Auburn Baseball has won six SEC championships, three SEC Tournament championships, appeared in 22 NCAA Regionals, and reached the College World Series (CWS) six times.
Following the 2000 season, Hal Baird retired as head coach. After 16 years as head of the Auburn baseball program, Baird posted an impressive 634–328–0 overall record.
On September 1, 1999, Steve Renfroe was named head baseball coach at Auburn University, as the successor to Hal Baird following the 2000 season. Renfroe was longtime assistant coach at Auburn before being named head coach, having begun his coaching career at Auburn in 1981 as an assistant and remaining in that position until 1995 when he was named assistant head coach.
On June 7, 2004, Renfroe was relieved of his duties as head baseball coach at Auburn. He posted an overall mark of 145–92, including a 60–60 SEC record, during his tenure.[4] Each of Renfroe's first three Auburn squads advanced to the NCAA Baseball Tournaments, with stops in Tallahassee, FL, in 2001, Tuscaloosa, AL, in 2002, and hosting a 2003 Regional in Auburn.[5]
On June 29, 2004, Tom Slater was named as Steve Renfroe's replacement. After only having 2 coaches in 38 years, Auburn was now on the second coach within a five-year period. Slater was previously an assistant at Auburn during the 1990s before taking a head coaching job at his alma mater Virginia Military Institute following the 2000 season. After the 2003 season, Slater left VMI to take an assistant job at the University of Florida where he helped lead the Gators to their first ever Super Regional appearance.[6]
On June 20, 2008, John Pawlowski was introduced as the 16th Head Coach of the Auburn Tigers baseball program. Pawlowski was previously the head coach at the College of Charleston. He took over that program in 2000, and posted a 338–192–1 record during his tenure. Under his direction, the Cougars made three straight NCAA post-season appearances, including their first ever appearance in 2004. He was named the Southern Conference coach of the year in 2004, 2005, and 2007, and coached 17 All-Americans during his tenure.[7] At Auburn, he took over a very young baseball team that included two freshman all-American selections, Hunter Morris and Brian Fletcher.[8]
Tigers baseball players during a game in 2010
On May 27, 2013, John Pawlowski was fired after finishing the 2013 season with a 33–23 record overall and a 13–17 record in the SEC. The Tigers failed to reach the NCAA tournament for three straight years. Pawlowski compiled a 167–126 overall record and a 71–79 SEC mark at Auburn. His 2010 team won the SEC West, but his four other teams had losing conference records.
The field was named in 1997 to honor two former Auburn players, Billy and Jimmy Hitchcock. The Hitchcock brothers were popular athletes in the 1930s. Jimmy was Auburn's first All-American in football and baseball, and later coached the Tigers during the 1940s. Billy helped Auburn make its first bowl appearance in football, as well as, helping the Tigers claim their first SEC baseball title in 1937. He later became a manager in the MLB.
In 2003, the stadium was renamed Samford Stadium-Hitchcock Field at Plainsman Park after W. James "Jimmy" Samford passed. Samford was a graduate of Auburn, a former board of trustees member, and was known for pushing the renovations of the stadium that began in 1996.
*Through 2023 season. *Final rankings are from Collegiate Baseball Division I Final Polls (1959–2006)[9]*Auburn baseball history year-by-year results[10]
Year-by-year results
Year
Coach
Record
Notes
1933
Sam McAllister
1934
Herschel Bobo
10-8-1
1935
Del Morgan
1936
Del Morgan
13-5
1937
Del Morgan
1938
Del Morgan
1939
Del Morgan
1940
Porter Grant
1941
Jimmy Hitchcock
12-11-1
1942
Jimmy Hitchcock
10-8
1943
Bob Evans
8-3
1944
Bob Evans
1945
Bob Evans
1946
Bob Evans
1947
Danny Doyle
1948
Danny Doyle
1949
Johnny Williamson
9–10
1950
Johnny Williamson
12–13
1951
Dan McGowen
14–11
1952
Dan McGowen
13–11–2
1953
Dan McGowen
9–12
1954
Dan McGowen
17–5
1955
Dan McGowen
9–16
1956
Dan McGowen
12–11
1957
Dan McGowen
16–10
1958
Joe Connally
17–8
SEC Champions
1959
Erk Russell
15–11–1
1960
Erk Russell
15–8
1961
Erk Russell
14–11
SEC East Champions
1962
Erk Russell
15–7
1963
Paul Nix
17–8
SEC Champions, Lost to Florida State in Gastonia Regional
Since the NCAA Division I baseball tournament began in 1947, the Auburn Tigers have played in it 24 times and made it to the College World Series six times.
^"Archived copy"(PDF). Archived from the original(PDF) on February 27, 2007. Retrieved April 26, 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Official 2007 NCAA Baseball Records Book
