Our current state

[PowerOfDixieland 3,226]

JP is the best coach for this job. The problem is Gross, Who hired him, Mr. Baseball Genius?

So we lose the top prospects to MLB, its the risk you take. That's a cop out. Those guys are never going to sign here and are using that notion for leverage.

You guys really believe playing mid week games vs SEC teams bottom pitchers makes you a genius. No, quite the opposite. I know that losing those games (against the competition level we've stooped to), the way we do, makes this staff look inept.

I love it because no one here knows nothing about baseball, you got an AU man as hitting coach and he is terrible.

Get behind the team and support them instead of the bull crap back biting you all on this forum do daily. Do as I say, not as I do, right? See your statement above.

Our facilities are dated and this man has tried his best and is upgrading them. That facility is as good as it's going to get, under the circumstances.

You think we are state of the art? HAHAHA (What's the saying, if we weren't laughing, we'd be crying?). We didn't film batters at AU before JP got here. Filming has nothing to do with facilities.

Recruits look at this stuff. No, Mr. Baseball Genius, what recruits look at is what is the overall success and the rate of former players making it to the next level. Since you know so much about this program, I don't need to give you the (pathetic) numbers.

[hbk25 0]

Your post shows exactly how little about baseball you know.. You seem to resent that I don't follow your views and decide to be a Smart Butt. That's typical, go hire Dunn, go replace the basketball coach and in 4 years the Gus Bus will be gone too. You recruit the top players hoping you get a Hunter Morris who forgoes the draft for school. Filming has everything to do with the facilities, indoor batting cages, stadium and the field itself. It has been neglected and kids see that. So, I guess if I am the Baseball Genius then you must be the Baseball D.A. All these post are negative and then when someone dont agree you attack.. Funny

[penguin149 391]

So, throw a few more millions of dollars at the facilities and the team will get better? Why didn't that work last time? We have a $92,000,000 basketball arena and just finished last in the SEC. Football facilities are top-notch and we just finished a 3-9 season. We now have a chance to finish last in the SEC for the top 3 men's sports in the same year.

AU's pockets are not deep enough to just keep throwing money at things and hope they get better. One obvious commom denominator here is Jay Jacobs. In the business world people get fired everyday because their direct reports do not perform to the expected levels. Managers (and DIrectors) are directly responsible for their department's performance. It is time that this happened in the Auburn University Athletics Department.

[Mikey 16,598]

So after five years of Pawloski our players can't run bases any better than your average 12 year-old team, our recruiting is in the tank compared to the competition, we are at the bottom of the conference in defensive statistics and the hitting is horrible and it's because coaches from six+ years ago didn't take film?

Concerning recruiting, what counts is who shows up on campus. A college coach shouldn't get credit for signing top level pro prospects UNTIL they play on the team. Otherwise it's just crap trying to falsely make the rankings look better.

Oh. As a player, coach, manager and league official I spent over 30 years in baseball. I do have some slight understanding of the game. When a coach doesn't know which of his players can and can't execute a bunt (Coach Paw), that coach is in over his head.

PowerOfDixieland did a good job of taking it point-by-point. I'll just say when a team is not a contender after five years and that team shows signs of going down every season instead of up, it's time for a coaching change.

[hbk25 0]

First, I would have never spent that much for a basketball arena for a team that has not competed for anything in 20 years. Plainsman Park is a beautiful facility that just needs to be upgraded. There are high schools in the area that have indoor hitting facilities and we do not have one. We still have a chance at making both tourneys, we need for someone to get hot and hit the dang ball. You got kids that are not performing to expectations (Tella, Cooper, Glavenyak) These guys have not hit the ball and the team avg shows it at .269. But, the pitching has improved with O'neal showing up big this year, Kendrick has been impressive, Deadrick, Camp have all pitched well. Koger and Kendall have disappointed yet we have an era of 3.26, that is almost a full run below last year. There are huge recruits that are coming in next year (Grier, Thompson) and these are guys that are coming to school. It used to be we would all complain cuz we bunted too much, I wish we bunted even more this year because I do think it would have made our record better.

[Mikey 16,598]

So, hbk25~~~When do you think Pawloski will turn it around and start fielding winning teams that can bunt successfully, play sound defense and demonstrate knowledge of the game's fundamentals. You know, little things like hitting a cutoff man with a throw and stuff like that?

If five years isn't enough time to recruit players that can do those things, how long is needed? If you can't teach those things after five years, how much longer does it take?

Keep Pawloski for how many more years before he starts to look like "The right man for the job"? He sure hasn't looked like that up until now.

How long do we wait for a team that represents Auburn well instead of finishing at the bottom of the SEC West?

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

Here are the some of the most concerning stats and where we rank with the rest of the SEC.

Offense

10th in team batting average

12th in runs scored

12th in total plate appearances (means we don't stretch out innings)

59% success rate in stolen bases (this is not good)

Defense/Pitching

8th in team ERA

14th in strikeouts

6th most runs allowed

11th in team fielding pct.

T-2 for most errors committed

Errors, fielding percentage, stolen base success, and plate discipline are all coaching. Other things you can potentially chalk up to talent, but some of the most egregious stats working against JP are things that he can directly influence in philosophy, practice and game management. If you want reasons why he shouldn't be retained, look no further than these numbers, because they contribute largely to the Win/Loss column.

[WarAJEagle 5]

Here are the some of the most concerning stats and where we rank with the rest of the SEC.

Offense

10th in team batting average

12th in runs scored

12th in total plate appearances (means we don't stretch out innings)

59% success rate in stolen bases (this is not good)

Defense/Pitching

8th in team ERA

14th in strikeouts

6th most runs allowed

11th in team fielding pct.

T-2 for most errors committed

Errors, fielding percentage, stolen base success, and plate discipline are all coaching. Other things you can potentially chalk up to talent, but some of the most egregious stats working against JP are things that he can directly influence in philosophy, practice and game management. If you want reasons why he shouldn't be retained, look no further than these numbers, because they contribute largely to the Win/Loss column.

Game, Set, and Match.

[TigerPaw1 0]

First, I would have never spent that much for a basketball arena for a team that has not competed for anything in 20 years. Plainsman Park is a beautiful facility that just needs to be upgraded. There are high schools in the area that have indoor hitting facilities and we do not have one. We still have a chance at making both tourneys, we need for someone to get hot and hit the dang ball. You got kids that are not performing to expectations (Tella, Cooper, Glavenyak) These guys have not hit the ball and the team avg shows it at .269. But, the pitching has improved with O'neal showing up big this year, Kendrick has been impressive, Deadrick, Camp have all pitched well. Koger and Kendall have disappointed yet we have an era of 3.26, that is almost a full run below last year. There are huge recruits that are coming in next year (Grier, Thompson) and these are guys that are coming to school. It used to be we would all complain cuz we bunted too much, I wish we bunted even more this year because I do think it would have made our record better.

It always seems next year we have big recruits coming in or some guys will step up next year. It has been next year ever since 2010 for Coach P. When you watch this team play you can see how poorly coached it is. We constantly make routine plays look hard, make poor decisions on the basepath, fail to get the hit in the clutch, and lack consistent pitching throughout the rotation and bullpen. The fact that it is year 5 and we are worse than we were 5 years ago is not a sign that we have a guy that can get us there. It stinks because I really like Coach P and each year I always come in with optimistic hopes but it has turned out the same way the past 3 seasons. I just don't see how anyone can defend what Coach P has done at this program the last few years. We must be watching different teams

[nightranger44 3]

I completely agree with HBK....i beleive that the correct person is at the helm. All u folks do is complain and bitch (sorry)....JP bunts too much....bitch and complain...doesnt execute a bunt...bitch and complain....its like a bunch of folks at the retirement home who has never understood COLLEGE baseball. Recruitment is the best you can get...bar none....do expect to go after less talented athletes? HBK hit the nail on the head....facilities suck at best.....until baseball gets a little bit of the money action, recruits will shy away, yet he still gets players from all over the country..from sea to shining sea....what kills me is the AU hasnt been even remotely a powehouse since the 90's. .....this Mikey cat i would really question your so called 30 years in baseball....it takes time (yes more than 5 years) to battle against the odds to get a dismall program turned around...JP has re-created relationships with Frank Thomas not to mention relations with Tim Hudson and Bo jackson...He hasn't even had a losing season. Despite what people seem to think they know, Auburn is behind the 8-ball...other schools offer out-of -state tuition breaks..and yes its true, all schools has 11.7 scholarships, but like i stated most schools offer extra help to the student....so partial scholarships can get help to make tuition. That is an college by college deal. They man runs a clean program..period...Coach Dunn, although a quality coach has never proven he can win consistently. Support your dang team.....understand college baseball...Kids are not playing to potential.....quality hitters are not hitting...pitching hs performed....he cranks out pro players..his coaches get head coach jobs......the man is a winner....class act....notice thats its only a few folks that repeatedly post negativity.........let me clue you in.....JP isnt going anywhere....he is very well thought of by the president....as well as jacobs......

[AU64 10,122]

I completely agree with HBK....i beleive that the correct person is at the helm. All u folks do is complain and bitch (sorry)....JP bunts too much....bitch and complain...doesnt execute a bunt...bitch and complain....its like a bunch of folks at the retirement home who has never understood COLLEGE baseball. Recruitment is the best you can get...bar none....do expect to go after less talented athletes? HBK hit the nail on the head....facilities suck at best.....until baseball gets a little bit of the money action, recruits will shy away, yet he still gets players from all over the country..from sea to shining sea....what kills me is the AU hasnt been even remotely a powehouse since the 90's. .....this Mikey cat i would really question your so called 30 years in baseball....it takes time (yes more than 5 years) to battle against the odds to get a dismall program turned around...JP has re-created relationships with Frank Thomas not to mention relations with Tim Hudson and Bo jackson...He hasn't even had a losing season. Despite what people seem to think they know, Auburn is behind the 8-ball...other schools offer out-of -state tuition breaks..and yes its true, all schools has 11.7 scholarships, but like i stated most schools offer extra help to the student....so partial scholarships can get help to make tuition. That is an college by college deal. They man runs a clean program..period...Coach Dunn, although a quality coach has never proven he can win consistently. Support your dang team.....understand college baseball...Kids are not playing to potential.....quality hitters are not hitting...pitching hs performed....he cranks out pro players..his coaches get head coach jobs......the man is a winner....class act....notice thats its only a few folks that repeatedly post negativity.........let me clue you in.....JP isnt going anywhere....he is very well thought of by the president....as well as jacobs......

IMO you make some good points but I've argued 'til I'm blue in the face about the scholarship issue and some people just are not going to be persuaded by the facts. And they won't buy the facilities issue either, even after reading that MSU had 14,000 people at the most recent AU baseball game...and 5 figure crowds that are common at LSU and Arky. In addition to those great parks, a recent survey of the best college baseball facilities also included UGa, and Ole Miss. And USCe has just started playing in a beautiful new park. AU has a nice park but it ends there I'm told. On the other hand, I think JP's (or someone's penchant) for hiring ex-ballplayers as coaches is not working out. It's just not the same thing....and IMO our hitting problems this year are a direct result of that. I don't know the other coaches but the assistants are not doing the job and JP should see that by now and be making some changes. It's not just the HC that bears the responsibility but he has the responsibility and if he can't put together a good coaching staff, then shame on him ....and good luck at his next school.

[PowerOfDixieland 3,226]

he cranks out pro players..his coaches get head coach jobs......the man is a winner....class act....notice thats its only a few folks that repeatedly post negativity.........let me clue you in.....JP isnt going anywhere....he is very well thought of by the president....as well as jacobs......

All that's great, I'd love to have him in my small group/Bible study. Call yourself an expert, but your kidding yourself and ignoring the obvious. Baseball is a competitive sport, and in the SEC they keep score and track wins and losses. We can judge success on said records. Take a look at the record, it's mediocre at best.

[nightranger44 3]

And your record will always be medicore under the current restraints.......Au is under and impossible circumstance...period.......without the actual instituition changing its personal decisions not for out of state tuition breaks that other schools offer...it doesnt matter if Joe Torre is managing.....face it....Vandy, LSU...the south carolina's have breaks that can be given to their athletes period.........individual school rules for out of state students....Despite this HUGE disadvantage, we are good recruiters.....thats because of your coach......again my point..when has Auburn ever been a powerhouse in baseball????

[WarEagle10 77]

And your record will always be medicore under the current restraints.......Au is under and impossible circumstance...period.......without the actual instituition changing its personal decisions not for out of state tuition breaks that other schools offer...it doesnt matter if Joe Torre is managing.....face it....Vandy, LSU...the south carolina's have breaks that can be given to their athletes period.........individual school rules for out of state students....Despite this HUGE disadvantage, we are good recruiters.....thats because of your coach......again my point..when has Auburn ever been a powerhouse in baseball????

I am not sure we have ever been a "powerhouse" in baseball. That being said, from 1993 - 2005 we made the World Series tourney 11 times. From 2006 - 2012 we played in the tourney one time. (two if we got in last year. I just can't remember if we did or not) Make all of the excuses you want, but that shows a definite decline in the overall production of the program.

Like I have seen posted....You can put the lack of hitting on Gabe. Who do you put the poor handling of the pitching staff, in game, on? Who do you put the poor base running decision on? Who do you put the terrible fielding stat's on? I see the same problem, with the baseball program, as I saw with the football program under Coach Chiz. We recruit well enough, but we do not develop the talent once we get it.

[PowerOfDixieland 3,226]

Vandy, LSU...the south carolina's have breaks that can be given to their athletes period.........

What you are describing is a blatant violation of NCAA rules. I repeat, Pepperdine did it and got nailed.

"From 2007-08, the university’s financial aid office “prioritized” students demonstrating particular gifts or talents when awarding non-athletic scholarships. Athletics participation was one of the factors considered to be a gift or talent, so the scholarships awarded should have been, but were not, counted toward team scholarship totals." That quote is straight from the NCAA website. Again, you are simply ignoring the facts. http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/public/NCAA/Resources/Latest+News/2012/June/Pepperdine+failed+to+monitor+athletics+program

[AU64 10,122]

Man....I can't believe people still are talking about everyone on a level playing field on the issue of baseball scholarships. Check this: http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/sports/hs/article/Inside-the-world-of-baseball-recruiting-4456643.php or this to see where TCU is complaining that it does not have as much academic money for baseball players as other schools. http://www.frogsowar.com/2013/2/13/3982038/the-greatest-threat-to-americas-game-tuition-scholarships-and-baseball There are a dozen stories out there with the same basic explanation. And contrary to comments from several posters on this board ....these financial aid agreements in addition to NCAA scholarship is NOT against the rules. And keep in mind, each university decides who is eligible for the non-athletic scholarships that it awards....and most states have scholarship programs that have relatively modest academic requirements to qualify for aid.

[autigeremt 6,616]

I completely agree with HBK....i beleive that the correct person is at the helm. All u folks do is complain and bitch (sorry)....JP bunts too much....bitch and complain...doesnt execute a bunt...bitch and complain....its like a bunch of folks at the retirement home who has never understood COLLEGE baseball. Recruitment is the best you can get...bar none....do expect to go after less talented athletes? HBK hit the nail on the head....facilities suck at best.....until baseball gets a little bit of the money action, recruits will shy away, yet he still gets players from all over the country..from sea to shining sea....what kills me is the AU hasnt been even remotely a powehouse since the 90's. .....this Mikey cat i would really question your so called 30 years in baseball....it takes time (yes more than 5 years) to battle against the odds to get a dismall program turned around...JP has re-created relationships with Frank Thomas not to mention relations with Tim Hudson and Bo jackson...He hasn't even had a losing season. Despite what people seem to think they know, Auburn is behind the 8-ball...other schools offer out-of -state tuition breaks..and yes its true, all schools has 11.7 scholarships, but like i stated most schools offer extra help to the student....so partial scholarships can get help to make tuition. That is an college by college deal. They man runs a clean program..period...Coach Dunn, although a quality coach has never proven he can win consistently. Support your dang team.....understand college baseball...Kids are not playing to potential.....quality hitters are not hitting...pitching hs performed....he cranks out pro players..his coaches get head coach jobs......the man is a winner....class act....notice thats its only a few folks that repeatedly post negativity.........let me clue you in.....JP isnt going anywhere....he is very well thought of by the president....as well as jacobs......

After 37 posts you think you know people? Seriously?

I used to favor Coach Paw. I really wanted the man to succeed. I've known him since he pitched in college. He's just not getting it done. The facts do not support him continuing as coach of the Auburn Baseball program. He's on thin ice regardless of what you think.

[alhagan14 0]

One of the biggest signs about a coach is how his players react to him. These players, and ex players, don't respond to his coaching. They don't respect him and do not react when he tries to get a rise out of them. I played for 15 years, including with many players who played under JP and I would say this is the #1 reason he needs to go.

[Mikey 16,598]

And your record will always be medicore under the current restraints.......Au is under and impossible circumstance...period.......without the actual instituition changing its personal decisions not for out of state tuition breaks that other schools offer...it doesnt matter if Joe Torre is managing.....face it....Vandy, LSU...the south carolina's have breaks that can be given to their athletes period.........individual school rules for out of state students....Despite this HUGE disadvantage, we are good recruiters.....thats because of your coach......again my point..when has Auburn ever been a powerhouse in baseball????

Other schools cannot offer out of state tuition breaks to athletes unless they offer them to every out of state student that applies to their university. To do so is an NCAA violation. That excuse is bogus. Auburn is at no significant recruiting disadvantage. Why is UGA last if they've got such a huge advantage?

As for the whining in the article about TCU, AU64 we've been over that before. Go back and read the entire thing. It doesn't say what you want it to say.

The bottom line is that there is no excuse for Auburn to be talking about avoiding 13th place in the SEC when our coach is in his fifth year. He's had ample opportunity to do better and has failed. It's time for a change and that change will be coming after this season, no matter how much JJ or others may like him as an individual.

[TigerPaw1 0]

Always love the "ya'll are just idiots that whine and moan" argument. Not sure why so many at Auburn can come up with excuses to cover below average. Coach P is a great man but he is not a great coach. Period. You don't consistently lead the conference in errors made if you are a good coach. You don't see players regress consistently if you are a good coach. You don't see the consistent lack of fundamentals in hitting, baserunning, and defense if you are a good coach. I wish Coach P all the success in the world but I will be very disappointed if he is at the helm come next season

[AU64 10,122]

Boy...this is like arguing with Selena Roberts....facts seem to mean nothing: Actually read the two links above or read this from a Vanderbilt site: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/ncc/facility-endowment-giving.php "Funding academic scholarships available to student-athletes is one of the main responsibilities of Vanderbilt Athletics....". And who determines what the academic qualification is ?....The sponsor of that scholarship of course. Gripe about JP....and there are good reasons to do so, but don't have your head in the sand (or elsewhere) about the facts. State sponsored scholarships HOPE, TOPs and the like do not count against the baseball scholarships. A piece I found a while back noted that a few years ago, the majority of Rice baseball players were getting virtually a full ride through a combination of athletic and other scholarships. Chase off JP....that's fine ....but the next guy will have the same issues and the same disadvantages.

[Mikey 16,598]

Here are the some of the most concerning stats and where we rank with the rest of the SEC.

Offense

10th in team batting average

12th in runs scored

12th in total plate appearances (means we don't stretch out innings)

59% success rate in stolen bases (this is not good)

Defense/Pitching

8th in team ERA

14th in strikeouts

6th most runs allowed

11th in team fielding pct.

T-2 for most errors committed

Errors, fielding percentage, stolen base success, and plate discipline are all coaching. Other things you can potentially chalk up to talent, but some of the most egregious stats working against JP are things that he can directly influence in philosophy, practice and game management. If you want reasons why he shouldn't be retained, look no further than these numbers, because they contribute largely to the Win/Loss column.

It looks like this excellent post needs repeating. Some must have skipped or ignored it the first time through.

[Mikey 16,598]

Boy...this is like arguing with Selena Roberts....facts seem to mean nothing: Actually read the two links above or read this from a Vanderbilt site: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/ncc/facility-endowment-giving.php "Funding academic scholarships available to student-athletes is one of the main responsibilities of Vanderbilt Athletics....". And who determines what the academic qualification is ?....The sponsor of that scholarship of course. Gripe about JP....and there are good reasons to do so, but don't have your head in the sand (or elsewhere) about the facts. State sponsored scholarships HOPE, TOPs and the like do not count against the baseball scholarships. A piece I found a while back noted that a few years ago, the majority of Rice baseball players were getting virtually a full ride through a combination of athletic and other scholarships. Chase off JP....that's fine ....but the next guy will have the same issues and the same disadvantages.

What you are missing is that Auburn can offer the same thing. All we have to do is attract baseball players that can qualify for academic scholarships here. That's not being done. Again, go back and read the entire story in the links you yourself provided. Those links do not support your position.

[Mikey 16,598]

Lets try to approach this from another angle, ok?

LSU and Georgia are in the same position, they both have the lottery scholarships available to them. LSU is one of two leaders in the conference, Georgia is at the bottom. One head coach is utilizing his school's assets and minimizing its deficiencies, the other is not.

Let's look at two more, say Vandy and Tennessee. Vandy should be at a serious disadvantage because of their more stringent entrance requirements. Tennessee has a state-supported lottery working for them. Vandy is at the top of the heap, Tennessee is near the bottom. Why? Because the Vandy coach has figured out a way to turn his school's disadvantage, high scholastic requirements, into a strength and bring in top students that are also baseball players. The Tennessee coach hasn't used his advantage and his team is in the pits.

Every school has its unique advantages and disadvantages. We need to find a coach that can utilize Auburn's advantages and minimize our disadvantages. Five years of Coach Pawloski has shown that he's not the guy that can do that for Auburn.

[PowerOfDixieland 3,226]

yet he still gets players from all over the country..from sea to shining sea....

Auburn is behind the 8-ball...other schools offer out-of -state tuition breaks..

So which is it, he gets players from all over, or we're at some disadvantage recruiting-wise?