The Auburn Tigers baseball team secured two significant commitments this week. Former Creighton pitcher Mason Koch announced on X that he will be attending Auburn. According to On3, Koch is ranked as the No. 10 transfer.
Koch, who has two years of eligibility remaining, joins Auburn after pitching 38.1 innings with 60 strikeouts, 17 walks, and a 3.29 ERA for Creighton in 2024. He ended the season on a high note, not allowing an earned run in his final four appearances. Koch chose Auburn over other SEC schools, including Georgia, Kentucky, and Florida.
Additionally, the Tigers received a transfer commitment from ECU standout freshman center fielder Bristol Carter. Carter announced his decision on social media on Tuesday.
Carter played in 56 games, starting 46, and concluded his freshman season with a .346 batting average, seven doubles, and 31 RBIs for the Pirates. He ranked second on the ECU team with seven sacrifice bunts and successfully stole four bases out of five attempts. Carter was named to the American Athletic Conference All-Freshman team and earned second-team freshman All-American honors from Perfect Game.
Opting to bypass the MLB draft out of high school, the Greensboro, NC native will have at least two years to enhance his draft stock while at Auburn.
Peter Flaherty of Baseball America praised Carter, saying, “Compact, direct swing with no shortage of bat speed. Advanced barrel skills. Feasts on fastballs. Dynamic athlete who is a plus runner and can excel in center field. Impacts the game in multiple ways.”
The Auburn Tigers had the No. 6 recruiting class in the country according to Perfect Game. Adding two of the top available transfer players brings further optimism for a swift rebound from their disappointing 8-22 SEC record.
