Auburn catcher Cale Stricklin plans to enter NCAA transfer portal

Auburn catcher Cale Stricklin plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal, he announced on Monday. Stricklin broke the news of his departure on Twitter.

Stricklin, who is the son of former Georgia coach Scott Stricklin, spent two years with the Tigers. He appeared in 20 games.

“Thank you Auburn University for the past 2 years,” Stricklin wrote. “[W]ith that being said I will be entering into the transfer portal.”

During the 2025 campaign, Stricklin saw just four at-bats in six appearances. He did not record a hit, though he walked once and was hit by a pitch.

Cale Stricklin saw more extensive action as a freshman in 2024, when he appeared in 14 games. He saw 33 at-bats and hit .273, notching one double and five RBI in his plate appearances. He also reached base eight times via walk and three times via hit by pitch.

Prior to enrolling at Auburn, Stricklin played at North Oconee High School in Georgia and was rated by Perfect Game as a top-300 player in the class, including the No. 35 overall player and No. 1 catcher in Georgia. He hit .474 as a senior.

Auburn falls in Super Regional

The Cale Stricklin news comes after a tough weekend for Auburn. The Tigers were eliminated from the postseason in the Auburn Super Regional by Coastal Carolina.

Coastal Carolina won a nail-biter in the opener 7-6, a game that went well into the night thanks to a weather delay midway through the contest. Auburn rallied late, but the Tigers were unable to seal the deal after forcing extra innings.

In the end, a Caden Bodine home run in the top of the 10th put the Chanticleers one win away from the College World Series. They’d get the job done the following day.

Auburn dropped Game 2 in the Super Regional series 4-1. The Tigers initially jumped out to a 1-0 lead, then the bats went cold as the Chanticleers rallied to take the game.

On3’s Steve Samra also contributed to this report.