In 2021, former Troup County HS (Ga.) star Ryan Bliss became just the fourth two-time All-American in Auburn’s baseball history. He did so one year after ranking second in the SEC with 29 hits in just 18 games. Bliss started every game of his true freshman season at Auburn, with a large majority of those starts coming at second base, the position he may eventually land at in the pros.

While the SEC’s coaches selected Bliss as a second-team All-SEC selection in 2021, he has a legitimate chance to become the third Auburn infielder to be drafted in the last three seasons, as Will Holland and Edouard Julien were selected in the fifth and 18th rounds, respectively, of the 2019 MLB Draft. Auburn also had a pitcher, Bailey Horn, taken in the fifth round of the 2020 MLB Draft.

Over the last two seasons, Bliss has developed into a dependable shortstop, posting a career .972 fielding percentage. Bliss’ quick hands, solid reactions and overall bat speed, however, contributed to a robust career .514 slugging percentage for the Tigers. Those totals included a career .328 batting average with 20 home runs and 99 RBIs.