2025 Fall College Baseball Reset: Auburn

The 2025 Auburn Tigers had a strong year, even though it ended on a sour note. After losing to Coastal Carolina in the Super Regionals and losing a lot of talent to the pros, the 2026 Tigers will have some new faces. On the other hand, five regular hitters from 2025 are back, including freshman standout Chris Rembert.

The Returnees

Auburn sustained many significant losses, which I’ll get more into in the next section. The good news for the Tigers is that several key hitters are back for 2026.

Chris Rembert, who made the All-SEC freshman team in 2025, is back for year #2 in Auburn. Rembert slashed .344/.467/.555 (1.052 OPS) with 24 extra-base hits as a freshman for Auburn. And after three home runs in five games up in the Cape, Rembert joined the USA collegiate national team for workouts. He wound up making the collegiate national team.

It’ll be a big year for Rembert, a draft-eligible sophomore.

Aside from Rembert, several other regulars will return. Bub Terrell, Cade Belyeu, and Lucas Steele all are back.

Outfielder Bristol Carter, who transferred to the school last summer from ECU, is also back for his junior season. Carter didn’t hit well in his sophomore season, and in the Cape, his numbers (.648 OPS) weren’t better.

As for the pitching staff, sophomores Andreas Alvarez and Christian Chatterton — both of whom worked extensively as starters in 2025 — return for another season.

The Newcomers

Life in a college program always includes departures. Several of the Auburn Tigers from 2025 who helped the team make it to the Super Regionals are gone.

Carson Myers, an effective reliever for the Tigers who struck out 67 over 52 innings, signed a pro contract with Toronto and pitched well (13 K over 11 IP) in his first taste of the pros. Cam Tilly went in the seventh round to New York (NL). Ace Samuel Dutton and lefty Cade Fisher, both of whom were transfers themselves, were drafted by the Athletics and Red Sox, respectively.

The most notable loss was C/OF Ike Irish, who unsurprisingly went in the first round to the Orioles this past July. Additionally, Cooper McMurray signed a pro deal with Atlanta as an undrafted free agent.

There are quite a few new faces in Auburn, headlined by transfers and kids fresh out of high school.

Infielder Ryne Farber hit .340 as a freshman with Texas State two seasons ago. Farber only hit .267 in a down 2025 but cracked seven extra-base hits and a .366 OBP in the Cape this past summer.

Logan Gregorio, a catcher/outfielder, hit 18 home runs with Northern Illinois last spring.

Pitching-wise, the Tigers’ new transfer acquisitions include Marcel Kulik and Jake Marciano from VaTech. Marciano struck out 71 and walked just 18 as a freshman with the Hokies in 2025.

Aside from the transfers, the Auburn Tigers have 11 new freshmen on the team. Arguably the most notable one is Justice de Jong, part of a powerhouse Poly Prep high school team in Brooklyn, New York, one that also produced 2025 fourth-rounder Miguel Sime Jr.

de Jong was originally committed to Duke. But after Chris Pollard left Duke for UVA, the New York kid joined the Tigers.

Aside from him, Auburn also got an explosive outfield prospect, Wade Shelley, to campus. Shelley showed off a big arm in high school, getting up to the low-90s with his fastball. He also recorded a 6.61 in the 60-yard dash, per Perfect Game showcase numbers.

Summary

Every year, the SEC never lacks talent. And in a conference that includes perennial powers LSU, Florida, Tennessee, Texas, etc., the goal for everyone else is to stay competitive.

The good news for Auburn fans is that the Tigers still retained a lot of talent, even though their most productive hitter from 2025 went pro. Not to mention, the new freshmen could become very important pieces over the next few seasons.