How hot is Pawlowski's seat?

With the end of what some might say was a disappointing baseball season some fans are calling, yet again, for the job of Coach John Pawlowski. I must admit that I found myself thinking that there has to be a better answer out there than what we have. With all the resources for Auburn baseball to be able to tap into, there seems to be no reason for the team not to be more successful. If Hal Baird was able to roll out a solid team every year, then why have we had such a turn over in head coaching and poor teams? Since Baird left the Plains, Auburn has ran through 3 coaches in 12 years which have combined for 426 wins and 319 loses. Which is a .571 win percentage combined. Baird, in his 16 years at the helm of the program, was 634-328 for a .659 winning percentage. Over 200 more wins and only 9 more loses over 6 years! Pawlowski has seen success at Auburn, but to many of the Auburn faithful 2010 (the last Auburn NCAA Regional appearance) seems to be too long of a drought and is unacceptable. Since his arrival in 2008, Pawlowski has a record of 166-114 overall and 71-79 in SEC play, which has been the problem with most Auburn teams during his tenure. The play in the SEC seems to be a year to year problem with a Pawlowski coached team. They seemingly would start hot and have the wheels fall off by the 3rd SEC series every season. Much like this season with the slow start to SEC play, though they did play two of the best teams in the country, the Tigers started off cold again possibly costing them a NCAA Regional. The problem is not so much the SEC West as Pawlowski is 43-41 all time versus the West. The problem lies when the Tigers played the SEC East where they are at a 35-46 mark under Pawlowski, and have never won a series against South Carolina. Auburn failed to see any kind of real improvement from last year in the SEC as they finished with the same 13-17 mark and is only 2 games better than his first season in 2009. Auburn’s worst season was his first in 2009 when the Tigers went 31-25 overall and 11-19 in the SEC, and failed to make the SEC Tournament also the only time in his tenure. After a season of lows in 2009, 2010 brought a new high for the 2nd year coach as Auburn won 43 games and went 20-10 in the SEC, a regular season Auburn record. That season the Tigers won the SEC Western Division Crown and hosted a NCAA Regional, where the Tigers of Auburn fell to the Tigers of Clemson in the championship game of the regional. Since then, Auburn has failed to make it past the SEC Tournament. On top of all of it, Coach Pawlowski’s SEC Tournament record is just plan abysmal at a sad 2-7 all-time, not seeing it past a third game in the tournament. Not making a NCAA Regional this season could be the end of Coach Pawlowski at Auburn. Knowing how things go, and it is JABA after all, Mr. Jacobs may give coach one more year to right the ship and save a little buyout money, which would be 2 full years if let go after this season, in the process. 

Let’s say for fun Auburn misses the postseason (which we at JABA sadly believe may happen) and Jacobs lets Pawlowski go, who should be the next face of Auburn baseball? Us at JABA have personally come up with 4 names that could be a good fit into the Auburn family, some you may know and some you won’t. Let us start with one that you may not know.

Erik Bakich, head coach at Michigan is the youngest coach at a BCS school at the age of 35. Bakich took the Michigan job this past season after 3 seasons with the Maryland Terrapins. Before getting the job at Maryland, Bakich was an assistant at top programs Vanderbilt (2003-2009) and Clemson (2002).While at Maryland, Bakich recorded 70 wins with 98 loses while going 20-70 in ACC play. His best year at Maryland was in 2012 when the Terps posted a mark of 32-24, the 32 wins a school record, and 10-20 in the ACC. Which is only the second time they reached 10 wins in ACC play in school history. After his first and only year at Michigan, he has the Wolverines at 27-25 and 12-9 in the Big Ten. Bakich has recruited and developed 73 players that has been drafted in his 10-year coaching career. Included in those numbers are 25 players drafted in the first 5 rounds and nine players in the 1st round alone. Bakich is considered one of the top college baseball coaches under 40 in the country. Bakich would be a bit of a stretch for the Tigers as he is only finishing his first season in Ann Arbor. 

Now most of you might know Casey Dunn.

Casey Dunn, former Auburn catcher, is the head coach at Samford in Birmingham, Alabama. Dunn has been the head coach at Samford since 2005 where he has a 272-247 career record and 142-101 in SoCon play. Before he took the job in 2005, Dunn worked one season for Auburn in 2004. Dunn’s best season as a coach was in 2012 when Samford won the Southern Conference Tournament and went to a NCAA Regional.This past season Samford went 27-29 and 12-17 in the SoCon. While at Samford, Dunn’s teams have been very constant averaging 30 wins a season. Much like Coach Bakich of Michigan, Dunn is regarded as one of the top young coaches in America. He would seem to be a seamless fit into a place he already knows so much about. Also knowing the recruiting area would be an easy transition for Dunn at Auburn. Whispers were he was on the list and had a chance to be named coach when Pawlowski got the job in 2009. 

Another name you may or may not know... Coach Chris Pollard of Duke.

Coach Pollard just finished his first season at Duke, where the Blue Devils finished 26-29 with a 9-21 ACC record. Before taking the job at Duke, Pollard was the head coach at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina for eight seasons. While at Appalachian State, he went 244-210 with six straight 30-wins seasons and seven straight Southern Conference Tournaments. The Mountaineers went 107-119 in the SoCon with Pollard at the helm. When Pollard took the job in 2005, he was taking over a program that was coming off back-to-back 10 win seasons and was a doormat in the SoCon. Pollard’s best season as a coach was in 2012 when he guided his team to the 2012 SoCon regular season championship (21-9). That year they also set the school record in wins at 41, and made the school's first regional since 1986. Pollard would also be a somewhat reach as he is also a first year coach at Duke. However Auburn would be a step-up for either coach because we all know a coach wants to be in the SEC. 

The last name on our list is a bit of a “dark-horse” candidate, Gabe Gross. 

Gabe Gross is Auburn's assistant coach. Gross would be a reach, as he has no head coaching experience and only 2 years as a college coach at Auburn. The positives are he is young and knows the areas in which to recruit at Auburn. He also knows the players that will return and is, as we all know, an Auburn alum. With that said there is not much more that we can say about Gabe, other than he is one of our own much like Dunn. 

So those are the few names we found that could be the next head coach of Auburn, if the need to find one arises. Those are just are names of course, but who would you want if they needed to find a new head coach? With Selection Monday coming up we may also find out the fate of coach John Pawlowski, as well as if the Tigers will make the postseason (fingers crossed). -JABA