2017 Auburn Baseball Schedule Released

Butch Thompson and Auburn University announced the 2017 baseball schedule tonight, and it involves a lot of staying at home. The official site broke it all down, but here it is in a nutshell:

First 17 games are at home. They begin with a four-game series against George Washington starting February 17th. Auburn doesn't leave Alabama until mid-March. They don't even leave Plainsman Park until mid-March. One change is that the Capital City Classic is going to be at the front of the SEC schedule, so it's almost like a conference game this time.

Of the SEC teams, Auburn gets Florida, South Carolina, and Ole Miss all at home. That's very favorable for the Tigers, since those are three of the better teams in the league. The Tigers also get Alabama and Arkansas on the Plains. Georgia, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Mississippi State, and LSU will be on the road. Auburn does not have to play Vandy this year.

It will be an interesting year, that's for sure. A lot of offensive production will need to be replaced. The pitching rotation has potential to be fantastic, though, particularly if Keegan Thompson is able to return to his pre-injury form.

Butch Thompson's second team will be hitting the practice field before long for their fall practices. It will be his first, since he was hired after the end of fall practice last year following Sunny Golloway's dismissal. It's been a struggle for the last few years, but I have a feeling the future is bright. It may not be this year, but it's coming soon. See the full schedule, below!

* = Conference Game