SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE BASEBALL TOURNAMENT

May 22, 2025

Butch Thompson

Carson Myers

Hoover Metropolitan Stadium

Auburn Tigers

Postgame Press Conference

Texas A&M 3, Auburn 2

BUTCH THOMPSON: Just wished in a couple of moments we could have knocked in few more runs there. Had some chances today, but didn't happen.

Q. Just talk about the job you guys did as a pitching staff, 14 strikeouts, only three walks. Really a three batter stretch was all the damage today. Talk about the overall pitching you guys did.

CARSON MYERS: I just thought we competed. We stayed true to our goal and just threw as many strikes as possible, and I felt like as a whole, we definitely accomplished that, and we were trying to go after these guys with our best stuff.

Q. Carson, what's it like to see a guy like Eric Snow really blossoming in the lineup, and how that could roll into next week for the regionals?

CARSON MYERS: It definitely builds a lot of confidence, especially for somebody going out there pitching. You got guys all through the lineup that are going to do damage. They're going to give you the best at-bat they have.

Q. Carson, can you talk about how playing in the SEC possibly helps you with playing in the rest of the postseason and going into the NCAA Tournament?

CARSON MYERS: I think it makes you an overall better player and makes you better mentally. You're facing the best competition in the nation, and I just think that if you have that mentality of going out and having your best stuff every single time, it makes things a little bit easier when you're actually out there.

Q. Carson, you guys look at now heading towards the NCAA Tournament, looks like you'll probably be hosting a regional. How satisfying -- I know you just lost a game, but that was one of the goals for you guys, to get back there, and now work to be done still, but how big of a deal is that, that that's a possibility?

CARSON MYERS: Yeah, it's awesome. I know the guys on the team, we've all worked extremely hard, and this is one of the things -- one of the steps of our main goal. I know that going into this weekend, obviously, we had a tough loss today, but it's only going to put a chip on our shoulder going into this weekend, and it's just going to make us even better.

Q. Butch, just an explanation from the umpire in the eighth inning there with the slide into second base?

BUTCH THOMPSON: Yeah, he said it was the slide rule for safety, and once they reviewed it, it was absolutely -- you have to slide straight into the base, and we did not. Once I saw that, that was kind of the end of the story there for me. Even from our rules and compliance and everything we were look willing at, I did think it was a big enough moment, but you've got to see the play again, and having our two challenges, we definitely used one, but as soon as you saw him ease into the slide there and not going to the base, and just beyond, toward the outfield, that's the proper call.

Q. How do you feel about your offense heading into next week, and also how Lamkin pitched against you guys?

BUTCH THOMPSON: Yeah, I just think each day, that's what's amazing. I would use your question to just respect Texas A&M. You've got the SEC pitcher of the week that we just faced. He went to a complete game, so I think they got him out about the 80-, 85-pitch mark of the ballgame. Another good fastball with hop early and a changeup, we saw that. It was very similar to the 100 Elliott that we saw in Game 1 of Ole Miss last week in the final series.

I thought we were still okay. They hit the big hay maker there early, and we kind of hung in there, and that's a guy that had his stuff set pretty good. And then the strength of our ballclub is some of our left-handed guys. I didn't see any shape, form or fashion where we weren't competing in the box.

I just thought we saw a really good pitcher, and I was glad when we got him out of the game to still be in the game. But the eighth inning that we just referenced and talked about, that absolutely took momentum away from us because we were at the part of the lineup we wanted to be at, and also I think Cooper McMurray hit a ball in the sixth or seventh inning, the left fielder made a great catch. And then I thought they one-upped it wit the catch that Fralick hit to center field, diving into the wall, going away from home plate in center field at the deepest part of the ballpark.

Some of those things didn't happen for us, but we did have other chances. I think you just keep pushing, you run into good teams, and we run into the 14 seed that's coming off the SEC pitcher of the year and a pretty good lineup and a great ballclub, and they really made plays today.

We've made plays. I love our defense. I think we have one of the best overall defenses in the country, and we played good, but they made really good defensive plays today that I thought might have made a difference in the game or we could have maybe opened another seam or two that might have made a difference.

But I think collectively, I think our offense has played good late. We've been competitive. I think we're fine there.

I just think A&M is a really good ballclub, and I think that it just didn't happen for us today. We just did not link it up. But at some point in time, you have to give credit to the other team.

Q. With playing just one game this week, how do you keep some of your starter pitchers who didn't get to throw this week on a rhythm going into regionals next week?

BUTCH THOMPSON: Yeah, it's hard to duplicate. It's hard to get back to campus at Auburn and throw Dutton out there and throw Chatterton and duplicate the opportunity you get here. Probably the biggest flag we wave right now is, it's not over. And of course, it's over for this tournament now, but now we move forward because it's not over with our season.

I absolutely wanted our guys to be able to be here tomorrow night, on a Friday night with us being Auburn, us being in proximity. There's nothing that I can go duplicate in a practice setting that would be able to match being in this venue and play this level of competition. This is the best weekend, best tournament for college baseball that exists. So when you only get to do that one time and you don't get to do that two or three times and get to throw those other starters, I hate it. I wanted more at-bats. I wanted more pitchers to roll out there and get that experience. Some of them would be getting it for the very first time.

We stayed true to the game, an elimination game and did everything we could to try to mix and match and change guys out. The left-right was being played there to get guys in the ballgame on the mound. We stretched Carson Myers as long as we could until he had the four pitch walk to walk a guy after 60 pitches or so.

But we'll do the best we can to get back, to get back to Auburn tonight, to figure out what the next steps are and get these guys prepared for a regional at Plainsman Park.

Q. What are your thoughts now on this team as you get ready for Monday -- I guess Sunday night when you find out if you're a regional team?

BUTCH THOMPSON: Yeah, I've been tickled to death with them. Like I said, I want to play as many games as I can with this team because they've earned it. They've earned my respect, our coaches' respect, hopefully, most of our fans' respect, that we want to see them play ball and we want to see them play good.

I think that would be three out of four years hosting. I don't know how many teams in America have done that. I'm proud of some of these guys that have been here for a couple of those, McMurray, Irish to name a couple. So that's a huge step to be able to do that.

We haven't done that in our program's history. But at the same time, you want to make hay when you get those opportunities. I feel comfortable enough that these guys will absolutely put in a good week of work for us and be ready to go.

Q. On that note, I believe you guys came in with the No. 1 RPI today. Do you feel like you've done enough to make a top 8 national seed?

BUTCH THOMPSON: Yeah, I answered that a few days ago. I do. And what coach would not that represents a program. That's my job. This is where my passion is. This is where I'm doing everything I can to try to help build and do a program. When you're -- I think you're one and two and three, and I think our program is one, two, and three, and a few of these metrics that haven't missed that opportunity. So I sure hope so.

I do know the last few years where the top of college baseball has absolutely been lifted for the first time. It seems like everything we've done in the past is to make the game down, but the top has been lifted for college baseball, and I think a ton of strength, a ton of resume resides in the teams playing in this tournament. I do think the Auburn Tigers is one of those.

Q. Could you speak to your pitchers today? A lot of punch-outs and giving your team a chance to win?

BUTCH THOMPSON: Yep, over and over. Myers was great. I do think -- I just felt like I wanted a lefty after the first inning innings that Myers got set and that's why you saw Fisher after him. I think Graves was in the pen warming up. Unless we got even or ahead, we'd have put Hetzler in the ballgame, being an elimination ballgame. But we decided pretty quick to stay left-handed.

I was just watching the front door opening, watching the reaction to the pitches, it seemed left-handed was our best course of action, and Myers did the lion's share of the work today.

Cam Tilly's stuff was good. It was 6 over 1, but again, there's gaps there and we probably moved on to Carson. It was only a 3-0 ballgame, but they're too talented. They're too good. Any team in our league, if you're allowing fires to start, three of the first four innings, they got the lead off man on. Three of the times we converted, but that's the game of baseball. The one time time that we didn't absolutely make it happen, they landed a punch on us.

So we really wanted to get into the strike zone. We wanted left-handed, and Myers is by far, I think, our highest strike percentage lefty on our staff. That's how we drew to get Myers in the ballgame when we did.

Q. Pitching is something you're passionate about. I know you were in the other clubhouse today, but watching Lamkin take the hill, obviously, he's on a roll right now. What is he doing so well right now to make his pitches so effective?

BUTCH THOMPSON: There's great arms velocity second and third pitch going, especially a lefty. When they get a recipe and stuff set,, it becomes hard. I think we just kind of got to the vulnerable moment with him, getting him to the end of an outing. If he expended 120-plus pitches last week, we really didn't do nothing with him or break the door down. I just think what he did last week may have shortened the outing a little bit, and we got to the backside. What I think our team did a good job is, still being able to hang around, still being able to -- one guy get on and the tying run come to the plate type deal.

Yeah, I absolutely tip my hat, but I thought we hung in there and still had a chance. I thought we had to make more of a move there late, and we were, we were probably one pitch away probably, or let's say one more good at-bat lately, which we've been having a lot of that here lately. I don't think we were missing some barrage.

I just think we were missing one or two swings in real moments, and there's an old adage in pitching too that we've always had that solos don't beat you. We actually hit two home runs to their run home run. But when you put those freebies in front of them, I think it was a base hit. It was kind of an inside slider. It wasn't a a great pitch. The video is good to be able to check right after, and HBP, I think, and then the home run. And I think that was the third or fourth consecutive offering of the same pitch that wound up happening.

Again, that'll happen. I think Cam Tilly was competitive, and again, they got off the big swing, and we didn't get enough off where we were working in a pack. There was a lot of solo work with Snow, and I guess Steele hit the other home run. And when we a couple guys on, I think I referenced the two outfielders making a catch. And then the slide rule, I thought was a big one there as late as it was in the game.

Q. Going back to your 2022 World Series run, you had a great season. What coaching-wise are you hoping translates from that experience into this team this year?

BUTCH THOMPSON: That's a really good question. What our program has been able to do. I'll throw 19 in there. I'll throw anything into -- I'll throw the kitchen sink at it to get these guys to know that our program can be successful, that we've got recent players over the last four or five years that have that Omaha dirt in their cleat and that it's possible.

I think the leadership of the team, the guys that have been around absolutely know that. I think there's a certain brand of confidence. I think every team that you look at that's been to Omaha recently or punched the big ticket, I think there's a level of confidence with their program, their fan base, their university, that once you're able to do those things, it happens. I'll tell them three of the last four regionals we haven't lost a game in. I'll try to take everything that's been negative and let them go research for themselves, which they won't, so I'll just tell them all the good stuff that our program has done and try to build them up here over the next few days to get them ready, and then I'll ask our fans to absolutely be there for us in full force and help us push it across the finish line together.

So that's what we'll start doing each and every day between now and when we get to play again.