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baseball Edit

An all-star cast set to return

AUBURN | Tanner Burns and Bailey Horn will be moving on to minor league baseball next season, but the rest of Auburn’s draft eligible juniors and sophomores are expected to return.

That includes a talented group of returning starters in left-handed pitcher Jack Owen, right-handed pitcher Cody Greenhill and outfielder Steven Williams. Owen turned down six figures to return last year and both Greenhill and Williams turned down multiple offers during Thursday night’s draft.

Woley is expected to anchor a talented and experienced lineup in 2021.
Woley is expected to anchor a talented and experienced lineup in 2021. (Shanna Lockwood/Auburn athletics)

“This was a unique draft to where if you’re somebody in the position of those young men, I don’t know the best way to do it, but if you’ve got a house for sale, you think your house is worth this much and the industry tries to go like, ‘OK, we’re in this unique time so really your house is only worth this.’ It’s half of what you think your house is worth and those guys held the line,” Auburn coach Butch Thompson said.

“They could have been called three to five times in that draft in those five rounds. They held the line. They have a strong, powerful intention of playing professional baseball, but they value themselves, they value returning to Auburn, they value that Auburn degree.”

Auburn went into 2020 expecting to replace most if not all of its outfield after the season but now has Williams, Judd Ward and Kason Howell, a draft-eligible sophomore, all returning.

Senior third baseman Rankin Woley, who was leading the Tigers in several hitting categories including batting average (.412), doubles (8) and RBI (22) when last season was cut short, is also expected to return. Senior catcher Matt Scheffler, who was also hitting .412, is a possibility to return although he would consider a free agent offer from the right MLB club. Those offers are capped at just $20,000 for this year.

“I think a ton of Rankin and he was swinging it,” Thompson said. “He’s an All-American type of performer on and off the field. We were pretty pumped this morning to hear of his intentions to come back.”

Burns, Horn and Owen made up Auburn’s weekend rotation last season. Owen should retain his spot and Thompson expects Greenhill to take over one of the two remaining spots. Sophomore Mason Barnett and junior Richard Fitts are two returning pitchers that could have a more enhanced role as a starter or closer next fall.

“They’re reloading again,” Burns said. “Cody, Judd, Jack, Steven, and y’all are going to be talking about Mason Barnett. That dude is unreal.”

Auburn plans to begin fall practice at the end of August.

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