HOOVER — Auburn’s sloppy loss Friday didn’t have any effect on coach John Pawlowski’s opinion about where the Tigers should be playing their NCAA regional next week.

He doesn’t expect to travel.

“We’ve done an awful lot,” Pawlowski said. “I think we certainly deserve one, but you never know what the committee is going to do.”

Auburn, which closed the season with a 12-3 SEC record and won the SEC West outright, came into the tournament a consensus top-15 team in college baseball’s three major polls. The Tigers’ RPI of 14 also slotted them among the top 16 teams in the nation, which, conceivably, would put them in a position to host.

The NCAA committee has sometimes looked beyond performance, though, instead focusing on the financial viability of certain locations. Among SEC schools, Plainsman Park is one of the smallest, but Auburn (40-18) would be a short driving distance from a number of tournament qualifiers.

If winning at the SEC Tournament did matter to the committee, Auburn was better than its two top sources of competition by simply winning a game. Third-seeded South Carolina (43-15) and fourth-seeded Arkansas (40-18) both left town winless in their two games.

Before Friday’s game, Rivals.com projected Auburn as one of four SEC schools (Florida, Vanderbilt and South Carolina) to host.

Fletcher, Mummey sit
Auburn was without two of its biggest power hitters Friday, as both Brian Fletcher and Trent Mummey sat out with injuries.

Fletcher, who was plunked in the left hand by a pitch Thursday, took batting practice before Friday’s game, but told Pawlowski he wouldn’t be available. Mummey, who went down with a pulled hamstring after chasing a fly ball in the 12th inning Thursday, didn’t start, but came in as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning.

Mummey didn’t play the field and his only at-bat ended in a double play, one in which he jogged gingerly to first base.

Pawlowski said both players should benefit from a week of rest and be ready for next week’s regional.

Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco didn’t seem to notice Fletcher’s and Mummey’s absence from the lineup.

“Even without those two, that just brings their offense down to a great offense,” he said.

Out for blood
Ole Miss’ players said they took last week’s lopsided sweep at home against Auburn personally and admitted they were seeking some revenge Friday.

“It’s really big emotionally,” said outfielder Taylor Hashman, who hit the game-winning home run in the 10th inning. “We were pumped to play them again.”

In a series that was ultimately for the SEC West crown last week in Oxford, Auburn outscored the Rebels, 34-8, in three games.

Ole Miss’ pitching staff responded with 14 strikeouts Friday, including eight over four innings from reliever Matt Crouse.

“They’ve got a great pitching staff. They executed pitches,” first baseman Hunter Morris said. “You’ve got to tip your hats to them.”

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