Auburn Catcher Ike Irish Named D1Baseball All-American

Auburn Tigers Baseball catcher Ike Irish earned another accolade ahead of the 2025 season. D1Baseball named him Preseason Third Team All-American.

Another preseason accolade for @ikeirish18. #WarEagle pic.twitter.com/jyhmzImz5B
— Auburn Baseball (@AuburnBaseball) January 22, 2025

Irish is named to the third team after being named to the 2024 First Team All-SEC and 2024 ABCA First Team All-Southeast Region. He was also a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award - the award for the best amateur baseball player - and the Buster Posey Award - the award for college baseball’s top catcher.

Irish saw a slight dip in his on-base production in 2024, but he still batted .319 and had a .403 on-base percentage. He did experience a power surge hitting 14 home runs compared to six the previous year. He also set a new high in RBIs with 59. This power boost saw his slugging percentage increase from .546 to .627.

His batting average and RBIs led the team and he tied with first baseman Cooper McMurray for the team lead in home runs.

He also saw improvements defensively. His fielding percentage increased from .972 to .992 and he committed just two errors in 47 games. Irish showed his versatility in the field, starting 24 games behind the dish and 10 in right field. The remaining 11 games saw him penciled into the lineup as a designated hitter.

Following the 2024 season, Irish spent his summer with the Chatham Anglers in the Cape Cod League. In 34 games, he slashed .325/.438/.433 with two home runs and 12 RBIs.

The Tigers look to take a step forward after a mediocre 2024 season. They finished 27-26 over with an abysmal 8-22 record in conference play. They also struggled on the road, going 5-12.

They finished in last place in the Western Division and were one of two schools -the other being Mizzou - that didn’t qualify for the SEC Tournament. This snapped a streak of six straight years appearing in the conference tournament.

Auburn’s season will get underway when they take on Holy Cross on Friday, Feb. 14 to start a weekend series.