published by The Auburn Plainsman backwelcome2022 MATTHEW POCZATEC | PHOTOGRAPHER
2 The Auburn Plainsman: Welcome Back Fall 2022
Fall 2022 The Auburn Plainsman: Welcome Back 3 The Auburn Plainsman WELCOME 5 | Letter from the Universityfrom7editor-in-chief|WelcomebacktheSGAandPresident COMMUNITY 8 | What you missed in Au burn this summer 9 | The Pants Store is com ing to Auburn 11 | The Yard Milkshake Bar opens in downtown Auburn 12 | Best places to catch live 13music|Early Learning Cen ter to be knocked down for dorms CAMPUS 14 | Teaching restaurant and food hall opens in Auburn 15| JAUnt Golf Service provides accessible transportation on cam 17pus| Auburn students, community react to Roe v. Wade 19 | This is where Auburn students interned this summer SPORTS 25 | DiChiara and Angels matchOrgnization:made in Heaven 26 | Eight Auburn players taken in record-setting MLB 30Draft|Plainsman Park to receive significant upgrades 31 | Tank Bigsby embraces high expectations
4 The Auburn Plainsman: Welcome Back Fall 2022 @auinvolve Getting involved with a campus organization is a great way to meet others, build your resume and learn skills future employers seek. Whether you are interested in community service, saving the bees, building robots or growing as a leader, Student Involvement has a community for everyone. With more than 550 student-led organizations, we make it easy to discover your path at Auburn. involvement BRANCHESServiceProgramsEmergeLeadership Programs Student Governance Student Organizations Student Programming Student Media••••• Log on to browse all organizations today! auburn.edu/auinvolve The First 56 provides hundreds of free events, free food, and fun to help you connect and build community during your rst eight weeks on campus! Get engaged from the beginning! SGA SERVEPROMOTEUNIFY ‘WELCOME TO CAMPUS’ BECAUSE SHOULD LAST MORE THAN A WEEK View all events online: aub.ie/welcomecalendar AUGUST 8 - OCTOBER 2
Fall 2022 The Auburn Plainsman: Welcome Back 5
Letter from the editor: Welcome Back The Auburn Plainsman Editorial Board DESTINI AMBUS Editor-in-Chief MY LY Content Editor KRISTEN CARR Operations Editor TUCKER MASSEY News Editor SABINA CRISITELLO Culture Editor HARLEE MEYDRECH Assistant Culture Editor CATHERINE HAYNES Opinion Editor CALLIE STANFORD Sports Editor NOAH GRIFFITH Assistant Sports Editor BROOKE FUCITO Photo Editor WESTON BALL Social Media Manager KACIE BARRETT Podcast Editor CONNER TUMLINSON Advertising Manager Contact Us: lifestyle@theplainsman.comsports@theplainsman.comnews@theplainsman.comopinion@theplainsman.comadmanager@theplainsman.comeditor@theplainsman.com BROOKEFUCITO|PHOTOEDITOR
Of all the Auburn-isms, my favorite has always been calling it the Loveliest Village on The Plains. Those two words, loveliest and village, always take me back to my first time actually touring here, even though I grew up only 45 minutesPicturesaway.
By DESTINI AMBUS Editor-in-chief
often don’t do our campus justice; it truly is the loveliest village, and I am so happy to welcome you back for another school year.
There’s nothing that any of us want more than a normal school year, a normal year in general. It seems as if everyday we are living through we are living through a historic moment. In light of that, I want to encourage you all to look out for each other. Maybe pull your mask back on, maybe social distance a bit more, maybe don’t hang out in a group of people so often. I know we are all fed up with the COVID years, but now Monkeypox is lurking around our shoulders. Live up to the name of the loveliest village on the plains, be the loveliest people and take care of your fellow man. In the last letter I wrote for our Camp War Eagle edition I urged you to trust us. Trust us, I wrote, trust us because your voice matters and we want to be the ones to amplify it. Trust us, trust us, I wrote, that if you have a story to share, big or small, we’re going to write it. And we’re going to write it well. We make mistakes, as all people do, but trust that we learn from them. We get up, dust ourselves off, and try again, try harder to do better everyday. As we enter into a new school year, I want to reiterate this sentiment. We don’t know what’s going to happen this year, as if we ever do, but as always The Plainsman will be here. Watching, listening, waiting to hear your story if you choose to tell us. We’re in Suite 1111 in the Harold Melton Student Center, so drop by. If not, we can also be reached on our Instagram @theauburnplainsman, Twitter @theAUplainsman and Facebook @theauburnplainsman. Again, welcome back to the Loveliest Village. Hope to see or hear from you soon.
6 The Auburn Plainsman: Welcome Back Fall 2022
“We also discussed how important it was for them to have regular ways of communicating with me,” Roberts said. “Like through SGA and other organizations, and how important it was that we have that. We talked a lot about diversity and creating an environment on campus where people feel welcomed, valued, respected and engaged.”
SGA is constantly looking for new ways to improve the student experience, and we encourage all students to submit feedback through Auburn Answers, SGA’s official student feedback portal. You can access Auburn Answers by going to Aub.ie/AuburnAnswers on your mobileNeverdevice.hesitate to let SGA know how your time at Auburn could be made even better.War Eagle, and I hope this is your best semester yet.
Fall 2022 The Auburn Plainsman: Welcome Back 7
That first day, Roberts and the students he met with spoke about many things, including improving mental health services on campus for students and affordability overall.
Jake Haston By DESTINI AMBUS Editor-in-Chief Chris Roberts started his journey as the University’s 21st president on May 16, and his experience t hus far has been marked by listening and learning.
On Thursday, Aug. 18, Roberts will be holding one of his first events as president, the continuation of an event held by former President Jay Gogue: Pizza and Popsicles with the President. It will be held on the President’s home front lawn from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Roberts said that he’s planning on attending a variety of different events across campus in order to engage with students.“I’m looking forward to experiencing a full-fledged semester in real-time and sharing that with the students, and in particular, the new first-year students that will be joining us this year,” Roberts said. “We’ll get to do this together, and experience it together.”
“I’m extremely pleased about how committed everyone is to the work they do and supporting our students,” Roberts said. “People are really excited and proud about what they do to support students, their development and their advancement.”Roberts also said that from his observations since he became president, he can say that Auburn is a really healthy university.“I’mreally proud of how strong we are as a University, both in terms of the academic programs we offer but also the financial situation we find ourselves in,” Roberts said. Roberts plans to spend the coming months doing more listening and learning, meeting with every academic department over the course of the next few semesters. “I’m really enjoying meeting faculty across campus, and they’re world-class,” Roberts said. “We have some amazing professors on this campus that bring rich sets of experiences from all across the world to Auburn, and I think the sky’s the limit for the University.”
The very first meeting on his first day was with student leaders from the Student Government Association, among other organizations. The next few days consisted of a series of meetings with the University Senate, the staff council, public safety and other departments on campus as well as the chancellor and staff at Auburn University at Montgomery.
Auburn is a special place, and we are all so lucky to get to attend such an incredibleThroughoutschool. your Auburn experience, I want you to know that SGA is here for you.
I hope your summer was invigorating yet restful, as we have many exciting events coming to campus for the upcoming fall semester. This fall, students will have the opportunity to participate in the classic tradition of Hey Day, discover new organizations on campus through O-Week, and attend and enjoy all of the exciting fall sporting events.
As a rising Senior, it has finally hit me that my time at Auburn is starting to come to an end. It has made me realize the importance of maximizing every minute we get as students.So, take advantage of the world-class rec center, go sit on Samford Lawn on a beautiful day, and soak up every moment you get walking around this beautiful campus.
Chris Roberts reflects on first months as University President
My name is Jake Haston, and I have the honor of serving as SGA President this year.
Auburn students, welcome home! On behalf of Auburn’s Student Government Association, I want to extend a warm welcome to campus and wish each of you a happy first week of class.
“The first few days, I really tried to focus on getting to know people,” Roberts said.
Roberts hopes to use these words as a mantra to reinforce the type of culture he is aiming to create on campus, similar to how the words of the Auburn Creed define the Auburn campusAlmostculture.29years ago, Roberts stepped foot on campus for the first time as an interviewee to join the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering as an assistant professor and was handed the Auburn Creed for the first time. He said that later that night, as he read it, he fell in love with the University, campus and Creed. Over the past few months, Roberts has gotten to know the University more than he did as the dean of the College of Engineering and is excited to continue to improve the campus for students and staff.
University President Chris Roberts pictured with SGA President Jake Haton on Roberts first day.
Letter from SGA President Jake Haston By JAKE HASTON SGA PRESIDENT 2022-2023
One exciting new program students should look out for is the University Program Council’s launch of “The First 56”. The First 56 offers a variety of programming options for students throughout the first eight weeks of the fall semester. With so many events scheduled, there is sure to be something every student will be interested in. This fall, I hope you find new ways to get involved and meet new people. Auburn has so much to offer, and I encourage all students to get out and enjoy campus.
AUBURN PHOTOGRAPHIC SERVICES
While Tacorita is closing its doors, a new taco spot is opening theirs. Meet Fuzzy’s Taco Shop, the newest Mexican restaurant setting up shop in Auburn. Located at the intersec tion of South College Street and Longleaf Drive, the taco spot will feature traditional dinein services, serving up menu items like taco baskets, burrito bowls and margarita pitch ers. Additionally, the restaurant’s Auburn location boasts the chain’s first ever drive-thru.
8 The Auburn Plainsman: Welcome Back Fall 2022 COMMUNITY What you missed in Auburn this summer
After 10 years of serving the Auburn community taco baskets, margaritas and more, downtown restaurant Tacorita has shut its doors. The closure comes after the expiration of the restaurant’s 10 year lease, which was up this year. In an interview with The Plains man, general manager Adam Nemeroff expressed his gratitude for the resturant’s success.
By SABINA CRISITELLO Culture Editor
FUZZY’S TACO SHOP OPENS ON SOUTH COLLEGE:
“Just thank you,” Nemeroff said. “Thank you to the city for the support they’ve shown us for just over 10 years.”
HOVEY STEPS-UP FOR SENATE: Auburn City Councilman Jay Hovey will be taking this year’s GOP Senate nomination after a win against incumbent Thomas Whatley. The victory came after Whatley with drew from the race in early July, stating that his decision was in the best interest of “friends, colleagues, family and the Republican Party,” in a press release following the election. Hov ey is set to tee up against Democratic nominee Sherri Reese in November.
TACORITA CLOSES ITS DOORS:
THE YARD MILKSHAKE BAR TAKES UP SPACE DOWNTOWN: Auburn’s ice cream scene just gained a new player. Featured on the ABC TV show, “Shark Tank” in 2019, The Yard Milkshake Bar is now bringing scoops, shakes and more to The Plains. The creamery opened its doors on June 25 and is located downtown, on North College Street. According to The Yard’s website, the shop will offer select menu items exclusive to the Auburn location, such as the “Get Your Roll On” specialty shake.
AUBURN’S NEW CULINARY SCIENCE CENTER IS HIRING: Looking for a place to work this semester? Set to open in August, the Tony and Libba Rane Culinary Science Center is hiring for over 40 job openings. According to the center’s website, they are hiring for various positions within the center’s resident teaching restau rant, 1856, and The Laurel Hotel and Spa.
Welcome back, Auburn! From the opening of new restaurants to changes in the state senate, plenty has happened in the last three months. For those that spent their summer away from The Plains, a recap is in order. Here’s what happened in The Loveliest Village while students were gone.
The Pants Store, a casual lifestyle men and women’s clothing store based in Leeds, Alabama, is coming to downtown Auburn in August
334-539-3131
Founded2022.bypant wholesaler Taylor Gee out of the trunk of his Mercury in 1950, the Pants Store’s original inventory did consist of only “Hencepants.the name ‘the Pants Store’… it started from there, but obviously we eventually started selling a whole lot more than just pants,” said Michael Gee, president of the Pants Store and grandson of founder TaylorAccordingGee. to Gee, although the store originated out of the trunk of a car, it was the opening of the warehouse in Leeds, Alabama, that led the public community to coin the name ‘the Pants Store.’
“That original location is still where our central office, warehouse and headquarters is today,” Gee said. Since its founding, the Pants Store has expanded across Alabama from Leeds to Mountain Brook, Trussville, Huntsville and Tuscaloosa. The store also has an online site, https://pantsstore.com/. It will also be adding a Hoover location in September, as well as the Auburn location within the next month. “We feel like we can probably be open by that last week of August. We really want to be open for that game day,” Gee said. According to Gee, one of the most exciting things about the Pants Store coming to Auburn has been the public response. “It’s been unbelievable. We have over 120 applications to work at the store right now… we’ve never had a location with that much interest,” Gee said. Another detail Gee said excites him is the specific location of the store—within the Shops at Gay Street, a new downtown Auburn development that will consist of a Publix Supermarket as well as retail space. The development will also have its own parking lot, directly off South Gay Street, that will consist of 120 parking spaces open for use by customers of the Shops at Gay Street.“Iknow parking is an issue downtown, so we feel like our customers aren’t going to hesitate to come shop with us because they will be able to pull in the parking lot, park and walk in,” Gee said. According to Gee, the Pants Store has wanted to open in Auburn for years. “We’ve always been interested in Auburn because it’s such a vibrant city. We’ve looked at some locations before, but they just didn’t work out. This location was just a no brainer that we couldn’t pass up,” Gee Pants Store to open in downtown Auburn
By CATHERINE HAYNES Opinion Editor
Fall 2022 The Auburn Plainsman: Welcome Back 9 COMMUNITY
The
CONTRIBUTED BY MICHAEL GEE
10 The Auburn Plainsman: Welcome Back Fall 2022
The Yard in Auburn will serve a signature milk shake called “Get Your Roll On” to represent Au burn’s community. Inspired by Toomer’s Corner’s oaks after a game-day win, the blue and orange milk shake will be topped with a pretzel with white choc olate drizzle. This shake will also be served with a cake pop, which are unique to the Auburn location. This signature shake will be served in The Yard mason jar. After finishing their milkshake, custom ers can rinse their jar in the sink and take it home as a souvenir.Jones,Bass and Raul are looking forward to grow ing their business and serving the Auburn commu nity one milkshake at a time.
By SEANNA GRADY Writer Downtown Auburn’s newest addition is The Yard Milkshake Bar. The Yard’s official Instagram an nounced on April 26 that The Yard would be open ing a new location in Auburn, Alabama, thanks to the three owners: Jamie Jones, Cole Bass and Blake Raul.The three owners and long-time friends were “hanging out having dinner one night and decided to open one of these up in Auburn,” Jones said. This summer, their idea has finally come to fruition. The Auburn location held its grand opening week end on Saturday, June 25 and Sunday, June 26. The owners are excited to integrate into the Downtown Auburn community. Jones said he loves Auburn and the Auburn community. He has been a season ticket holder for years and cannot wait to share his love of Auburn through milkshakes. When football and basketball season arrive, Jones said, “Our hours will fluctuate depending on what is happening in town.” To best support Auburn and its needs, the crew does not plan to ever have set hours. However, the general hours that the store plans to be open are from noon to 10:00 p.m. “If there is an event happening downtown that we need to be open until midnight, we will be here until midnight,” he said. Many businesses in downtown Auburn close ear ly, but The Yard plans to be the exception to accom modate people who are out later into the evening. Jones said The Yard will be a family-friendly place that “mom, dad, grandma and grandpa can all enjoy.”
The Yard Milkshake Bar opens in downtown Auburn
Fall 2022 The Auburn Plainsman: Welcome Back 11 COMMUNITY
LARRY ROBINSON | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER The Yard Milkshake Bar is the newest addition to downtown Auburn. WE’RE HIRING! Apply online johnnybruscos.comat or in person at 2408 E Univeristy Dr. 2415 Moores Mill Rd
The Collegiate Hotel invites you to come see our new porch mural! Stop, Snap and Post that Tiger Spirit. The Collegiate Hotel @staycohoauburn Back Students!
Outside the university, however, there is a completely different music scene. From SkyBar in downtown Auburn to The Jailhouse in the back of Rock ‘N Roll Pinball in Opelika, live music is not hard to come by in the area. SkyBar Café in downtown Auburn is home to mu sic ranging from hard rock to country. These live music events are held throughout the week, with other events like karaoke and Throwback Thursdays tossed in as well. 17-16 Bar and Southeastern Bar are also popular spots for live music. Each week, artists take the stage at these venues and entertain general patrons and fans alike. At The Jailhouse, Friday and Saturday nights are ded icated to local bands. Although they focus on local acts, The Jailhouse is open to hosting bands from all around. Each night has only a $5 cover. Also located in Opelika is The Sound Wall. The Sound Wall offers small, intimate musical gatherings with acts from all over. Their Supper Club is a favorite. Patrons are served dinner and entertained by very talented individu als or groups that take residence in the loft above the lis teningWhenroom.itcomes to live music, the Auburn-Ope lika area is not lacking. And although this is a short list of some of the more popular and well-known live music venues, many other hotspots for live music can be found with ease.
HANJIAXI QIN | PHOTOGRAPHER The Sound Wall in Opelika
Follow
By TUCKER MASSEY News Editor
Although Auburn is not often thought of when the topic of live music comes up, the music scene in the Au burn-Opelika area is alive and well. Live music in Auburn comes in nearly every style and can be found almost any where.The Gogue Performing Arts Center has a packed line up for the coming months and is not limited to only mu sic.In August, Vince Gill is scheduled to perform, followed by A.J. Croce, son of the late folk icon Jim Croce, and Ja sonTheIsbell.GPAC also hosts musicals, plays and other enter tainment events throughout the year. Through January, “Legally Blonde,” “Chicago” and Jay Leno will be at the GPAC.Aside from the GPAC, the Auburn University Depart ment of Music also hosts recitals throughout the year to showcase the musical growth of their students. The Department of Music has several bands, including the Concert Band, the Marching Band, the Jazz Band and the Chamber Orchestra.
12 The Auburn Plainsman: Welcome Back Fall 2022
Best places to catch live music
Welcome
COMMUNITY
Early Learning Center to be knocked down for new dorms
Wilbanks has been involved with the Early Learning Center since she started graduate school in 1993. Wilbanks became the director in 2008 and was a teacher at the AUELC for 12 years prior. She compared leaving this building to sending your children off to college. “It’s a happy sad,” Wilbanks said. “There’s a real sense of history being lost.”
By Sydney Houseman Writer In 1939, the Auburn University Early Learning Center (AUELC) was built on the Haley Concourse. Since then, the Learning Center has served as a dormitory for women on campus, a nursery school, and now, a place where any child in the Auburn community can grow through interactive learning.However, the Early Learning Center is no longer going to be located in the center of Auburn’s campus. The historic building is being torn down in order to build more dorms at a convenient spot on campus. “It’s funny because at first, I was completely broken-hearted and sad because I’ve lived here longer than I’ve lived anywhere else,” said Sharon Wilbanks, the director of the Auburn University Early Learning Center. “It’s like this has been home. I feel very territorial ... but it’s becoming evident that our building is very old and it is needing to come down.”
“One of the preferred sites [for the new dorm building] was along the Haley Concourse because the Quad Center is sort of an iconic residence hall. It is one of the highest demands from a location standpoint, from housing, it is right in the middle [of campus]...” said University Architect Simon Yendle. “Having some new kind of housing in that location was desired by the Board of Trustees.”Yendle explained how the new dorms will be very similar to the However,Quad.there will be a few changes. The new building was described to have the same typical “freshman double” layout. Meaning, there will be two people to a room and four people to a bathroom.
“It is just a more modern interpretation of what the Quad is,” Yendle said. This fall, you will be able to find the Early Learning Center next to Jordan Hare in the renovated Dawson Building.
The new building will be smaller than the current building because it is only one story compared to two stories with a full basement. Jacobsen said she isn’t sure how the new building will affect class sizes. Despite the loss in storage space, the AUELC will be adding a 2-year-old class once they have relocated. The goal is to be completely moved into the new building by this semester. The AUELC is not the only building being taken down to build more dorms. The strip of buildings along the side of the Haley Concourse is all being torn down, and a new housing complex will go up over the next 2 to 3 years.
Fall 2022 The Auburn Plainsman: Welcome Back 13
COMMUNITY
Hannah Jacobsen, intern at the Early Learning Center, said AUELC isn’t like other early learning schools. “We don’t have worksheets. It’s all play-based, which is what I love about it because children learn through play,” she said. “We encourage a lot of independence and positivity. I know that [parents and families] are bummed because this is right in the middle of campus. Everything is right around us.”
For the community, there is a surplus of food options tucked in downtown Auburn and around the city, but 1856 will provide an artisanal experience that empha sizes well-sourced ingredients and a quality, according to InO’Neill.addition to the teaching restaurant, the culinary center is also opening Hey Day, a food hall named after one of Auburn’s oldest traditions. “It’s a living research laboratory,” O’Neill said. “But it’s also got a big community and an outreach focus. So it’s open to the community, people can come in and tour the facility. We have an open door philosophy. We’ll be offering evening and weekend classes for the commu nity. So we want people to know that it’s not just there for the Studentsstudents.”inthe culinary program will take their first few years of undergraduate classes and a core curricu lum before they have the chance to work in the 1856 restaurant.Theculinary sciences and program at Auburn began in 2019, and each year, the number of students enrolled in the program continues to rapidly grow. “It’s been absolutely wonderful. So, you know, I want to say our freshman class and event management was probably around about 19 students,” O’Neill said. “I think we’re at about 185 right now. And that’s been threeAnd,years.you know, we’re going to realize an awful lot more growth with that program, because there’s a lot moreTylerinterest.”Schmidt, junior in culinary sciences, has first hand experience of this growth. During his freshman year, he saw how rapidly the program was spreading and the investments Auburn was making towards the culinary center. “It’s been very work focused. We’ve seen that in pretty much every single one of our classes so far and much more so this hands on experience that they value whether it’s our culinary classes or practicums especial ly now with 1856,” Schmidt said. “There is a require ment of certain work hours done during your time at undergrad and this feels like the next evolution in that process in giving students hands-on experience.”
14 The Auburn Plainsman: Welcome Back Fall 2022 CAMPUS
Teaching restaurant and food hall in opens in Auburn
By MY LY Content Editor
BROOKE FUCITO | PHOTO EDITOR BROOKE FUCITO | PHOTO EDITOR
This fall, the Tony and Libba Rane Culinary Science Center will house two new facilities that will serve the Auburn community while also acting as a teaching cen ter for students enrolled in the university’s hospitali ty Onprogram.Aug.16, the culinary center opened 1856, a teach ing restaurant intended to give culinary students handson experience by serving a pool of 48 guests and work ing under the chef in residence, Tyler Ryne. Ryne attended the Culinary Institute of America and owns multiple restaurants in Birmingham, Alabama, which is where he met Hans Van Der Reijden, manag ing director of The Hotel at Auburn. “Hans and his wife, Lisa, came as guests to our sup per club,” Ryne said. “ He offered me the chef in resi dence right there on the spot. It was a relationship that we fostered over probably about a year and then when I found out about the residency thing, I was like, ‘Dude, you know, if you need somebody to do that. I’m your guy.’ I guess the stars aligned. He gave me a call one day and asked if I was serious about it. And I said, ‘Yeah,’ so then I took on the residency.” For students hoping to have careers in hospitality and culinary arts, being able to work in a hands-on en vironment where they get the chance to serve and learn is vital.“When I was at the Culinary Institute, you know, I actually graduated, and then stayed on for what they call a fellowship program,” Ryne said. “I guess in col lege, it would be the equivalent to a teaching assistant. So, I definitely understand the importance of a teaching facility like this, and a real world simulation. It actual ly is fairly real world, you do have professional staff. I think it is a cool blend between the commercial oper atorRyneside.”will serve in this inaugural position for one year and the restaurant plans to change the chefs in res idence each year of this restaurant. The development of this center began shortly af ter the opening of the Tony and Libba Rane Center. Martin O’Neill, department head of hospitality man agement, looked at how other culinary programs func tioned.“Most hospitality programs, internationally, nation ally, have what I will call a practical laboratory attached to them,” O’Neill said. “One that gives students an op portunity to take their theory and class, and put it into practice what we’re teaching, within a practical envi ronment. So you know, different schools approach that in different ways. Some of them have teaching restau rants, some of them have bar establishments, some of them have hotels. By and large they’re sort of siloed in one way or the other.”
A new feature of Auburn’s campus is continuing to grow to enhance the learning experience outside of the class room. Located behind the School of Forestry and Wild life Sciences building, Weagle Woods is an 11-acre wood ed area that is developing walking trails, a learning labora tory and educational signs on its path.
The walking trails of Weagle Woods are currently open to the public with one of the main entrances at the inter section of South Donahue Drive and Lem Morrison Drive.
“If we can find stakeholders that are willing to invest in a second phase, we will certainly be able to expand upon this project,” Crozier said. Weagle Woods plans to initially include information al signage around the trails to give context to visitors and is considering electronic components that can be accessed from the buildings surrounding the area in the future.
According to Christi Burnley, office supervisor for Au burn University Transportation Services, jAUnt faced many challenges in its first few years of service, including old golf carts that broke down often. “We jokingly referred to them as being on their last wheel. We had situations in which a driver couldn’t even get out of the parking deck with the cart because the charge wouldn’t hold,” Burnley said. In 2019, Auburn University Transportation Services took over jAUnt and replaced the golf cart fleet in its en tirety.“Ittook some time to get them in, but once we were able to, it was great,” Burnley said. Throughout the 2021-2022 school year, jAUnt trans ported 4,522 passengers, a number Burnley said is man aged by strategic scheduling. “We do all of our scheduling logistically, so we are look ing at where people are going. With our campus map we figure out if there is somebody else that we can get picked up who has an appointment at that same time,” Burnley said.Beth Weathers, junior in biomedical sciences, used jAUnt at the beginning of the spring 2022 semester while recovering from a concussion. Weathers said although the people she encountered through jAUnt were very kind, she experienced challeng es during her two months using the service such as rides running late and making unscheduled stops. “JAUnt was great whenever it was preplanned, but there just weren’t enough people or golf carts to really be effi cient if anything unexpected happened,” Weathers said. Weathers also said she wishes jAUnt would continue to grow and gain more golf carts and drivers in order to help more people navigate campus with ease. In order to get approved for jAUnt golf cart rides, stu dents, faculty and staff must go through a series of steps which include providing qualifying medical documen tation to the Office of Accessibility as well as filling out scheduling paperwork provided by jAUnt. Students, faculty and staff interested in jAUnt are en couraged to get more information by visiting their web site.
DANIEL SCHMIDT | PHOTOGRAPHER
Weagle Woods also grants the College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment recruiters the opportunity to il lustrate the first-hand experiences that students of this col lege are a part of. The natural space introduces what the college has to offer and what their learning experience en tails outside of the textbook “It was just a fantastic opportunity to get hands-on expe rience in a science class. To take something hands-on and have access to go out there and actually interact with the things that we talk about in class,” Childree said.
JAUnt Golf Cart Service provides accessible transportation on Auburn’s campus
CAMPUS By CATHERINE HAYNES Opinion Editor
By KACIE BARRETT Podcast Editor
Outdoor learning lab and walking trails added to Weagle Woods
Auburn University’s door-to-door golf cart service for students, faculty and staff with disabilities or medical con ditions, otherwise known as “jAUnt,” will gain two golf carts for its fleet in fall 2022. The addition will bring the golf cart fleet to a total of eight standard golf carts and one wheelchair-accessible golfThecart.golf cart service was launched in fall 2011 with the goal of providing accessible transportation across Au burn’s campus to students, faculty and staff with any dis ability or medical condition that might make traveling dif ficult.Atthe time of its founding, jAUnt’s fleet consisted of three standard golf carts, one wheelchair-accessible golf cart and less than 10 drivers.
“It does provide so much value,” said Heather Crozier, the director of development. “To give somebody who is maybe not as familiar with natural resources, to better ed ucate them on the importance.”
The idea of an outdoor learning space within the College of Forestry, Wildlife, and Environment was brainstormed by faculty over recent years. Investments from outside as sets permitted the growth of the project, on top of the ac tions taken by the department to bring the design to life.
Fall 2022 The Auburn Plainsman: Welcome Back 15
Beginning in Spring of 2022, Weagle Woods added a walking trail within the area that is open to all students and the public. Visitors of Weagle Woods can find trees esti mated to be over 200 years old and various resident wild life.“The whole idea is to put the information out there so all walks of life can enjoy and gain information from it,” said Amy Counterman, professor of practice in the college and project coordinator. Counterman prepares to utilize these new aspects of Weagle Woods to incorporate in her classes for this upcoming semester. The new walking trail allows participating classes to have easier access to explore the environment. The trail follows a path of specific areas that provide learning and research spaces. “It gives the teachers a lot more flexibility,” said Jack Childree, a student at Auburn University. “It’s a great re source to go out and still get the experience of being in a forest without having to leave campus.” Weagle Woods will allow the students involved to con duct research on the atmosphere it offers, including cli mate, wildlife, pollen, and water flow within a stream that runs along the area. This experiential learning aspect gives students the ability to apply the skills and tools they gather from classes in a real world environment. “Once there is more signage and activities to go do and find in there, I think it will become a fun resource,” Count erman said. The College of Forestry, Wildlife and Envi ronment hopes to use Weagle Woods for educational pur poses in Fall 2022, however, it will be a continuous project with more supplements added on as studies develop and advance.
“I think there is this lie that, oh, I’ve heard so many, you’re not pro-life, you’re pro-birth, you’re anti-woman,” Charles said. “And that’s just not the case. Pro-lifers for the past 50 years under Roe have been working to support women to have their children.”
FILE PHOTO
After the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Auburn students and community, like the rest of the nation, had split reactions.
Auburn students, community react to overturning of Roe v. Wade
Increasing access and making sure certain resources are available for women is something that the country really needs to work on, Charles said. That means ensuring that there are various infrastructures for women of all back grounds, incomes, living in urban or rural areas to safely deliver children, and ensuring that there are hospitals in rural communities with maternity wards.
“There are tons of crisis pregnancy centers,” Charles said. “These clinics, federally qualified health centers offer things like mammograms, ultrasounds, pregnancy, STD testing and more holistic care. So, let’s counsel a woman who’s found herself pregnant, and she’s scared, let’s pro vide her with a parenting course, let’s provide her with community.”
“The older I got, the more that I understood about abor tion, the more I understand the dignity and humanity of every person from conception, the more I cared about protecting those innocent children’s lives,” Charles said.
By DESTINI AMBUS Editor-in-chief In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Dobbs v. Jack son Women’s Health that the Constitution of the United States does not confer any right to an abortion, overruling Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. This deci sion effectively returned the power of abortion regulation back to the state legislatures and elected officials. The day the decision was released, The Plainsman post ed a survey, allowing Auburn students and community members to voice their thoughts on the subject. From the survey, 86% of the responses were anonymous. To pres ent a holistic view, we have included quotes from these anonymous responses as well as named interviewed sourc es from both sides of the issue. The anonymous quotes are in italics at the beginning of each subhead for clarity. The pro-life perspective When I woke up to the news that Roe v. Wade was over turned this morning I cried tears of joy. FINALLY! FINALLY! - AnonymousIampro-life. Before you judge and start reading please give me the same respect that I personally feel I have been giving to others…. -Anonymous “For the past three weeks, pretty much since the begin ning of June, I have been refreshing the supreme court website, beginning at 10 o’clock, every 10 minutes on ev ery decision day that the court has announced,” said Gwen Charles, senior in economics. “So I saw the decision come out at exactly 10:10 on Friday.”
Charles was crying for a solid 20 minutes, tears of joy, she said. She was overjoyed and thanked God for what she considered to be a miracle.
Another reason she’s passionate about the cause, she said, is because she really does care about women.
16 The Auburn Plainsman: Welcome Back Fall 2022 CAMPUS
Charles was an officer of Students for Life last year, a non-profit anti-abortion organization. Her primary job this past year was organizing a trip that the group took to Washington D.C. to participate in March for Life, an an nual demonstration in which pro-life supports gather to “celebrate life from the moment of conception to the mo ment of natural death and every moment in between,” ac cording to marchforlife.org As a member of Students for Life, Charles said her big gest goal was to change minds and hearts, to be willing to listen and ask questions while also providing her own per spective.Thatperspective is “staunchly pro-life,” she said, staunchly anti-abortion. “I think, for as long as I can re member, I have cared about the issue of abortion,” Charles said. “I never really understood why it was really a thing.”
She said she thinks a lot of it had to do with the fact that she grew up around a lot of adopted families, families who were longing for a child, while at the same time there were children not being given the chance to live.
One of the people who are still at the corner comes over and asks Thompson if they can use the chalk to write on the ground. Thompson brightly says yes, and the girl grabs a piece of yellow chalk that matches her shirt, and begins writing “MY BODY, MY CHOICE”.“I’mafraid that we’ll have to experience some suffering,” Thompson said. “Hopeful ly, it doesn’t take us as long to get back to progress as we did. But I do think it’s clear that Amercians need to learn their lessons the hard way.”
DANIEL SCHMIDT | PHOTOGRAPHER
Love, support and community. That’s what Charles thinks the country should be of fering women, instead of stigmatizing them. And it’s what she said the pro-life move ment has been doing for the last 50 years. “And now that Roe is gone, we will continue to do that, and do it even more,” CharlesCharlessaid.works on the prolife issue at a non-profit in Washington, D.C. About 20 minutes after the decision was announced, after the tears of joy, she went to the Supreme Court to celebrate with pro-life friends and al lies.Lots of tears, lots of hug ging, lots of prayers and thanking God, she said. The pro-choice perspec tive First and foremost, it’s abso lute bullshit. - Anonymous When I woke up this morn ing, I made my first cup of cof fee as an autonomous individu al. However, by the time I was pouring my second I became a being at the whim of my government. - Anonymous I am a patriot and appreciate the privilege I have to be an American. I love being an Ameri can and respect those who fight for our freedoms and liberties. However, it is becoming increas ingly difficult for me to support the ideology that America is the greatest country in the world…. - Anonymous For those that consider themselves pro-choice or pro-abortion, the scene after 9 a.m. Friday, June 24 looked kind of the same. Lots of tears, lots of hugging, lots of calling friends and family. Lots of what-to-donext, lots of questions. “It was more like I woke up and my roommates and I were hanging out, and we got a notification,” said Brooklyn Langford, sophomore in neuroscience. “And then, 10 min utes later my grandma called me.”
Thompson also mentioned that although many present adoption as an option for those who don’t want a child, the foster care system in the United States, and Alabama especial ly, is overrun already.
Kelli Thompson, an Auburn community member, holds a sign that says “KEEP ABORTION LEGAL” on Toomer’s Corner
Someone posted online that there was a pro-choice protest in Auburn at the corner for the July 4 weekend. Crowds had already been gathering on and off since June 24, so this day was no different. “I’m really worried because they listed, one of the rights that they’re coming after next, birth control,” Thompson said. “Not at all for any birthing reasons, I need birth control hormones, estrogen, to regulate my ovaries so that I don’t get cysts. Like if I’m off my birth control medicine for a day or two, I can get a cyst and this can be life-threatening if they Thisburst.”isthe concern that weighs heavy on the minds of many pro-choice or pro-abor tion Americans: what’s next? “I feel scared for the future because I don’t know where this ends,” Cook said. “And that worries me. You know, if you can regulate this, what else can you do?”
Shock—was the initial emotion, but Langford said she doesn’t think it’s worn off yet. Her grandmother, great-grandmother and some great aunts and uncles were in the fight for Roe back in the day, she said. Her grandmother went to a couple of protests when she could, and has been going to protests recently. “You could just kind of hear the tears in her voice,” Langford said. “My roommates were upset. I was upset. One of them was really angry, the other was curling into herself. I just didn’t know what to do.”
Fall 2022 The Auburn Plainsman: Welcome Back 17 CAMPUS
“We know because we run studies on them that they are more likely to end up in pov erty, in jail, homeless,” Thompson said. “So that’s the current functioning of our foster and adoptive care system.” Thompson sits on a blue folding chair, her “KEEP ABORTION LEGAL” sign resting on her thigh as she talks and gestures, shouts and gets angry. The crowd that had gathered at Toomer’s Corner from 5-7 p.m. that day had thinned a little; a few more people stood around, holding signs, waving at the cars honking and zooming by, ignoring the cars flipping them off and cursing at them.
Storm Cook, a second-year graduate student in social work, was at work in the Auburn mall, when a co-worker came in and asked if she had seen the news. “I just, immediately nothing made sense to me about it,” Cook said. “I’m notorious for being super in the middle of things, I can argue most things, but this is just something that I’m having a hard time seeing another side to.” Cook is pro-choice, she said, simply because she doesn’t think she’s special enough to care what other people do in their own lives. “I’m definitely just do whatever you want to do, as long as it’s not harming someone else,” Cook said. “And that can be a whole other thing — like when does life actually be gin?”Some believe it starts at conception, others believe it starts at birth, others believe it’s somewhere in between. Cook and many others think abortion should be something that is between a woman and her doctor. “I think it’s a family’s decision to decide for themselves,” said Kelli Thomson, assis tant research professor in the de partment of psychology. “That they have the re sources or are financial ly, emotionally, socially stable enough to take care or bring a life into this world.”Even if there are re sources available or be coming available to mothers now, Cook and Thompson both agree that it’s not a simple thing to ask someone to bring a life into this world. “It still costs over $1,500 to give birth in a modern hospital,” Thompson said. “That’s with or without insur ance. If you have a com plication it could cost thousands and thousands over. And we don’t even have universal healthcare. It’s also completely ignorant of the fact that pregnancy is still a leading cause of death for women in developed countries.”
18 The Auburn Plainsman: Welcome Back Fall 2022
I’ve always been a NASCAR fan, so my favorite part of the expe rience has been getting to work hands on with something I have had personal interest in my whole life. Seeing what goes on behind the scenes has really widened my perspective on the business of motorsports. I’ve developed an understanding of the weekly race cycle, how to work within NASCAR’s regulations, and how engineering can help to increase the compet itiveness of the teams. Hendrick Motorsports fields four, full-time Chevrolet teams on the NA SCAR Cup Series circuit so it’s been really exciting to have an inside look at the world of racing.
KINSEY PASTORE: MERCHANDISING INTERN AT MACY’S WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVOR ITE PART ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE?
Fall 2022 The Auburn Plainsman: Welcome Back 19 The Intern Edit: Here’s where students interned this summer
CONTRIBUTED MAGGIE WHITTLE: OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE ENGINEERING IN TERN FOR HENDRICK’S MOTORSPORTS CONTRIBUTED
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVORITE PART ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE?
WHAT DOES AN AVERAGE DAY LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?
“My favorite part of my Macy’s experi ence has definitely been collaborating with the dinnerware team on so many projects and being seen as a team member rather than an intern. The buyers I worked with really not only valued my opinions, but they also treated me as a buyer on their team, so the expectations were always set really high! Another part that was really awesome was that there are five other girls from Auburn here, so I got a lot closer with them this summer. I couldn’t have done this without them, there are truly no people better than Auburn people!”
“No two days are the same, which is definitely one of the best parts! On a Red Sox home game, my days are definitely a little crazy. I usually come in around 10 a.m. and start working through emails and assisting my boss with anything she needs. I love to take my lunch break outside and sit in the seats at the ballpark, the view never gets old. In the afternoon, I’ll start preparing for game time and deliver any needed papers to people working in my department. Game time can consist of a bunch of different things, which always keeps it fun and exciting!”
BRIDGET CATALANO: MARKETING INTERN FOR THE BOSTON RED SOX WHAT DOES AN AVERAGE DAY LOOK LIKE FOR YOU? CONTRIBUTED CAMPUS MAGGIE HORTON: EDITORIAL INTERN AT COUNTRY LIVING MAGAZINE August in Auburn means a few things: the return of classes, the promise of an approaching football season, and, for some students, the end of summer internships. As interns flee the cities they’ve called home this summer in favor of The Plains, here’s what they’ve been up to.
“I work 9 to 5, Monday through Friday. I work in the office, which is located in downtown Birmingham, on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and work from home on the other days. I usually write or update about 3 articles per day for the web site and sometimes help with photo shoots for print in our in-office photo studio. We also have weekly meetings where all the Hearst interns meet different people in the company, from the marketing department to recruiters.”
CONTRIBUTED
By SABINA CRISITELLO Lifestyle Editor
20 The Auburn Plainsman: Welcome Back Fall 2022 ACADEMICS, COMMUNITY, FRIENDSHIP, LEADERSHIP & SERVICEfor INTERFRATERNITYCOUNCILAUBURNUNIVERSITY AUBURN UNIVERSITY NATIONALPAN HELLENICCOUNCIL AUBURN UNIVERSITY PANHELLENIC COUNCIL AUBURNGreekLife AUBURNGreekLife LEARN MORE AT AUB.IE/GOGREEK
Fall 2022 The Auburn Plainsman: Welcome Back 21 ACADEMIC SUPPORT RESOURCES AVAILABLE: ACADEMIC COACHING: This free program empowers students to achieve academic goals through improved study habits and strategies. Students work with a coach to identify action steps to meet personal outcomes. PEER TUTORING BY STUDY PARTNERS: Provides students with free peer tutoring for a variety of undergraduate core courses. Tutors encourage students to grow as confident, self-directed learners. SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTION (SI): Supports historically difficult classes with weekly, active review sessions facilitated by students who previously excelled in the course. During SI sessions, students work to improve their content knowledge, develop skills, and make peer connections. LEARN MORE AND MAKE AN APPOINTMENT: academicsupport.auburn.edu | @AUAcadSupport 2234 Haley Center | (334) 844-5972
22 The Auburn Plainsman: Welcome Back Fall 2022
Fall 2022 The Auburn Plainsman: Welcome Back 23 performancesseason Student tickets available now! 334 . 844 .TIXS ( 8497 ) · GOGUECENTER.AUBURN.EDU Mark Morris Dance Group: The Look of Love: An Evening of Dance to the Music of Burt Bacharach Tuesday, November 8 Our Song, Our Story: The New Generation of Black Voices Musical direction by Damien Sneed Tuesday, November 15 Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox Friday, December 2 Jay Leno Crystal Gayle & Lee Greenwood Saturday, January 21 MOMIX: Alice Thursday, February 16 Orpheus Chamber Orchestra with Alessio Bax Friday, February 24 The Kat & Dave Show with Katharine McPhee & David Foster Sunday, February 26 Hairspray Tuesday, February 28 Wednesday, March 1 Complexions Contemporary Ballet: Bach 25 and Love Rocks Tuesday, March 14 Jazz at Lincoln Center Presents Songs We Love Sunday, March 19 Chad Lawson with Judy Kang & Seth Parker Woods Friday, March 24 Monday, January 9 Trinity Irish Dance Company Friday, April 14 Smokey Saturday,RobinsonApril22 Chicago Wednesday, May 3 Thursday, May 4 stay connected Want to know more about our upcoming performances and events? Subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter, News & Notes. Sign up today at aub.ie/gpac-news.
24 The Auburn Plainsman: Welcome Back Fall 2022
After being drafted by the Los Angeles Angels in the fifth round of the MLB Draft, DiChiara was immediately sent to the Angels’ Double-A affiliate, the Huntsville-based Rocket City Trash Pandas - whose home field is a drive of just over three hours from the Auburn University campus. DiChiara reported to the Trash Pandas on Friday, July 29, and made his road debut the next day against the Chattanooga Lookouts. The home crowd was partisan for the Lookouts, but DiChiara received a cheer when he came up to bat for the firstBattingtime. seventh in the lineup and serving as the designated hitter, DiChiara was perfect in his first game. He reached base all five times he came to bat, including hits in his first two plate appearances, and batted in two runs. The next day, for the first time as a professional, DiChiara started at first base, and it did not take the Trash Panda’s much time for considering what to do with DiChiara in the lineup.
After two road games, DiChiara’s highly anticipated home debut came on Tuesday, August 2. It was a coveted ticket in the city of Huntsville. Nearly 4,000 supporters showed up at Toyota Field despite it being a school night for many families who are Trash Panda regulars. When DiChiara’s signature walk-up song, “Che La Luna”, played and his name was announced, he received a louder cheer than many of the Trash Pandas’ veteran players. Hundreds of fans had their phones out, recording his at-bats in anticipation of something special. Even though he was hitless that night, it was clear that many fans were grateful to see their favorite player in person once again, this time at a professionalLet’slevel.not forget- it was just over a month ago in June when DiChiara helped lead the Tigers to a College World Series appearance after being at Samford the previous three years. Through just four games, DiChiara had an on-base percentage of .550, mimicking his NCAA-best OBP of .549 at Auburn. If he had played enough games to qualify, that would have topped the Trash Panda’s Southern League. His batting average of .308 would have ranked third. If he remains with the Los Angeles Angels organization, DiChiara’s next stop will be the Triple-A team, the Salt Lake Bees. But for now, DiChiara is in the perfect place - in the state of Alabama where the fans know and love him.
The sophomore snagged five catches last year for 59 yards, but he made a name for himself with a one-handed five-yard touchdown catch in traffic in overtime in the Iron Bowl.Standing at 6-foot-5 and weighing 214 pounds, the Texas native does not lack the size and physicality necessary to be an explosive receiver. With plenty of options at tight end, the receiving core seems to be the group that needs his athleticism the most. “Yeah, we’ll miss him in the tight end room,” Shenker said. “I mean, right now, that’s what’s best for our team is to have him there (at WR), and he’s done great with the transition. Coach Hilliard is going to coach him up well. I know he will. He’s a bigger guy, so the creates mismatches down the field. We’re excited about that.”
CALLIE STANFORD | SPORTS EDITOR
Adding to the lack of receivers from last season, the departure of leading receiver Kobe Hudson, who amassed 44 catches for 580 yards in 2021, raised many questions about who the Tigers could throw the ball to thisAuburnseason.will also be without its third leading receiver, Demetrius Robertson, who used his last year of eligibility as a graduate player last season. However, as Harsin mentioned, the receiver room has gotten a few upgrades, and Hilliard now has some talent to work with. The name who came up the most in conversations with Harsin, running back Tank Bigsby and tight end John Samuel Shenker at SEC Media Day is LSU transfer Koy Moore.Moore only gathered five catches for 71 yards last season, but he hauled in 22 catches for 177 yards in 2020. The sophomore is yet to grab a collegiate touchdown, but his teammates recognize his hard work and expect him to make big contributions to the Auburn offense in the fall. “I see him out there catching at nine o’clock in the facility at night,” Bigsby said. “Catching balls by himself and doing drills, running routes with Zach Calzada. When one guy sees somebody work, they’re going to go work, and that’s where I feel like we worked so hard to get to this However,point.”Moore and Hilliard are just the start of a revamped receiver group. The Tigers are still counting on some veteran hands to make some plays. “I think [Moore] is going to be a great asset for us,” Shenker said. “He’s got some experience, and he’s shown what he can do on the field… We have [Dazalin] Worsham as well from Miami. Those guys possess great speed, so we’re excited about them. And we still have some big guys: Shedrick Jackson and Malcolm Johnson that we believe are very key to our success this year as well.”While last season’s leading receiver is gone, Jackson was a close second, recording just 53 yards and four grabs fewer than Hudson. Ja’Varrius Johnson and Malcolm Johnson Jr. are two more returning receivers who saw the field in 2021, each reaching the end zone once and going for 274 and 82 yards, respectively.
Fall 2022 The Auburn Plainsman: Welcome Back 25
According to head coach Bryan Harsin and company at SEC Media Day, things are coming together in the wide receiver room for Auburn following a season where the receiving core was arguably the biggest weakness to the team. At the forefront of the jump in production at receiver this offseason is wide receiver coach Ike Hilliard. Hilliard is entering his first full season at Auburn in 2022 after being hired midway through the 2021 campaign. “Extremely excited about Ike [Hilliard] and happy that he’s with us and looking forward to what he’s going to do with that wide receiver room,” Harsin said. “Now he’s got more depth, more players. He’s got guys to go out there and compete. I think that’s going to be a big part of that room succeeding in the future.”
Auburn playing with revamped receiver room in 2022
SPORTS DiChiara and Angels organization: Match made in heaven
By MATTHEW WALLACE Sports Writer
In just one year as the Auburn baseball team’s first baseman, Sonny DiChiara became one of the most beloved athletes on The Plains. Following his selection in the MLB Draft, DiChiara quickly proved his energy was not only fit in for the Plains. It took less than a full game for Trash Panda fans to see why the slugger was beloved by Auburn fans.
Another big asset to Auburn’s pass catchers is the conversion of Landen King from tight end to wide receiver.
With the combination of two new transfer receivers, the transformation of Landen King, an incoming class packed with receivers and several veteran options combined with a receivers coach that has worked hard with them going into his first full season, look for this receiver room to have a much higher ceiling than it did last season.
By NOAH GRIFFITH Assistant Sports Editor
After a season full of unprecedented success and a run to the College World Series in June, eight Auburn players were selected in this year’s MLB Draft, with a program-record four of them going in the first five rounds. The turnout resulted in twice as many draftees as last year and the second most in program history in a single draft.
One player was taken on day one with of the draft on Sunday night, three followed on Monday and four were taken on Tuesday to wrap things up.
AU ATHLETICS By NOAH GRIFFITH Assistant Sports Editor
With a 4-2 record, 3.89 ERA, 71 strikeouts and the nation’s second-best 16 saves, the junior earned himself Second Team All-SEC and Second Team All-America selections, while being named a finalist for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award in his final season on the Plains. The righty was also instrumental in the Tigers’ incredible postseason run. After a shaky ending to the regular season, he closed out the regional vic tory by recording the final six outs against UCLA. He then set down all eight batters he faced against Oregon State to help clinch a trip to the College WorldBurkhalter’sSeries. work wasn’t done there in Omaha. He put an exclamation point on his career by retiring seven more against Stanford in Auburn’s victory in his 51st, and final, collegiate appearance. He will join his hometown team, and the reigning World Series Champions, the Atlanta Braves. The Braves went pitcher-heavy early on in the draft, as they went with a RHP for their first four draft picks.
Reigning from Montgomery, Alabama, Bright was one of Auburn’s most reliable starters in 2022. He made a start in every series of the season, the only Auburn pitcher to do so, and pitched the most innings of any Auburn hurler (80.2). Earning a 5-4 record with a 5.13 ERA, the junior missed bats all season in 2022, leading his club with 94 strikeouts. He is at his best when attacking the zone, and while strikeouts are his strength, walks held him back at times. He walked 38 this season. If Bright can limit the free passes, he has the stuff to com pete at a big league level.
CALLIE STANFORD | SPORTS EDITOR 1B SONNY DICHIARA | ROUND 5 PICK 148- LOS ANGELES ANGELS
As the only Tiger taken on day one of the draft, Burkhalter not only led the way for the team in the draft, but Burkhalter set himself among the Au burn greats when he was taken by the hometown Braves. On Sunday night, the Dothan, Alabama native became the highest draft pick out of Auburn’s bullpen since 1993, when Scott Sullivan was taken 62nd overall. Those two sit behind just one other Auburn great, Gregg Olson, who was selected fourth overall by the Orioles in 1988.
The Auburn baseball program continues to distinguish itself as a top program in the country. Its four players selected in the top five rounds is tied for the second most in the country with CWS foe Arkansas and also California, Oklahoma and Virginia Tech. Only Auburn’s conference rival, Tennessee, had more with five players drafted in those rounds with five.
|
RHP BLAKE BURKHALTER | ROUND 2 PICK 76- ATLANTA BRAVES
26 The Auburn Plainsman: Welcome Back Fall 2022
Eight Auburn players taken in record-setting MLB DraftSPORTSSHANNALOCKWOOD
In addition, this is the seventh year in a row that Auburn has had a player picked in the first five rounds of the draft, topping the previous school record of five straight years.
From Hoover, Alabama to Los Angeles, California, DiChiara has swung his way to the big city. The SEC Co-Player of the Year and consensus All-American led the league and was second in the NCAA in OBP (.549), and his batting average (.383) and slugging percentage (.777) led the SEC as well His power stroke combined with his plate discipline make him a difficult out. His 22 homers as a se nior were tied for the second most in Auburn history, and his 68 walks were the most in program histo ry in a single season. Between 79 hits and 68 walks, opponents only kept him off base in two of 65 games. MATTHEW POCZATEK | PHOTOGRAPHER
SHELBY BIRCHEAT | PHOTOGRAPHER
Looking like Auburn’s ace early in the season, he notched scoreless outings in his first three starts be fore struggling later on in the regular season. He threw his best baseball in the postseason, though, as he earned Auburn’s only CWS win by holding Stanford to two runs in five innings. He also increased his velocity as the season went on, getting his fastball up to 96-97 MPH in his CWS start.
RHP MASON BARNETT | ROUND 3 PICK 87- KANSAS CITY ROYALS
Here are the details of each pick:
First, it was Auburn basketball, and now it is Auburn baseball proving that a great season yields great success on draft day.
In his third and final season at Auburn, Barnett made some big strides. After making just six starts in 22 appearances in his first two seasons, he blossomed as a starter in his ju nior year. He started 14 games in 19 appearances and posted a 3-3 record with a 4.38 ERA. More innings meant a lot more strikeouts for the right-hander. He fanned 83 while giving out 32 free passes in just 63.2 innings. Out of Cartersville, Georgia, Barnett might have put himself higher up on the draft board with a career performance in the regional final against UCLA. He racked up 10 Ks in 5.1 shutout frames before a rain delay ended his outing.
RHP TRACE BRIGHT | ROUND 5 PICK 137- BALTIMORE ORIOLES
CALLIE STANFORD | SPORTS EDITOR
3B BLAKE RAMBUSCH | ROUND 15 PICK 456- SEATTLE MARINERS
SHELBY BIRCHEAT | PHOTOGRAPHER SS BRODY MOORE | ROUND 17 PICK 517- ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
The senior southpaw was a big-time leader for Auburn in the run to the CWS. Skipper seemed to always come up big in the right moment, posting a 6-3 record in 27 appearances in 2022. He made five postseason outings and did some of his best work in the super regionals against Oregon State. In the game one win, he pitched three shutdown innings while sitting down five on strikes from the sixth to the eighth innings before passing the ball to TheBurkhalter.Trussville, Alabama native posted 70 strikeouts to 14 walks in 2022 and posted a 4.45 ERA. In four years at Auburn, he made 70 appearances- he made nine starts, saved four games and became a staple in Auburn’s bullpen.
“Rambo” is incredibly resilient at the plate, and he doesn’t back down with two strikes or two outs. He just makes contact and the rest takes care of itself. His speed isn’t to be underestimated either. He ranked third in the league in steals with 16 as a redshirt junior. No matter where he plays, he carries a sure glove. He was named to the SEC All-Defensive Team in 2022 after recording a .957 fielding per centage.
Fall 2022 The Auburn Plainsman: Welcome Back 27 SPORTS
FILE PHOTO
The six-foot-tall junior from Tennessee started his first eight games for Auburn in 2022, posting a 2-1 record with a 3.63 ERA in 11 appearances. His strength was the strike out, as he fanned 43 batters in 2022, including nine in his start against Vanderbilt. He also saw work out of the bullpen in his freshman and sophomore years and ear ly on in his junior year. That flexibility might prove valuable for him at the next level.
ROUND 12 PICK 369- BOSTON RED SOX
SHELBY BIRCHEAT | PHOTOGRAPHER
LHP CARSON SKIPPER | ROUND 11 PICK 326- COLORADO ROCKIES
The Mariners got a sneaky good hitter in Rambusch. All he did in 2022 was lead Auburn in hits and post a .327 batting average.
LHP HAYDEN MULLINS |
The lefty’s draft stock might have been hurt by the arm injury that sidelined him for the end of the 2022 sea son. He did not pitch in the postseason for Auburn, but his strong regular season put him on the map.
So, what’s next for Auburn baseball? After a season of beating the odds, ending in a CWS bid, Auburn did what all great programs do and passed some talent on to the next level. But like all other top programs, head coach Butch Thompson and company will retool. They now have the privilege of telling recruits that the 2022 class went to two College World Series’ and pro duced three draftees. Auburn baseball has now put its name on the map in almost every way possible. It posted a winning record, winning SEC record, had a player win SEC Player of the Year, hosted a Region al, took a trip to Omaha and had eight players selected in the 2022 MLB Draft.
All this to say, retooling doesn’t mean rebuilding for Auburn anymore. The Tigers are on the map, and Thompson has the Auburn program trending upward quickly. This draft just proves that even more.
The Austin, Texas product led off on an explosive Auburn lineup this season for one reason: he makes contact. The righty proved to be a tough strikeout, only going down on strikes 36 times in his junior season. He also went deep into counts and fouled off a lot of pitches, allow ing guys behind him to pick up on the pitcher’s stuff.
As a four-year starter at Auburn, not enough can be said about Moore. He was a lead er on the 2022 Auburn team and the MVP of the Auburn Regional. His discipline at the plate has grown each year, but his defensive gems make the shortstop stand out. Like Rambusch, the Oneonta, Alabama native knows how to make contact. He struck out just 35 times in his se nior season while hitting .291 in 64 starts. He racked up 158 collegiate hits and batted a career .299. Standing at 5-foot-11, Moore was key in the run to the CWS. He racked up 14 hits in the postseason while only making one error. His two-sided play gives him a chance to prove himself at the next level. If he can in crease his power numbers, his team-first attitude and unselfish play style will carry him a long way. While the Cardinals are consistently a playoff team and are once again in the playoff picture in 2022, they have gone to their farm system fairly quickly and gotten big contributions from young players. There is no doubt that Moore has some work to do to get to The Show, but Moore has never been one to shy away from hard work.
28 The Auburn Plainsman: Welcome Back Fall 2022
Fall 2022 The Auburn Plainsman: Welcome Back 27 This is your sign to sign up for Prime amazon.com/joinstudentStudent. Start your 6-month trial.
30 The Auburn Plainsman: Welcome Back Fall 2022 SPORTS STAFF PREDICTIONS: 2022 football season
Over the summer, the Auburn University Board of Trustees announced that the home of America’s pastime on the Plains will get some extra love. Plainsman Park is set to receive additional renovations in the Plainsman Park Development Center - Phase II plan, with the goal of enhancing fan experience and ensuring Auburn as a program is competitive with its peers for years to come. The new vision of the project encompasses three key upgrades: the expansion of the first base stands including premium seating, concessions and club space, additional premium seating, stand expansion and concession improvements over the Josh Donaldson Hitting Lab; and lastly, the introduction of a “unique viewing area” atop the Green Monster in left field, complete with concessions and restrooms. The additions, especially the seating above the 20-foot Green Monster left field wall, sets Plainsman Park apart from other baseball stadiums across the country, further putting baseball higher in poularity for Tiger fans. After a year that culminated in Auburn’s second College World Series appearance in three seasons, the upgrades were considered to be beneficial for sustained success by Director of
By EAMON SMITH Sports Writer
Athletics Allen Greene. These upgrades arrive just in time, following a record-setting crowd and fan engagement in the Auburn Regional to close out Auburn’s home slate in 2022 before going on to win the Corvalis Super Regional, sending the team to Omaha for the CWS.
Plainsman
“Enthusiasm for Auburn baseball has never been higher. Coach Butch Thompson, his staff and student-athletes have achieved remarkable, sustained success, including two trips to Omaha in the past three postseasons,” Greene said. “These improvements will help Auburn baseball continue its trajectory toward a national championship while elevating the fan experience at Plainsman Park. We appreciate the Auburn University Board of Trustees for the vision, leadership and commitment to help the baseball program reach and remain at the top.” Thompson expressed his excitement and gratitude for what the decision could bring to his program in the coming years. “We’re thrilled and thankful that the Auburn University leadership approved the next phase of upgrades to Plainsman Park,” Thompson said. “I believe in our student-athletes and their families, our staff, our fans, and our university, who have all played a role in getting us where we are today. With an already tremendous footprint of our ballpark, these enhancements will provide our fans with one-of-a-kind experiences in college baseball. They will allow us to continue to put our best foot forward as a program and build on the current momentum.” Park to recieve significant upgrades
LARRY ROBINSON | SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHER
Entering his third season with the program, expectations are as high as they have ever been. In a season where the Tigers are without an incumbent starter at quarterback for the first time since 2019, the offense is expected to initially be carried by the ground game. Throw in an experienced offensive line that returns three starters from last season and is full of redshirt juniors and seniors, and there are plenty of reasons why Bigsby is primed to shoulder the load this season.
By DANIEL SCHMIDT Sports Writer
Fall 2022 The Auburn Plainsman: Welcome Back 31
JUNIOR RUNNING BACK LOOKING TO HANDLE THE LOAD FOR AUBURN’S OFFENSE IN 2022
SPORTS
Eight months later, a lot has changed. Between the unfounded allegations of miscon duct by head coach Bryan Harsin and Bigsby’s uncertain future in Auburn’s offense, there was no shortage of offseason drama. Throw in low expectations set for Auburn by many in sports media, and one would think the sky was falling on the Loveliest Village on the Plains.Despite the negative press, the preseason All-SEC First Team running back is primed for a monster season. After accounting for nearly 1,300 yards of total offense and 10 touchdowns last season, one could understand if Bigsby stuck with what got him there. Yet, according to Harsin at SEC media days, he might be the most improved player on the team. “In preparation, leadership and some of the things we’ve seen from a really good, young player, and his work ethic is second to none,” Harsin said. “He’s put in the work, he does it on the off days, Sundays, every chance he gets.” That work ethic is what has earned him the accolades, and after an 1,000-yard rushing season, the junior is digging for more. “[I’m] just doing the little things and making sure I do everything right, like I can, and always carrying myself in the manner that I need to be,” Bigsby said. “That’s what I’ve been doing this summer: coming to work and being a team player first.”
Before signing with Auburn as part of the 2020 recruiting class, Bigsby was a consen sus four-star recruit and top-five running back nationally. At a school that produced Bo Jackson, Cadillac Williams and Tre Mason, among others, he was expected to follow in theirThingsfootsteps.quickly changed, however. Wholesale changes to the coaching staff during the offseason and an up-and-down sophomore campaign that saw the Tigers win six of their first eight games, then lose their final five, thrusts Bigsby into a leadership role on an of fense with many newcomers around him. “When I came to Auburn in 2020, I just felt like this school is different, and after my sophomore season it’s the same thing,” Bigsby said. “Coming into Auburn, it was differ ent, it’s a different program, and you have to be a different man to be in this program.”
However, for Bigsby, this season is not about personal accolades, individual heroics or carrying an offense that he does not believe will need to be carried by him once cleat meets leather on Sep. 3 in Jordan-Hare. It is about the strength of the team and the work they have collectively put in to return the program to the upper ranks of college football.
Many Auburn fans remember it well. Nursing a 10-3 lead and facing second down and 11 with 1:54 left to play, the Tigers opted to hand the ball to Tank Bigsby to drain the clock or force Alabama to take its final timeout. Neither happened as Bigsby was dragged out of bounds, and the stop ultimately gave the Crimson Tide the ball one last time.
“The confidence is there, it’s all about worrying about getting the job done. What it takes to get the job done, coming together and playing with the team, that’s what it’s go ing to take to win,” Bigsby said. “When the team comes together and plays together, that’s when we’re at our best, and that’s what we’ve been doing.”
Tank Bigsby embraces high expectations
The team will have 10 days of fall camp before official practice and the season begins, which will be the period of time where Bigsby can begin honing his game before his ju nior campaign begins. Backed by sophomore Jarquez Hunter, the running backs will be the veteran backbone of an Auburn offense that will be looking for its identity this fall.
On a host of watchlists for postseason awards, Bigsby’s season has the potential to be his best yet, depending on how well things flow between offensive coordinator Eric Kie sau and the developing quarterback batltle.
This is your study break. Meet the coolest college town in the South. And his hip older sister. aotourism.com AUBURN PLAZA BAR & LOUNGE
