AUBURN - John Pawlowski will return for his fifth season as Auburn baseball coach, knowledgeable sources have told AuburnUndercover.com.
Pawlowski has felt the heat of back-to-back disappointing seasons. Auburn was eligible for an NCAA regional bid but was not selected Monday and apparently was not close after finishing the season 31-28.
Athletics director Jay Jacobs, the source said, has decided to stay the course.
In 2010, Pawlowski's second season, the Tigers won a school record 20 SEC games and hosted a regional. They missed out in 2011 when, despite playing for the West Division championship on the final day of the regular season, they finished with a 29-29 record. A winning overall record is required for a regional bid.
This season, Auburn led the West Division after a 6-3 start in conference play but fell back after being swept by Alabama on the road, South Carolina a home and Georgia on the road. Cullen Wacker and Garrett Cooper, two of the team's top three hitters, missed most of the final series with injuries. Will Kendall, who had been the most effective starting pitcher, suffered an arm injury at Alabama and was lost for the season.
In four seasons at Auburn, Pawlowski is 134-91 overall and 58-62 in SEC games. He came to Auburn after compiling a 338-192-1 record, including three regionals and a super regional, in nine seasons at College of Charleston.
- Phillip Marshall
- Columnist - AuburnUndercover
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