Auburn baseball looks to get hot in second half of season
Auburn High’s 12-7 record might surprise some as they enter the midway point of the season. Auburn was ranked No. 21 in the nation by MaxPreps to begin the season but has since fallen out of the Alabama top 25 rankings.
The Tigers faced a daunting slate this past weekend with two games against Hartselle on Friday night and games against Hoover and Dothan on Saturday. Auburn came out of the weekend with a 3-1 record with wins over Hartselle (11-9, 4-3) and Dothan (5-4) and a loss to Hoover (11-7).
“All the games we got coming up are going to be tough games… it’s all ranked teams we have to be ready for area play on April 5,” said Auburn head coach Matt Cimo before the weekend.
The strong performance over the weekend came at the right time with the Tigers opening regional play next week, facing Smiths Station in a three-game series starting April 5. There is still a lot of baseball to be played and Auburn just must peak at the right time which is within the next week or two.
Cimo stressed that the team must start doing the little things better to finish the second half of the regular season strong.
“We got to be able to throw and catch better, move runners over, get people in and we will be alright,” he said.
Cimo highlighted senior outfielder Connor Cosby and junior midfielder Henry Allen as some of the team’s standout players that have played well in the first half of the season.
“Connor Cosby and Henry Allen have probably been our most consistent players. They both have been batting well and have played great on defense,” Cimo said.
Last year, Auburn lost in the semifinal series to area rival Central High School and Central went on to win the state title over Hewitt-Trussville.
Auburn is yet to play Central this year but the two will matchup in area play following the Smiths Station series. The series between the two teams will be important to see how Auburn looks in a couple of weeks as to where they are now.
— By C.J. Webster, The Auburn Advance