Butch Thompson explains how SEC play prepared Auburn for difficult College World Series

On3 imageby:James Fletcher III06/22/22

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Auburn baseball made its second College World Series appearance under Butch Thompson this season and ultimately fell after losses to SEC West rivals Ole Miss and Arkansas in Omaha. With the conference set to have at least one representative in the championship series, as had become commonplace in recent years, it has separated itself from the rest of college baseball.

During his postgame press conference after facing elimination, Butch Thompson spoke about how the SEC prepares each team for the postseason and compared it to other conferences and powerhouse programs across the country.

“I think it’s a preparation feature,” said Thompson. “And yeah, the two losses we had here were to SEC opponents. I thought the team that Stanford put on the field yesterday was like a Major League ballclub in some aspects. The body’s athleticism, the quality of arms we saw, especially left-handed, the experience at Oregon State. Just tremendous. UCLA will have one of the best teams in the country. You don’t miss on them. They have so many of those special freshmen and they’re about to hook it up, and Coach Savage’s team is going to be outstanding.

“But I do, I think our league is absolutely invested from top to bottom in every one of our schools and that preparation of going through those 10 SEC weekends, absolutely, is a benefit. I don’t think there’s any doubt about it, with having to play the level of play consistency every week, you feel like you’re home, you’re on the road. The venues even prepare you for this in such a way.”

Butch Thompson on the SEC

Butch Thompson continued to provide his thoughts on the SEC, going more in-depth on how the conference has developed into a pipeline for professional talent to work on their game. The high level of competition is yet another factor in making the level of play so high.

“I think we had 93 former SEC baseball players on Major League opening day rosters this year,” said Thompson. “It’s just incredible. So that’s a pretty good track record. But I think it’s playing those 10 SEC weekends with no breaks there. If you can withstand, if you don’t get buried, and it’s a year where you’re right above the .500 mark, you can do anything.

“I think our ’19 team that wound up making it here was 14 and 16 in our league, and I think it’s just proof of what those 10 weeks, how it prepares you.”