Butch Thompson explores how Auburn has developed so much balance top to bottom

Auburn baseball coach Butch Thompson assembled one of the most balanced teams in the country this year, with all the pieces seeming to fall in the right place at the right time.

During his latest press conference, Butch Thompson spoke about what helped form Auburn’s incredible balance this season.

“We’ve got great leaders who played in Omaha that I mentioned, we added pieces that made a difference in our program like Sonny (DiChiara), (Blake) Rambusch, or a couple of guys that we’ve talked about this year,” said Thompson. “Bobby Peirce has come on, getting healthy and adding to it. Those have been huge. And then we’ve had guys grow. Trace Bright has grown, Joseph Gonzalez and absolutely Blake Burkhalter. Those guys have grown from the past year, so we’ve got help from all these three different categories.

“The belief in my team is that we can plat more dimensions, that’s what they’ve done the last two weeks. Winning a Regional, and I think everybody knows that was an offensive weekend, we absolutely played offense. And we played enough offense, we’re facing a high-level pitching staff and at the end of the day, I thought our pitchers’ intention, their intent, their conviction absolutely carried the day. I thought (Carson) Skipper or Burkhalter, those guys helped us win a Super Regional. A freshman like John Armstrong pitching two games, a Tommy Sheehan and a Chase Isbell that’re coming off like 12, 13 months of surgery and we’ve just been brining them along slowly all year long waiting for this. A lot like we did Bailey Horn in that 2019 run. And now we’re seeing Sheehan’s best outing, Isbell’s best outing, Armstrong getting us out in a pinch and Skipper and Burkhalter absolutely standing in the gap and beating an amazing program.”

Butch Thompson on Auburn defense

Continuing to talk about the areas where Auburn has found sustained success this season on the way to the College World Series, Butch Thompson offered praise to the defense for its effort behind the pitching staff.

“Our defense has been consistent,” said Thompson. “The plays that Brody Moore – the season he’s having. The outfield plays, we went left, center with two diving plays. Amazing plays, Bobby Peirce throwing out guy at the plate. Didn’t win the ballgame but our defense has been amazing. Nate LaRue’s impact defensively, his arm absolutely can impact the baseball team.

“So I think we have some dimensions to us that gives us some confidence that we can win more than one way. Sometimes if this is all you’ve got and it doesn’t show up, you’re in trouble. I feel like if Plan A isn’t working, we still have a Plan B and a Plan C that can afford us some success.”