What We Learned from Auburn’s Series Win Over Vanderbilt

The Auburn Tigers picked up a big series win in conference play; here's what we learned so far

Here's what we learned from Auburn's series win over Vanderbilt / Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

It is clear that the No. 25 Auburn Tigers can play with the big boys of the SEC as they won the opening series of conference play against the No. 16 Vanderbilt Commodores. They won the first game 6-2, lost 8-6 in the second game and won on a grand slam from Cade Belyeu to win the rubber match, 7-6. The Tigers now have a 16-4 record after 20 games. There were plenty of takeaways from this series. However, we’ll stick to just the three top ones.

Good Luck if Auburn Knocks Out Your Starting Pitcher

The Auburn Tigers were down and out for most of the game on Sunday. At one point, the Tigers were losing 6-1. The Vanderbilt starter was Cody Bowker, who pitched seven innings and tossed 107 pitches. By the time Bowker was pulled, the Tigers had made it more manageable, scoring three. But, it was still 6-3. 

After Bowker was pulled, chaos ensued as the Commodores head coach continued to pull pitcher after pitcher trying to find the right arm to match up against the Tigers’ lineup. By the end of the game, Vanderbilt had gone through five more pitchers with none pitching more than a ⅓ of an inning. 

At the same time, the Tigers' offense roared to life in the eighth inning. After the Tigers loaded the bases, center fielder Cade Belyeu belted a grand slam to right-center. The home run not only took the lead for the Tigers but gave a massive shift of confidence to collect the final three outs.

The Tigers Have a Clear Closer...It’s Not Hayden Murphy

Coming into this season, the Tigers wanted to have Hayden Murphy be the No. 1 closer for the team. They wanted him to be the guy they could count on. It makes sense. He hits upwards 97 miles per hour when he pitches. However, early indications this season have shown that he has struggled with some control issues in some games. While he could continue to get better with more appearances, he is not the one that has been impressive. 

Ryan Hetzler has been very impressive so far for the Tigers. He has appeared in multiple high-pressure situations and finished out the win for the Tigers. That was no different on Sunday, where he was called to save the game after Belyeu put the Tigers ahead. Needing just three outs, the sophomore was unfazed as he took care of all three batters via the strikeout. That win was also Andreas Alvarez’s first win as a Tiger, coming on in relief.

The Freshmen Might Be the Scariest Part of the Team

Head Coach Butch Thompson isn’t afraid to bring on and start freshmen in his everyday lineup. Players like Chris Rembert, Bub Terrell and Chase Fralick have been starting every game while pitchers like Christian Chatterton, Jackson Sanders and Andreas Alvarez have all seen regular action on the mound through starting or in the bullpen. Another thing is they are all varying amounts of good. All three pitchers have recorded wins with Alvarez doing so Sunday. 

Two of three batters have won SEC Freshman of the Week (Terrell and Rembert back-to-back weeks) while Fralick had at one point, led the team in batting average. All six made appearance(s) throughout the weekend. Mind you, they are only 20 games in and making a huge difference in one of the most difficult conferences in all of baseball. It will be interesting to see how they progress.

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