The No.1 hitting team in the SEC bombed the Arkansas Razorbacks today with 18 hits and 12 runs to complete a series win for the Auburn Baseball Team.

It was the most hits for Auburn in a conference game this year with nine different Tigers getting in on the act. Ryan Tella, Jay Gonzalez, and Bobby Andrews, each had three hits, while Creede Simpson, Justin Bryant, Mitchell Self, and Patrick Savage each drove in two runs.

Assistant Coach Scott Foxhall credited the ejection of Head Coach John Pawlowski for sparking the offensive explosion,

“Coach Pawlowski gave us a spark there in the early innings (when he was ejected in the fourth) and stuck up for our guys and our guys responded. They battled and didn’t back down and took it to another level so we could finish this thing off this weekend.” Foxhall said, “It was a true team victory, one through nine contributed. We went long-ball, we used the short game and we stole bases.”

The Tigers went into Fayetteville with their backs to the wall needing victories. They came away taking two out of three and coming within one run of sweeping the No.13 Razorbacks.

It was Auburn’s fourth series win over an SEC West team this season and the third straight series win over the Hogs at famed Baum Stadium.

Auburn’s win coupled with Ole Miss’ 7-4 victory over Tennessee on Saturday gave Auburn it’s third straight SEC Tournament berth. It’s the first time since the 2003 season that the Tigers have clinched three consecutive tournament berths.

Hopefully Auburn can make a case for an NCAA Tournament bid in their home games against Florida A&M (Monday) and against Jacksonville State (Tuesday) before closing the season out with a three game series against Florida at Samford Stadium.

The No. 5 Gators will be a tough challenge. It will take another “True Team” effort … and then some. But hey, I’m a believer.

War Eagle!

With the game tied 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth inning Auburn pitcher Derek Varnadore(3-7) took the mound against Arkansas and shut the door on the Hogs for two innings to pick up an important SEC win Thursday night in Fayetteville.

The Tigers had their backs to the wall on the road against the No.13 ranked team in the country and Varny combined with starter Jon Luke Jacobs to hold Arkansas to just four hits and no walks.

Jacobs may have pitched his best game of the season as he racked up eight strike outs on the night.

Justin Bryant’s two out single up the middle scored Jay Gonzalez from second in the top of the 10th inning as Auburn took the lead 3-2.

After Varnadore retired the top of the order in the ninth with just 10 pitches, he allowed a one-out single in the 10th. The runner was able to get into scoring position on a passed ball, but Varney got a strike out and a fly out to right to seal the victory.

It was the Tigers first series-opening win on the road this season, and improved their record to 27-22 (11-14 SEC) and most importantly keeps their post season hopes alive.

Auburn will try for the series win on Friday at 6:30 pm. Daniel Koger (3-4) will get the start for the Tigers.

Do it again boys, beat them pigs!

Baseball is a perplexing game. It probably more than any other team sport mirrors the ups and downs and the paradoxes of real life. That’s certainly been the case this year for theAuburn Tigers.

While Auburn picked up their 26th win last night against Presbyterian 18-2, the Tigers are a woeful 10-14 in the SEC and find themselves in a precarious position for post season play.

The season began with so much promise. Just one month ago, the team was in first place in the SEC West and ranked No.23 in the nation. Today the Tigers are in 10th place overall.

It’s been a roller coaster ride thus far and the train appears to be teetering on running off the track. It’s almost paradoxical how this team can score 35 runs in a sweep of Tennesseeand then one week later be swept by a mediocre Georgia team.

It’s paradoxical that the Tigers could take series wins against No.8 LSU and No.12 Ole Miss and then be swept by bottom feeder Alabama. Then a couple weeks later sweep Tennessee and turn around and lose three in Athens. Auburn may have lost more than the series against UGA too – they may have lost their chance for an NCAA bid.

It’s paradoxical that Auburn would have to move last years ace Derek Varnadore to the bull pen and then lose one of the best pitchers in the SEC (Will Kendall) to a shoulder injury and still sweep the Vols.

Yet, the paradox of it all is that while the hope of playing in the post season may appear to be lost, if the Tigers can win three of their remaining six SEC games against No. 13 Arkansas and No. 5 Florida – that will change.

Is that scenario possible? …

Yes. – Is that scenario probable? … Probably not. But that’s why they play the game.

And before anyone doubts these Tigers too much; remember they are still the top hitting (.301), slugging (.431) and on base percentage (.369) team in the SEC and are second in runs scored (127).

There are eight games left in the next 10 days. The Tigers need to win their two remaining non conference games and win three league games to finish 31-25 to go to the NCAA big dance. Taking two out of six from the Hogs and the Gators might be enough but finishing the stretch 5-3 would certainly do it.

It’s now down to the wire. It’s now gut check time. A time that will not only be a test of this team’s playing ability and Pawlowski‘s coaching ability but it will be a test of nerve and determination.

Auburn has demonstrated flashes of greatness this season, winning four SEC series including taking the first three of the season and leading the league in hitting. However, the Tigers have also shown an unusual capacity for mediocrity, losing to Samford and dropping two to cellar dweller Vanderbilt.

Consistency has been the problem for the Tigers all season. Auburn has to be more consistent in the fundamentals to have any chance against Arkansas and Florida. Being smart on the base paths, good defense, and good pitching has to be there in every remaining outing.

Baseball is a perplexing game. Just like life we never know what twist and turns may come our way.

But while the Tigers may not be able to see the twist and turns of the next eight games, they can buckle down and play with the focus and determination that saw the team lead the SEC West back in April.

One thing’s for sure, there is no more tomorrow. It’s either get the job done or be prepared to sit at home for another post season. The pressure is on …

It’s gut check time.

It’s the bottom of the fifth inning at Auburn’s Hitchcock Field and Auburn and Tennessee are tied 4-4 in a must win game for both teams. Auburn outfielder Jay Gonzalez steps up and drives in two runs with a single up the middle and the Tigers pull away to eventually beat the Volunteers 11-4.

That Sunday afternoon win completed a three game sweep of the Vols moving Auburn up from ninth place into a tie for sixth overall and just one game out of second place in the SEC West. It was the first sweep of the season for the Tigers and the first sweep over Tennessee since 2001.

Although the confidence boosting sweep staved off elimination from the SEC Tournament field … there is no time to rest. The Tigers are on the road this weekend in another important SEC series at Athens against the University of Georgia.

Against Tennessee Auburn (25-19, 10-11 SEC) pounded out 41 hits and out-scored the Vols 35-11 for the week end, including hitting 19 extra-bases hits:13 doubles, three triples, and three home runs.

It was just what the doctor ordered to breathe some confidence into a team that (this writer thinks) should be at the least, tied for first place in the SEC West.

After all the Tigers are the top hitting team in the SEC, ranking first in on base percentage (.404), hits (474), triples (17), walks (185) and stolen bases (80) and is second in doubles (91).

In addition, Auburn’s .318 team batting average is the best in the SEC and the eighth best in the nation. There are seven Tigers batting over 300 led by Ryan Tella, who is among the SEC leaders with a .376 batting average.

However, Georgia (25-20, 9-12 SEC) is just one game behind Auburn coming off a losing series at LSU and are always a tough opponent. The Dogs offense is led by junior Curt Powell with a .355 average and junior Kyle Farmer who is hitting .292 with 27 RBI’s.

The two old foes will start it off tonight at 6 p.m. CST and the game will be broadcast by Sports South.

Taking the mound in the first game for the Dogs is sophomore southpaw Alex Wood, one of the SEC’s best pitchers with a 5-1 record and 2.69 ERA. Auburn will counter with right hander Jon Luke Jacobs who is 5-1 with a 3.21 ERA.

This is another important series for Auburn for three reasons. First it will not only impact SEC Tournament seeding but may have NCAA post season implications with both teams currently tied nationally with a 46 RPI (Rating Percentage Index).

And then of course there is always the thing for me, of never wanting to lose to Georgia – in any thing. I always, always, always want to beat the Dogs!

War Eagle!

******

UPDATE:

Friday’s game was tied at 1-1 going to the bottom of the sixth, Georgia used two singles, four walks and a hit batter to score four times and go on to take a 5-2 win.

Saturday’s game went in to extra innings with the Dogs getting a 6-5 win in the 11th.

Georgia sweeps Tigers in Sunday’s game 9-3. The loss dropped Auburn’s record to 25-22, 10-14 SEC while Georgia improved to 27-20, 12-12 SEC. Auburn has two SEC series remaining before the SEC Tournament.

Over the week end, the Auburn baseball team exploded offensively in their series sweep over Tennessee scoring 35 runs off of 39 hits. While hits came from up and down the line up, one player was particularly effective – Auburn Catcher Blake Austin

In the weekend series against the Volunteers, he was 7-for-11 (a .636 average) and had a 1.091 slugging percentage. In Sunday’s game, he was 3-for-4 with five RBI’s.

In addition, Blake threw out two of the three runners attempting to steal bases on him in the series. He leads the conference this year in throwing out 16 base stealers.

Austin has a.355 batting average for the year with eight doubles, a triple and two home runs, driving in 19 runs.

Last week he batted .643 with two doubles, a home run, three runs scored and had 10 RBI’s. And for that performance, the Southeastern Conference has named him the Player of the Week.

Keep it up Blake and War Eagle!

The Auburn Baseball Team went into this weekend’s series with Tennessee knowing they had to produce runs. They responded to the challenge by clobbering Vol pitching for 24 scores off of 28 hits.

The Tigers on the cusp of qualifying for the SEC Tournament had to produce in order to stay in the hunt for a tournament position. They won the first game Friday night 12-5 and won the series Saturday afternoon 12-3.

The Tigers also separated themselves from Tennessee in the standings by improving to 24-19 (9-11 SEC) while Tennessee fell to 22-21 (7-13 SEC). Derek Varnadore picked up the win on Friday and Daniel Koger was the winning pitcher Saturday afternoon.

Auburn jumped out to early leads in both games. Friday night, the Tigers got out to a quick 5-0 lead before the Vols tied it up. However, Auburn came back with a seven run eighth to close the door.

On Saturday, Auburn scored nine runs in the first four innings and added three more in the sixth to win the game and the series. It marked the first series win for the Tigers since defeating Mississippi State April 1st.

In Saturday’s game, Cullen Wacker went 4-for-4 and scored four runs. Even so, the hitting was spread throughout the lineup.

Auburn Head Coach John Pawlowski said. “Different guys stepped in. Bobby Andrewsstepped in (Friday) and was on base four times. Today Cullen has four hits. When you have a lineup that is clicking up-and-down it makes it pretty tough.”

“Clicking” as in timely hitting is just what this team has needed. In the last nine SEC games the Tigers out hit the competition, yet were 1-8 over the stretch due to stranding runners.

Lets hope this series is an omen of things to come. It certainly will be needed as Auburn has a tough slate ahead with series against (No.17) Arkansas, (No.26) Georgia, and (No.2) Florida.

As Acid Reign said this week, the Tigers really need a sweep here before going down that road. It’s enough to make a person think about Amen Corner.

*******

UPDATE:

Tigers earn sweep! Defeat Volunteers 11-4.

With three weeks to go in the SEC season the Auburn Baseball Team is just two games out of first place in the SEC West. That’s the good news. The bad news is … the Tigers are also tied with two other teams for ninth place overall. 

Auburn, Vandy, and Tennessee are all knotted up at the number nine spot. Since the SEC Tournament (May 22-27, Hoover, Ala.), will only field 10 teams, the question is : “Which will be the odd team out?”

The Tigers have an excellent chance to do something about the log jam this weekend when they host the Volunteers at Plainsman Park for a three game series. 

The Volunteers find themselves in the same situation as Auburn with an identical 22-19 (7-11 SEC) record. The odds should be in Auburn’s favor though, since the Tigers have won the last two home series against the Volunteers and are 45-19 against Tennessee at Plainsman Park.

The way Auburn started this season, this writer just knew the Tigers would be a shoe in for Hoover; but now I’m hoping to see Tennessee, Vandy, and Alabama lose out.

Of course, if the Tigers can win this series and take one or two of each of the next two, it will not matter what happens to other teams.

If Auburn makes the cut it will be the Tigers third straight trip to the Tournament for the first time since 2003 when they completed a seven year streak (1997-2003).

Vandy is playing Kentucky at home this weekend and travels to Tennessee next weekend while Auburn travels to Athens.

If anyone is looking forward to a possible NCAA bid … Auburn has the 38^th toughest strength of schedule in the nation. With 14 scheduled games left, the Tigers are ranked No. 61 in the latest WarrenNolan.com RPI; Tennessee is No. 68 while each of the last three weekend opponents hold higher RPIs: Georgia (No. 41), Arkansas (No. 12) and Florida (No. 2). 

But first things first, the Tigers have got to play it one game at a time and that process begins tonight (6p.m.) at Sanford Stadium. 

Go Tigers, Beat the Vols!

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UPDATE:

Tigers Win game one 12-5 and game two 12-3 ! Go for sweep on Sunday)

After three years playing in the minors, former Auburn Baseball Player Evan Crawford has made his big league debut for the Toronto Blue Jays. Evan was called up last Friday and made his debut on Sunday.

He came out of the bullpen in the ninth to pitch a scoreless inning and help the Jays take an 8-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles. He also rang up his first MLB strike out, sitting down third baseman Wilson Betemit.

The left hander started 27 games at Auburn but he had his best year after being moved to the Tigers’ bullpen. In 2008 he pitched 44 2/3 innings in 29 appearances, striking out 42, and held opposing batters to a 2.44 batting average. He finished the year 3-0 with a 2.42 ERA.

He was understandably excited to be able to fulfill a life long dream. “Just getting to come out on the field is a euphoric feeling,” said Crawford. “It’s one of those things that you’ve always looked forward to, and you’re not sure if it’s real when it happens, but it was awesome.”

Evan is the first Auburn baseball player to make it to the big show since 2010 when Josh Donaldson was called up by the Oakland Athletics. He now is the fifth former Tiger to be actively playing in the majors. The other four are Tim Hudson (Atlanta Braves), David Ross (Atlanta Braves) Clete Thomas (Minnesota Twins) and Donaldson with the A’s.

Congratulation Evan and War Eagle!