Preseason Rankings

[WarEagle10 77]

I was reading War Eagle Extra. Aaron says we are picked dead last in the West. <sigh>

AUBURN, Ala. — Arkansas is ranked No. 1 in the preseason USA Today baseball coaches’ poll nationally, and the SEC managers acted accordingly in projecting the experience-laden Razorbacks to wear the league crown.

Arkansas returns five position players and ten pitchers from last year’s team, which made the College World Series semifinals. The Hogs garnered 9 of 14 first-place votes, with three coaches favoring Vanderbilt, one picking Kentucky and another taking LSU. (Coaches could not vote for their own team.)

Auburn, coming off a 31-28 season (13-17 SEC), is tabbed to finish in last place in the SEC West, getting two less votes than Alabama. The Tigers have not won a postseason SEC tournament since 1998, and are seeking their first regular season title since 1976.

Teams open season in non-conference play Friday, and league series begin March 15. The SEC Tournament will be held May 21-26 in Hoover, Ala.

That is kind of disturbing.

For what its worth, Baseball America picks Auburn to make the field of 64. But to finish 6th in the SEC West.

I hope Baseball America knows what they are talking about.

[Mikey 16,630]

Quote: "Since 1999 when the bats were really toned down, it has been pitching that wins championships more often than not."

Maybe, but having the best hitting team in Auburn's history in 2010 should have got us the SEC tournament title or regular season title and at least an NCAA regional tournament title. If you watched that team much, you saw the silly coaching decisions that kept us from accomplishing anything beyond a gaudy won/loss record.

Example: SEC Sunday game where you know it will take around 10 runs to win. First inning, leadoff batter hits a double. .390 power hitter at the plate, .400 power hitter on deck and a .375 power hitter in the hole. So we waste two outs on failed bunts attempting to bunt the guy to THIRD when somebody's Sunday pitcher could have never gotten all of those three guys out. The list goes on and it didn't stop with 2010.

Baseball isn't like the other major sports. Turnover is much higher, there is more reliance on JUCO guys and a team's personnel changes in a hurry. There is no excuse for our team to be picked last in the SEC west going into a coach's fifth year. Are predictions 100% accurate? No, but that's not my point. By year five a coach should have his program getting more respect than that. Coach Paw hasn't done it.

To copy a saying from the major leagues: "In April everybody is a pennant winner." AU fans can sit around and talk about how good the players look in practice, but there's no allowance in there for the horrible base running or four-error innings is there?

[Cajun 0]

Quote: "Since 1999 when the bats were really toned down, it has been pitching that wins championships more often than not."

Maybe, but having the best hitting team in Auburn's history in 2010 should have got us the SEC tournament title or regular season title and at least an NCAA regional tournament title. If you watched that team much, you saw the silly coaching decisions that kept us from accomplishing anything beyond a gaudy won/loss record.

Example: SEC Sunday game where you know it will take around 10 runs to win. First inning, leadoff batter hits a double. .390 power hitter at the plate, .400 power hitter on deck and a .375 power hitter in the hole. So we waste two outs on failed bunts attempting to bunt the guy to THIRD when somebody's Sunday pitcher could have never gotten all of those three guys out. The list goes on and it didn't stop with 2010.

Baseball isn't like the other major sports. Turnover is much higher, there is more reliance on JUCO guys and a team's personnel changes in a hurry. There is no excuse for our team to be picked last in the SEC west going into a coach's fifth year. Are predictions 100% accurate? No, but that's not my point. By year five a coach should have his program getting more respect than that. Coach Paw hasn't done it.

To copy a saying from the major leagues: "In April everybody is a pennant winner." AU fans can sit around and talk about how good the players look in practice, but there's no allowance in there for the horrible base running or four-error innings is there?

Do you think Hal Baird was a great coach?

[Mikey 16,630]

Quote: "Since 1999 when the bats were really toned down, it has been pitching that wins championships more often than not."

Maybe, but having the best hitting team in Auburn's history in 2010 should have got us the SEC tournament title or regular season title and at least an NCAA regional tournament title. If you watched that team much, you saw the silly coaching decisions that kept us from accomplishing anything beyond a gaudy won/loss record.

Example: SEC Sunday game where you know it will take around 10 runs to win. First inning, leadoff batter hits a double. .390 power hitter at the plate, .400 power hitter on deck and a .375 power hitter in the hole. So we waste two outs on failed bunts attempting to bunt the guy to THIRD when somebody's Sunday pitcher could have never gotten all of those three guys out. The list goes on and it didn't stop with 2010.

Baseball isn't like the other major sports. Turnover is much higher, there is more reliance on JUCO guys and a team's personnel changes in a hurry. There is no excuse for our team to be picked last in the SEC west going into a coach's fifth year. Are predictions 100% accurate? No, but that's not my point. By year five a coach should have his program getting more respect than that. Coach Paw hasn't done it.

To copy a saying from the major leagues: "In April everybody is a pennant winner." AU fans can sit around and talk about how good the players look in practice, but there's no allowance in there for the horrible base running or four-error innings is there?

Do you think Hal Baird was a great coach?

No, but I think he was a good coach. Unlike those that have followed him, he was a good enough coach to keep his job. Steve Renfroe wasn't as good as Baird, but he was better than the two we've had since Renfroe was fired.

[Cajun 0]

Quote: "Since 1999 when the bats were really toned down, it has been pitching that wins championships more often than not."

Maybe, but having the best hitting team in Auburn's history in 2010 should have got us the SEC tournament title or regular season title and at least an NCAA regional tournament title. If you watched that team much, you saw the silly coaching decisions that kept us from accomplishing anything beyond a gaudy won/loss record.

Example: SEC Sunday game where you know it will take around 10 runs to win. First inning, leadoff batter hits a double. .390 power hitter at the plate, .400 power hitter on deck and a .375 power hitter in the hole. So we waste two outs on failed bunts attempting to bunt the guy to THIRD when somebody's Sunday pitcher could have never gotten all of those three guys out. The list goes on and it didn't stop with 2010.

Baseball isn't like the other major sports. Turnover is much higher, there is more reliance on JUCO guys and a team's personnel changes in a hurry. There is no excuse for our team to be picked last in the SEC west going into a coach's fifth year. Are predictions 100% accurate? No, but that's not my point. By year five a coach should have his program getting more respect than that. Coach Paw hasn't done it.

To copy a saying from the major leagues: "In April everybody is a pennant winner." AU fans can sit around and talk about how good the players look in practice, but there's no allowance in there for the horrible base running or four-error innings is there?

Do you think Hal Baird was a great coach?

No, but I think he was a good coach. Unlike those that have followed him, he was a good enough coach to keep his job. Steve Renfroe wasn't as good as Baird, but he was better than the two we've had since Renfroe was fired.

Baird couldn't get the only #1 ranked team in America in Auburn history to Omaha and Renfroe couldn't get a national seed to Omaha. Paws won more SEC games in a single season than either. All 3 are good coaches. Baird wasn't very good for first few years until Big Hurt fell into his lap as he inherited a mess. Paws inherited a pitching and defensive mess from Slater and it doesn't change overnight at Auburn. It's not as if Paws has tanked it which is what the doom and gloom crowd makes it out to be. And I love how people think everything are "Little League" errors when they have no clue as to the inner workings of our program and what causes the problems we have. Instead we just doom and gloom. He has to win - everybody knows that. That horse is beat to death.

[AU64 10,122]

When Baird was coach, the scholarship thing was balanced across the conference. That was before a number of states started their lottery programs that made it possible for some schools to reserve some of their baseball schollys for out of state players or kids who did not qualify for their state's lottery funded scholarships.

Baird also had the benefit of some football players who were allowed to participate in baseball too....Thomas, Bo, Gabe...and probably others who were not as notable. I don't recall the last serious multi-sport athlete at AU.

As I understand it, and unless things have recently changed, unlike football or basketball, kids are allowed to attend college to play baseball in a number of states using non-athletic scholarships.... and their participation does not count against the number of NCAA approved scholarships for that sport.

Check this piece: http://www.hsbaseballweb.com/11.7_scholarships.htm

Many things have changed in the past dozen or so years and the playing field is not level in SEC baseball. Auburn people need to understand what JP is up against.

[Mikey 16,630]

As I noted above, baseball turns over pretty fast. Guys leaving after their jr. years for the pro draft and a lot of JUCO guys being brought in makes for fast turnover of personnel. Yet here we are going into the fifth year of a coach's term with his team picked dead last in the division.

In five years Coach Pawloski has done nothing to gain respect in the eyes of those that pick such things. That should be a clue about how things are going right there.

The lottery funded scholarships are a slight disadvantage at best. As I stated above, if they made all that much difference the entire CWS field would be schools from lottery states. That's not the case. In the SEC, Vanderbilt, anyone? Ol' Miss, MSU? Why are these teams so much better than Auburn? If the lottery mattered that much, those guys would be at the bottom with us. They aren't there, we're looking up at them.

[Cajun 0]

As I noted above, baseball turns over pretty fast. Guys leaving after their jr. years for the pro draft and a lot of JUCO guys being brought in makes for fast turnover of personnel. Yet here we are going into the fifth year of a coach's term with his team picked dead last in the division.

In five years Coach Pawloski has done nothing to gain respect in the eyes of those that pick such things. That should be a clue about how things are going right there.

The lottery funded scholarships are a slight disadvantage at best. As I stated above, if they made all that much difference the entire CWS field would be schools from lottery states. That's not the case. In the SEC, Vanderbilt, anyone? Ol' Miss, MSU? Why are these teams so much better than Auburn? If the lottery mattered that much, those guys would be at the bottom with us. They aren't there, we're looking up at them.

You obviously haven't paid attention to the top programs like LSU and SC who have 3 and 4 year starters regularly. The fast turnover teams are not the ones that are consistently successful. Paws is working towards that but it does not happen overnight at Auburn. Do you even understand endowed schollies at Vandy or zero out of state tuition at Miss State and Old Miss?

[WarEagle10 77]

Quote: "Since 1999 when the bats were really toned down, it has been pitching that wins championships more often than not."

Maybe, but having the best hitting team in Auburn's history in 2010 should have got us the SEC tournament title or regular season title and at least an NCAA regional tournament title. If you watched that team much, you saw the silly coaching decisions that kept us from accomplishing anything beyond a gaudy won/loss record.

Example: SEC Sunday game where you know it will take around 10 runs to win. First inning, leadoff batter hits a double. .390 power hitter at the plate, .400 power hitter on deck and a .375 power hitter in the hole. So we waste two outs on failed bunts attempting to bunt the guy to THIRD when somebody's Sunday pitcher could have never gotten all of those three guys out. The list goes on and it didn't stop with 2010.

Baseball isn't like the other major sports. Turnover is much higher, there is more reliance on JUCO guys and a team's personnel changes in a hurry. There is no excuse for our team to be picked last in the SEC west going into a coach's fifth year. Are predictions 100% accurate? No, but that's not my point. By year five a coach should have his program getting more respect than that. Coach Paw hasn't done it.

To copy a saying from the major leagues: "In April everybody is a pennant winner." AU fans can sit around and talk about how good the players look in practice, but there's no allowance in there for the horrible base running or four-error innings is there?

Do you think Hal Baird was a great coach?

No, but I think he was a good coach. Unlike those that have followed him, he was a good enough coach to keep his job. Steve Renfroe wasn't as good as Baird, but he was better than the two we've had since Renfroe was fired.

Baird couldn't get the only #1 ranked team in America in Auburn history to Omaha and Renfroe couldn't get a national seed to Omaha. Paws won more SEC games in a single season than either. All 3 are good coaches. Baird wasn't very good for first few years until Big Hurt fell into his lap as he inherited a mess. Paws inherited a pitching and defensive mess from Slater and it doesn't change overnight at Auburn. It's not as if Paws has tanked it which is what the doom and gloom crowd makes it out to be. And I love how people think everything are "Little League" errors when they have no clue as to the inner workings of our program and what causes the problems we have. Instead we just doom and gloom. He has to win - everybody knows that. That horse is beat to death.

I don't know the x's and o's of football. However, after yearssssssssssss of playing basbeall, I do understand the x's and o's of baseball. Our teams, under Coach Pawl, have been atrocious fundamentally. OF over throwing cut-off men, giving runners extra bases, is a common occurrence. That will cost you games. Not being able to execute a simple bunt, to move somebody over, will cost you games. We are horrible at this. Working your butt off, to get a lead, then having a pitcher come out and walk the lead-off hitter will cost you games. We do this often. Our teams, the last few years, are some of the most fundamentally unsound teams you will ever find at any level. It is obvious. You just have to watch the team play to see it. This starts and ends with coaching.

[PowerOfDixieland 3,226]

And I love how people think everything are "Little League" errors when they have no clue as to the inner workings of our program and what causes the problems we have. Instead we just doom and gloom. He has to win - everybody knows that. That horse is beat to death.

Auburn is 58-62 in conference play over the last four seasons. That would have been unacceptable for Baird, Renfroe and Slater. 2010 is quickly becoming an anomaly. Not doom and gloom, just not good enough. The "inner workings of our program" excuse is laughable (I've lived it). Either you win or you don't, and you accept the results or you don't.

[Mikey 16,630]

You obviously haven't paid attention to the top programs like LSU and SC who have 3 and 4 year starters regularly. The fast turnover teams are not the ones that are consistently successful. Paws is working towards that but it does not happen overnight at Auburn. Do you even understand endowed schollies at Vandy or zero out of state tuition at Miss State and Old Miss?

I understand that if Vandy gives a baseball player a scholarship, it counts against their 11.25 limit. "Endowed" has no advantage to it. I also understand that out of state tuition rates at the Mississippi schools has zero effect on Auburn's lack of success.

Instead of repeating things for the third or fourth time, I'll just refer you to WarEagle10'a post, just two above. '10 did mention something I'd failed to mention earlier, that being pitchers consistently walking the leadoff batter. Coach Paw's teams do things on the field that make it immaterial who has what advantage with regard to scholarships and so forth. His teams simply aren't being taught how to play the game properly. If his players came to Auburn with at least a Babe Ruth League or high school background, he is not reinforcing fundamental baseball at all. The kids have to be going backwards because at some point in their baseball playing days they knew better.

[Cajun 0]

You obviously haven't paid attention to the top programs like LSU and SC who have 3 and 4 year starters regularly. The fast turnover teams are not the ones that are consistently successful. Paws is working towards that but it does not happen overnight at Auburn. Do you even understand endowed schollies at Vandy or zero out of state tuition at Miss State and Old Miss?

I understand that if Vandy gives a baseball player a scholarship, it counts against their 11.25 limit. "Endowed" has no advantage to it. I also understand that out of state tuition rates at the Mississippi schools has zero effect on Auburn's lack of success.

Instead of repeating things for the third or fourth time, I'll just refer you to WarEagle10'a post, just two above. '10 did mention something I'd failed to mention earlier, that being pitchers consistently walking the leadoff batter. Coach Paw's teams do things on the field that make it immaterial who has what advantage with regard to scholarships and so forth. His teams simply aren't being taught how to play the game properly. If his players came to Auburn with at least a Babe Ruth League or high school background, he is not reinforcing fundamental baseball at all. The kids have to be going backwards because at some point in their baseball playing days they knew better.

Endowed means they can give full rides academically to whomever they want OUTSIDE of the 11.25 ATHLETIC scholarships. Being private means they can give a less academically stellar baseball prospect a full academic ride over an Albert Einstein Jr who scores a 1600 on the SAT. Non privately endowed schools do not have that ability. The discussion was about scholarships and you quickly bowed out of that when the facts didn't line up.

I would be willing to bet that not a single person in this thread besides me has ever been to an Auburn practice under Paws. Has no idea how they drill and therefore cannot accurately determine the root cause to the problems defensively. And to say that players are being coached so poorly that they digress is asinine. The problem has historically been lack of TALENTED depth for competition which is a direct result of scholarship limitations. We have never been a consistently great defensive team. A few bright moments here and there but nothing consistent. And for those that want to pretend like we never made plenty of fundamental errors under other head coaches, you have selective memory.

[Mikey 16,630]

You obviously haven't paid attention to the top programs like LSU and SC who have 3 and 4 year starters regularly. The fast turnover teams are not the ones that are consistently successful. Paws is working towards that but it does not happen overnight at Auburn. Do you even understand endowed schollies at Vandy or zero out of state tuition at Miss State and Old Miss?

I understand that if Vandy gives a baseball player a scholarship, it counts against their 11.25 limit. "Endowed" has no advantage to it. I also understand that out of state tuition rates at the Mississippi schools has zero effect on Auburn's lack of success.

Instead of repeating things for the third or fourth time, I'll just refer you to WarEagle10'a post, just two above. '10 did mention something I'd failed to mention earlier, that being pitchers consistently walking the leadoff batter. Coach Paw's teams do things on the field that make it immaterial who has what advantage with regard to scholarships and so forth. His teams simply aren't being taught how to play the game properly. If his players came to Auburn with at least a Babe Ruth League or high school background, he is not reinforcing fundamental baseball at all. The kids have to be going backwards because at some point in their baseball playing days they knew better.

Endowed means they can give full rides academically to whomever they want OUTSIDE of the 11.25 ATHLETIC scholarships. Being private means they can give a less academically stellar baseball prospect a full academic ride over an Albert Einstein Jr who scores a 1600 on the SAT. Non privately endowed schools do not have that ability. The discussion was about scholarships and you quickly bowed out of that when the facts didn't line up.

No it does not. They cannot give academic scholarships to baseball players that otherwise would not qualify for them. That is a #1 no-no in the NCAA's rule book. Bryant tried that with football players at UAT and got slapped down.

Endowed means that the money is there, permanently, to fund the 11.25 scholarships a year, nothing more. Being a private vs. public school has nothing to do with baseball or other athletic scholarship limits. If the private schools had such an advantage, there would be no public school win an NCAA championship in any sport.

[AU64 10,122]

schol

You obviously haven't paid attention to the top programs like LSU and SC who have 3 and 4 year starters regularly. The fast turnover teams are not the ones that are consistently successful. Paws is working towards that but it does not happen overnight at Auburn. Do you even understand endowed schollies at Vandy or zero out of state tuition at Miss State and Old Miss?

I understand that if Vandy gives a baseball player a scholarship, it counts against their 11.25 limit. "Endowed" has no advantage to it. I also understand that out of state tuition rates at the Mississippi schools has zero effect on Auburn's lack of success.

Instead of repeating things for the third or fourth time, I'll just refer you to WarEagle10'a post, just two above. '10 did mention something I'd failed to mention earlier, that being pitchers consistently walking the leadoff batter. Coach Paw's teams do things on the field that make it immaterial who has what advantage with regard to scholarships and so forth. His teams simply aren't being taught how to play the game properly. If his players came to Auburn with at least a Babe Ruth League or high school background, he is not reinforcing fundamental baseball at all. The kids have to be going backwards because at some point in their baseball playing days they knew better.

Endowed means they can give full rides academically to whomever they want OUTSIDE of the 11.25 ATHLETIC scholarships. Being private means they can give a less academically stellar baseball prospect a full academic ride over an Albert Einstein Jr who scores a 1600 on the SAT. Non privately endowed schools do not have that ability. The discussion was about scholarships and you quickly bowed out of that when the facts didn't line up.

No it does not. They cannot give academic scholarships to baseball players that otherwise would not qualify for them. That is a #1 no-no in the NCAA's rule book. Bryant tried that with football players at UAT and got slapped down.

Endowed means that the money is there, permanently, to fund the 11.25 scholarships a year, nothing more. Being a private vs. public school has nothing to do with baseball or other athletic scholarship limits. If the private schools had such an advantage, there would be no public school win an NCAA championship in any sport.

Scholarship rules for football and basketball are not the same as other sports...no split scholarships for example. The minor sports have limits on how many total scholarship units the school can give...and for example if a football scholarship player were to also play baseball, he does not count against the baseball limitation...but on the other hand if a kid playing on a baseball scholarship were to play football, he would count against the football limits.

Schools can give non-athletic scholarship aid to kids who play baseball, swim, golf, etc. to their heart's content....which is why the HOPE scholarships in Ga don't count against the UGa baseball scholarship iimit...or why heavily endowed schools like Vandy have some flexibility about awarding academic scholarships to athletes.

JMO but these are not "slight' disadvantages.

And speaking of endowments, did you know that AU ranks 12th out of 14 SEC in the size of it's endowment... with an endowment about 15% of Vandy's endowment.

[Mikey 16,630]

Vandy still cannot give an academic scholarship to a baseball player that otherwise would not qualify for one. If he's that good with the books, then Auburn can offer him too.