The Auburn baseball team went through their annual Omaha Challenge this past weekend, concluding today in the Plains.
As this strange offseason continues, the Auburn baseball team continues to make preparations for a run to the SEC Championship in 2021. Following a canceled season that saw the Tigers dominate every opponent besides the University of Central Florida Knights, sixth-year coach Butch Thompson is doing everything it takes to continue that momentum into next year.
Omaha Challenge is underway. 💪 #WarEagle pic.twitter.com/UW9p9I4sSS
— Auburn Baseball (@AuburnBaseball) November 21, 2020
On Monday, the team’s official Twitter account posted a photo of the Tigers posing with facemasks following the conclusion of Auburn’s annual Omaha Challenge:
Omaha Challenge: complete.
— Auburn Baseball (@AuburnBaseball) November 23, 2020
Good work, fellas! 👊 #WarEagle pic.twitter.com/suVGCpxkyY
Traditionally, the Omaha Challenge is meant to be the most difficult and grueling part of the offseason preparation these college athletes must go through.
It is not just a staple of Auburn baseball…it’s a universal staple across the entire sport.
In year’s past, the Tigers have participated in a variety of different exercises to whip into season shape. Those have included scavenger hunts, weight training, and even an obstacle course.
Think gym class, but with some of the best young baseball players in Alabama.
Auburn isn’t historically dominant, but Thompson got the team to the 2019 College World Series in Omaha–of course the namesake for the very challenge they participated in this past weekend. Heading into the 2021 season, Auburn finds itself out of the Top 25, with the following SEC teams making it instead:
#1 Florida
#4 Ole Miss
#6 LSU
#7 Vanderbilt
#11 Arkansas
#15 Mississippi State
#18 Tennessee
The #7 ranked Commodores won the 2019 College World Series and figure to be among the stiffest rivals for the Tigers this season. In the SEC West, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Arkansas, and LSU will be the most notable obstacles in their way.
The 2021 season–whenever and however it begins–could see the highest quality level of baseball the sport has seen in ages because of the extra eligibility players have been granted due to COVID-19.
The War Eagle cannot wait.