The Tigers will take the field for their season opener with high hopes, a new roster, and an electric atmosphere at Plainsman Park.
After months of preparation, the Tigers, led by head coach Butch Thompson, are ready to kick off the 2025 baseball season this weekend as they welcome Holy Cross to Plainsman Park for a three-game series. With a mix of seasoned veterans and promising newcomers, expectations are high for a successful season.
Following Auburn's disappointing 2024 season, where they finished 27-26 overall and 8-2 in SEC play, Thompson made a major move by bringing in 21 new players during the offseason. The Tigers will rely on returning stars like Ike Irish, while newcomers like Christian Chatterton are expected to make an immediate impact.
After a standout year in 2024, Ike Irish is back to dominate both behind and at the plate. The talented catcher was named to the ABCA First Team All-Southeast Region, a semifinalist for the Buster Posey Award, and also earned a spot on the First Team All-SEC. Recently, Irish has also been named to the 2025 Golden Spikes Award preseason watch list. With a batting average of .319 and a team lead in runs and hits for the 2024 season, Irish is sure to play a huge role in Auburn's success this season.
One freshman set to make his collegiate debut this weekend is right-hand pitcher Christian Chatterton. Chatterton will step to the mound and complete the weekend's rotation on Sunday. Perfect Game ranked Chatterton as the No. 65 overall player in his class and the No. 2 right-handed pitcher in Alabama. He was also named 2024 ASWA Class 7A Player of the Year.
Auburn will have Cade Fisher and Samuel Dutton alongside Chatterton on the mound throughout the weekend. Meanwhile, Holy Cross will counter with Danny Macchiarola, Sean Scanlon, and Jaden Wywoda.
Holy Cross is entering 2025 after finishing the 2024 season with a 26-27 record and a 14-11 mark in conference play, their most Patriot League wins since 2019. It was also the first season the Crusaders had a .500 overall record since 2016. Two key returners for the Crusaders are pitcher Danny Macchiarola and first baseman Chris Baillargeon.
The Tigers last faced the Crusaders in 2017, sweeping all three games with a dominant combined score of 24-4.
The Auburn Baseball season will begin this weekend with the first pitch tonight at 6 p.m. Saturday's game will also be at 6 p.m., and Sunday's will begin at 1 p.m. All three games will be streamed live on SEC Network+.
