you didn’t have a feel for a second as it was traveling that Rod Bramblett wasn’t with us tonight.”

https://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/sports/college/auburn/2019/06/02/ncaa-baseball-tournament-butch-thompson-auburn-playing-more-itself-rod-bramblett-william-buechner/1310973001/

It was impossible not to imagine Steven Williams hitting that walk-off home run in Rod Bramblett’s voice. Everybody at the Auburn Sports Network has done a phenomenal job in coverage since Bramblett’s passing.

It is clear that Auburn is not only playing for their beloved voice, but for a community hurting in the wake of a fallen officer and a tornado that killed 23 of their own. This postseason for Auburn is much bigger than baseball.

The Tigers will face off against the Mississippi State Bulldogs Sunday, June 16th at 6:30 PM. Let us know where you’re rooting from on Facebook and Twitter! War Eagle!