Auburn began in the NYPL in 1958 and has since competed under various names and served as the farm team for a number of Major League Baseball teams. The Doubledays and its mascot, Abner, are named for Abner Doubleday, the Civil War general and Auburn native apocryphally credited with inventing the game of baseball. Abner wears number 96 in honor of the birth of the team in 1996. With Major League Baseball's reorganization of the minor leagues after the 2020 season, Auburn was not selected to continue in affiliated baseball. The city and the team's ownership group are exploring options such as independent baseball or collegiate summer baseball for 2021. Eventually they signed a deal to become members of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League starting in 2021 season.