Auburn cracks top-10 of latest USA TODAY Baseball Coaches Poll after sweeping LSU
Coming off a week where the Auburn rallied to defeat Georgia Tech, and a weekend sweep of LSU, the Tigers are moving up in the polls once again. Auburn has moved up three spots in the latest USA TODAY Baseball Coaches Poll. They go from No. 12 to No. 9 in the newest rankings released on Monday. Auburn now has an overall record of 26-10, and they hold a 9-6 record in SEC competition.
The week began with the Tigers earning a 9-8 road win over Georgia Tech. Auburn possessed a 5-1 lead before Georgia Tech scored six runs in the sixth inning to take a 7-5 lead. Auburn would then score three runs in the eighth to take a 9-7 lead after Deric Fabien scored on a Bub Terrell single. Georgia Tech would add one run in the ninth but could not get any closer.
Then, Auburn headed back home from a big weekend series with No. 3 LSU. The Tigers from Baton Rouge entered the series with only three losses on the season. The Auburn Tigers doubled that number in the loss column. Auburn won game one 8-4 with a great performance from pitcher Samuel Dutton. He picked up his fifth win of the season by pitching six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts.
Cade Fisher picked up his first win of the season, and Auburn used two runs in the fourth to get a 4-2 win in game two. Fisher pitched five innings and allowed just one run. He also struck out six batters while on the mound. Auburn trailed 1-0 as the fourth inning began. Eric Snow scored after a Ike Irish double to tie the game at one. Then, Irish would score when Cooper McMurray hit a double to center field to give Auburn a 2-1 lead. Snow hit a two-run home run in the fifth to give Auburn a 4-1 lead.
On Sunday, Auburn held on for a 3-2 win after scoring three early runs. It was McMurray once again delivering the offense. In the first inning, he hit a double to left field that would score both Irish and Chris Rembert. Bristol Carter added the third run in the second for a 3-0 lead. LSU scored two runs in the eighth, but Auburn held on for the win.
The sweep resulted in LSU dropping to No. 7. Auburn will have another big weekend series this week when they travel to meet the new No. 1 Texas Longhorns. First though, they will need to focus on Jacksonville State Tuesday night.
Other teams in the SEC in the USA TODAY Baseball Coaches Poll are Arkansas (No.2), Tennessee (No.3), Georgia (No.5), Ole Miss (No.11), Alabama (No.15), Oklahoma (No.16), and Vanderbilt (No. 17).
Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Phillip on Twitter @PJordanSEC
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
19 minutes ago
- Yahoo
The biggest questions facing each College Football Playoff title contender ahead of the 2025 season
We think there are nine legitimate contenders for the college football national championship ahead of the 2025 season. But none of those teams is anywhere close to perfect. Each of them have questions ahead of the second season of the 12-team College Football Playoff. Here are the biggest questions for each of our title-worthy teams (odds from BetMGM). [Previously: 5 dark horse teams that could sneak into title conversation] LSU (+1500 odds to win national title) Can the Tigers avoid another 0-1 start? Brian Kelly has made no secret of LSU's need to start the season with a win. The Tigers have lost their last five openers and are 0-3 in Kelly's time at LSU. LSU lost back-to-back games against Florida State in 2022 and 2023 before losing to USC to begin the 2024 season. The Tigers have the talent to make a run at the national championship, but the schedule is not forgiving. For a loss at Clemson on Aug. 30 to be overcome, LSU would likely have to go 7-1 in the SEC. No three-loss team made the College Football Playoff as an at-large in 2024. That could change in 2025, but does LSU really want to test that out? [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] Notre Dame (+1200) What if a QB doesn't emerge? The Irish's quarterback competition is down to CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey after Steve Angeli transferred to Syracuse in the spring. Riley Leonard completed 67% of his passes a season ago, but he also threw for fewer than 200 yards in seven of Notre Dame's 16 games. Can the Irish get by with that lack of passing production again and make another title run? It seems doubtful, especially if neither Carr nor Minchey can provide the value Leonard did on the ground. Notre Dame turned to Leonard to make plays with his legs in crucial short-yardage situations time and time again in 2024. The run game will be very good with a stacked offensive line and Jeremiyah Love in the backfield. But whoever wins the QB job will need to deliver in big situations like Leonard did. Alabama (+1000) Will Alabama fix its penalty issues? Alabama found itself as the first team out of the playoff following a 9-3 campaign in 2024. The three losses came to Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Oklahoma. Against Tennessee, the Tide committed 15 penalties in a 24-17 defeat. Overall, Alabama committed 7.4 penalties per game last season and ranked 116th in the country in penalty rate. Only one playoff team, SMU, committed more penalties per game. Yes, there were Alabama teams under Nick Saban that committed more penalties per game than Kalen DeBoer's first team did. But in a loaded SEC, Alabama can't continue to make so many self-inflicted errors and hope to compete for the title. Clemson (+900) Can the Tigers beat multiple teams from the SEC? We're extremely high on the Tigers' chances to win the national title this season. And to do so, they'll likely have to beat at least two teams from the SEC. Clemson is 2-5 against SEC opponents over the past three seasons. Those two wins came in 2023 when Clemson beat South Carolina to end the regular season and took down Kentucky in the Gator Bowl. Outside of that, Clemson has lost twice to South Carolina, lost to Tennessee in the Orange Bowl after the 2022 season and fell to Georgia and Texas a season ago. LSU and South Carolina are on the regular season schedule in 2025 and the Tigers are likely going to face an SEC team or two in the College Football Playoff if they make a deep run like we think they can. If a national title is in the cards, Clemson is going to have to show it can take down the SEC's best. Oregon (+900) How will Oregon replenish its depth at receiver? With Tez Johnson, Traeshon Holden and Terrance Ferguson off to the NFL, Evan Stewart was set to be the only returning player on Oregon's roster who had more than 30 catches in 2024. But Stewart may miss a significant chunk of the 2025 season after suffering a knee injury during spring practices. He had 48 catches for 613 yards and five scores in 2024. Without Stewart in the fold for at least the start of the season, Oregon will need some new faces to step up for QB Dante Moore. The good news is that Oregon's offense under Will Stein is one of the most efficient in the country. Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel each were Heisman finalists over the past two seasons and completed over 70% of their passes. Can Moore get close to those numbers with so much turnover at receiver? Penn State (+700) Can the Nittany Lions shake the big-game questions? It's time for Penn State to win a massive Big Ten game. Especially if it wants to be considered a serious national title contender. The Nittany Lions host Oregon and head to Ohio State in 2025. Those are the team's two toughest games of the regular season by far. Penn State lost 45-37 to Oregon in the Big Ten title game in December. The Nittany Lions made that championship game after Ohio State's final week loss to Michigan. It'll be a big advantage to play the Ducks in prime time at Beaver Stadium. Getting over the Ohio State hump may be even more important. The Buckeyes have won the last eight matchups between the schools dating back to Penn State's 24-21 win in 2016. Getting at least a split between Oregon and Ohio State is probably necessary for Penn State to play for the Big Ten title again. Georgia (+700) What if the offense lacks a reliable big-play threat again? Gunner Stockton showed enough in 1½ games at the end of the season to not be the biggest question mark on the Georgia offense. The 2024 Bulldogs offense was limited by a lack of big-play threats with the departures of Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey. Players like London Humphreys and Lawson Luckie showed flashes, but they combined for just 39 catches. Georgia added two key receivers through the transfer portal in Zachariah Branch (USC) and Noah Thomas (Texas A&M). Can either of them become the No. 1 target for Stockton? Thomas was the Aggies' leading receiver in 2024 with 39 catches for 574 yards and eight scores. Who will step up and fill the void? Ohio State (+525) Will the defense stay excellent with a host of new starters and a new coordinator? No starter has officially been named at quarterback for the Buckeyes, but the defense as a whole may be a bigger question than who takes the first snaps at QB against Texas. Ohio State returns All-American safety Caleb Downs, linebacker Sonny Styles and cornerback Davison Igbinosun from a unit that allowed 12.9 points per game in 2024. But eight other starters need to be replaced and defensive coordinator Jim Knowles is now at Penn State. In his place is former Lions coach Matt Patricia. He's coaching college football for the first time since he was a graduate assistant. There's still a ton of talent on this side of the ball, but how Patricia adjusts to the college game with a whole lot of new starters could determine how much of a shot the Buckeyes have of going back-to-back. Texas (+475) How will a revamped offensive line hold up in front of Arch Manning? Guard DJ Campbell is the only returning starter on Texas' offensive line. The Longhorns' front five were largely injury-free in 2024 outside of an ankle injury that first-round pick Kelvin Banks dealt with over the course of the season. Now Banks is with the Saints and right tackle Cam Williams also needs to be replaced. Trevor Goosby got experience at both tackle spots when Banks and Williams each missed a little bit of time in 2024 and he's penciled in as Banks' replacement on Manning's blind side. The offensive line will have to come together quickly against Ohio State in Week 1 and again at Florida on Oct. 4. But if it can hold its own, Texas could be in line for a special season.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Updating LSU football's defensive end depth chart two weeks into fall camp
LSU football's defense has new faces at defensive end. Bradyn Swinson and Sai'Vion Jones are off to the NFL, leaving LSU with significant production to replace on the edge this fall. Through a combination of transfer portal additions and returning talent, the position remains strong. LSU signed Patrick Payton, Jack Pyburn, and Jimari Butler. Returning is Gabe Reliford, now a sophomore after flashing as a true freshman. Payton, Pyburn, and Butler all bring Power Four experience -- just what LSU needed. Without the portal, Reliford was the only returning defensive end with real experience. LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker wants to play an aggressive brand of football, and that requires edge defenders who can rush the passer and be trusted to set the edge vs. the run. Swinson and Jones provided that. Here's a look at where LSU's defensive end depth chart stands as fall camp is in full swing. Starter: Jack Pyburn Pyburn transfers to LSU from Florida. He's a veteran -- originally signing with Florida in 2022. Pyburn gives LSU a physical presence vs. the run. He made 29 tackles and 13 stops in 2024 to go along with eight pressures and two sacks. "I think he's an underrated pass rusher. I really do. When you go back and watch his tape, he's slippery in pass rush. He's got some quick twitch," LSU DC Blake Baker said. Patrick Payton and Gabe Reliford are battling LSU's second starter at defensive end will likely be Payton or Reliford. Even though one has to get the start, don't be surprised if they play a similar amount in week one. 247Sports was high on Payton as a transfer, ranking the ex-Florida State defensive end as the No. 2-ranked EDGE in the transfer class. Payton brings over 1,500 snaps from Florida State, where he was a key piece of the Seminoles' elite defense in 2023. Payton has 90 career pressures and 68 stops -- he's a guy who can impact all phases of the defense. Then there's Reliford. The four-star saw time in 2024, but he's ready for a true breakout campaign in 2025. In 153 defensive snaps, Reliford totaled seven pressures and a sack. He saw significant action in the bowl win vs. Baylor, playing 44 snaps. Key depth: Jimari Butler Butler, a Nebraska transfer, won't earn a starting job, but he'll play a key role in this defense. Butler spent four years at Nebraska, playing 837 snaps. He surpassed 20 pressures in 2023 and 2024, racking up 49 pressures and nine sacks in his Nebraska career. Butler stands at 6-foot-5 and weighs in at 260 pounds. He has the clear physical tools to play in the SEC, and now working with LSU defensive ends coach Kevin Peoples, Butler has a chance to emerge in Baton Rouge.
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
Notre Dame will host the nation's top 2027 overall prospect for a visit this fall
Notre Dame football has an elite offensive line tradition one that puts them among the nation's best, and they've typically done it with lower ranked recruits. Well, that looks like it could be changing, as over the last few cycles the Irish have landed top prospects like Charles Jagusah, Guerby Lambert, and Will Black. All of them were top-100 prospects and while the 2026 class doesn't have a player like that, the 2027 one class could. The No. 1 overall player in the 247Sports Composite is Texas offensive tackle Kennedy Brown, and according to Nate Gravender, he will take at least three visits to see games this fall, one of them being to South Bend. He'll also visit Clemson and Tennessee, and could obviously take others, but it's great news for the Irish that he's already planning a trip. In the recruiting website era, the highest prospect Notre Dame has signed was quarterback Jimmy Clausen, who was the No. 2 overall recruit in the 2007 class. Brown would sit on top of this list if he were the ultimately pick the Irish, and they're off to a great start in his recruitment. Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions. Follow Mike on X: @MikeFChen
