AUBURN, Alabama—In this day and age of searching for the next spot, Auburn baseball standout Ike Irish is in it for the long haul, announcing on Monday that he plans to return to the Tigers for his junior season. A freshman All-American a season ago, Irish earned All-SEC honors this season while battling through a pair of different injuries.
“I think for me, I signed my letter of intent for four years and not two years,” Irish tells Auburn Undercover. “I committed to the coaches for four years of my service because they invested in me at such a young age. My letter of intent didn’t say two years, it said basically that I’m going to graduate from Auburn. I plan on doing that. I think loyalty is lost now, but there’s still some loyalty out there. I wanted to show that.”
In 47 games, Irish led the Tigers with a .319 average, tied for the team lead with 14 home runs, and his 59 runs batted in was the best total for coach Butch Thompson’s club. He also led the team with 59 hits and also stole six bases.
Working into a strong catching option for the Tigers until an ankle injury meant a combination of designated hitter and right field to finish off the 2024 season, Irish is a player that could play multiple positions next season as Auburn looks to get back to the postseason following a disappointing year.
“We have a ton of talent coming back,” Irish said of looking ahead to next season. “Of course, we’re going to use the transfer portal like every other school. I think we’ve got some important pieces coming back and we’re going to be really good next year. One more year for the arms to mature and for guys to take a step up.”
In two seasons, Irish has a .343 career average with 20 home runs, 35 doubles and 109 runs batted in. He also has 145 total hits in two seasons on the Plains.With the ability to play multiple positions, Irish said he’s excited about his role on the team next year.
“I don’t think it will hurt me, playing a multitude of positions,” he said. “I told our coaches, ‘throw me wherever. Wherever we have a hole, just put me there and I’ll fill it to the best of my ability.’ I just want to win. Our coaching staff knows that. At the end of the day it’s not my name on the front of the jersey, it’s Auburn. For me a position doesn’t matter. It’s more about winning.”
Remembering Oregon’s opening day starting quarterbacks since 2000
Here’s a recap of every opening day Oregon starting quarterback since the turn of the century.
Dillon Gabriel is expected to lead Oregon football into the Big 10 this fall. The Oklahoma transfer has not officially been named the starter, but he didn’t head west to sit on the pine.
With Bo Nix gone and three new QBs on the roster, many storylines this spring centered around the quarterback position. When the most important job on the team is open, that’s often the case. I figured it would help to provide some historical context to this year’s quarterback competition.
Today, I’m recapping each opening day starter for over the last 20 seasons. I’m running through each starter since 2000 and dedicating time to look back at what Oregon has had at the position. As you’ll find, the Ducks have enjoyed some tremendous quarterback play since the turn of the century.
2000-01 — JOEY HARRINGTON
Stats: 428-for-769 (55.7-percent) for 5,731 with 49 touchdowns and 20 interceptions
Team record: 21-3 (14-2)
Explanation: Harrington’s time as a starter proved pivotal to Oregon’s emergence as one of the premier teams on the west coast. After beating out AJ Feeley in 1999, Harrington guided the Ducks to two of the strongest seasons of the century. The Ducks went 7-1 in Pac-10 both seasons and it resulted in bowl victories over Texas and Colorado. The win over Colorado in the Fiesta Bowl was a milestone postseason victory at the time. Nicknamed Captain Comeback, Harrington helped orchestrate numerous fourth quarter rallies to help keep Oregon’s impressive record in tact.
Perhaps best known for his New York City skyscraper billboard, Harrington finished fourth in the 2001 Heisman trophy voting behind winner Eric Crouch of Nebraska, Florida’s Rex Grossman and Miami’s Ken Dorsey. Harrington went on to be selected third in the 2002 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions.
2002 — JASON FIFE
Stats: 190-for-367 (51.8-percent) for 2,752 with 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions
Team record: 7-6 (3-5)
Explanation: When Harrington departed after 2001, Fife was set to be the next great Oregon arm. His career started fine enough, as he helped lead the Ducks to a 6-0 start in 2002. The unbeaten record featured wins over Mississippi State, Arizona and UCLA. The success earned the Ducks a No. 6 ranking in the polls. However, the wheels came off from there and the Ducks stumbled all over themselves down the stretch. They went 1-5 to finish regular season play, and were beaten by Wake Forrest by three scores in the Seattle Bowl.
The team’s play seemed to mirror Fife’s. During the team’s six opening wins, he threw for 12 touchdowns and just one pick. He threw 12 touchdowns to nine interceptions over the final six. That included three interceptions in a lopsided rivalry loss to Oregon State. He struggled so mightily to open the bowl game that he was replaced by freshman Kellen Clemens in the first quarter after completing just one of his first seven pass attempts.
Fife went on to share quarterback duties as a senior in 2003.
2003-05 — KELLEN CLEMENS
Stats: 590-for-965 (61.1-percent) for 7,354 with 59 touchdowns and 23 interceptions
Team record: 20-12 (13-8)
Explanation: Another Oregon native like Harrington, Clemens career was an up-and-down one. A three-year starter, the Ducks did not have strong seasons in 2003 or 2004. In fact, the five wins in 2004 acts as the fewest other than the 2016 season since 2000. However, Clemens really picked his game up as a senior in 2005. He helped the Ducks to a 7-1 start before a broken ankle cost him the final three regular season games. Dennis Dixon and Brady Leaf took over and combined to help lead the team to 10-2 season with a narrow Holiday Bowl loss to Oklahoma. Clemens final season saw him throw for 2,406 yards with 19 touchdowns with just three picks.
He was then selected in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the New York Jets.
