Auburn baseball hires a hitting coach from Georgia, filling the staff opening after Gabe Gross’s new role

Auburn baseball coach Butch Thompson announced the addition of a new hitting coach from Georgia, according to a report published Monday by Saturday Down South. The move is tied to the departure of Gabe Gross from the hitting-coach role, with Gross transitioning into a different responsibility within the program. For Auburn, the timing matters because summer is when college staffs typically align instruction for the coming season’s hitting fundamentals, lineup development, and player-by-player adjustments.

The reported hiring indicates Auburn will keep recruiting and player development connected through a specific specialist role rather than relying only on general assistant duties. Hitting coaches in college baseball are often the day-to-day architects of swing mechanics, approach work, and situational hitting plans. Replacing that position can therefore influence how quickly an organization’s hitters can carry over routine adjustments into fall ball.

The Saturday Down South report frames the change as a “poach” from Georgia, suggesting the new hire had been working in an assistant capacity with the Bulldogs before Auburn’s decision. Auburn’s staff structure, like most in the SEC, depends on defined responsibilities between recruiting, pitching support, and position-specific coaching. With Auburn bringing in another hitting-focused coach, the program is aiming to keep its offensive instruction consistent and staffed with a dedicated instructor.

While the report confirms Thompson’s announcement and the connection to Gross’s new role, it does not provide enough detail here to verify specifics such as the coach’s exact title, previous Georgia duties beyond the report’s general description, or whether the move affects any other assistant assignments. Auburn and Georgia both publish official athletics staff information, and those primary pages would normally be the place to confirm exact job titles and dates of assignment.

For Gross, the key throughline is the internal shift away from the hitting-coach chair. Even without knowing the new position’s exact scope from the information available here, a transition like this usually means one of two things: Gross either takes on a broader development responsibility, or he reallocates his time toward another part of the program. Either way, Auburn is indicating that it still values Gross’s skill set while changing where it is applied on a daily basis.

As the calendar moves deeper into July, the next items to watch are official confirmation and a clearer picture of what the new hitting coach will be responsible for day to day. Programs often roll out summer instructional priorities, then align those plans with fall practice goals. Auburn’s approach to player development will be one of the earliest visible effects of this staffing change.

Bottom line: Auburn has moved to secure a hitting-coach specialist from Georgia after Gabe Gross stepped into a new role. The reported staffing change underscores how seriously college programs treat offensive instruction continuity, and it sets the stage for how Auburn’s hitters will be coached into the fall.

If you want, I can revise this story once you provide the full text of the Saturday Down South page (or the assistant coach’s name as listed there) so the piece can include exact personnel details and, if available, confirmed staff bios from Auburn and Georgia athletics.