Baseball prospects as the regular season comes to a close

[AU64 10,122]

Seems to me that UF did not get the message that this is the small ball era.  Florida has 61 for the season while AU has 31 which puts us in the same range as Ark, LSU and Ole Miss....meanwhile Ky has more than 50.

Meanwhile, Fla also in the top ten in fielding percent while we are 194th.....that stat alone probably accounts for much of the difference in team W-L records for the season.   

Our hitting and OB percent is quite good but scoring is another story....ranked 53 but expect if we took out the games with FAMU and a couple other teams like that we would see a major drop.  Basically we get the guys on base but just can't get enough of them across the plate.

All in all, the team perfromance does not seem to rate an NCAA bid and 10th in the SEC is about right.

We are losing a few good seniors and a couple of our better players have been troublesome and I wonder if they come back.

I'm have a hard time convincing myself that the program is moving in the right direction.

[waregl87 0]

[b]I'm have a hard time convincing myself that the program is moving in the right direction.[/b]

^Agreed, and that's a problem.

I'll get behind Pawlowski for one more year b/c he's going to get another year and I don't really have a choice, but if we can't finish somewhere in the middle and get a 6-8 seed in next year's SEC tournament, he needs to go. This team has terribly regressed since 2010.

[nightranger44 3]

Please keep in mind that this team was picked to come in dead last. Also...keep in mind that this team turned over 17 players last year....thats an awful lot. I agree with some comments....but i still think that JP has this program moving in the right direction. This years team wasnt as talented as in recent years but pulled off some impressive wins...also some bad losses which goes hand in hand with with a very young team. JP is a great recruiter, so that alot go pro before they hit campus, but wouldnt you rather get the best and hope that a few get here? I truly believe that this team will be vastly improved with a year under its belt....also i love that JP pulled Yak after not sliding....dont know what happened and would never criticize a young man when i dont know why....but if either a missed sign or given up on a play, the message was sent..anyways  hang in there guys....this team will be there in a couple of seasons

[AuburnEngineer 0]

Please keep in mind that this team was picked to come in dead last. Also...keep in mind that this team turned over 17 players last year....thats an awful lot. I agree with some comments....but i still think that JP has this program moving in the right direction. This years team wasnt as talented as in recent years but pulled off some impressive wins...also some bad losses which goes hand in hand with with a very young team. JP is a great recruiter, so that alot go pro before they hit campus, but wouldnt you rather get the best and hope that a few get here? I truly believe that this team will be vastly improved with a year under its belt....also i love that JP pulled Yak after not sliding....dont know what happened and would never criticize a young man when i dont know why....but if either a missed sign or given up on a play, the message was sent..anyways   hang in there guys....this team will be there in a couple of seasons

We were picked to be dead last with a coach that has been there for ? years? And you think that's a program that's going in the right direction? 

[nightranger44 3]

Are u kidding me?  17 new players??  really....really....It wouldnt matter if Tony Larussa was managing the team. I still think that the accomplishments were better than predicted. What I really don't understand is the incredible impatience exhibited by some posters...This program has  been very bad for a long, long time. It takes a while for reputation to rebuild. I fully realize that making the SEC tourney isnt as big as it used to be, but 3 years in a row in the toughest league in D1 college baseball isnt to shabby either. This team beat all the teams (midweek) it should have. Lost some SEC games it shouldnt have but won some it shouldnt of too. I don't care who was coaching, the errors clearly killed this team....Not to mention losing a quality starter......

[AuburnTigers1 0]

Are u kidding me?  17 new players??  really....really....It wouldnt matter if Tony Larussa was managing the team. I still think that the accomplishments were better than predicted. What I really don't understand is the incredible impatience exhibited by some posters...This program has  been very bad for a long, long time. It takes a while for reputation to rebuild. I fully realize that making the SEC tourney isnt as big as it used to be, but 3 years in a row in the toughest league in D1 college baseball isnt to shabby either. This team beat all the teams (midweek) it should have. Lost some SEC games it shouldnt have but won some it shouldnt of too. I don't care who was coaching, the errors clearly killed this team....Not to mention losing a quality starter......

Speaking to the errors: Is JP not in control of this baseball team? We didn't get better at fielding this year. We got worse. Why? Were we practicing our bunting the entire practice? I'll buy some of what you're saying about impatience. I'm running very thin on patience with JP. Some is warranted I feel. However, we haven't improved any at all during the course of this season. As a matter of fact we got worse. That's where my biggest issue is.

[PowerOfDixieland 3,236]

It takes a while for reputation to rebuild.

Reputation is what others think you are. 

This team beat all the teams (midweek) it should have.

No, they really didn't.  Might want to double check the schedule/results.

I don't care who was coaching, the errors clearly killed this team....

If he's recruiting great players, and teaching them proper fundamentals ("coaching"), this would not be an issue.

[AU64 10,122]

A bunch of new players every year is what college baseball is all about.  Kids turn pro, come from JC and only have a couple years eligibility... and with scholarship limitations, some don't get enough financial support to continue playing....which is also a reason kids turn pro even though they are getting very little money to sign. 

For the most part, baseball is not a team game.  Baseball is about individual players who hit the ball, catch the ball, throw the ball and run the bases.    Granted there are some team moments in a game...like with fly balls ("I got it..oops, you take it") and a few other situations but basically it's a team sport played by a bunch of individuals and incoming players should be able to fit into a team's scheme pretty easily. 

If you look at the team this year, there were only a couple true freshmen that played regularly and they were pitchers.  All the other position players had a least a year of baseball beyond HS.  And as  noted above, you would think that young players would improve during the season.

Today's game is against a top team and should mean a lot to Auburn. It will be interesting to see how the team responds.

[TigerPaw1 0]

Are u kidding me?  17 new players??  really....really....It wouldnt matter if Tony Larussa was managing the team. I still think that the accomplishments were better than predicted. What I really don't understand is the incredible impatience exhibited by some posters...This program has  been very bad for a long, long time. It takes a while for reputation to rebuild. I fully realize that making the SEC tourney isnt as big as it used to be, but 3 years in a row in the toughest league in D1 college baseball isnt to shabby either. This team beat all the teams (midweek) it should have. Lost some SEC games it shouldnt have but won some it shouldnt of too. I don't care who was coaching, the errors clearly killed this team....Not to mention losing a quality starter......

I'm sorry but have you watched this team play? I know you are close to CJP and therefore have a little biased of opinion but this is one of the worst coached teams I have seen at Auburn. We can't make the simple routine baseball plays on defense. We repeatedly get thrown out on the basepaths due to poor baserunning errors. We are so erratic in our handling of pitchers and I still can't get over back to back squeeze calls!!! I think CJP is a quality guy that does a solid job recruiting however as a coach he has been sub par. We only made the tourney this year because they expanded it to 10 teams. I believe he deserves one more season but if we come out and still can't play defense and make the same dumb baserunning errors then he should be gone

[wareagle13 88]

Are u kidding me?  17 new players??  really....really....It wouldnt matter if Tony Larussa was managing the team. I still think that the accomplishments were better than predicted. What I really don't understand is the incredible impatience exhibited by some posters...This program has  been very bad for a long, long time. It takes a while for reputation to rebuild. I fully realize that making the SEC tourney isnt as big as it used to be, but 3 years in a row in the toughest league in D1 college baseball isnt to shabby either. This team beat all the teams (midweek) it should have. Lost some SEC games it shouldnt have but won some it shouldnt of too. I don't care who was coaching, the errors clearly killed this team....Not to mention losing a quality starter......

I'm sorry but have you watched this team play? I know you are close to CJP and therefore have a little biased of opinion but this is one of the worst coached teams I have seen at Auburn. We can't make the simple routine baseball plays on defense. We repeatedly get thrown out on the basepaths due to poor baserunning errors. We are so erratic in our handling of pitchers and I still can't get over back to back squeeze calls!!! I think CJP is a quality guy that does a solid job recruiting however as a coach he has been sub par. We only made the tourney this year because they expanded it to 10 teams. I believe he deserves one more season but if we come out and still can't play defense and make the same dumb baserunning errors then he should be gone

I have to agree, it's the mental things that are killing this team, and the mental things are where the coach is suppose to be his best. Pure athletic ability is on the player, strength and conditioning is on the S&C coach, and the mental aspect is on the coaches/players, and strategy is on the coaches.

I didn't agree with the small ball strategy we took into this season. Are team was built as a line drive ball club but he's asking us to play for 1 run with all the squeezing and base stealing. The evidence is there if you don't believe me. Also the pitching changes have been atrociously handled, that's about all I can say about that...

[80Tiger 909]

Are u kidding me?  17 new players??  really....really....It wouldnt matter if Tony Larussa was managing the team. I still think that the accomplishments were better than predicted. What I really don't understand is the incredible impatience exhibited by some posters...This program has  been very bad for a long, long time. It takes a while for reputation to rebuild. I fully realize that making the SEC tourney isnt as big as it used to be, but 3 years in a row in the toughest league in D1 college baseball isnt to shabby either. This team beat all the teams (midweek) it should have. Lost some SEC games it shouldnt have but won some it shouldnt of too. I don't care who was coaching, the errors clearly killed this team....Not to mention losing a quality starter......

Lets tell the whole story. yes 17 new players but 19 returning lettermen, and of the 17 new players, 6 are JC transfers, so that is 25 players with college experience. I guess that is lot of new players, but UF had 15 new players this year and only 18 returning lettermen. Just saying

[AU64 10,122]

I accept that UF has some big recruiting advantages over AU and the Mississippi schools...and it's not the coaching IMO...though that might be a factor.  Some of those UF guys will likely be gone to the pros after one year.  The SEC east schools all have a major advantage in the amount of scholarship aid they can offer but money alone does not guarantee a good baseball program. 

Do an analysis of the seaon stats and AU is pretty competitive on the offensive stats....BA, OBP, steals,etc....but two big negatives stand out....fielding percentage and LOB.  Better performance on the latter two would have brought us a good number of additional wins.

[Guayascate 0]

Coach P is a quality guy who does things the right way.  A lot of our issues go back to the siegelman administration and the failure to get the lottery bill passed. Would we be as competitive in football if we could only give 15 schollys and everyone else could give 25?  Everyone bit--ing here needs to stroke a check for 5 gs so we can build a practice field and build a locker room and player assembly areas.  Also don't forget we lost one of our top pitchers to an arm injury. War Eagle always.

[Tigerbelle 5,299]

Coach P is a quality guy who does things the right way.  A lot of our issues go back to the siegelman administration and the failure to get the lottery bill passed. Would we be as competitive in football if we could only give 15 schollys and everyone else could give 25?  Everyone bit--ing here needs to stroke a check for 5 gs so we can build a practice field and build a locker room and player assembly areas.  Also don't forget we lost one of our top pitchers to an arm injury. War Eagle always.

You are exactly right. WDE!

[aubcali 538]

Coach P is a quality guy who does things the right way.  A lot of our issues go back to the siegelman administration and the failure to get the lottery bill passed. Would we be as competitive in football if we could only give 15 schollys and everyone else could give 25?  Everyone bit--ing here needs to stroke a check for 5 gs so we can build a practice field and build a locker room and player assembly areas.  Also don't forget we lost one of our top pitchers to an arm injury. War Eagle always.

You are exactly right. WDE!

Good post.