Clemson, Southern Miss, Jacksonville St. coming to Auburn
For various reasons, Auburn is plenty familiar with two of the three teams that will swoop on Plainsman Park for this weekend’s NCAA regional.
The two-seed, Clemson, is John Pawlowski’s alma mater, was his first coaching stop and then a longtime rival when he served as the coach at College of Charleston.
“Coach (Jack) Leggett gave me my first opportunity to coach in college baseball and I can’t say enough about that,“ Pawlowski said. “When it comes down to it, we know our guys are going to have to play well regardless of who we play.“
The four-seed and Auburn’s first opponent, Jacksonville State, was Auburn’s final non-conference opponent of the regular season. Auburn won, 9-7.
“Jacksonville State gave us a heck of a ballgame at the end of the season,“ first baseman Hunter Morris said. “We expect nothing different at the end of this week. It doesn’t matter who you play from here on out. It’s going to be a tough game.“
Southern Miss, the three-seed, rounds out the field. The Golden Eagles were a College World Series team last season.
“You look at the teams across the country and certainly our regional, it’s going to be tough,“ Pawlowski said. “That’s what this time of year is all about.“
Friends, family and fans crowded Loco’s Deli in Auburn to watch the NCAA tournament selection show. Auburn is hoping to see the same type of turnout Friday.
“It’s an exciting time for us,“ Morris said.
The entire field can be viewed here.
Note this: Auburn’s regional partner is the Atlanta group, which features top-seeded Georgia Tech and No. 2 Alabama. If Auburn takes care of business and Alabama upsets the Yellow Jackets, the Crimson Tide would be summoned to Auburn for a Super Regional.
Uh oh.
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