AUBURN, Ala. – As he had done five years earlier, Casey Mize attended the Auburn Diamond Club preseason banquet with his family at Neville Arena, where a Major League Baseball pitcher shared stories.

Back then, it was Tim Hudson and Tom Glavine swapping big league tales in the practice gym.

This time, it was Mize on stage on the main arena floor Saturday in front of 550 guests, the most in the event's 22-year history, an indication of how both the club and the Auburn baseball program have grown in the past five years.

A two-time All-American at Auburn and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 MLB draft, Mize recounted his Auburn journey, how at age 7 he told his mom he would one day play on Hitchcock Field at Plainsman Park.

"Fortunate enough to make that dream happen," he said. "That's something I'll never forget, an awesome memory for me."

Mize committed to Auburn 10 years ago this fall, the day Nick Marshall threw a touchdown pass to C.J. Uzomah with 10 seconds left to beat Mississippi State in the first month of an SEC championship season.

He remained committed through the coaching change that brought Butch Thompson back to the Plains, holding together Auburn's recruiting class in an act that Thompson says laid the foundation for the success the program has enjoyed in ensuing seasons.

"We had a meeting in the dugout," Mize recalled. "The Auburn loyalty in me stood up and I said, 'I'm going to stick this thing out and see it through.' I'm proud of the guys who followed me through that and we were able to make it happen.

"The best thing in the world happened that Coach Thompson came in. That was monumental for my career here. I couldn't be more thankful for that."

Mize's first game at Auburn was Thompson's first as well, a 10-5 win over Sacramento State on Feb. 19, 2016, in which Casey pitched the final two innings and gave a preview of coming attractions by striking out two while not issuing any walks.

"'Somebody's going to win every single pitch,'" Thompson told Mize, who recorded a dazzling 10.6-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio over his final two Auburn seasons. "That made me shove the ball in the strike zone. I'm really proud of that stat."
 

He reminisced about throwing a no-hitter early in his junior season and striking out 15 vs. Vanderbilt later that year.

When the Detroit Tigers picked him first overall, Mize sat in the F. Steve Taylor Family Auditorium in the Auburn Athletics Complex, surrounded by his family and his Auburn teammates.

Mize recounted his journey through the minor leagues, including the no-hitter he pitched in his AA debut in 2019.

He got the call to the big leagues the following year, striking out seven and walking zero – naturally – in his MLB debut.

Mize earned a spot in the Tigers' starting rotation in 2021, and became the first MLB player in 20 years at any position to draw a bases-loaded four-pitch walk in his first career plate appearance, a story that drew laughs from banquet attendees.

"I chunked my bat to the dugout, bat flipped the crap out of it," he said. "Very unlike me. I was a little shocked that I did it, but I was so fired up."

In his customary unassuming style, Mize said his MLB highlight so far has nothing to do with himself.

"Watching Miguel Cabrera play," said Mize of witnessing career home run No. 500 and hit No. 3,000 by the future hall of famer. "Being able to share a clubhouse with him and being able to be part of history of one of the greatest right-handed hitters to ever play baseball."

Mize displayed that "It's not about me" approach throughout his three seasons on the Plains from 2016-18, whether that meant picking up locker room trash, unloading luggage and gear on the road, or selecting Tanner Burns as his throwing partner the same way Keegan Thompson did for Casey when Mize arrived. Leading from the front, he calls it.

"I knew things like that would be generational for our program," Mize said. "That's what Coach Thompson was trying to build. That lesson has still stuck with me today."

While Mize will miss the 2023 season recovering from Tommy John surgery, he remains connected to the Auburn baseball program, joyfully using the bragging rights he earns with each Auburn accomplishment at the expense of Detroit teammates and MLB contemporaries who played for SEC rivals.

Mize concluded his conversation with a message to Auburn's 2023 team, players who have their own big league dreams along with an opportunity to leave their mark, as he did, at the intersection of Heisman and Donahue.

"Be in the present. Enjoy this because it goes by really quickly," he said. "You're going to miss these times. You're never going to be part of this team ever again so give everything you have for yourself, for your team, for your coaches, for Auburn.

"If you love Auburn with all your heart it will love you right back and it will give you things you never thought were achievable or possible.

"When you walk off that field, have no regret because you know you gave everything you had for everyone involved. People will notice the players who stand out and do that. These people in this room will not forget that and they'll love you forever for it."
 

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer