Auburn Tigers baseball

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Auburn Tigers
Baseball current event.svg 2024 Auburn Tigers baseball team
Auburn Tigers logo.svg
Founded1895
Overall record1,914–1,282–6 (.598) [1]
University Auburn University
Athletic director John Cohen
Head coach Butch Thompson (9th season)
Conference SEC
Western Division
Location Auburn, Alabama
Home stadium Plainsman Park
(Capacity: 4,096)
Nickname Tigers
ColorsBurnt orange and navy blue [2]
   
College World Series appearances
1967, 1976, 1994, 1997, 2019, 2022
NCAA regional champions
1976, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2018, 2019, 2022
NCAA Tournament appearances
1963, 1967, 1976, 1978, 1987, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2010, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023
Conference tournament champions
1978, 1989, 1998
Regular season conference champions
1905, 1916, 1920, 1928, 1931, 1937, 1958, 1963, 1967, 1976, 1978


The Auburn Tigers baseball team represents Auburn University in NCAA Division I college baseball. Along with most other Auburn athletic teams, the baseball team participates in the Western division of the Southeastern Conference. The Tigers play their home games on campus at Plainsman Park, and they are coached by Butch Thompson. [3]

Contents

History

Auburn Baseball has won six SEC championships, three SEC Tournament championships, appeared in 22 NCAA Regionals, and reached the College World Series (CWS) six times.

Following the 2000 season, Hal Baird retired as a head coach. After 16 years at head of the Auburn baseball program, Baird posted an impressive 634–328–0 overall record.

On September 1, 1999, Steve Renfroe was named head baseball coach at Auburn University, as the successor to Hal Baird following the 2000 season. Renfroe was longtime assistant coach at Auburn before being named head coach, having begun his coaching career at Auburn in 1981 as an assistant and remaining in that position until 1995 when he was named assistant head coach.

On June 7, 2004, Renfroe was relieved of his duties as head baseball coach at Auburn. He posted an overall mark of 145–92, including a 60–60 SEC record, during his tenure. [4] Each of Renfroe's first three Auburn squads advanced to the NCAA Baseball Tournaments, with stops in Tallahassee, FL, in 2001, Tuscaloosa, AL, in 2002, and hosting a 2003 Regional in Auburn. [5]

On June 29, 2004, Tom Slater was named as Steve Renfroe's replacement. After only having 2 coaches in 38 years, Auburn was now on the second coach within a five-year period. Slater was previously an assistant at Auburn during the 1990s before taking a head coaching job at his alma mater Virginia Military Institute following the 2000 season. After the 2003 season, Slater left VMI to take an assistant job at the University of Florida where he helped lead the Gators to their first ever Super Regional appearance. [6]

On June 20, 2008, John Pawlowski was introduced as the 16th Head Coach of the Auburn Tigers baseball program. Pawlowski was previously the head coach at the College of Charleston. He took over that program in 2000, and posted a 338–192–1 record during his tenure. Under his direction, the Cougars made three straight NCAA post-season appearances, including their first ever appearance in 2004. He was named the Southern Conference coach of the year in 2004, 2005, and 2007, and coached 17 All-Americans during his tenure. [7] At Auburn, he took over a very young baseball team that included two freshman all-American selections, Hunter Morris and Brian Fletcher. [8]

Tigers baseball players during a game in 2010 Spring baseball game, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama LCCN2010637880.tif
Tigers baseball players during a game in 2010

On May 27, 2013, John Pawlowski was fired after finishing the 2013 season with a 33–23 record overall and a 13–17 record in the SEC. The Tigers failed to reach the NCAA tournament for three straight years. Pawlowski compiled a 167–126 overall record and a 71–79 SEC mark at Auburn. His 2010 team won the SEC West, but his four other teams had losing conference records.

Stadium

Plainsman Park

Samford Stadium-Hitchcock Field at Plainsman Park is a baseball stadium located in Auburn, Alabama. It is the home field for the Auburn Tigers baseball team. Commonly known as "Plainsman Park", it is widely considered one of the finest facilities in college baseball and has a seating capacity of 4,096 not including lawn areas.

The field was named in 1997 to honor two former Auburn players, Billy and Jimmy Hitchcock. The Hitchcock brothers were popular athletes in the 1930s. Jimmy was Auburn's first All-American in football and baseball, and later coached the Tigers during the 1940s. Billy helped Auburn make its first bowl appearance in football, as well as, helping the Tigers claim their first SEC baseball title in 1937. He later became a manager in the MLB.

In 2003, the stadium was renamed Samford Stadium-Hitchcock Field at Plainsman Park after W. James "Jimmy" Samford passed. Samford was a graduate of Auburn, a former board of trustees member, and was known for pushing the renovations of the stadium that began in 1996.

Head coaches

TenureCoachYearsRecordPct.NCAA tournament
1933Sam McAllister15–4–0.556
1934Herschel Bobo1
1934–1939Del Morgan6
1940Porter Grant14–5–0.444
1941–1942 Jimmy Hitchcock 2
1943–1946Bob Evans2
1947–1948Danny Doyle2
1949–1950Johnny Williamson221–23–0.477
1951–1957Dick McGowen790–76–2.548
1958Joe Connally117–8–0.680
1959–1962 Erk Russell 459–37–1.620
1963–1984 Paul Nix 22515–376–0.5784
1985–2000 Hal Baird 16634–328–0.6599
2001–2004 Steve Renfroe 4145–92–0.6123
2005–2008 Tom Slater 4115–113–0.5041
2009–2013 John Pawlowski 5167–126.5701
2014–2015 Sunny Golloway 262–50.5531
2016–present Butch Thompson 9274–198-1.5811
Totals18 coaches8620

Year-by-year results

*Through 2023 season.
*Final rankings are from Collegiate Baseball Division I Final Polls (1959–2006) [9] *Auburn baseball history year-by-year results [10]

Auburn Tigers in the NCAA tournament

Since the NCAA Division I baseball tournament began in 1947, the Auburn Tigers have played in it 24 times and made it to the College World Series six times.

YearRecordPctNotes
1963
1967 College World Series (4th place)
1976 3–2.600Won the South Regional in Tallahassee; College World Series (8th place)
1978
1987
1989
1993
1994 College World Series (8th place)
1995
1997 College World Series (6th place)
1998 3–2.600Runner-up in the Tallahassee Regional.
1999 3–3.500Won the Auburn Regional; Lost to Florida St. in the Tallahassee Super Regional.
2000 1–2.333Eliminated by Stetson in the Atlanta Regional.
2001 2–2.500Eliminated by Florida St. in the Tallahassee Regional final.
2002 0–2.000Lost to Florida Atlantic and Alabama in the Tuscaloosa Regional.
2003 2–2.500Eliminated by Ohio St. in the Auburn Regional final.
2005 2–2.500Eliminated by Florida St. in the Tallahassee Regional final.
2010 3–2.600Eliminated by Clemson in the Auburn Regional final.
2015 1–2.333Eliminated by College of Charleston in the Tallahassee Regional semi-final.
2017 2–2.500Eliminated by Florida St. in the Tallahassee Regional final.
2018 3–01.000Winner of Raleigh Regional. Eliminated by Florida Gators in the Gainesville Super Regional.
2019 5–3.625Winner of Atlanta Regional. Defeated North Carolina in the Chapel Hill Super Regional; College World Series (7th Place)
2022 5–1.833Winner of Auburn Regional. Defeated Oregon State in the Corvallis Super Regional; College World Series (5th Place)
2023 0–2.000Eliminated by Southern Miss in the Auburn Regional.
TOTALS

Auburn's first-team All-Americans

PlayerPositionYear(s)Selectors
Larry Nichols Third Base 1962ABCA
Q.V. Lowe Pitcher 1967ABCA
Gregg Olson Pitcher1987, 1988ABCA, BA
Frank Thomas First Base 1989ABCA, BA
John Powell Pitcher1993BA
Jay Waggoner First Base1994NCBWA
Mark Bellhorn Shortstop 1995ABCA
Ryan Halla Pitcher1995ABCA, NCBWA
Tim Hudson Pitcher1997ABCA, BA, CB, NCBWA
Todd Faulkner First Base2000ABCA, BA, CB, NCBWA
Gabe Gross Outfield 2000ABCA, BA, CB, NCBWA, LS
Steve Register Pitcher2003NCBWA
Hunter Morris First Base2010ABCA, BA, & NCBWA
Ryan BlissShortstop2021NCBWA
Source: "SEC All-Americas". secsports.com. Archived from the original on May 28, 2008. Retrieved July 24, 2008.

ABCA: American Baseball Coaches Association BA: Baseball America CB: Collegiate Baseball NCBWA: National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association LS: Louisville Slugger
Denotes consensus All-American

Player awards

National awards

Tim Hudson (1997)
Hayden Gliemmo (1998)
Pat Duke (1958)

SEC Awards

Tim Hudson (1997)
Hunter Morris (2010)
Hunter Morris (2008)

Coaches awards

SEC Awards

Dell Morgan (1937)
Joe Connally (1958)
Paul Nix (1963, 1967, 1976, 1978)

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southeastern Conference</span> Collegiate athletics conference operating primarily in the southeastern United States

The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ten states, three additional public land-grant universities, and one private research university. The conference is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. The SEC participates in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I in sports competitions; for football it is part of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auburn University</span> Public university in Auburn, Alabama, US

Auburn University is a public land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama, US. With more than 26,800 undergraduate students, over 6,100 post-graduate students, and a total enrollment of more than 33,000 students with 1,330 faculty members, Auburn is the second-largest university in Alabama. It is one of the state's two flagship public universities. The university is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very High Research Activity".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auburn Tigers</span> Athletic teams representing Auburn University

The Auburn Tigers are the athletic teams representing Auburn University, a public four-year coeducational university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. The Auburn Tigers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beard–Eaves–Memorial Coliseum</span> Coliseum on the Auburn University campus

Beard–Eaves–Memorial Coliseum is a 10,500-seat multi-purpose arena on the campus of Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. The arena, which opened in 1969, is best known as the former home of the Auburn men's and women's basketball, women's gymnastics, and wrestling teams. The teams finished their stays at the facility at the end of the 2009–10 season, with all of its tenants moving into the new Auburn Arena opening in time for the 2010–11 season. In addition to sports, numerous concerts were held in the facility. The coliseum continues to house athletics offices as well as classrooms and office space for Auburn's Department of Geosciences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auburn Tigers football</span> Football program

The Auburn Tigers football program represents Auburn University in the sport of American college football. Auburn competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plainsman Park</span> Baseball park at Auburn University

Plainsman Park, officially Samford Stadium – Hitchcock Field at Plainsman Park, is the college baseball venue for the Auburn University Tigers. As of 2015, its seating capacity is 4,096. In 2003, Baseball America rated the facility the best college baseball venue in the country. The park's signature is its 37-foot (11 m) high left field fence, which is 315 feet (96 m) from home plate. The home team bullpen is located behind the left field fence, forcing media in the press box to use monitors to determine who is warming up.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunny Golloway</span>

Sunny Golloway is the head baseball coach at NCAA Division II East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma. His most recent stint as head baseball coach of a NCAA Division I institution was at Auburn. He was fired September 27, 2015. He succeeded coach John Pawlowski. Golloway was hired by Auburn University on June 14, 2013. Prior to becoming the head coach of Auburn, he was the head coach at Oklahoma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neville Arena</span> Gymnasium on the Auburn University campus

Neville Arena, formerly Auburn Arena, is a 9,121-seat multi-purpose arena in Auburn, Alabama, on the campus of Auburn University. Built in 2010 to replace Beard–Eaves–Memorial Coliseum, the $86 million facility is the home of the Auburn Tigers men's and women's basketball, women's gymnastics, and women's volleyball teams. It is located on the west side of the Auburn campus, near Wire Road between Thach Avenue and Heisman Drive. Aside from the main court, the arena also contains two practice courts, a weight room, 12 suites, coaches offices, the Auburn Ticket Office, and the Lovelace Athletic Museum. The outside of the arena features a large monument to the Auburn Creed and a statue of former Auburn men's basketball player Charles Barkley.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 Auburn Tigers football team</span> American college football season

The 2007 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University during the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Head coach Tommy Tuberville returned for his ninth season at Auburn, the third longest tenure among SEC head coaches in 2007. He was joined by returning offensive coordinator Al Borges and returning defensive coordinator Will Muschamp. Auburn played its eight-game home schedule at Jordan–Hare Stadium, the ninth largest on-campus stadium in the NCAA in 2007, seating 87,451. Conference foe Vanderbilt returned to the schedule while non-conference opponents South Florida and Tennessee Tech played the Tigers for the first time. The Tigers finished the season ranked #14 in the Coaches Poll and #15 in the AP Poll.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1993 Auburn Tigers football team</span> American college football season

The 1993 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University in the 1993 NCAA Division I-A football season. Under first-year head coach Terry Bowden, the team went undefeated with a record of 11–0 and finished #4 in the AP Poll. Due to NCAA probation, Auburn was banned from TV and post-season play, and suffered reduced scholarships. The post-season ban prevented Auburn from playing the SEC Championship and a bowl game. Nonetheless, Auburn was the only major college football team to finish the season undefeated. The National Championship Foundation recognized Auburn as one of its four co-national champions; however, Auburn University only formally recognizes championships for the 1957 and 2010 seasons, although the official website for Auburn athletics does highlight the 1993 team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Pawlowski</span> American baseball player and coach (born 1963)

John Pawlowski is an American baseball coach and former pitcher. He played college baseball at Clemson for coach Bill Wilhelm from 1983 to 1985 and in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 2 seasons from 1987 to 1988. He then served as head coach of the College of Charleston Cougars (2000–2008), the Auburn Tigers (2009–2013) and the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (2016–2022).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samford Bulldogs</span> Collegiate sports club in the United States

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David E. Housel has been the director of athletics emeritus at Auburn University since January 2006. He is a former director of athletics for the Auburn Tigers Athletics Department. He was named Auburn's 13th Director of Athletics on April 1, 1994, after working in almost every area of the Auburn Athletic Department for the previous 25 years. He has dedicated more than 40 years to Auburn University, and was the athletic department's sports information director from 1981-94.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 LSU Tigers baseball team</span>

The 2013 LSU Tigers baseball team represents Louisiana State University in the NCAA Division I baseball season of 2013. The Tigers played their home games in the new Alex Box Stadium, which opened in 2009. On May 17, 2013, the playing field at Alex Box Stadium was designated Skip Bertman Field, in honor of the LSU coach with the most wins in the program's history. At the end of the game against Ole Miss, the program celebrated the best regular season record in its history with 48 wins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Auburn Tigers softball team</span>

The 2016 Auburn Tigers softball team is an American softball team, representing Auburn University for the 2016 NCAA softball season. The Auburn Tigers play their home games at Jane B. Moore Field.

The Auburn Tigers football team represents Auburn University in American football.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Auburn Tigers baseball team</span> American college baseball season

The 2024 Auburn Tigers baseball team represents Auburn University in the 2024 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Tigers play their home games at Plainsman Park.

References

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