Kevin Ives' stream of consciousness: JABA? More like, Just Auburn Being Amazing

Special to Auburn Live from Kevin Ives, AKA Plainsman Parking Lot (@AUPPL) on Twitter. Kevin is an Auburn baseball insider and has been writing about the program for years.

Just let it sink in for a moment. Auburn is going to Omaha.

The last time, it was 22 years between trips to the College World Series. This time? It’s only three (and technically only two because of the lost COVID year).

Auburn, a team picked dead last in the SEC West going into the season, a team that limped into and out of the SEC Tournament, a team that had more question marks than Jim Carrey’s Riddler costume, this team: is going to the College World Series.

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And they did so in impressive fashion. Impressive because of how they won. How they bent, but didn’t break. Or, how about how they got their lead and didn’t let it go, and sent Auburn back to the College World Series despite only three hits. How they held an Oregon State offense in check all night and didn’t panic when it mattered.

Be honest though, you were watching the game and waiting for the other shoe to drop. You were waiting for the “JABA” moment. You watched as Auburn, mustering only two hits all night, and clinging to a 4-1 lead, saw Oregon State hit a two-run bomb to make it a 4-3 game in the bottom of the 7th . You felt that lump in your throat as a wild pitched moved the Beaver runners ever so closely into in position.

Then you watched Blake Burkhalter get a huge strikeout to strand them both. And you exhaled. But you were still worried. You’ve seen this story before. You’ve lived it in other sports (and in baseball). Auburn still had six more outs to get. You had this rumble in your gut that you wanted it to be so. You knew Auburn could muster and find a way. But you’ve had your heartbroken before and we’re just anticipating the other shoe to drop.

Burkhalter had other ideas. Burky was the difference maker and shined in his most high pressure position this season. His final line? 2.2 inning, ZERO hits, ZERO walks, and struck out five of the eight batters he faced. Burkey showed Epcot-sized marbles and etched his name in Auburn lore. And when Auburn needed him most, he shined his brightest. He didn’t do it alone; he’ll just get the headlines be at the bottom of the dog pile. 

But the Auburn pitching staff exceeded all expectations all weekend. The Tigers needed only three pitchers in the Monday night win. Mason Barnett set the tone, going 4.1 innings and keeping the Oregon State offense off balance. Carson Skipper picked up the slack and despite the 2-run home run, did his job and got the outs he needed and proved more than effective holding the rope in the middle and setting the stage for Burkhalter.

The Auburn offense was quiet again. But tonight, it didn’t really matter. Sonny DiChiara’s two run HR broke up the no-hitter and Auburn doubled its run total by grinding out at-bats and executing when it needed to most. That includes a safety squeeze that ended up being the difference maker.

For this night, the old “JABA” was dead and the new “JABA” lived: Just Auburn Being Amazing.

Be Proud of this damn team. All season long, I’ve heard stories of guys coming to Auburn because they wanted to a part of Auburn. They bought into what Butch has been building. The stories are endless.

There’s Sonny DiChiara, who was courted by numerous SEC suitors, but wanted to be a Tiger.

There’s Bobby Peirce, who battled in practice to get his shot and didn’t let go once he got it.

There’s Blake Rambusch, who knew he was good enough to play in the SEC and even wrote a letter asking for a chance. I could go on and on. These guys wanted to be Tigers. They wanted to be a part of something special. They wanted to be part of a legacy. They came to the Plains because they loved Auburn and knew it felt right. They’re all being rewarded with a trip to Omaha.

Auburn is a special place. You know it. I know it. They know it. Nights like Monday night show just how special it can be. This team has adopted the “Bad News Bears” mentality and played with that chip on their shoulders that Auburn fans love and know all too well.

There are programs in the league playing in basically minor league stadiums. Teams that make headlines with fur coats, daddy hats, and bird-flips. Teams that work their in-state lotteries to bolster their rosters. It works for them. That’s fine. Then there’s Auburn. In our relatively tiny stadium, shoved between a power substation and withering Coliseum. A team that’s only real celebration is a rubber eagle mask. A team of guys paying the bulk of their way and a coaching staff trying to stretch every scholarship as far as it can go. It’s just a team that just shows up, plays, and grinds and finds a way. That’s what works for Auburn. That’s what has worked this season.

Under-the-radar. Unexpected. Atypical. All those things describe Auburn baseball in 2022. They’ve battled numerous injuries, a few slumps, some head scratching losses, weird weather, and wonky travel. Now, after the dust has settled, they are one of the eight teams left.

And I’ll let you in on a secret: it pisses off so many other fanbases. Some are more vocal than others. But the loudest ones say the same thing. They aren’t irritated because Auburn is in Omaha. They are irritated because it’s Auburn. The story of the 2022 Auburn Baseball Team is still being written, but the story so far is a good one.

A team of transfers, newcomers, and veterans. Gelling in the right way and at the right time. They came to Auburn to prove they belong, and they’ve shown the world that they do. They didn’t get the headlines or the accolades or respect during the year. But now, they are one of the eight teams left standing.

Now it’s time to not only celebrate, but get hungry. Auburn is one step closer to a title. Despite the wins in Corvallis, Auburn knows it has some issues to fix. They also know that they’ll face an opening round opponent who is absolutely steam-rolling their post season competition and has yet to lose. It’s kind of fitting that Ole Miss and Auburn will meet in the first round of the College World Series. Almost poetic.

Ole Miss, a one-time number one team that scuffled during the year and almost didn’t make a Regional, against a team that was overlooked, barely turned heads, and was told it shouldn’t have hosted a Regional. 

When these two teams met to open SEC play, it seemed like their trajectories were already set. If I had told you then that one of those teams was going to host a Regional and the other would barely make the tournament, you’d absolutely have said it would be the Rebels. Yet the roles for these teams got flipped during the season. Auburn kept climbing. Ole Miss kept falling. But despite the changes in course, both teams end up at the same destination: the College World Series.

Saturday Night in Omaha is going to be a classic. Two battled-tested teams with a history. Auburn will come in with all the confidence in the world on the mound but needing some answers at the plate. Ole Miss will come in riding bottled lightning and an impressive post-season run that saw them destroy Arizona into oblivion and decimate Southern Miss in resounding fashion (in Hattiesburg, at that).

But that’s Saturday. For now, just take a moment, savor the moment, and enjoy what Auburn has done. How it went to the Pacific Northwest and faced a premier program, let iron sharpen iron, and came out on top. How they flipped the usual “JABA” script and just played good baseball. And, how they didn’t panic and took every punch the powerhouse threw. Auburn isn’t David. Oregon State isn’t Goliath. But what Auburn did and how they did it was impressive and, frankly, a little unexpected. It put the college baseball world on notice to never count out the Tigers in the postseason.

I watched fans roll Toomer’s on Monday night and you could see the joy on everyone’s faces. It was just this cathartic release celebrating a team that didn’t crumble under the heaviest of pressures.

It was Just Auburn Being Amazing. War Damn Y’all and get ready for the ride to continue on Saturday.