Baseball News: 6-22-2026
0 views
Skip to first unread message
Dudley Dent
Jun 22, 2026, 8:09:53 AM (3 days ago) Jun 22
to Tiger Tracks
Auburn Baseball News: 6-22-2026
Tigers add talented left-handed pitcher from portal:
https://www.on3.com/teams/auburn-tigers/news/tigers-add-talented-left-handed-pitcher-from-portal/
How Auburn Baseball Stacks Up After Early Transfer Portal Period:
https://www.si.com/college/auburn/baseball/how-auburn-baseball-stacks-up-after-early-transfer-portal-period
Former Auburn pitcher Mason Koch is transferring back to Creighton:
https://auburnwire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/auburn/baseball/2026/06/20/auburn-baseball-transfer-portal-news-mason-koch-creighton-commit/90632349007/
************************
Tigers add talented left-handed pitcher from portal
By Bryan Matthews
Auburn has added another key arm from the transfer portal.
Former UC Davis standout Jack Pezzolo has committed to the Tigers. The left-hander was 2-2 last season with a 3.35 ERA in 13 appearances including 11 starts as a freshman. He has three years of eligibility remaining.
The Petaluma, Calif., native struck out 45 and walked 37 batters while limiting opposing hitters to a .230 average. He held Texas scoreless for 4.0 innings and struck out six at Texas in February.
Keep Watching
Pezzolo had a 0.91 ERA as a senior at Cardinal Newman. He was the Press Democrat Player of the Year as a junior, which included a perfect game with 18 strikeouts.
He is Auburn’s third pitcher and fifth addition from the portal joining Arizona RHP Corey Kling, South Alabama RHP Zach Stevens, Georgia State outfielder John Beverley and Iowa infielder Ben Swails.
************************
How Auburn Baseball Stacks Up After Early Transfer Portal Period
By Griffin Barfield
Auburn Tigers on SI
While North Carolina and Oklahoma square off in the College World Series, head coach Butch Thompson and the Auburn Tigers are doing their best to set up a team to make that type of run in 2027.
Auburn fell to Ole Miss in the Super Regionals at Plainsman Park, marking its second consecutive loss at home in that round of the NCAA Tournament. Fortunately for Thompson, he will have a strong supporting cast coming back with his young 2026 team.
Names like Chase Fralick, Ethin Bingaman and the McCraine twins, Brandon and Mason, headline key returners at the plate for the Tigers. On the mound, Jake Marciano and Andreas Alvarez both finished with an ERA under four, while Jackson Sanders was the key bullpen arm in the latter half of the season.
It meant that Thompson didn’t really need to get a statement player in the portal, but fill in the holes that were left from potential MLB-drafted players.
That’s exactly what he did, with five transfers picked up in his first three weeks.
It began with South Alabama reliever Zach Stevens, who brings experience and a strong 2.53 ERA into the fold. The righty becomes a signature addition to either the bullpen or the rotation, especially depending on whether Alex Petrovic decides to go to the MLB Draft after heading to the combine to begin next week.
Two others joined the Tigers last week: lefty Jack Pezzolo and Arizona transfer Corey Kling. Don’t let Kling’s 4.52 ERA fool you; he had 12 scoreless appearances out of the 19 innings he played for the Wildcats last season.
Meanwhile, Pezzolo, a rising sophomore, brings multiple years of potential time with Auburn. The UC Davis transfer recorded a 3.35 ERA across 43 innings played last season in his first season. Thompson hopes that he makes a jump similar to that of Marciano, who became his ace this past season.
Lastly, two hitters round out the transfer class thus far, although there’s a chance that the Tigers end up looking for more by the end of the College World Series. Their first pickup was Georgia State outfielder John Beverley, who hit .364 and stole 35 bases for his program last season. Another perk is that he has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Although performing in the SEC requires you to play at your best, Beverley could be a leadoff option for Thompson next season if he lives up to the hype.
Lastly, Iowa infielder Ben Swails was the final piece thus far. He recorded a .343 batting average last season in 43 games played. Whether he ends up being a gadget piece throughout the infield or being a late-game bat who can get on base, Swails brings experience with entering his senior season on the Plains.
Auburn didn’t need to do a lot to name itself as a contender going into next season. However, the Tigers just needed to add supporting pieces here and there in needed positions.
It’s safe to say they’ve done that.
************************
Former Auburn pitcher Mason Koch is transferring back to Creighton
By Taylor Jones
Auburn Wire
One former Auburn pitcher is returning to where his baseball journey began.
Former Auburn pitcher Mason Koch announced on X Saturday that he is transferring back to Creighton for his final season of eligibility. Koch, a native of Omaha, Nebraska, who transferred to Auburn from his hometown program, is going back to his hometown after appearing in three games during his two-season stay in Auburn.
Koch was a prized transfer portal addition for Auburn during the 2024 offseason after posting a 5-1 record with a 3.29 ERA as a sophomore at Creighton. He struck out 60 batters and walked only 17 over 38 1/3 innings in 25 games.
However, he never managed to work his way into Auburn's relief rotation, playing in just three games for Auburn, all during the 2025 season. He threw three total innings, with his best outing coming against Texas in a 14-2 loss. He allowed just one baserunner in that outing and did not allow a hit.
Koch is the first transfer portal entry from Auburn to announce his new destination. Several others still searching for a new home are center fielder Bristol Carter and pitcher Justice de Jong. The Tigers have added three pitchers from the transfer portal and a pair of speedy fielders.
Tigers add talented left-handed pitcher from portal:
https://www.on3.com/teams/auburn-tigers/news/tigers-add-talented-left-handed-pitcher-from-portal/
How Auburn Baseball Stacks Up After Early Transfer Portal Period:
https://www.si.com/college/auburn/baseball/how-auburn-baseball-stacks-up-after-early-transfer-portal-period
Former Auburn pitcher Mason Koch is transferring back to Creighton:
https://auburnwire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/auburn/baseball/2026/06/20/auburn-baseball-transfer-portal-news-mason-koch-creighton-commit/90632349007/
************************
Tigers add talented left-handed pitcher from portal
By Bryan Matthews
Auburn has added another key arm from the transfer portal.
Former UC Davis standout Jack Pezzolo has committed to the Tigers. The left-hander was 2-2 last season with a 3.35 ERA in 13 appearances including 11 starts as a freshman. He has three years of eligibility remaining.
The Petaluma, Calif., native struck out 45 and walked 37 batters while limiting opposing hitters to a .230 average. He held Texas scoreless for 4.0 innings and struck out six at Texas in February.
Keep Watching
Pezzolo had a 0.91 ERA as a senior at Cardinal Newman. He was the Press Democrat Player of the Year as a junior, which included a perfect game with 18 strikeouts.
He is Auburn’s third pitcher and fifth addition from the portal joining Arizona RHP Corey Kling, South Alabama RHP Zach Stevens, Georgia State outfielder John Beverley and Iowa infielder Ben Swails.
************************
How Auburn Baseball Stacks Up After Early Transfer Portal Period
By Griffin Barfield
Auburn Tigers on SI
While North Carolina and Oklahoma square off in the College World Series, head coach Butch Thompson and the Auburn Tigers are doing their best to set up a team to make that type of run in 2027.
Auburn fell to Ole Miss in the Super Regionals at Plainsman Park, marking its second consecutive loss at home in that round of the NCAA Tournament. Fortunately for Thompson, he will have a strong supporting cast coming back with his young 2026 team.
Names like Chase Fralick, Ethin Bingaman and the McCraine twins, Brandon and Mason, headline key returners at the plate for the Tigers. On the mound, Jake Marciano and Andreas Alvarez both finished with an ERA under four, while Jackson Sanders was the key bullpen arm in the latter half of the season.
It meant that Thompson didn’t really need to get a statement player in the portal, but fill in the holes that were left from potential MLB-drafted players.
That’s exactly what he did, with five transfers picked up in his first three weeks.
It began with South Alabama reliever Zach Stevens, who brings experience and a strong 2.53 ERA into the fold. The righty becomes a signature addition to either the bullpen or the rotation, especially depending on whether Alex Petrovic decides to go to the MLB Draft after heading to the combine to begin next week.
Two others joined the Tigers last week: lefty Jack Pezzolo and Arizona transfer Corey Kling. Don’t let Kling’s 4.52 ERA fool you; he had 12 scoreless appearances out of the 19 innings he played for the Wildcats last season.
Meanwhile, Pezzolo, a rising sophomore, brings multiple years of potential time with Auburn. The UC Davis transfer recorded a 3.35 ERA across 43 innings played last season in his first season. Thompson hopes that he makes a jump similar to that of Marciano, who became his ace this past season.
Lastly, two hitters round out the transfer class thus far, although there’s a chance that the Tigers end up looking for more by the end of the College World Series. Their first pickup was Georgia State outfielder John Beverley, who hit .364 and stole 35 bases for his program last season. Another perk is that he has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Although performing in the SEC requires you to play at your best, Beverley could be a leadoff option for Thompson next season if he lives up to the hype.
Lastly, Iowa infielder Ben Swails was the final piece thus far. He recorded a .343 batting average last season in 43 games played. Whether he ends up being a gadget piece throughout the infield or being a late-game bat who can get on base, Swails brings experience with entering his senior season on the Plains.
Auburn didn’t need to do a lot to name itself as a contender going into next season. However, the Tigers just needed to add supporting pieces here and there in needed positions.
It’s safe to say they’ve done that.
************************
Former Auburn pitcher Mason Koch is transferring back to Creighton
By Taylor Jones
Auburn Wire
One former Auburn pitcher is returning to where his baseball journey began.
Former Auburn pitcher Mason Koch announced on X Saturday that he is transferring back to Creighton for his final season of eligibility. Koch, a native of Omaha, Nebraska, who transferred to Auburn from his hometown program, is going back to his hometown after appearing in three games during his two-season stay in Auburn.
Koch was a prized transfer portal addition for Auburn during the 2024 offseason after posting a 5-1 record with a 3.29 ERA as a sophomore at Creighton. He struck out 60 batters and walked only 17 over 38 1/3 innings in 25 games.
However, he never managed to work his way into Auburn's relief rotation, playing in just three games for Auburn, all during the 2025 season. He threw three total innings, with his best outing coming against Texas in a 14-2 loss. He allowed just one baserunner in that outing and did not allow a hit.
Koch is the first transfer portal entry from Auburn to announce his new destination. Several others still searching for a new home are center fielder Bristol Carter and pitcher Justice de Jong. The Tigers have added three pitchers from the transfer portal and a pair of speedy fielders.
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages