Record Crowd Sees No. 4 Auburn Win Regional Opener 9–5 Over CCSU
AUBURN, Ala. — May 31, 2025
Plainsman Park pulsed with energy Friday night as a record-setting crowd of 5,124 fans roared the No. 4 national seed Auburn Tigers to a 9–5 victory over the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils in the NCAA Regional opener. The electric atmosphere was matched only by the Tigers’ resilience and timely hitting as they kicked off their postseason with a statement win in front of a sea of orange and blue.
With the stands packed to capacity—and then some—the Tigers fed off the energy from start to finish, answering every CCSU challenge with poise and power. The victory moves Auburn into the winner’s bracket of the Auburn Regional and sets the tone for a team eyeing a return to the College World Series in Omaha.
The Tigers, who came into the tournament with one of the nation’s top offenses, wasted little time asserting their dominance. After surrendering two early runs in the top of the second inning on a two-run double by CCSU’s senior first baseman Sean Scanlon, Auburn responded like a championship-caliber squad should—loud and fast.
In the bottom half of the frame, senior designated hitter Ike Irish stepped to the plate with two on and crushed a 2-0 fastball into the right-center gap, scoring both runners and tying the game 2–2. Irish, one of the key bats for the Tigers all season, finished the game 3-for-5 with three RBIs and a run scored, setting the tone for Auburn’s balanced offensive performance.
“I just wanted to do something for the team after we fell behind,” Irish said postgame. “This crowd gave us so much energy. You don’t want to be the one who doesn’t deliver in a moment like that.”
Auburn starter Tanner Bauman, after a rocky second inning, settled in nicely, giving the Tigers five innings of solid work. The junior left-hander allowed four runs—three earned—on six hits while striking out six and walking two.
“I thought Tanner gave us what we needed,” head coach Butch Thompson said. “He battled and kept us in it. That’s what postseason baseball is all about—handling the moment, and he did that.”
The Tigers’ offense found another gear in the fourth inning. With the game still tied 2–2, Auburn capitalized on CCSU defensive miscues and showcased its trademark opportunistic approach. With one out and runners on second and third, junior third baseman Camden Foster hit a sharp ground ball that was misplayed by the Blue Devils’ shortstop, allowing both runners to score and giving Auburn a 4–2 lead.
Auburn never looked back.
In the fifth, Irish came through again with an RBI single to stretch the lead to 5–2. Two batters later, senior outfielder Bobby Pierce laced a two-run double down the left-field line, driving in Irish and Foster to blow the game open at 7–2.
The Tigers would add two more in the seventh—one on a sacrifice fly by freshman slugger Max Holloway and another on a single from shortstop Cole Foster.
By the time the dust settled, Auburn had scored in five of eight innings and finished the night with 11 hits. Eight different players recorded at least one hit, a testament to the lineup’s depth and maturity.
“This team doesn’t rely on one guy,” Thompson noted. “You look up and down the lineup and you see competitive at-bats, guys passing the baton. That’s what we preach.”
To their credit, the Blue Devils didn’t quit. After falling behind 7–2, CCSU scratched out two more runs in the top of the sixth, including a solo home run from sophomore catcher Chris Bittner, who turned on an inside fastball and deposited it over the left-field fence to cut the deficit to 7–4.
But Auburn’s bullpen, anchored by junior right-hander Kaden Martin, did what it’s done all season: shut the door.
Martin, who entered in the sixth with two on and no outs, promptly induced a double play and a strikeout to escape the jam. He would go on to pitch 2.2 innings of one-run ball, striking out four while allowing only one hit.
“Kaden came in and just dominated the zone,” Thompson said. “That was a grown-man effort right there.”
The official attendance of 5,124 marked the largest crowd ever at Plainsman Park for a postseason game—and it felt like every one of them was engaged from the first pitch to the last out.
“This atmosphere was absolutely unreal,” said Pierce. “You dream about nights like this growing up. It makes you want to run through a wall.”
Fans packed the terraces, lined up along the fences, and filled every seat available. When Irish’s double tied the game in the second, the crowd erupted in a roar so deafening it could be felt on the field. When Martin got a crucial strikeout in the seventh to strand two runners, the crowd was on its feet again.
Thompson, who has led Auburn to five NCAA Regionals in the last seven seasons, called it the most electric home crowd he’s ever coached in front of.
“They showed up and they showed out,” he said. “It’s Auburn. It’s family. And tonight, that family gave us an edge.”
With the win, Auburn advances to face the winner of Southern Miss vs. Samford on Saturday night in the winner’s bracket game. A win there would put the Tigers one game away from advancing to the Super Regional round.
The regional format is double elimination, so every win tightens Auburn’s grip on the bracket and shortens their path to Omaha. More importantly, it allows Thompson to better manage his pitching staff, especially with ace Joseph Gonzalez expected to start Saturday’s contest.
“We’re in a good spot,” Thompson said. “We handled our business tonight, and we’re going to be ready to do it again tomorrow.”
As for CCSU, the Blue Devils fall into the elimination bracket and will need to win out to have any hope of advancing. But if Friday’s game proved anything, it’s that they won’t go down without a fight.
“This is a veteran group, and they know how to win games like this. But they also know nothing’s handed to you in June. We’ve got work to do.”
Ike Irish:
“I wasn’t trying to do too much. I just trusted my swing, trusted my team, and played for the name on the front.”
Kaden Martin:
“When you get the call in a game like this, you want to be the guy. I just locked in and let my stuff work.”
Auburn did what elite programs do in the postseason—they took a punch, responded, and imposed their will. With a deep lineup, a dependable bullpen, and a home-field advantage that could rival any in the nation, the Tigers are poised to make a deep run.
Friday night’s performance wasn’t just about the win; it was a reminder to the rest of the field that Auburn baseball under the lights at Plainsman Park is a force to be reckoned with.
And if the Tigers keep playing like this, Omaha won’t just be a goal—it’ll be a destination.
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