Auburn’s SEC Tournament Run Ends Early

By Posted on: May 21st, 2013 in Baseball 4 Comments »
This has been a hard mentality to sell for Auburn Head Coach, John Pawloski

This has been a hard mentality to sell for Auburn Head Coach, John Pawlowski

Auburn opened and closed its 2013 SEC Championship tournament run on a blistering afternoon in Hoover, Alabama by falling 6-3 to the Crimson Tide. Auburn started out strong plating 3 runs and chasing Alabama’s starter early in the ball game. However, Alabama chipped away at the lead until finally tying the game  in a climactic 6th inning that saw Alabama send 7 men to the plate and score only 1 run. The death blow came in the bottom of the 8th when Alabama’s offense came alive and Auburn’s defense wilted in the heat. The Crimson Tide took a swift 6-3 advantage and never looked back. Auburn quietly exited 1-2-3 in the 9th. 

Once again, Auburn baseball is back to square one and looking for answers. One has to wonder what this means for the future of John Pawlowski and the program overall going forward. 

Posted in Baseball | 4 Comments »

“This Game is Much Bigger Than AU Baseball”

By Posted on: May 21st, 2013 in Baseball 13 Comments »
28auburn13.jpg

The Auburn Baseball Team is set to play a big game today when they take on Alabama in the first round of the SEC Tournament in Hoover.

As our Senior Editor, Jay Coulter said , “The stakes are pretty high.” A possible NCAA Regional is riding on the game for both teams and with it, at least one coach’s job could be on the line.

In addition, the winner moves on – the loser goes home. And then there’s that other thing … beating your arch rival.

Neither fan base wants to ever lose to the other –  in anything. So it’s a big game, the biggest for both programs all year.

But for Auburn it may be even bigger. As Track ‘em Tigers member Buddy Ro commented here yesterday, ” There are rare opportunities for AU baseball to set the tone of the year for Auburn athletics …

“This game is much bigger than AU baseball.”

After disappointing bottom dweller seasons in the other two major sports, the baseball team carries the weight of redemption for the 2012-2013 athletic year.

While playing in Hoover should be a plus for Alabama, (it will almost be like a home game). the Tide will be facing one of the hottest teams in the league when they go against the Tigers.

Auburn enters the game riding a wave of momentum, having won their last three series against No.18 Ole Miss, No.19 Florida on the road, and No.11 Arkansas at home.

For the most part, the pitching has been there for Auburn all year. It’s the hitting and especially timely hitting that has sparked the remarkable turnaround.

If the Tigers can keep the hot bats going … they will win, keep their NCAA Regional hopes alive, and more importantly finish the Auburn Athletic year on a winning note.

Go Tigers, Beat Bama!

——————————–

Editor’s Note:
Auburn will send the SEC Pitcher of the Week, Conner Kendrick (5-3) to the mound and Bama will counter with the guy they believe to be their best hurler, Justin Kamplain (1-0). First pitch will be 30 minutes after the end of the first game (probably around 12:30).

Posted in Baseball | 13 Comments »

SEC Baseball Tournament Schedule

By Posted on: May 21st, 2013 in Baseball Comment »
12779359-large- SEC Baseball Tournament logo

The new 12-team SEC Tournament begins today at 9:30 a.m. when No. 6 seed Ole Miss plays No. 11 Kentucky in the first game

Auburn will face Alabama thirty minutes after the first game ends. The two have met four times this year with a split outcome (2-2). The last meeting saw Bama take a 2-0 win at Auburn despite the Tigers only giving up 2 hits.

The pressure will be on as the two rivals are playing to get into the 8-team double elimination second round.

The winner will face No. 2 LSU on Wednesday while the loser goes home and waits to see if they are selected for a NCAA Regional.

SEC Tournament Match Ups:

Tuesday (single elimination)

Game 1: No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 11 Kentucky, 9:30 a.m.
Game 2: No. 7 Alabama vs. No. 10 Auburn
Game 3: No. 8 Florida vs. No. 9 Texas A&M, 4:30 p.m.
Game 4: No. 5 Mississippi State vs. No. 12 Missouri

Wednesday (double elimination)

Game 5: No. 3 Arkansas vs. Game 1 Winner, 9:30 a.m.
Game 6: No. 2 LSU vs. Game 2 Winner
Game 7: No. 1 Vanderbilt vs. Game 3 Winner, 4:30 p.m.
Game 8: No. 4 South Carolina vs. Game 4 Winner

Thursday (double elimination)

Game 9: Game 5 Loser vs. Game 6 Loser, 9:30 a.m.
Game 10: Game 7 Loser vs. Game 8 Loser
Game 11: Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner, 4:30 p.m.
Game 12: Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner

Friday (double elimination)

Game 13: Game 9 Winner vs. Game 11 Loser, 3:00 p.m.
Game 14: Game 10 Winner vs. Game 12 Loser

Saturday (single elimination)

Game 15: Game 13 Winner vs. Game 11 Winner, noon
Game 16: Game 14 Winner vs. Game 12 Winner

Sunday (Championship game)

Game 17:
Game 15 Winner vs. Game 16 Winner, 3:30 p.m.

Posted in Baseball | Comment »

Conner Kendrick Named SEC Pitcher Of The Week

By Posted on: May 20th, 2013 in Baseball 1 Comment »

Conner Kendrick was named the Southeastern Conference Pitcher of theAuburn Baseball
Week today for his performance in last week’s 3-0 victory against the
No. 11 Arkansas Razorbacks.

In pitching Auburn’s first shutout in two years he struck out eight batters while allowing only four hits with one walk in 7 1/3 innings of work.

He has held opposing batters to a .257 batting average and leads the Auburn pitching staff with 74 strike outs.

Coach Pawlowski named him today as the starter against Alabama in tomorrow’s second, first round game of the SEC Tournament.

The Auburn IMG Network will carry the game on its baseball affiliates. And the game will also be broadcast live on FSN as well as on ESPN3.com – but only fans outside of SEC country will be able to view it as the net works will enforce viewing blackouts through out the south.

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A Big Day Tomorrow for Auburn Baseball

By Posted on: May 20th, 2013 in Baseball 14 Comments »
513ab60cc8fef.image- Jordan Ebert

Give Auburn baseball coach John Pawlowski credit. In March, he was deader than a gathering of the Jay Jacobs Fan Club.

After starting out 1-8 in SEC play, most believed Pawlowski was destined to bring home Auburn’s third consecutive last place SEC finish in the Big Three sports. It was only a matter of time before former would be inserted into his title.

Now I know college baseball has never caught the imaginations of most Auburn people. Anytime we write a story about it, you can hear the crickets coming from the comments section. But by damned, this team and coaching staff has earned a little ink today.

If you’ve been too busy following football recruiting or cutting the grass, or just taking the trash out, then you’ve missed quite the comeback on the Plains.

Don’t look now, but Auburn is one of the hottest teams in college baseball. Winners of their last three series, two of which were against ranked teams, Auburn has gone 12-9 to close out the regular season.

Auburn dispatched of No. 11 Arkansas 11-6 Saturday afternoon, winning yet another series and finally giving Auburn fans something to cheer for the first time in more than a year.

Talk of a new baseball coach has turned to NCAA Regional play. How fitting that Auburn’s road starts with Alabama on Tuesday in Hoover.

In a win or go home matchup, tenth-seeded Auburn (33-22, 13-17) faces seven-seed Alabama (32-24, 14-14) in a mid-afternoon contest. The Tide lost two of three over the weekend to top-ranked Vanderbilt in Nashville.

The big question is whether Auburn has done enough to punch its ticket for post-season play. Pawlowski is cautious in his assessment.

“We didn’t start off good, but we certainly finished the conference pretty well,” he said. “I think we put ourselves in a very good position, but we have a lot more work to do.”

Both Baseball America and SEBaseball.com have the Tigers bracketed to go. However, a Tuesday loss could make the selection committee forget about Auburn as the week progresses and more conference tournaments are played.

A win over Alabama likely gets the job done.

Auburn catcher Blake Austin says there’s no doubt Auburn’s earned a trip.

“Oh, yeah,” Austin said. “We played three regional teams in a row, top-15 teams. We’re swinging the bats like a regional team, I think. Offensively, it’s like another gear hit since Ole Miss. Pitching has been there all year.”

The bigger question is, has Pawlowski done enough to save his job?

Again, it likely comes down to Tuesday against arch-rival Alabama. It seems unlikely Pawlowski survives if his team fails to earn a regional birth. So yeah, the stakes are pretty high tomorrow.

Count me among those pulling for him. 

Posted in Baseball | 14 Comments »

Friday from the Eagle’s Nest

By Posted on: May 17th, 2013 in Featured Article, News 7 Comments »
From the Eagle's Nest

Hawaii returning to its rainbow roots. According to legend, the team adopted the nickname after a rainbow appeared over the field in which Hawaii rallied to upset Oregon St. It’s a good thing more teams don’t use this logic. There’s no telling how many Goodyear Blimps, Suns, Stars, Moons, Dome Ceilings, and Cirrus Cloud mascots we’d have in college football.

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Posted in Featured Article, News | 7 Comments »

Bulldogs Open Auburn’s Real Season!

By Posted on: May 16th, 2013 in Football 8 Comments »
Tyler Russell

The Tigers must put more pressure on Tyler Russell this year.

     War Eagle, everybody! It’s time now for another Auburn opponent preview. In week three, on September 14th, the Mississippi State Bulldogs visit Auburn at Jordan Hare Stadium. SEC action begins for the Tigers, and it’s an important game for both teams. The winner will be off and running in the league, and the loser will face questions of whether they can compete in a very tough SEC Western Division this season.

     Last season was a tale of two different teams for the Bulldogs. They started the season with seven straight wins, and headed to Tuscaloosa to try and stake a claim to being in the upper echelon of the league. Mississippi State then lost five of their last six games, most of them by blowout scores. This year’s team returns 12 starters on the offense and defense, but there are some holes to fill where stars departed.

     If last year’s team was covered up early by a soft schedule, this year’s edition will have no such worries. The Bulldogs open in Houston against Oklahoma State, and will find out quickly if their reloading efforts have been enough. The Bulldogs then tune up the next week with Alcorn State, before heading to Auburn. This year’s squad could be better than last year’s, and still leave Auburn with a 1-2 record. And it doesn’t get much easier from there. The Bulldogs do follow the Tigers with four straight home games, against Troy, LSU, Bowling Green, and Kentucky. Then come road trips to South Carolina and Texas A&M. The Bulldogs finish up with Alabama at home, Arkansas in Little Rock, and Ole Miss at home. The Bulldogs will likely be favored only against Kentucky in the SEC, and possibly Arkansas and Ole Miss. Oklahoma State will be very tough, and Troy has had good success against MSU in the past. While head coach Dan Mullen talks of taking the next step and becoming an elite SEC team, reality is that the Bulldogs will need a few upsets to return to a bowl game this season.

     Mississippi State’s offense is what has given them a chance to win most games since Dan Mullen arrived in Starkville 5 years ago. This year’s edition will have a veteran offensive line, and an experienced senior quarterback in Tyler Russell. However, the Bulldogs must break in a new receiver corps, as they lost veterans Chad Bumphis, Arceto Clark and Chris Smith. Running back LaDarius Perkins is a speedy home-run-hitting back, and he’ll be joined by bulked-up sophomore Josh Robinson.

     There are more questions on the defensive side of the ball, where the Bulldogs lost both starting tackles, most of the secondary, and top tackling linebacker Cameron Lawrence. That defense gave up over 30 points against Tennessee, Alabama, Texas A&M, LSU, Ole Miss and Northwestern last season. This produced some assistant coach shuffling, and Mullen brought in Geoff Collins to run the defense. While most folks point towards shoring up the secondary as the top priority, I think producing a stout front seven rotation is more important. The Bulldogs have talent up front, but it is young, and the Bulldog line tended to wear down late in games down the stretch last season.

     The Bulldogs were decent on special teams last season, and expect to be again this season. Punter Baker Swedenburg is one of the better punters in the league, and his high kicks resulted in only 6 TOTAL punt return yards against the Bulldogs last season. Sophomore Jameon Lewis gives the Bulldogs a breakaway threat in the return game. The Bulldogs return sophomore kicker Devon Bell, and they hope he improves on his 14 out of 21 freshman field goal kicking performance.

Unit Matchups, after the jump!

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Posted in Football | 8 Comments »

At the Game, in the Car, or at Home, Jim Fyffe was Auburn Football

By Posted on: May 15th, 2013 in Baseball, Basketball, Football, News 9 Comments »
861399b83072f26080ba76e4fa3fe7e5- Fyffe

I still remember the sadness that swept over me when Auburn’s legendary announcer Jim Fyffe passed away on May 15, 2003. I felt like I had been kicked in the stomach. Though I never met the man he was to me and thousands of other Auburn fans, a good friend. Today is the 10th anniversary of his death. He was taken from us way too early.

With no disrespect to Rod Bramlet and other Auburn announcers, there simply will never be another one like Jim Fyffe.

Jim was and still is the most revered radio announcer in the history of Auburn Football. His distinctive voice called the play-by-play for Auburn’s football teams from 1981-2003.

He provided hundreds of memorable calls in his 22 years of calling Auburn Football and Basketball games. But it was more than his voice that endured him to the Auburn Family. Jim had a unique ability to make the listener feel like he was right there beside him, in the booth, jumping up and down as he’s yelling his famous “Touch d o w n … Aub b u r n n n n !”

There was never any doubt in his voice, that Jim was a homer and a man who loved Auburn –  both traits that made his voice synonymous with Auburn Football.

He was gifted in such away that made fans lean in toward the radio and feel like they were actually in the stands viewing the game with him. I will never forget where I was on many of his memorable calls.

Like many reading this article, I could recall dozens of great calls made by Jim over the years; the kind that still brings chill bumps and memories of where I was when I heard him make the call.

One of my many favorites happened on November 4th, 1989. There were 26 seconds to go in the game and Auburn trailed Florida 7-3, facing a 4th down and 11 on the 30 yard line. Quarterback Reggie Slack drops back to pass and hits 5′ 7″ Shayne Wasden in the corner of the end zone to defeat Florida 10-7.

Pandemonium broke out as Jim yelled over the airwaves. “Touchdown Auburn! Touchdown Auburn! Touchdown Auburn! Unbelievable!  I’ve seen the impossible happen! I have seen a miracle!”

That moment and dozens of others like it, are forever frozen in the corners of my mind. Yet, even though I was at the game I could not hear Jim’s call completely because it was the loudest, most exhilarating ending to any game I have ever witnessed at Jordan-Hare. I thought the end zone was going to collapse under the weight of the fans jumping up and down.

It was only after I listened to the tape later that I heard all of what Jim had said. And to this day, I remember everything about that moment when I hear a replay of his words.

At the game, in the car, or at home, Jim was Auburn football. It just doesn’t seem like 10 years since he left us.

—————-

Feel free to share your memory of a great Jim Fyffe moment in the comments.

Posted in Baseball, Basketball, Football, News | 9 Comments »

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