DiChiara and Angels Orgnization: match made in Heaven

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.

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 first time.

Batting 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 professional level. Let’s 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.

CALLIE STANFORD | SPORTS EDITOR

Auburn playing with revamped receiver room in 2022

By NOAH GRIFFITH

Assistant Sports Editor

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.” 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 this season.

Auburn 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 point.”

However, 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.

Another big asset to Auburn’s pass catchers is the conversion of Landen King from tight end to wide receiver.

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.”

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.