Auburn Daily

Freshman Catcher Emerging as a Top Hitter for Auburn

The Auburn Tigers early season turnaround is due in part to a freshman catcher who has looked sharp at the plate
Austin Walls|
The young catcher has needed no time to adjust to college baseball
The young catcher has needed no time to adjust to college baseball | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

The Auburn Tigers catcher and designated hitter Chase Fralick has started his first collegiate season on a tear. The freshman catcher has played in 12 games and is top-20th among hitters in batting average (.488). He also is the second-best freshman in the nation for the same stat. The only other freshman that is higher is Tennessee’s catcher Levi Clark (.545)

His .488 batting average comes across a respectable sample size of 41 at-bat appearances so far. It is also the best on the Tigers for those who have players who have five or more at-bats (outfielder Cade Edwards is technically batting .500 but is only 2-for-4). He has one home run and 10 RBIs while also scoring nine runs. His RBIs total on the season which is tied for fourth on the team with fellow catcher Ike Irish. On top of that, Fralick has been quite disciplined at the plate. He has only struck out four times - about a 9% strikeout rate - while also drawing four walks himself.

Even in the Tigers’ most recent loss against the UAB Blazers, Fralick helped tie the game and give the Tigers a chance to win the game in the bottom of the ninth. While that did not come to fruition, his 2-for-3 performance was the best of the night for the Tigers offensively. 

Fralick and the Tigers return to Plainsman Park for the first time in a week where they take on the Old Dominion Monarchs looking to rebound from their first loss since opening weekend. The first game will be on Friday, March 7 at 6:00 p.m. CST on SEC + Network. The Tigers have Samuel Dutton on the mound Friday, followed by Cade Fisher on Saturday and Christian Chatterton on Sunday.

Published
Austin Walls
AUSTIN WALLS

Austin Walls is a University of Florida Sports Journalism graduate. He has covered different sports, from motorsport, professional and college football, professional and college basketball, women's basketball and hockey among others. He has spent most of his time focusing on the SEC Conference, but has spent time covering the AAC, MWC and ACC.

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