The 2017 Auburn baseball team surprised a lot of people. Picked in the preseason to finish last in the SEC West, the Tigers played most of the season at the top of the league until injuries slowed down their momentum.
No one expected Auburn to finish any higher than last place in the league, yet the Tigers came within one strike of playing in their first Super Regional since 1999. Butch Thompson’s experience in helping take teams to the postseason was a big factor in Auburn getting there and finishing with 37 wins despite going through six weeks at the end of the year without pitchers Casey Mize or a healthy Keegan Thompson.