‘Dream come true’: Auburn grad student homers in first at-bat, grabs national headlines

Less than a year after helping Birmingham-Southern College make the Division III World Series, Andrew Dutton has returned to the national spotlight.

After BSC was shut down, Dutton transferred to Auburn as a grad student to finish out his collegiate baseball career. On Tuesday, May 13, he got in the game for his first at-bat of the season—and he made the most of it.

On a 2-1 fastball, Dutton turned on the pitch and sent it over the right field fence for a home run.

“The crowd going crazy was a dream come true. It’s what I’ve been waiting for. It was awesome. The guys have always been super supportive of just me and being the teammate that I am. That’s the biggest thing is just having those 40 best friends who really care about you.”

Andrew Dutton

Auburn baseball

No. 2 Auburn went on to win its midweek game against Jacksonville State 19-1 but Dutton was the only story people could talk about after the final out.

“It was movie script stuff to me. That’s what it is all about. That’s the good stuff. You talk about capitalizing on a moment. We had a blast with that tonight. That was a special moment. He’s got that for life, to run around these bases in an Auburn uniform. He’s worked every day to be ready to play the game, and you’re rewarded for stuff like that.”

Butch Thompson, Auburn baseball head coach

By the next day, Dutton’s at bat was in the national spotlight.

Andrew Dutton

Dutton was one of the leading hitters for Birmingham-Southern College, hitting 12 home runs in his four seasons with the Panthers including 7 during his senior season.

After joining the Tigers, Dutton spent much of the 2025 season as a makeshift first-base coach. He did not make his debut as a player until Tuesday night’s game at Plainsman Park.

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